When Saint Mark's takes on St. Elizabeth Friday night, the Spartans will be looking to maintain possession of the coveted sword awarded to the winner of the contest between the schools. The meeting will mark the fifth annual installment of the Sack Muscle Disease Game, sponsored by the Muscle Movement Foundation. Founder, Spartan alumnus, and Saint Mark's Director of Admissions Rob DeMasi began handing out the hardware to the victor in 2016, and the Spartans have taken a stronghold on the series ever since. That Saint Mark's will be gunning for their fifth straight against the Vikings is in some ways surprising. With the Spatan's move to Division II, a higher degree of parity would be expected.
And that indeed appeared to be true with St. Elizabeth taking the first contest played between the programs on equal footing (2015). However since then, Saint Mark's has owned the series. This can be attributed to circumstance more than the Spartan's obvious fondness for the trophy. After five consecutive losing seasons since their last postseason appearance, many felt the Vikings had turned the corner, posting a 5 -5 record in Head Coach Marvin Dooley's first year. A return to glory was surely to follow. However, in reality sometimes these things take time. Like their series with Archmere Academy, this era of Spartan dominance won't last forever. There is just too much pride involved between the catholic school rivals. Pride alone though doesn't win games.
The Vikings faced a rough start to the season going up against Archmere and Delaware Military Academy. They had gained some momentum, evening their record at 2 - 2, before losing a tough contest to Conrad last week. Running back Quasim Benson (#3) is the focal point of St. Elizabeth's offense averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Saint Mark's will need to shut Benson down and force quarterback Brett Smick (#7) to the air. Andrew Spychalski (#15) will be a primary target when the Vikings pass. Linebackers Jackson Benjamin (#55), Eric O'Neill (#76), and lineman Andre Green (#58) lead the defense. On paper, this looks to be an easy Spartan win. However, the pride and emotion brought out by the rivalry, and past history will play a role. St. Elizabeth always plays Saint Mark's tough, but if the Spartans don't get caught looking ahead to their showdown next week, I would expect them to pull away in the second half, and maintain possession of the sword.
If you would like to know more about the MMF, which was founded by Saint Mark's Director of Admissions Rob DeMasi (class of 2009), or are interested in joining their fight, please visit their site by clicking on their logo above.
Update:
Yes! On our YouTube channel: https://t.co/z1zBosxHkt!□□
— Saint Mark's High School (@SaintMarksHs) November 27, 2020