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Teams with the most Superstars According to Brad Meyers

Titanium Shadow

Good all around Player
Oct 5, 2018
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Most people know that Brad Meyers puts together a list of the "Top" players for different positions before every High School Football season. He breaks them up as follows: QB, Running Backs, Receivers, Offensive Linemen, Defensive Linemen, Linebackers, and Defensive Backs.

Now these lists are obviously subjective and there is no way anyone can know all the players and rank them accurately. I also have no idea what criteria Brad uses when putting together these lists, so they are essentially clickbait for those who follow Delaware High School Football.

With all that said, which team does Brad think has the most playmakers? Listed below are the schools with players on Brad's lists this year, sorted by the total number of players on all the lists from that school (note that Brad hasn't put out one for QBs yet. Also note that some players are listed at multiple positions in Brad's lists).

The average rank is the sum of the ranks Brad assigned to each player from that school divided by the numbers of players. For instance, Middletown has 10 players listed with an average rank of 4.6 (1 being the highest). So not only does Middletown have the most players on Brad's lists, those 10 players average a rank of 4.6. So Brad's lists seem to point to him thinking Middletown has the most talent of all the schools in Delaware.

In the end, this is all for fun, so nobody should take it too seriously. For instance, I doubt St. Elizabeth or Brandywine is going to be a better Football team than Caesar Rodney, even though St. Elizabeth and Brandywine both have three players on Brad's lists and Caesar Rodney only has 1.

School# of PlayersAverage Rank
Middletown
10​
4.6​
William Penn
8​
7.0​
St. Georges
8​
8.1​
Smyrna
8​
8.4​
Salesianum
7​
8.4​
Woodbridge
6​
8.0​
DMA
6​
12.0​
Archmere
4​
6.8​
Caravel
4​
10.0​
Dover
4​
10.8​
Tower Hill
4​
16.8​
Hodgson
3​
3.3​
Howard
3​
4.0​
Cape Henlopen
3​
8.7​
Brandywine
3​
10.0​
St. Elizabeth
3​
11.0​
Laurel
2​
10.5​
St. Mark’s
2​
10.5​
Indian River
2​
13.0​
Newark
2​
13.5​
Delmar
2​
14.5​
Caesar Rodney
1​
7.0​
Lake Forest
1​
9.0​
Appoquinimink
1​
12.0​
Concord
1​
12.0​
 
Last edited:
Redid the chart with the number of players and number of positions (some players are listed twice, once on offence, once on defense). Listed this way, Smyna has the most Superstars.

School# of Players# of PositionsAverage Rank
Smyrna
8​
8​
8.4​
Middletown
7​
10​
4.6​
Salesianum
6​
7​
8.4​
William Penn
4​
8​
7.0​
St. Georges
4​
8​
8.1​
Woodbridge
4​
6​
8.0​
DMA
4​
6​
12.0​
Archmere
3​
4​
6.8​
Caravel
3​
4​
10.0​
Hodgson
3​
3​
3.3​
Cape Henlopen
3​
3​
8.7​
Dover
2​
4​
10.8​
Tower Hill
2​
4​
16.8​
Howard
2​
3​
4.0​
Brandywine
2​
3​
10.0​
St. Elizabeth
2​
3​
11.0​
Laurel
1​
2​
10.5​
St. Mark’s
1​
2​
10.5​
Indian River
1​
2​
13.0​
Newark
1​
2​
13.5​
Delmar
1​
2​
14.5​
Caesar Rodney
1​
1​
7.0​
Lake Forest
1​
1​
9.0​
Appoquinimink
1​
1​
12.0​
Concord
1​
1​
12.0​
 
List updated with Quarterbacks. Note that Woodbridge really only has 3 players and 4 positions due to Jaden Bacon leaving for another school. I have no idea if any other players on Brad's lists have left since the lists were made.
RankingSchool# of Players# of PositionsAverage Rank
1Smyrna997.7
2Middletown8114.3
3Salesianum678.4
4DMA5711.0
5William Penn487.0
6St. Georges488.1
7Woodbridge468.0
8Archmere456.0
9Cape Henlopen448.3
10Howard344.0
11Caravel3410.0
12Hodgson333.3
13Dover2410.8
14Tower Hill2416.8
15Brandywine2310.0
16St. Elizabeth2311.0
17Laurel1210.5
18St. Mark’s1210.5
19Indian River1213.0
20Newark1213.5
21Delmar1214.5
22Milford116.0
23Caesar Rodney117.0
24Lake Forest119.0
25Appoquinimink1112.0
26Concord1112.0
 
I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing for DMA. Kevin Decker was listed on both the OL and the DL list but this year he is being moved to TE and MLB. I know he was moved on defense because of the Sama transfer. Hopefully the idea of moving a top lineman in the state (according to one person at least) shows the confidence in the new people that have come to DMA.


If everything goes chalk in D3 then you have to imagine what the two match ups between Middletown and Smyrna will be like. And the fact they are playing early and the season and then most likely in the state finals what type of improvements both teams will make over that time.
 
Not surprising. Their loaded each and every year! Why can’t they finish?
For the most part that’s an easy answer…..

2012 was the last year they won it all. That was the Wade/Godwin era.

2013 - lost to Sallies who returned the majority of the team that got blown out by the Cavs in 2012. Middletown had graduated everyone from that ‘12 team besides the big two and couldn’t stop the pass game all year, Brian Oneil killed them in that game. 23-7.

2014 - William Penn was a juggernaut, no one was beating them that year, even if Middletown returned Wade and Godwin. Their average margin of victory that year was 20+ points.

2015 - lost to Sallies in the semis-finals on a goal line stand with 1-2 seconds remaining 27-21. Sallies defense knew the play that was called and it was over after that.

2016 - The Rise of the Eagle. Smyrna was NOT losing that championship to anyone. Nolan Henderson, Leddie Brown, Will Knight, the suffocating defense it had all year proved to be too much, lost 36-14

2017 - Lost to Smyrna 30-27. Was up 15 points at halftime I believe and after that Smyrna got smart and took their QB out who was hurting them the entire 1st half. Will Knight in the earthquake formation….show me one team who figured that out? I never saw one. However, up 15 points they should have won, but eventually choked.

2018 - never made it. Lost to Salesianum 49-25. After the IMG game, and the Hodgson loss, once they got down to Sallies at half, certain players gave up and it wasn’t right since. Sallies continued to put a beat down on.

2019 - No one was beating Hodgson.

2020 - not sure what happened last year. Whether it was preparation, injuries, or if it was just that Central was straight up better. Couldn’t tell ya, I couldn’t go and the NFHS feed sucked. I just know they lost.

So all in all, the 6 times they’ve been there in the last 8 years, only two times where they could have won it. 2017, and 2020. The other years that they were there, they just weren’ the same class as the team that they were playing.

Is this year gonna be different? Who knows, they have the talent for sure, but I also think Smyrna has enough talent to make them work for it. It damn sure won’t be handed to them. 6 straight losses in the title game is a nasty taste in anyone’s mouth. With that said, I’ll end this with the title of a very cool YouTube video (if you haven’t seen it, I recommend you should)………”How Bad Do You Want It?”
 
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I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing for DMA. Kevin Decker was listed on both the OL and the DL list but this year he is being moved to TE and MLB. I know he was moved on defense because of the Sama transfer. Hopefully the idea of moving a top lineman in the state (according to one person at least) shows the confidence in the new people that have come to DMA.


If everything goes chalk in D3 then you have to imagine what the two match ups between Middletown and Smyrna will be like. And the fact they are playing early and the season and then most likely in the state finals what type of improvements both teams will make over that time.
What’s going to suck for this year is, the playoffs do not get reseeded, so there could be a hypothetical chance that Middletown and Smyrna would play rd. 2/3 and not the championship game like we all are expecting.
 
What’s going to suck for this year is, the playoffs do not get reseeded, so there could be a hypothetical chance that Middletown and Smyrna would play rd. 2/3 and not the championship game like we all are expecting.
Yes that is true but I am going with the assumption that one of them will be the #1 seed and the other would be #2. Really the only way that they would play before is if one is the #2 and the other is #3. If it is on the other side that would mean one of them is #1 seed and the other would be a #4 or #5. If that is the case more then likely one of them has 3 or 4 losses and probably has struggled on the year.
 
I’m actually confused a bit on the Seedings if someone can help me out. 11 teams in 3A. Top 5 gets a rd 1 bye

so 11v6, 10v7, 9v8….how does the Top 5 get seeded in 2nd round? Does seed 5v4? And seeds 1-3 play the teams who had to play rd 1? I have yet to see a bracket that makes any sense
 
This is speculation and if they are not reseeding each round it should work how you are saying. The second round should be
Top Bracket
#1
Vs.
#8/#9 winner

#4
Vs
#5

Bottom Bracket

#3
Vs
#7/#10 winner

#2
Vs
#11/#6 winner

This is how brackets in wrestling always work.
 
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That's what I'm guessing it would be like or at least something like that, but who knows what it will actually be like.
 
This is speculation and if they are not reseeding each round it should work how you are saying. The second round should be
Top Bracket
#1
Vs.
#8/#9 winner

#4
Vs
#5

Bottom Bracket

#3
Vs
#7/#10 winner

#2
Vs
#11/#6 winner

This is how brackets in wrestling always work.
I bet they will actually reseed after the first round where not all teams play, but not after that.
 
I bet they will actually reseed after the first round where not all teams play, but not after that.

they already agreed/accepted the proposed “no reseeding” part of the tournament.

it was part of the meeting that the football committee proposed and passed. And then they were waiting on DIAA to review and accept or deny, which they voted yes……:unless someone knows more intel on the situation.
 
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It's not really reseeding. Seeding implies you have a exponent of 2 teams for the tournament (2^1=2, 2^2=4, 2^3=8, 2^4=16, etc.). If you have any other number, you can't really seed.

For instance, arrange the bracket like this:

First round:
1-5 byes
6 vs 11
7 vs 10
8 vs 9

Second round:
Game 1: 1 vs lowest survivor from first round
Game 2: 2 vs second lowest survivor from first round
Game 3: 3 vs third lowest survivor from first round
Game 4: 4 vs 5

Third round:
Game 1: Winner of game 1 vs winner vs game 4
Game 2: Winner of game 2 vs winner of game 3

Finals:
Winner of game 1 vs winner of game 2

They could use the structure Longagoplayer laid out of course. In the end, it doesn't really make much of a difference.
 
For the most part that’s an easy answer…..

2012 was the last year they won it all. That was the Wade/Godwin era.

2013 - lost to Sallies who returned the majority of the team that got blown out by the Cavs in 2012. Middletown had graduated everyone from that ‘12 team besides the big two and couldn’t stop the pass game all year, Brian Oneil killed them in that game. 23-7.

2014 - William Penn was a juggernaut, no one was beating them that year, even if Middletown returned Wade and Godwin. Their average margin of victory that year was 20+ points.

2015 - lost to Sallies in the semis-finals on a goal line stand with 1-2 seconds remaining 27-21. Sallies defense knew the play that was called and it was over after that.

2016 - The Rise of the Eagle. Smyrna was NOT losing that championship to anyone. Nolan Henderson, Leddie Brown, Will Knight, the suffocating defense it had all year proved to be too much, lost 36-14

2017 - Lost to Smyrna 30-27. Was up 15 points at halftime I believe and after that Smyrna got smart and took their QB out who was hurting them the entire 1st half. Will Knight in the earthquake formation….show me one team who figured that out? I never saw one. However, up 15 points they should have won, but eventually choked.

2018 - never made it. Lost to Salesianum 49-25. After the IMG game, and the Hodgson loss, once they got down to Sallies at half, certain players gave up and it wasn’t right since. Sallies continued to put a beat down on.

2019 - No one was beating Hodgson.

2020 - not sure what happened last year. Whether it was preparation, injuries, or if it was just that Central was straight up better. Couldn’t tell ya, I couldn’t go and the NFHS feed sucked. I just know they lost.

So all in all, the 6 times they’ve been there in the last 8 years, only two times where they could have won it. 2017, and 2020. The other years that they were there, they just weren’ the same class as the team that they were playing.

Is this year gonna be different? Who knows, they have the talent for sure, but I also think Smyrna has enough talent to make them work for it. It damn sure won’t be handed to them. 6 straight losses in the title game is a nasty taste in anyone’s mouth. With that said, I’ll end this with the title of a very cool YouTube video (if you haven’t seen it, I recommend you should)………”How Bad Do You Want It?”
I totally respect that break down and the fact that you seem to be in tune with the team. But all that I can take away from all that you said is they’re 0-6. If you’re in the championship game, you have a chance to when that game. None of the teams they lost to were leaps and bounds more talented. I didn’t want to make this solely about the Cavs, btw. Lol
 
I hear you, and that’s your view point on it, however I tend to disagree. All those teams were 20 points better than the Cavs. Yes, they got there to the game so technically yes they had a shot but the teams they played were clearly head and shoulders better. Correct me if I’m wrong but every team they played also had the Gatorade player of the year on those teams, my point is, it wasn’t a equal level playing field.

Hodgson could play Dickinson right now and Dickinson has a chance to win the game but The talent level on the teams are so spread out that Dickinson wouldn’t win. Same scenario as to what happened in the championship games….:at least in my opinion.

I’m not trying to attack your post or you, I just wanted to try to explain it. I respect your view on it, just as you do mine I assume.
 
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Nice piece of analysis. I actually agree with you, HS. Yet, I do believe the “20 point better” in every game is an exaggeration but you have analyzed the games well.

How would you like to have been a Sallies fan over the past couple of years?!? Last years towering underachievement was the crowning glory. Less than .500…say What? I know dovetail has strong opinions on the topic that I don’t necessarily agree with.

Bummy is perplexed.
 
The best part of this thread is the first part. One persons assessment on 40 plus teams. Plus it’s for fun. It will be interesting at the end of the year all The Who’s who. Not sure it will line up. Still love the chatter though. Will share my sleepers before week zero (sounds odd even saying that). I see a lot of these athletes all over the state. More to come.
 
That’s actually the best thing I see out of these articles, it seems like the talent and amount of athletes are spread all over for the state for the first time in a while. I love it. Delaware may still be small but it’s bigger than some may realize.
 
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