The top Delaware sports stories of 2022 include one that made national headlines

Another year has come and is nearly gone.

In sports, it has left us with plenty to savor, celebrate, ponder but also wonder: “How did that happen?”

Several University of Delaware teams made NCAA tournaments, three more high school seasons yielded numerous state champions and a lifetime’s worth of memories, the Phillies made a stunning run to the World Series and the Eagles’ success hinted that early 2023 may harbor some potential history, too.

But one story in particular, which had nothing to do with wins and losses, caught the attention of citizens in Delaware and well beyond, and it leads our review of the biggest Delaware sports stories of 2022.

1. Delaware State lacrosse bus stopped, searched

The Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team, returning by bus from Florida after playing its final game of the season, was pulled over along Interstate 95 in Georgia by local Liberty County Sherriff’s Office deputies. Players’ belongings were searched for drugs with nothing found. The driver and most of the players and coaches on the bus were Black while the deputies were all white, leading to charges of racial profiling. DSU coach Pamella Jenkins described the incident as being “very traumatizing.” Delaware U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester termed the situation “deeply disturbing” in a joint statement and Gov. Carney described video of deputies questioning and lecturing those on the bus “upsetting, concerning and disappointing.” DSU player Brianna Johanson said: “Something has to happen about this because it was just something that no one should go through, let alone a Division I sports team . . . Basically we were violated.” Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings requested a civil rights review from the U.S. Justice Dept.

2. Phillies’ postseason run fuels fans

The Phillies ended the National League’s longest postseason drought by making the playoffs for the first time since 2011, earning the third and final wild-card position, which didn’t even exist until this year. They then swept two games from the Cardinals in Saint Louis, stunned the NL East champ Braves in four games stirred on by enthusiastic crowds at Citizens Bank Park and then beat the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series. It was the franchise’s eighth pennant and first since 2009. Bryce Harper’s eighth-inning go-ahead home run in the deciding game became one of the signature moments in Philadelphia sports history. Long-suffering fans sensed a third World Series title in franchise history was possible. But the Houston Astros were better, taking the last three games to win the series 4 games to 2.

3. Carty era opens with win at Navy

Playing its first football game under new coach Ryan Carty, the former Delaware quarterback, the Blue Hens stunned Navy 14-7 in Annapolis, putting themselves on course for a 5-0 start that spurred the Hens to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Delaware did lose four of its last six, but still made the 24-team FCS bracket and walloped Saint Francis at home 56-17 in the first round. The Blue Hens then realized a national title was still well out of a reach in a 42-6 loss at South Dakota State that closed an 8-5 season, their winningest in 12 years. The season was highlighted by quarterback Nolan Henderson throwing a school record 32 touchdown passes and linebacker Johnny Buchanan being among the national leaders in tackles.

4. Eagles add the next T.O., then soar

It's no accident that the Eagles became a much better team last April 28, when they traded for star receiver A.J. Brown during the first round of the NFL draft. Brown just so happened to be Jalen Hurts' best friend, and the two were working out just a week before the draft, unbeknownst to them that they would soon become teammates. Still, Brown was the brash, talented wide receiver they lacked ever since they had T.O. in 2004 − but without the driveway situps. Brown has already paid dividends, becoming the first Eagles wide receiver to surpass 1,000 yards since Jeremy Maclin in 2014 as the Eagles are primed to be the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

5. A basketball double for Blue Hens

Delaware’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each won Colonial Athletic Association Tournament titles to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Delaware men, seeded fifth, became the first team to beat three higher seeds en route to the title since 1993 with UNC-Wilmington falling 59-55 in the final. It was Delaware’s second CAA title and sixth NCAA trip. The Blue Hens started strong against Villanova in the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh before falling 80-60 to close a 22-13 season. The UD women stunned top-seeded and regular-season champ Drexel 63-59 on the Dragons’ homecourt in the CAA finals the day after a down-to-the-wire 56-55 conquest of Towson. The Hens lost at Maryland 102-71 in their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2013. They went 24-8. Coach Natasha Adair later was hired to be Arizona State coach with former UD assistant Sarah Jenkins selected as her replacement.

6. White House visit for state champs

On July 4 – of all days – the 2021 DIAA Class 2A state championship Archmere Academy football team made Delaware high school sports history by visiting the White House, following an invitation from Archmere alum Joe Biden, a former Auks football player himself.

7. UD lacrosse back in national spotlight

Delaware lost two close games and won three equally narrow verdicts in Colonial Athletic Association men’s lacrosse. Delaware then found its groove, blasting Drexel 19-6 and Towson 11-6 in the CAA playoffs – the Blue Hens’ first postseason wins in 11 years – to make its seventh NCAA Tournament but first since 2011. Delaware then handled Robert Morris 20-8 in the play-in round before turning heads with a 10-9 upset at No. 2-seeded Georgetown on national television with three goals in the final 4:39, including J.P. Ward’s game winner with eight seconds left. Delaware’s bid to repeat its 2007 Final Four appearance fell just short in a 10-8 quarterfinal loss to Cornell at Ohio State.

8. Quakers score long-awaited football title repeat

Wilmington Friends won its first state football title since 1984, holding off Caravel 10-7 in the Class 2A title game, to close a 13-0 season. Quarterback Robby Tattersall ran for 117 yards and threw for 105, including an early 4-yard TD strike to Ishmael Dobson. Alessio Cristanetti-Walker then made it 10-0 with a 29-yard field goal. Previously unbeaten Caravel scored a fourth-quarter TD but Andrew McKenzie intercepted a late Caravel pass to help ice it for Friends. Coach Rob Tattersall, the quarterback's father, had succeeded his dad, Bob, Friends' coach since 1968, this season.

9. Eagles return to state football lair

Smyrna regained the state football title it had won three straight years from 2015-17 but missed out on since, and did to in record-setting fashion. A 52-7 Class 3A romp over Dover made it the most one-sided state final in tournament history in any class or division. Smyrna limited Dover to 99 total yards and gained 390 of its own, as quarterback Brian Wright threw for 226 yards and Markell Holman ran for 113. Yamir Knight ran for two touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass and caught a scoring pass as Smyrna won its 10th straight to complete an 11-1 season.

10. PGA stars wow fans as Delaware hosts event

The PGA Tour made its first-ever stop in Delaware, wowing about 130,000 fans at the exclusive Wilmington Country Club in the BMW Championship from Aug. 16-21. Stars such as Rory McIlroy and tournament winner Patrick Cantlay left many fans in awe at their shot-making ability. Even Tiger Woods showed up. But he wasn't there to play. He was there to meet with golfers considering defecting to the LIV Golf Series, funded by Saudi Arabia as a way to "sportswash" its past history. The golfers ate in Wilmington's restaurants and helped contribute to the local economy, providing a much needed boost.

11. Football coach suspended

The DIAA board of directors suspended Delaware Military Academy football coach Nick Lincoln for 30 days on Oct. 13 for violations stemming from the use of an ineligible player in the Seahawks’ Sept. 2 season opener.

12. DIAA lets Middletown retains state title

The DIAA board of directors allowed Middletown High School to keep its 2021 Class 3A football championship, despite the use of an ineligible player. But the board placed the school on probation for one year and required quarterly reports to be filed with DIAA to ensure Middletown is following safeguards put in place to better monitor the academic eligibility of student-athletes.

13. Sporting gesture

Leading by 15 points with less than a minute left, Ursuline graciously allowed injured Charter of Wilmington senior Emma Brown to limp onto the court and score her 1,000th career point in a DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game. She'd gotten hurt earlier in the game.

14. Eagles go from flower pot to playoffs

The Eagles had to wait 7 1/2 hours after their Jan. 2 win over the Washington Commanders before they found out they had made the playoffs. In between, a railing, not to mention several fans at FedEx Field, nearly fell on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. And that says little about how the Eagles started 2-5, when first-year head coach Nick Sirianni showed the team a picture of a flower pot growing roots. Sure enough, the Eagles' stay in the postseason didn't last long as they were beaten 31-15 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But in the flower-pot analogy, that was a growing experience that led to this season's (so far) domination.

15. Sixers get buried by Bones Hyland

The state of Delaware is not known for producing NBA stars. Only three have been first-round picks. So when Bones Hyland, the Denver Nuggets' first-round pick in 2021, played his first game in Philadelphia last March, it was a big event for his biggest fans. At least 600 showed up at the Wells Fargo Center, and Hyland put on a show, scoring 21 points, including four 3-point shots in the fourth quarter, when he led the Nuggets to a victory. The state's other first-round picks are Donte DiVincenzo, who's with the defending champion Golden State Warriors and 2022 first-round pick Jalen Duren, who's with the Detroit Pistons.

16. Another Delaware native is a Super Bowl champion

There aren't too many players from Delaware in the NFL, yet for the second year in a row, one started on a Super Bowl champion. This time, it was former Salesianum and University of Delaware star Troy Reeder, as the linebacker was the signal caller on defense in the Los Angeles Rams' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But Reeder's was a true Delaware story in that he was undrafted out of UD in 2019, yet not only made the Rams' 53-man roster, but became a starter in each of his three seasons. Last summer, Reeder and two other NFL stars from Delaware -- the Minnesota Vikings' Brian O'Neill and Green Bay Packers' Darnell Savage -- conducted a free football clinic in Wilmington. Reeder brought a replica of the Super Bowl trophy to show the 250 campers on hand.

17. Hillers stun sellout crown with romp over Sals

Tower Hill hit eight of its first nine 3-point shots to open a stunning, 28-4 lead and sprinted past Salesianum for the Hillers’ first DIAA boys basketball championship. The 79-43 win tied for the largest margin of victory in the event's 55-year history. Dylan Shepherd was the leading scorer with 24 points and Davis Bland scored 23 keyed by 7-for-10 3-point aim.

18. Bucs earn elusive state girls basketball title

India Johnston hit the tying free throws in the final minute of regulation, then scored Caravel’s last seven points in overtime to clinch the program’s long-awaited first DIAA girls basketball championship with a 53-47 victory over Sanford in the Bucs' final game under coach Kristin Caldwell, a former All-State player there.

19. Padua wins dramatic soccer final

Padua and Middletown battled through 100 minutes of thrilling action before deciding the DIAA Division I Girls Soccer title in penalty kicks at Delaware State's Alumni Stadium. In Division II, Maddie Schepers' late tie-breaking goal lifted Saint Mark's past Caravel.

20. Agresti gives Delaware rare Beast of the East champ

The Beast of the East is a hard wrestling tournament to win, as many consider it the most competitive scholastic event nationally. On Dec. 18 in the 29th Beast, Salesianum 215-pound senior Max Agresti became the first individual champion from Delaware in 10 years.

21. Hornets make volleyball history

Delaware State University qualified for its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament with a 3-1 win over Coppin State in the MEAC championship match at Memorial Hall. Alondra Maldonado was named tournament Most Outstanding Performer after getting 15 kills. The Hornets lost 3-0 in a first-round NCAA match at Nebraska to finish 24-7.

22. Pandas prevail in prolific fashion

Padua won its 20th state girls track and field team title and 10th in a row in 90-degree weather at Dover High in May. But the Pandas’ 211½ points were the most in meet history, boys or girls, regardless of division, and first 200 or higher. Juliana Balon won the 100, 200, 400 and long jump for Padua and fellow sophomore Sophia Curtis took the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, plus the triple jump. Mary Kate Dorsey swept the 1,600 and 3,200 and Elce Walsh won the pole vault for Padua.

23. Underdog Hillers net volleyball title

For the second time in 2022, the Carpenter Center was the scene of a surprisingly one-sided and historic achievement for a Tower Hill team. Ninth-seeded Tower Hill won the school’s first DIAA Girls Volleyball championship with unexpected ease, sweeping two-time defending state champ Saint Mark’s in the championship match.

24. Smyrna wins in thriller

On Nov. 19, Smyrna ended Cape Henlopen’s five-year reign at the top of Division I field hockey, scoring a diving goal in overtime for a 2-1 victory. Kirsten Johnson's dramatic overtime goal off Dru Moffett's pass did the trick for the Eagles at Rullo Stadium. Delmar remained dominant in Division II, extending a couple long streaks.

25. Cape takes nerve-wracking state baseball title

A spirited crowd of 1,647 was hanging on every pitch at Frawley Stadium as Appoquinimink loaded the bases with two out in the top of the seventh. Then Cape Henlopen got the strikeout on a 3-2 pitch to win the DIAA Baseball Tournament.

26. Giampietro, Poore lead state mat champs

Smyrna’s Gabe Giampietro and Caravel’s Alex Poore made history in becoming just the 11th and 12th athletes to earn four consecutive titles at the 66th DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships.

27. Signing day surprise

On Feb. 2, just a couple of days after it appeared he was headed to a Big Ten school, Woodbridge defensive end Noah Matthews signed with Kentucky to head the list of Delaware high school football players making their college destinations official.

28. Sussex Academy rules in golf

Three girls led Sussex Academy to the first school’s first state championship in any sport, as the Seahawks won the DIAA Golf Tournament. Hannah Lydic defeated Sussex Academy teammate Sawyer Brockstedt on the second hole of a playoff to win the girls individual title.

29. Hens continue CAA field hockey rule

Delaware's field hockey team struggled against its loaded schedule but won when it counted most, crushing Northeastern and Drexel by 6-1 scores to win the Colonial Athletic Association title and reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in 10 years. The Blue Hens blanked Lehigh 4-0 in a play-in game before scoring the first goal but losing 5-1 to eventual champ North Carolina.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com. Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @BradMyersTNJ; Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware's top sports stories of 2022 include a national controversy