Delbarton Football suffered its first loss of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, falling to St. Joseph Regional, 24-17, in a back-and-forth matchup at Delbarton.
The Green Wave entered the afternoon 2-0 following wins over Gilman School and Erasmus Hall and struck first against the Green Knights. Hudson Yee connected on a 34-yard field goal with 2:28 remaining in the opening quarter to give Delbarton a 3-0 advantage.
St. Joseph Regional answered in the second quarter when Andrew Wilson scored from two yards out to put the Green Knights ahead, 7-3.
Delbarton responded before halftime. Kobe Irby-Mason finished a Green Wave drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 1:28 remaining in the second quarter, and Yee's extra point sent Delbarton into the locker room with a 10-7 lead.
The Green Knights evened the game in the third quarter on a 42-yard field goal from Kyle Salinas, setting up a fourth-quarter battle that saw the lead shift multiple times.
St. Joseph Regional took its first lead of the second half with 8:46 remaining when quarterback William Mitchell connected with Stalin Knowlden for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the visitors a 17-10 advantage.
The Green Wave answered once again.  Following a Green Knights fumble, quarterback Gavin Gilardi led Delbarton down the field and found Jack Castellano for a five-yard touchdown with 4:57 remaining. Yee converted the extra point to tie the game at 17-17 and set up a dramatic finish.
With the game still tied in the final minute, St. Joseph Regional delivered the deciding play. Mitchell connected with Knowlden for a 33-yard touchdown with just 19 seconds remaining, giving the Green Knights a 24-17 lead and ultimately the victory. It was Knowlden's second touchdown reception of the fourth quarter.
Gilardi finished 8-of-15 passing for 119 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Irby-Mason led the Green Wave on the ground with 80 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries while also catching two passes for 76 yards.
The loss drops Delbarton to 2-1 on the season. The Green Wave now turn their attention to Seton Hall Prep on Saturday, September 19 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
