Indian River football prepares to open season hosting Odessa

DAGSBORO, Del. – The Indian River football team got in their final practice on Wednesday before they begin their 2025 campaign hosting Odessa High School at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

IR is coming off of a 2024 season that saw them go 12-1, culminating in a thrilling 1A state championship victory over Tatnall. In part thanks to that championship and the recent success of the program, Indian River will be competing at the 2A level for the next two seasons, a challenge the team feels they’re ready for as a mature and experienced squad.

On the defensive side of the ball they return their top eight tacklers from last season – and on offense they’ll have three of their top four rushers back, but most importantly they’ve still got the star quarterback-receiver connection of Dylan Grise and Syracuse University commit Darnell Stokes.

On the eve of their journey through class 2A competition, the two seniors considered what they need to do to beat and Odessa and start their season with a win.

“Stopping the run,” Stokes said, “Stopping the run on Odessa. And I think this year we can have a lot of strength with throwing the ball, We got a good running back coming back, Javon Handy, so I think that’s gonna be a big part of it. So, I think as long as we block, as long as we catch the ball and play good defense we’re gonna be good.”

Grise emphasized the importance of having experience on the team: “We have a lot of returning guys coming back, so it’s going really smooth. We were able to put a lot of things in quickly.” And on topping Odessa, the quarterback said the recipe is simple, “Just [go] out there with a bunch of energy. Go play hard. It’s gonna be a tough game but that’s what we’re here for.”