DCMS 8th graders defeat East Tipp

The Delphi 8th grade football team continued its fast start to the season with a hard-fought 26-14 victory over visiting East Tipp Thursday night.

The Oracle 7th graders dropped another heartbreaker with a 20-18 loss in the evening's opener.

Delphi fullback Derek Bradshaw scored three touchdowns, leading the 8th graders on both sides of the ball, rushing for 140 yards and two TDs on just 12 carries while on offense, and returning an interception 45 yards for another TD on defense.

Following the Oracles first score on a 4-yard TD pass from Dustin Salyer to Austin Hawn in the first quarter, Bradshaw broke a 6-6 tie with a 6-yard TD run in the second quarter to give Delphi (3-1) a 12-6 halftime lead.

With just 16.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Bradshaw picked off an errant Trojan pass and rumbled 45 yards for a score, with Salyer finding Shane Hyman open in the end zone for the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 20-6.

East Tipp would strike right back on the ensuing kickoff with a 76-yard return for a TD as time expired to end the third quarter for a 20-14 score.

Bradshaw then rumbled 62 yards for the game's final TD with 1:34 remaining, putting the game out of reach for East Tipp.

Michael Rogers added 33 yards on 7 carries, while Bradley Roth had the only other Oracle reception for 20 yards. Salyer finished with 24 yards passing and 11 net yards rushing.

In a very evenly-played game, Delphi had 192 yards of total offense on 30 plays, while East Tipp finished with 179 yards on 37 plays.

The Oracle 7th graders (1-3) suffered their third loss of the season, all three by a total of just eight points, despite two touchdown runs by tailback Tanner Lynde, and a touchdown pass from Lynde to quarterback Matt Brown in a bit of a role reversal.

After a 12-12 halftime tie, the Trojans scored the go-ahead TD in the second half, but Delphi came back late in the game on a Lynde TD run, with a chance to tie on a two-point conversion.

The Oracles were again unable to convert on their point-after-touchdown attempt, resulting in the 20-18 final score.

Both Delphi teams return to action Thursday night at Benton Central, with the 7th grade game scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m.