By Ryan Colasanti, Contributing Journalist
BEAR — Caravel quarterback Matthew Rice settled under center with just under 10 minutes to
play in the third quarter, positioned slightly across midfield. Rice took the third down snap,
rolled out to his right and zipped a pass to his senior receiver Tisyn Witcher along the right
sideline.
Witcher evaded a string of defenders in his path to score the Buccaneer’s first of five touchdowns
in the second half, defeating Red Lion Christian Academy, 42-18, Friday night.
The Buccaneer’s win was their first of the season and the first for the program as the newest
member of the 3A class.
Caravel was moved up to class 3A in December as part of a football realignment that moved
eight schools to new levels. Caravel won back to back 2A state championships the prior two
seasons and were runner up in 2022 before making the jump to 3A this season.
Caravel’s offense certainly looked the part of a 3A offense scoring touchdowns on all five of its
second half offensive possessions.
Witcher scored two of the five adding a pair of touchdown receptions to his rushing touchdown
that opened the scoring in the first quarter. Senior running back Joshua Roy carried Caravel’s
other three scores through the endzone accumulating over 200 yards on the ground for the
Buccaneer offense.
Red Lion strung together a trio of touchdown drives in the second half to try and chip away at
the Caravel lead, starting with a scoring drive that consisted of a single play.
Following a Caravel touchdown, Lion’s senior quarterback Evan Budinger lined up at his own 37
yard line in the shotgun formation with two receivers on his left and a running back behind him.
Budinger faked the hand off, took a small step back and lofted the ball to junior receiver Raheem
Spencer Jr. just as he crossed the Buccaneer’s 35 yard line. The ball fell majestically into his
hands and Spencer Jr. finished the play by sprinting through the left side of the endzone scoring
the Lion’s first touchdown.
Budinger scored the final two Red Lion touchdowns in the final six minutes of fourth quarter
with a pair of short runs near the goal line. Despite their tremendous effort, the Lions remain
winless through a difficult portion of their season facing two 3A teams in Salesianum and
Caravel right at the start.
Red Lion’s next game will be at home against Delaware County Christian School located in
Pennsylvania.
Caravel’s next game is a home matchup against undefeated St. Georges Technical High School.
This will be the Buccaneer’s first in class game this season.
George Rotsch is the publisher of Delaware LIVE, Town Square LIVE, Milford LIVE, and Chadds Ford LIVE. He is a career business communicator and community activist for Delaware. He has lived in the community for 35 years and believes in local news as one way to help people feel connected to their community. He can be reached at george@delawarelive.com
