Night home game adds to Tatnall football fever

Tatnall’s Weymouth Field will be illuminated by temporary lights for the school’s first night home football game Sept. 30 against Tower Hill.

Friday night lights.

Every high school football player wants to play under them on their home field, but some in Delaware never get the chance.

That will change this season at Tatnall, which is revving up for what could be its best football season in years.

The Hornets return 14 seniors — a large football class for a small school — and all but one starter from last season. The exuberance will reach a fever pitch on Sept. 30, as temporary lights will be brought in to illuminate Tatnall’s Weymouth Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Independent Conference rival Tower Hill.

It will be the first night home game in the school’s history.

“It’s something for the kids to get excited about, for the school community to get excited about,” said Jody Russell, who is entering his 15th season as the Hornets’ head coach.

Tatnall lit up the scoreboard last season, reaching at least 22 points in all but one game and averaging 34.8 per game. Everyone but quarterback Drew Kobasa returns, and Russell believes he has a capable QB replacement in junior Carl Marvin.

“We’ve got a bunch of returning seniors, a great group,” Russell said. “They worked really hard all summer. They proved that they could play a little bit last year, so hopefully they can continue their success.”

The Hornets jumped from 4-6 in 2014 to 6-4 last year, their first winning season since 2010. And Marvin will have plenty of established performers ready to take a handoff or catch a pass.

Senior Sam Ragland rushed for 1,352 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 370 yards and three more scores last season. Senior receiver Cam Easton (40 catches, 763 yards, 8 TDs), junior receiver Jared Duncan (9-153-3) and senior tight end Oliver Campbell (28-440-2) also return.

“We’ve got awesome skill guys,” Russell said.

Karl Holler, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior who has been starting since eighth grade, will lead the lines as a left tackle and defensive end. Holler ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash this summer, and has received recruiting interest from Army and several Ivy League schools.

“He’s really athletic,” said Russell, a former University of Delaware tight end. “He should have a breakout year this year.”

It could be a breakout year for all of the Hornets. But their coach is going to make sure it goes one step at a time.

“It’s doing what we do, having attention to detail, discipline, all of that kind of  stuff,” Russell said. “Doing everything the right way and having that championship mindset.”

Rounding it up

— Delaware Military Academy is seeking an assistant coach for varsity and junior varsity girls volleyball. Interested candidates should email athletic director Michael Ryan at michael.ryan@dma.k12.de.us as soon as possible.

— Howard is seeking a head coach for wrestling. Interested candidates should contact principal Stan Spoor at stanley.spoor@nccvt.k12.de.us or call (302) 571-5411.

— Sanford has hired Tim Lucky as its boys lacrosse coach. Lucky, an outstanding player at Towson University from 1992-95, has been an assistant at Towson and two Maryland high schools, and most recently coached Sanford’s middle school boys team.

— The second annual St. Elizabeth High School Alumni Association golf outing will be held at 11 a.m. Sept. 19 at Rock Manor Golf Course in Wilmington. Cost is $150 per golfer, which includes golf, gift bag, lunch, a cocktail hour and awards. To register or receive more information on sponsorship opportunities, email Kathleen Houghton at khoughton@sehs.org or call (302) 225-8675.

— The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Student Leadership Conference was held Aug. 5-7 at the Virden Retreat Center in Lewes. The annual event, supported in part by the Allstate Foundation, brings together student-athletes from around the state for activities, speakers and practical experiences designed to hone their leadership skills, including games with Special Olympics athletes.

Attendees included Brandywine’s Sarah Meinecke, A.I. du Pont’s Tyler Eddy, Caesar Rodney’s Stephanie Horne and Jackson Hollinger, Cape Henlopen’s Logan Shuttleworth, Conrad’s Sarah Bessel, Wilmington Friends’ Margaret Sullivan and Owen Sheppard, Mount Pleasant’s Alexa Rhodunda, Newark’s Alexis Bedford and Greg Biddle, St. Mark’s Meredith Fish, Sanford’s Paige Amendum, Seaford’s Hannah Doyle, Tatnall’s Caroline Foley and Karl Holler, Tower Hill’s Briana McCoy, Wilmington Christian’s Christina Bourantos, William Penn’s Makayla Robinson and Darren Ryals, Appoquinimink’s Ryan Candy, Charter of Wilmington’s Mike Cicconi, Concord’s Brandon Dennis, Delcastle’s Jeffrey Hewes, McKean’s Davin Reid, Sanford’s Brendan Lamey, St. Elizabeth’s Kellen Sweeney, Sussex Central’s Andrew Evan, Sussex Tech’s Ben Bamforth, Tower Hill’s Jamie Spruance and Sussex Academy’s Nathaniel Riddle.

— Mount Pleasant rising senior Maurice Parson has verbally committed to play baseball at Delaware State.

— Caravel rising sophomore Nicole Marcon has verbally committed to play softball at Delaware.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.