Delsea does it again, rallies past Paul VI

Taj Summiel doesn't dream about dramatic comeback victories.

"Actually, I'd prefer to be up 40-0," said Summiel, a junior all-purpose standout for Delsea.

For the second week in a row, Delsea rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter for a remarkable victory.

For the second week in a row, Summiel was front and center in the Crusaders' rally.

On Saturday, with Delsea now lodged in the No. 1 spot in The Inquirer's Top 25, Summiel went 24 yards around left end for a touchdown with 1 minute, 24 seconds left to finish another comeback as the Crusaders stunned Paul VI, 35-34.

In a 35-31 win over then-No. 1 Timber Creek on Sept. 25, Summiel took a 27-yard pass from Quinn Collins to the 1-yard line on a fourth-and-4 play with less than two minutes to play to set up the game-winning score.

"He can make plays," Delsea coach Sal Marchese Jr. said.

Summiel's touchdown run capped an impressive drive by Delsea as the Crusaders went 80 yards in four plays after taking possession at their own 20, down 34-28, with 2:18 remaining.

The Crusaders used a 10-yard run from Charles Walker, a 20-yard run by Chris Bascomb, a 26-yard pass from Collins to Bascomb, and Summiel's touchdown run to zip down the field for the winning score.

"They don't quit," Paul VI coach John Doherty said of Delsea. "We knew that at halftime."

Senior quarterback Matt Vitale was 15 for 26 passing for 287 yards and three touchdowns for No. 12 Paul VI (3-1). Senior wideout Lonnie Moore caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Collins carried 24 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns for Delsea.

The Crusaders also got a lift in the second half from junior fullback Rashaad Williams, who sat out most of the first half with an ankle injury. Williams ran 14 times for 64 yards and a touchdown after halftime.

"He makes us go," Marchese Jr. said.

Williams' 1-yard touchdown run cut Paul VI's lead to 34-28 with 2:57 left. A defensive stand by the Crusaders set the stage for the dramatic finish.

"Our kids are going to fight," Marchese said. "They put too much into it . . . to surrender."

Delsea 14 0 0 21 - 35

Paul VI 6 18 3 7 - 34

D: Quinn Collins 59 run (Brad Dobzanski kick)

D: Collins 14 run (Dobzanski kick)

P: Lonnie Moore 12 pass from Matt Vitale (kick fail)

P: Moore 19 pass from Vitale (Chris Randle run)

P: Vitale 1 run (Anthony Moran kick)

P: Moran FG 24

P: Moran FG 25

D: Collins 12 run (Dobzanski kick)

P: Stefone Moore-Green 61 pass from Vitale (Moran kick)

D: Rashaad Williams 1 run (Dobzanski kick)

D: Taj Summiel 24 run (Dobzanski kick)