The Newark Charter Patriots gather in front of their fans to celebrate their win over Seaford, Friday night. Photo Credit: Ryan Colasanti

The Newark Charter Patriots defeated the Seaford Blue Jays, 20-0, on Friday, October 23, earning the program’s fourth shutout win this season.

NEWARK, DE — Newark Charter’s offense jogged out of the huddle and lined up in the pistol formation. The ball was spotted at the Seaford 43-yard line and the Patriots needed to gain 17 yards for a first down. 

Quarterback Chase Kennedy received the snap, immediately turned to his left and stretched his right arm out to hand the ball off to senior running back Austin Gbadegbe. Gbadegbe took the handoff and ran to his left behind the blocking of junior tight end Austin Ledoshuk and sophomore left tackle Donovan Pray. Gbadegbe ran about five yards down field before being touched by a Blue Jay defender. 

The abundance of space allowed the senior runner to evade a couple hopeful tacklers and rush the full 43 yards into the endzone, giving the Patriots a three score lead with a little over a minute remaining in the first quarter.

Gbadegbe finished the game with over 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns helping the Newark Charter Patriots defeat the Seaford Blue Jays, 20-0, Friday night.

“He’s a special player,” Patriot head coach Jody Russell said postgame. “He’s a really powerful, low to the ground guy and explosive when he gets the chance.” 

Gbadegbe’s game-high 43-yard touchdown run not only showcased his talent as a runner, but the prowess of the offensive line he ran behind. The Patriots’ offensive line played a strong game creating running lanes for their offense — which ran for over 150 yards — and holding the Blue Jays’ defensive pass rush to two sacks. 

Newark Charter’s defensive line created a similar impact on the other side of the ball. 

The Patriots’ defensive line generated multiple pressures throughout the night and earned four sacks as a result of that pressure. Two of those sacks came on Seaford’s second drive of the game and the success of the Patriots’ defensive lineman allowed the rest of the Newark Charter defense to swarm to the ball for quick tackles.

“They just have a motor. They don’t stop,” Russell said about Newark Charter’s offensive and defensive lines. “They play together. They’re not the biggest guys in the world, but they’re fast, they’re quick, their speed really, you know, sets them apart from other teams.”

Newark Charter’s aggressive defense also generated a pair of turnovers that resulted in Gbadegbe’s two touchdowns. Both scores came on runs. The first was a one-yard run up the middle and the second was his 43-yard dash down the left sideline. Newark Charter’s first touchdown was a nine-yard pass from Kennedy to Ledoshuk on the Patriots’ second offensive possession of the game. Ledoshuk leaped over the Blue Jay defender to make the touchdown grab near the front right pylon.

“I’m on the backside and this week they said I was gonna get the ball and I definitely did get the ball,” Ledoshuk said with a smile postgame.

Neither offense could get rolling in the second half, but the Blue Jays moved the ball well with quick throws from senior quarterback Everette Burton. Burton completed six passes in the half for 66 yards through the air. The Patriots run game continued to play well and helped the offense put together time consuming drives that limited the number of possessions the Blue Jays’ offense had. 

Newark Charter’s win improves their record to 7-0 this season and completes an unresolved mission from a year ago. 

The Patriots lost three games in their inaugural varsity season last year. One came against the Odessa Ducks whom the Patriots beat this season, 13-0. The other two were at the hands of the Blue Jays. Seaford defeated Newark Charter, 33-7, during the 2025 regular season and 21-20 in an overtime victory to claim the Class 1A championship title. 

“We’ve been preparing for this game, we’ve had this game marked for like a year now and it just feels great to come out and beat these guys,” Ledoshuk said.

The Patriots seem poised to return to the Class 1A championship game and will try to continue their strong season against Early College School on October 30. The game will be played at Early College and start at 6:00 p.m.

Seaford’s next matchup will be against an out of state opponent — Washington High School from Maryland — and begin at 6:00 p.m. on October 30. The game will be played at Seaford High School.

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.