Delaware Valley Football Team Heads to Division III Playoffs with Nine-Game Win Streak

On Saturday, Delaware Valley will take a nine-game win streak into the Division III football playoffs against Union at Robert A. Lipinski Field in Doylestown.

You read that right. Nine.

Duke Greco, who now has six consecutive Middle Athletic Conference championship trophies as head coach of the Aggies (9-1), is used to this level of success. But while he’s been the common denominator, he knows the sustained level of success from Delaware Valley is not a one-man job.

This year is all about the players.

“This is a locker room-led team,” Greco said. “I wanna make that clear. We’ve had a bunch of good teams in the past. These guys are dedicated and tough. We’ve had ups and downs, but they’ve been resilient.”

In reality, “downs” should be singular, as the Aggies only have one loss on the year. But it was a big one.

In its opening game, Delaware Valley lost in brutal fashion to SUNY Cortland, 42-13. It was a loss that knocked the wind out of the Aggies, and a shaky performance for a run-first team that was outrushed, 279-57.

“Defensively, we knew who we were,” Greco said. “Offensively, we’ve tried to figure some things out. We know we wanna start with the run and have it lead into the pass.”

But that loss, to this point, would be their only one. The Aggies proceeded to win their next nine games, seven by double-digits.

“Looking back now, I think that [loss] helped us transition into who we are,” Greco said. “When we came back, it just got tighter. The bond actually grew, we got to see the true personality of the team: blue collar, tough, and gritty.”

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Arguably the most impressive win for Greco and Aggies was their 28-0 shutout against King’s College on Sept. 23. It was a victory that affirmed their rushing attack, as Delaware Valley out-gained the Monarchs, 213-16.

The shutout brought DelVal’s win streak to three, brushed off the early adversity for the team, and helped remind them of the dominance they had sustained in seasons prior.

“For every team we play, we’re their Super Bowl,” Greco said. “After that, it was like, ‘Look, we’re [winning the MAC] again for sure.’”

Now heading into their playoff matchup against Union (9-1), the Aggies look to take the win streak to ten games.

DelVal’s offense is run through 5-foot-10 sophomore running back Jack Fallon, who has 735 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the year, leading the team in both statistics. He has four games this season with 100 or more rushing yards, including a career-high 145 against FDU-Florham.

Six-foot junior Louis Barrios IV holds the reins at quarterback for the Aggies, and adds a dimension to his game with his legs that is consistent with Greco’s focus on a run-first offense. Barrios has seven passing touchdowns and 1,013 passing yards on the season, while he put up 488 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in that same span.

The receiving side of the offense is a group effort for DelVal, but is statistically led by 5-foot-7 junior Luan Avdijaj in both yards (247) and touchdowns (three). Avdijaj has help from 5-foot-11 senior Ryan Loughlin, who has 235 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Union, on the other hand, is a two-dimensional offense, led by 6-foot-4 senior quarterback Donovan Pacatte (1,913 passing yards, 11 touchdowns) and 5-foot-10 senior running back Michael Fiore (1,031 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns).

Greco and his locker room-led team plan to utilize their overwhelming rushing attack to combat whatever is thrown their way, just like they’ve been doing to dominate opponents all year.

“When Saturday comes, we’ll be ready,” Greco said.

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2023-11-17 10:00:41
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