A picture of Salesianum’s preseason scrimmage against St. Joseph’s Prepatory School. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
The 2026 Delaware high school football season begins on September 3, and continues through December with the state championships scheduled for December 4 and December 5.
The 2026 Delaware high school football season starts in a few days with a matchup between Hodgson Vo-Tech and Howard Vo-Tech on Thursday, September 3. The KickOff Classic starts a three month regular season schedule that culminates in championship games in early December.
To get ready for the upcoming season, let’s recap what happened in the 2025 season:
2025 Class 3A Champion: Middletown High School
For the second year in a row, the Class 3A championship game featured a matchup between Salesianum and Middletown. The Middletown Cavaliers won the game, 28-14, defeating Sallies in the state title game for the second season in a row. It’s the program’s 10th state title.
Middletown scored all of its points in the first half, leading by three scores at halftime. Three of Middletown’s four touchdowns came through the air with senior Derian Cunningham connecting with three different receivers for the scores. The first connection was a 77-yard pitch and catch between Cunningham and fellow senior Darius Pope that opened the scoring in the first quarter and gave Middletown a lead it never relinquished. Junior Hanif Miller scored the Cavaliers fourth touchdown before halftime.
Middletown begins its 2026 campaign on September 3, at home against Tottenville High School from New York. Tottenville is the 46th ranked football team in New York, according to MaxPreps. Salesianum begins its season on the same day with a home matchup against Springside Chestnut Hill Academy from Pennsylvania. Springside Chestnut Hill is the 13th ranked team in Pennsylvania, according to MaxPreps.
A state championship game rematch will take place on October 30, at Cavalier Stadium.
2025 Class 2A Champion: Red Lion Christian Academy
Red Lion earned the program’s first football state championship with a double overtime win against Indian River last season. Similar to the Class 1A game this matchup was a nail biter that came down to the final plays.
After trading touchdowns and two-point conversions in the first overtime period, Red Lion opened up the second overtime period with a touchdown run from senior Judah Barber. The Red Lions elected to send out their kicker, sophomore Teigan Norris, for the extra point and his kick put them ahead by seven. The Indians responded via a Michael Peranteau touchdown run, but the team’s extra point attempt was no good. Red Lion won, 22-21.
Red Lion will begin their season at home against Smyrna High School on September 4. Indian River starts a day before, playing Odessa on the road on September 3. The two teams won’t play each other during the regular season which means a state championship rematch will have to come in the postseason. Last season, Red Lion started the season 0-2 before winning 11 straight games and the state title. Indian River was undefeated until the state championship game.
2025 Class 1A Champion: Seaford High School
The Seaford Blue Jays earned their first state championship in over three decades when they defeated the Newark Charter Patriots, 21-20, last season. The championship game was a close contest that was tied 14-14 at the end of regulation.
The Blue Jays started the overtime period on offense and scored the initial touchdown of the frame on a run by senior Vincent Evans. Senior Luke Metzner converted the extra point and gave Seaford a seven point lead. The Patriots answered via an Austin Gbadegbe touchdown run and decided to go for a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point. The Blue Jays stopped the Patriots two-point play and claimed the state title.
The Blue Jays will begin the 2026 season on September 3, on the road against AI duPont High School. The Patriots begin their season that same day against Christiana High School. The two programs will play a championship game rematch on October 23, in Newark.
Important Notes for this Season
The regular season begins on September 3 and continues until the end of competition on November 14. The playoffs will begin with quarterfinal matchups on November 20 and 21, semifinal matchups on November 27 and 28 and championship matchups on December 4 and 5.
The football classification system used last season is still in effect, though Caravel will not be competing in varsity football this season, according to Delaware Online. Caravel was a playoff team last year in the program’s first season in Class 3A.
To see a full breakdown of the football classification system click here.
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.
