the Cafe
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There was disappointment but not devastation in Elijah Worthy's voice following a Division I state semifinal football game in Lewes on Friday, Nov. 27, 1998.
Cape Henlopen's standout senior running back had just rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns but his team suffered a heartbreaking 27-26 loss when rival Caesar Rodney scored the winning touchdown with 44.1 seconds remaining.
Although his dream of winning a state football championship was gone and his stellar career was over, Worthy handled the disappointment well and seemed happy with the team's 9-2 record and Henlopen North title.
"I think I did pretty good," he said of his season and career. "I would have liked to have went to the state finals but unfortunately this is what it came down to."
Worthy established himself as perhaps the best running back in the state this season, rushing for 1,357 yards and scoring an eye-popping 29 touchdowns. An almost certain First Team All-State selection, he easily surpassed his goal of 1,000 rushing yards for the season and was an unstoppable force for opposing defenses.
"I'm proud of that. I accomplished some of my goals ... I just didn't get the state championship," he said.
On Friday night, CR's defense keyed heavily on Worthy, stuffing him at the line of scrimmage most of the first half. Late in the second quarter, however, he broke loose on a 39-yard touchdown run that tied the game 14-14 at intermission.
His 1-yard touchdown run with 3:14 left in the fourth quarter gave Cape a 26-21 lead and appeared to punch the team's ticket to the state title game.
But CR would not be denied, scoring on a 31-yard pass from Joe Schonewolf to Jon Berry with 44.1 seconds left to clinch a one-point victory and earn a berth in the state final against Newark.
"I'm happy with how we performed," Worthy said of the season. "I wish next year good luck to carry on the tradition."
Cape coach Brian Donahue next season will be faced with the task of replacing perhaps the best running back in school history.
"It's going to be tough to see all our starting seniors go," he said. "A lot of them represented us well (Matt) Graviet, Worthy, O.J. (Wilson), (Malik) Lopez. All those guys. It's always tough to see your seniors go, especially after you win a conference championship."
Like Worthy, Donahue didn't allow the loss to obscure a season in which Cape established itself as one of the premier football programs in the state.
"Tonight was what high school football is all about. CR has a great program and a great tradition, we were expecting a tough ballgame and that's what we had," he said. "I think it was great show for the fans and we just came up on the short end of the score."
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