Mark Delpercio says Center/nose tackle Caleb Weatherford, a senior, has had a lot to with Middletown’s success this season. Photo by Al Thompson

Middletown High School’s football team is enjoying a season like no other. At press time the Crusaders were 8-0 on the season with two regular season games to go before the DIAA Division 1 playoffs get underway.

How good is Middletown in 2016? The Crusaders lost to Salesianum in the semi-finals last year 27-21. This year Mark Delpercio’s squad returned the favor, dispatching the Sallies 42-24…and that was the closest game of the year for Middletown.

Center/nose tackle Caleb Weatherford, a senior, has had a lot to with Middletown’s success this season.

“He’s our best lineman, no doubt,” Delpercio said. “He is a leader and really sets the tone on both sides of the ball.”

Weatherford talked about the mentality of the Crusaders defense.

“We just swarm to the ball,” Weatherford said. “As soon as the ball goes out, we go. We just follow the ball and swarm. We want to gang-tackle everywhere. We just compete, we don’t ever stop. Everyone on defense has a high motor, we just keep going.”

On offense, Weatherford touches the ball maybe more than any player on the team. The 6-foot-0, 275 pounder talked about the offense that he described as a spread offense.

“Offensively we’ve been able to spread the ball around,” Weatherford said. “We have great protection up front and our quarterback puts the ball where it needs to be put.”

The Cavaliers play an up tempo offense – with few huddles – and so far it has worked to perfection. Middletown has scored at least 35 points in its first eight games and recorded four shutouts and two other games where their opponent only scored once.

“We go fast, really fast,” Weatherford said. “When the play of over we get the ball set and get it going, we like to keep the defense on their toes.”

Delpercio praised his young quarterback Drew Fry

“He’s put up some great numbers this year and he’s just a sophomore,” Delpercio said. “He’s got a great pedigree, his dad played quarterback at the University of Delaware. He’s a first-year starter. I think the key to his success is he is surrounded by veteran receivers.”

Those skill players include his son, Anthony Delpercio – the Crusaders leading receiver with 14 touchdowns. Also contributing in a big way is running back Kedrick Whitehead who has 11 trips to the end zone. “He is out best skill player,” the veteran coach said.

Delpercio also singled out Spencer Harbert, who plays the joker linebacker position. Coach Delpercio reports Harbert is headed to the University of Kentucky on a baseball scholarship.

“He has a real nose for the ball,” Delpercio said. “He does a little bit of everything for us.”

Weatherford was asked about the only real goal for the Crusaders. He almost went down the rabbit hole no coach want is players to go, but the obvious team leader caught himself in time.

“The one goal in mind…we don’t think ahead,” Weatherford said. “We’re 0-0 until we get to the end of it.”

The end of it is a much-anticipated state final against defending Champion Smyrna, who is equally undefeated and with the exception of a close game against Sussex Central, is waltzing through its schedule as well.

Weatherford said Delpercio keeps his players focused on staying in the moment.

“That’s what coach talks about,” said Weatherford, who lists Houston Texans star J.J. Watt and Cowboys Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick as his favorite NFL players. “We just ignore all that stuff and keep the focus on us and what we’re doing and keep going week to week.”

Weatherford says he wants to continue his career at the next level.

“I want to play in college, it’s been one of my dreams,” Weatherford said. “It would be great to get there and play in the NCAAs. It’s what I’ve been working for the last four years.”
Weatherford says he has interest from two Division II school in Oklahoma but isn’t going to be picky.

“I’m just shooting to play football,” he said. “I don’t care where. I love playing football.”

Delpercio admitted that no matter how much he stresses to his players about the importance of taking the schedule one day at a time, Smyrna is right there, unbeaten, and presenting a dream state championship game.

The coach said he is proud of his players for their mental stamina.

“They have handled themselves well,” Delpercio said. “I think it’s that one week at a time mentality. The guys know it. I’d be a fool to think they don’t know it, don’t hear it, people say it to them but in the end, you don’t have that game at the end with the other undefeated team in the States, that everyone wants to see, if you don’t take care of your own business right now. If you slip along the way then all of a sudden you could drop down a seed and now that game is a semi-final game, not a championship game.
“So we’ll focus on what we need to do week-in-and-week-out and everything will play out the way we want if we take care of business.”

Follow Al Thompson on Twitter @thompsoniii

Footballstories Top 10 High School football teams as of November 4, 2016
1. Smyrna 8-0
2. Middletown 8-0
3. William Penn 7-1
4. Salesianum 5-3
5. Woodbridge 8-0
6. Concord 6-2
7. Sussex Central 5-3
8. Milford 6-1
9. Caravel 5-3
10. St. Georges Tech 7-1

Best of the rest
Glasgow 8-0, Cape Henlopen 6-2, Delaware Military Academy 7-1, Appoquinimink 4-4, Wilmington Friends 7-1