Dolphins Win Again, Clinch Playoffs

BERLIN- The Berlin Junior Dolphins of the Salvation Army Youth League won their fifth straight game last weekend, beating the Salisbury Terps, 27-6, at home to clinch a playoff spot.

On the Dolphins' very first possession, James Mapp took a hand-off and ran 58 yards for a touchdown to put the Dolphins on top early. The score remained 7-0 in favor of the Dolphins for much of the first half before quarterback Colin Macomber hit Henry Hastings with a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the second quarter to put Berlin on top, 13-0, at intermission.

In the second half, Macomber took care of the scoring on the offensive side all by himself, running 12 yards for a touchdown to put the Dolphins on top, 20-0. Finally, Berlin's defense got in the act when Cody Bratten picked off a Salisbury pass and returned it for a touchdown to round at the scoring for the Dolphins and close out the 27-6 win.

Meanwhile, the struggles continued for the younger Berlin Cadet Dolphins although they continued to show improvement. The Cadet Dolphins lost their sixth straight last week, falling to defending champion and league powerhouse Wicomico Green Terrors, 27-12. The Green Terrors came into the contest as the league leaders with a 4-1 record, and although they ultimately won the game against the Berlin Cadet Dolphins, the final score was not indicative of just how close the game was.

Berlin scored first to take an early lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by Billy Wheatley, but surrendered an answering touchdown by Wicomico on a kick-off return. Undaunted, Berlin came right back with an 80-yard scoring drive capped off by a 50-yard TD run by Devin Daniels. Again, Berlin surrendered a touchdown on the ensuing kick-off as Wicomico took a 20-12 lead into halftime, a lead they would never relinquish as the Green Terrors went on to the 27-12 win. Other than the two special teams touchdowns by Wicomico, the Berlin defense, led by Noah Metzger and Gus Esham, was stout and helped keep the Cadet Dolphins in the contest for much of the game.

Both Berlin teams play in the local Salvation Army 'Red Shield' Youth Football League, which features young players who will fill out the rosters of the Bayside Conference teams in the future. The teams are set up based on age and weight restrictions with the Juniors ages 11-13 with a maximum weight of 150 pounds, and the Cadets ages 7-10 with a maximum weight of 120 pounds.