Cape Henlopen and Tower Hill hold top seeds as DIAA field hockey playoffs begin
Division one teams face immediate quarterfinal action on Friday, while division two teams compete in a first round starting Wednesday.
By Jonathan Hoffmann ·
The Delaware Interscholastic Association announced its field hockey tournament brackets on Sunday, placing Cape Henlopen and Tower Hill in the top seeding positions for their respective divisions. The release marks the official start of postseason competition, with games scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Cape Henlopen holds the number one seed in division one after finishing the regular season undefeated. The Vikings completed their campaign with a 10-0 victory over Lake Forest in the Henlopen Conference Championship game. In division two, Tower Hill secures the top seed with a 14-1 regular season record. The Hillers' sole defeat came against Cape Henlopen.
The structural differences between the two divisions create distinct paths to the finals. Division one features a field of eight teams, meaning the tournament begins immediately with the quarterfinal round. Division two includes 12 teams, requiring a first round to determine the remaining quarterfinal opponents.
In division two, the top four seeds receive a bye in the initial round. The other teams granted a first round bye are Newark Charter, Caravel, and Archmere. This leaves four matches to be played on Wednesday to fill out the quarterfinal bracket.
The first round of division two competition kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Indian River hosts Mount Pleasant, while Wilmington Friends hosts Delaware Military Academy. Concord plays Sussex Academy at 5:00 p.m. at Odyssey Charter, and Lake Forest hosts Ursuline at 4:00 p.m.
Wilmington Friends enters the tournament as the reigning division two champions. The Quakers will face Delaware Military Academy in their opening postseason match. Both teams meet for the first time this season in that contest.
Division one quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m., with one exception. Cape Henlopen hosts Appoquinimink at 2:30 p.m. Caesar Rodney hosts Charter School of Wilmington at 3:00 p.m. Padua plays Milford at Tatnall at 2:30 p.m., and Smyrna hosts Odessa at 2:30 p.m.
Padua and Milford will meet in the postseason for the second consecutive year. The Pandas defeated the Buccaneers 2-1 in last year's tournament. All other division one quarterfinal matchups represent the first meetings between those teams this season.
The division two quarterfinals are set for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Tower Hill hosts the winner of the Lake Forest and Ursuline matchup. Newark Charter plays the winner of Concord and Sussex Academy. Caravel faces the winner of Wilmington Friends and Delaware Military Academy, and Archmere plays the winner of Indian River and Mount Pleasant.
