Delaware Valley seeks first sectional final appearance since 2014 in South Group 1 semifinal bout with Pennsville

New Group? No problem for Delaware Valley.

The Terriers (8-2) moved from Group 2 to Group 1 after the latest enrollment numbers for the 2026 season, and even with the new crop of competition, are finding postseason success. Now second seed in the South Jersey Group 1 semifinals, Delaware Valley is looking to make their way back to the sectional final since 2014, when the fifth-seeded Terriers made a run before falling to second-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven.

Delaware Valley won its first postseason game since 2015 last weekend, a 28-6 victory over seventh-seeded Gateway Regional, and face another tough test from way down I-295 in the form of Pennsville.

In his fourth season at the helm, Terriers’ head coach Ben Ibach has built up a core ready to compete after solid regular season results, and now face their biggest test of the last few years.

Heading into the season, Delaware Valley had some pieces to replace — including Ibach’s son, Kelton, at quarterback — but much of the nucleus remained from what was a young team in 2025 that finished outside of the North 2 playoff picture in a 5-4 season.

Junior Chase Kraucheunas shifted from wide receiver to quarterback in place of the younger Ibach, and the transition has been as close to seamless as any could expect. Kraucheunas leads the Terriers in passing (1,638 yards, 17 touchdowns) and rushing (734 yards, 13 touchdowns) while continuing a standout career as a do-it-all defensive back.

His efforts over the last calendar year have turned some heads across the next level, as well. He earned an offer from Syracuse after a strong camp showing over the summer, and has taken gameday visits to the Orange and Virginia in the ACC, as well as Cornell in the Ivy League.

Alongside Kraucheunas, senior running back Ben Culberson returns to complement the quarterback in the run game. Receiving standouts standouts Tyler Small, Lhiam Murphy, Brayden Costello, and tight end Brayden Picardo-Leask (who’s earned some Division III offers) all return after seeing plenty of playing time last season, and have all taken steps forward a year later.

The Terriers battled through a tough opening stretch of the season, but have found their stride of late with five straight victories, all by at least 20 points. After blanking North Hunterdon 17-0 in the season opener, Delaware Valley won a 34-33 shootout over A.L. Johnson and lost two of three games to Hillside and Bernards, with a hard-fought 24-21 victory over Warren Hills in the middle.

Since that stretch, the Terriers have big victories over Voorhees, New Brunswick, North Plainfield, Belvidere, and Gateway. Both sides are firing on all cylinders, scoring an average of 31.8 points per game and allowing just 14 total points (2.8 per game).

On the other side, Pennsville comes into this matchup battle-tested and working on some history of its own. All five of the Eagles’ (5-5) losses came to playoff teams: Overbrook (lost to No. 1 seed Glassboro in CJ2 quarterfinals), Paulsboro (No. 1 seed playing in CJ1 semifinals), Burlington City (who Pennsville beat in the quarterfinals), Schalick (No. 1 seed on the other side of the bracket in SJ1), and Salem (No. 2 seed playing in CJ1 semifinals).

The Eagles are also looking for their first sectional final appearance since 2015, when they went 11-1, earned the second seed, and defeated Clayton in the final.

They feature a pass-heavy attack led by senior quarterback Jake Layfield (2,061 passing yards, 18 touchdowns) and breakout sophomore wideout Chase Johnson (60 receptions, 909 yards, seven touchdowns). The two connected six times for 56 yards in the quarterfinal win over the Blue Devils, and Layfield fired a game-winning 23-yard score to senior wideout Danny Knight with 23 seconds left.

Pennsville also sports an opportunistic defense with 14 interceptions on the year (led by six from senior Jacob Kimani) and ten forced fumbles. That defense has been the key to the Eagles’ success this season, with an average of 12.8 points allowed in their five wins and 31.2 in their five losses.

Both teams will have to focus on winning the turnover battle and converting through the air in tough circumstances in order to snap their respective decade-long sectional final droughts. It’ll all get going on Friday at 7 PM with the beautiful fall backdrop in Frenchtown to bring it all together.

Click below to hear Delaware Valley head coach Ben Ibach talk about the Terriers’ season and upcoming semifinal game against Pennsville with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel: