Newark Charter junior Lucas Erunchak jumps in the endzone following one of his two touchdown runs against Odessa. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.

The Newark Charter Patriots (2-0) defeated the Odessa Ducks (1-1), 13-0, in a road game played on September 11. It’s the program’s second win against a Class 2A opponent and first against Odessa.

TOWNSEND, DE — Newark Charter quarterback Chase Kennedy lined up in the pistol formation five yards behind where the ball was being snapped at the Odessa 31 yard line. Standing two yards behind Kennedy was junior running back Lucas Eruncak, the lone touchdown scorer in the game.

Senior center Brayden Scannell snapped the ball to Kennedy who handed the ball off to his left. Erunchak took the handoff and found running room up the middle of the field, running full speed past the outstretched arms of Duck defenders. Erunchak made it past the Duck defense and ran 31 yards for his second touchdown of the game with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Erunchak finished the game with over 100 rushing yards, the game’s only two touchdowns and a pair of sacks helping Newark Charter defeat Odessa, 13-0, Friday night.

“Honestly it’s amazing,” Erunchak said after the game. “We came out here with the right energy like we do all the time and I’m just like so excited.” 

Erunchak’s first score came in the second quarter on a run from the Odessa nine yard line. The first touchdown run came from a similar play call as the Patriots’ second score, with Erunchak lined up behind Kennedy in the pistol formation and the handoff to the quarterback’s left side. Instead of running up the middle, Erunchak broke to the outside and ran into the endzone for the touchdown.

“I’m so proud of how our [offensive] line handled everything,” Erunchak said. “I give all the praise to them.”

The touchdown run was the only points scored in the first half despite both teams working their way down the field and earning red zone opportunities. Odessa drove into the red zone twice in the first half, but penalties and strong defensive play by the Patriots defense inhibited their ability to score. Newark Charter’s other first half red zone opportunity was thwarted by an interception from Odessa senior Thomas Ngateh.

Odessa senior Thomas Ngateh celebrates with his teammates after his interception in the first half. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.

Erunchak’s second touchdown run late in the third quarter completed the game’s scoring. The Patriot defense held the Ducks out of the endzone and helped the Class 1A program earn its first shutout victory against a Class 2A opponent. The Patriots defense finished the game with four sacks and two interceptions.

“Heart, we all got heart,” Newark Charter senior Alexander Burrows said postgame about what makes the Patriots defensive line dynamic. “Coaching, players, we all want it, we want it really bad.”

Newark Charter’s defense has allowed six points through the first two games of the 2026 season.

“We’ve been talking about kind of all week, you know, trying to find something we can hang our hat on and very encouraging tonight to watch these guys come out and how they swarmed defensively,” Patriot head coach Jody Russell said postgame. “I think we might have found something that we can hang our hat on which is good.”  

Newark Charter’s win improves its record to 2-0 on the season as the Patriots try to return to the Class 1A title game as they did a year ago. Last year, the Patriots finished their inaugural varsity season as the runner-up to Class 1A champion, Seaford. The Patriots only losses during that season came against the aforementioned Blue Jays and Odessa.

The Patriots next game will be at home against another Class 2A opponent, the Tatnall Hornets. Newark Charter and Tatnall matched up last season and the Patriots emerged victorious, 22-21, earning the program’s first win against a Class 2A opponent. This year’s iteration of the game will be played on September 18, at 7:00 p.m.

The Ducks will return to action on September 19, in a road matchup against the Glasgow Dragons. That game will be played at Glasgow High School and start at 11:00 a.m.

Ryan Colasanti joins Delaware Live following four years at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism. There he covered multiple sports for the school’s radio station as both a reporter and editor. Ryan is excited to return back to the state and cover all things Delaware sports.