For the first time since 2014, the Green Wave football team is heading to the NJ State Championship game, defeating Seton Hall Prep 38-23 in the NJSIAA Non Public A Semifinal.

Delbarton's defense made a statement on the opening drive, forcing a punt which was deflected, giving the offense terrific field position to begin its opening drive.  Delbarton would get to the 2 yard line, where senior running back Ryan Trafford '24 punched it in from 2 yards out for his first score of the afternoon.  On the next Pirates drive, the offense got to the Green Wave 39 before attempting a 4th down conversion, however Troy Bailey '25 and Tyler DaSilva '24 combined for a huge hit, knocking the ball into the air, where senior linebacker Dallas Hurley '24 was waiting for the interception, returning it to the Delbarton 43.  Ryan Trafford would get the load of carries on the second drive, capping it off with a 1-yard TD run, giving Delbarton the 14-0 lead.  

Delbarton's defense was relentless in the first quarter, forcing a Pirates three and out on the ensuing possession, Trafford would go to work once again.  Starting with a 14-yard run, the combo of Trafford and Phil Folmar '25 would go to work on the Pirates defense.  Trafford capped off the drive with his third touchdown of the afternoon, an 11-yard run for the 21-0 second half lead.  "It was a rough showing for the offense against (Don) Bosco (last week), and I knew that we had to pick it up, and I knew our offensive line was going to get it done, and I wasn't going to let them down for a second week in a row," Trafford said. "That was kind of my mentality because they work so hard, and I want to give everything I can to them and just give it all out on every play."

Seton Hall found the end zone midway through the 2nd quarter, but Delbarton answered back once again.  A third down and 3 conversion of 16 yards to Folmar put Delbarton in great position for another big drive, and after four big runs, including a 4th and 1 conversion, quarterback Christian Zebrowski '24 hit Folmar in stride on a perfect pass for the 45-yard touchdown and a 28-6 lead. Seton Hall would hit a field goal at the end of the first half, with Delbarton leading 28-9.

Delbarton's opening drive of the second half resulted in a punt and Seton Hall responded as Julius Vicari hauled in one of his 11 receptions, taking it to the house for the 24-yard touchdown.  Delbarton would stop the 2-point conversion for the second time in the game.  Vicari would finish with 249 yards on 11 receptions.  Despite quality field position well into Pirates territory, Delbarton would not be able to score on a 1st and goal opportunity, but kicker Will Kramer had no problem hitting the 23-yard field goal for the 21-15 lead.  The Pirates would make a mental mistake on the kick off, with Vicari stepping out of bounds while receiving the kick at the 2-yard line, and Delbarton's defense would turn up the heat once again, forcing a punt that would not make it out of the Pirates territory.  There, Ryan Trafford would cap off his historic afternoon, with rushes of 3, 5, 4, and 16 yards, before scoring his 4th touchdown on the afternoon, a 9-yard rush for the 35-15 score. 

Seton Hall Prep would find themselves deep in Delbarton territory late in the fourth, but John Riley and Connor Martin would combine to rip the ball away from SHP quarterback Liam Londergan and Austin Quandt '24 would come away with the ball for the big turnover.  A miscue would result in a safety, and a Seton Hall rushing touchdown for the 38-23 score.  Peter Donini would use all of his 6'8" height and block the extra point to keep it more than a two-score game.

With no timeouts remaining, Delbarton's defense made one last stand, then the celebration began!  "It's awesome. It's been a journey, and it's been a lot of work by a lot of people to get to this point, so it's very gratifying," Bowers said. "This is a true team. You see it in all three phases. If the offense is down a little bit, the defense steps up. Today, we really dominated the line of scrimmage.

Trafford finished with 225 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.  "When Trafford has 200 yards, that just makes me happy because that lets me know up front we did our job," Jake Macce said. "He's a beast."  

Delbarton now begins preparation for the Non Public A Championship against #1 ranked Bergen Catholic on Tuesday, November 28 at 8pm at MetLife Stadium.  "We are a team that can compete with anybody," Bowers said. "We are going to show up. Our kids are going to be ready to play. They are going to be prepared, and we will start watching Bergen and look at all the stuff that they are doing.  We've faced them a bunch in the last couple of years. We know who they are, and we're just gonna give it our best shot. We will be ready."

Congrats to the entire program and we can't wait to support all of you next Tuesday at MetLife Stadium!