On Friday, Sept. 13, Del Val lost against Bernards during their first home game.
Earlier that day, Del Val hosted its fall pep rally, where students and teachers competed in a relay race. The Senior class won the championship after a tournament-style competition.
Coaches and players also talked about their team’s season and upcoming events for the team, like their senior nights and forthcoming games.
Later that night, Del Val took a moment of silence to honor those who died during the attacks of 9/11. They also honored veterans in the community.
The crowd was hyped to get the game started, decked out in USA colors, with Bernards receiving and Del Val kicking.
“The Dawg Pound was awesome,” junior Maddie Fisher said. “It was packed full, it was loud, it was wild, and it felt great to spread Terrier spirit.”
Del Val made an interception at the 22-yard line but lost it in a fumble. The crowd was still hyping up the team despite it.
After another fumble from Del Val lead to Bernards scoring a touchdown which made the score 7-0. However, Del Val made a great catch at 25 yards while holding Bernards off.
Del Val took a total gamble at 4th and 12th, throwing an interception, which Bernards fumbled. Their gamble paid off as Del Val recovered and they got a new set of downs.
At the end of the half, it was still 7-0 for Bernards.
During halftime, Del Val’s Thespians program had temporary tattoos across from the concessions stand. The marching band also performed a great show.
Del Val’s defense played hard and held off Bernards for the rest of the match.
“We’re very proud of the way we battled all night,” coach Benjamin Ibach said. “We were down some starts and it was like the next man up mentality, and that’s what we did tonight. Like I said, I couldn’t be more proud of the ways these guys came and fought the whole game.”
Del Val made a great catch as they made their way towards the end zone, but unfortunately, they did not score.
The game ended with Bernards taking a knee and Del Val losing 7-0.
Despite the loss, Ibach was optimistic for the future.
“Sky’s the limit right now, with our team,” Ibach said. “We could do a lot of great things this season. We’ve just got to come back tomorrow and we have to get back to working.”
