BERLIN- State playoff seedings for several fall sports were released this week and many of the Decatur teams will have a tough row to hoe to make any real advances in post-season play.
The Decatur men’s varsity soccer team finished the season with a 6-5-1 record and earned the number-9 seed in the state Class 3A-East region tournament. The Seahawks will face number-8 Hebron on the road tonight. The winner will get a shot at top-seeded River Hill early next week. The only other Bayside Conference team in the 3A-East tournament is Bennett, which is seeded third.
Decatur goes into the post-season with a mixed bag in terms of any momentum. The Seahawks blanked Mardela, 6-0 last Tuesday in a game during which five players scored goals, but followed that up with a 4-1 loss to Bennett two days later. The win one, lose one pattern has played out all season for Decatur.
The Decatur girls’ varsity soccer team has a nearly identical path in the state regional tournament. The Seahawks finished 6-5 and earned a number-8 seed in the 3A-East bracket. Like the boys’ team, the girls will face number-9 Hebron in the first round with a possible date with top-seeded Reservoir hanging in the balance.
Unlike the boys’ varsity team, which flip-flopped between wins and losses all season, the Decatur girls’ team was streaky. In late September, Decatur won two in a row over Snow Hill and Mardela, followed by a three-game losing streak in mid-October with losses to Parkside twice and Bennett once. They turned that mini-losing streak around by winning their last three including wins over Wicomico, Bennett and Kent Island.
Meanwhile, the Decatur varsity field hockey team finished 3-8-1 in the regular season, but will have the opportunity to make some noise in the state playoffs. Unlike the soccer teams, the field hockey team was sent to the Class 3A-South bracket and earned a number-7 seed. The Seahawks have a first-round bye, but will face second-seeded Huntingtown in the second round.