Berlin Dolphins Remain Unbeaten

Shawn J. Soper
Sports Editor

BERLIN- The Berlin Dolphins' cadet and junior youth football league teams each remained undefeated last week with a pair of big wins over rivals in their respective divisions.

The Cadet Dolphins rolled the Salisbury Black Knights, jumping out to a big early lead and allowing the opponent to creep back into the game before a big finish in the second half. Berlin scored on its first possession of the game on a 48-yard touchdown run by Zion Shockley. The Dolphins made it 14-0 a short time later on an interception returned for a touchdown by J.J. Purnell. Devin Daniels then dashed 60 yards for a touchdown to put the Dolphins up 20-0, but there was still a lot of time left in the first half.

The Black Knights scored on a 70-yard touchdown run to cut Berlin's lead to 20-7. With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Salisbury scored again on 50-yard touchdown run to cut the Berlin lead to 20-14 just before intermission. Berlin, which had led early, 20-0, was now in a dogfight as the second half began.

In the third quarter, Berlin's Obi Metzger ran the ball in from eight yards out to extend the Dolphins' lead to 26-14. However, Salisbury came right back with a touchdown of its own on a 40-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 26-20. That was as close as the Black Knights would get, however, as Berlin rolled through the rest of the second half.

J.J. Purnell ran for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 32-20, then Devin Scott scored on a reverse to make it 38-20. Still in the third quarter, Berlin went back to the reverse again with Scott taking it in to extend the lead to 44-20 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Berlin quarterback David Braciszewski barged up the middle on a third and goal from the eight-yard line to extend the Dolphins' lead to 50-20. The Cadet Dolphins' record now stands at 4-0 with a game looming against old rival Pocomoke on October 23.

While the Cadet Dolphins were running up and down the field, the Junior Dolphins were in a defensive struggle with the Salisbury Bulldogs before emerging with the 13-7 win to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Dolphins scored early on a two-yard touchdown run by Sam Coates to take.

On its very next possession, Berlin scored again on a 42-yard run by Tyree Adams to extend the lead to 13-0. Salisbury cut the lead to 13-7 late in the second quarter with a touchdown just before the half, which rounded out the scoring for the game as both defenses hunkered down in the second half.