Del-Val Blue Prevails in shortened Hero Bowl, crowd ruin the night

Tagged under: All-Stars, District 1, District 12, Gameday Hub, News

Nicholas Mastripolito | May 30, 2026

Jalen Harris rushes for two as Del Val Blue takes down Central Red West

Delaware County, the home to a plethora of high school football talent, put its players on display last night in the 48th annual Hero Bowl. The Hero Bowl supports the funding of the Hero Scholarship Fund. The 48th Hero Bowl sold over 5,000 tickets, drawing in fans from all over Delco to witness the clash of the two teams.

The game got underway, and the intensity was  stellar. On the first play of the game, Del Val ran a flea flicker, ending in Jalen Harris perfectly placing a deep ball into the hands of Jerell Palmer, who faced serious double coverage. Jalen Harris put Del Val blue on the board with a rushing touchdown, and the blue team led 6-0.

The Del Val blue immediately got the ball  back when they landed on a fumble by the Central squad, setting up Jalen Harris and the Del Val offense with solid field position.

Harris’ team chewed up the remainder of the first quarter clock and found the endzone with yet another Jalen Harris touchdown, the XP was no good, and Del Val led 12-0 heading into the second.

Central League red, led by both Paul Graham and Nick DeLuca, found themselves piecing together a nice drive to start the second quarter. Lower Merion QB and record holder Nick DeLuca had success in the air. That success would continue when the Lower Merion connection of DeLuca and Tommy Burke found the endzone for the red team’s first score of the game. Kyan Chisnall from Melbourne, Australia, nailed the XP to make it 12-7 in favor of the Del Val blue.

The Del Val blue began a nice drive up to the 50-yard line before they faved 4th and three, which became a 4th and long due to a false start. Jalen Harris 4th down pass fell incomplete and gave Central the chance to take the lead.

That’s exactly what the Central red team did. On the very first play, Paul Graham pulled back a handoff and took it all the way to the house for a massive touchdown, making the score 14-12 Central red.

Del Val was never out of it, especially with potentially the greatest HS QB in DELCO history, Jalen Harris. Jalen Harris marched Del Val blue down the field and immediately put them in good field position. The Chester Clipper launched a deep pass for Archbishop Carroll Wide Receiver Jayden Walters that put the Del Val back on the board, the 2-pt conversion was no good, and the Del Val led 18-14 with 2:09 left in the first half.

Central Red west got down the field in a hurry and set up Kyan Chisnall with a 35-yard field goal try that sailed through the uprights and made the score 18-17 just before halftime. Chisnall’s kick would be the final points of the game.

Halfway through the third quarter a fight broke out in the front of the home bleachers. The situation did not get much better with multiple fights breaking out and fans running towards the woods at Cardinal O’Hara High School. At this point play was suspended and the teams were ushered to the opposite end of the field, away from the situation playing out in the crowd. The altercations would continue on into the night, and the game was suspended for public safety.

scene on the hill above the field during the altercations  

Now the question is, will the Hero Bowl ever happen again considering there was a similar situation at the end of last years game. While that’s still unanswered, things definitely need to change. Whether it’s a limit on fans, just family, or no fans at all. In order to keep the Hero Bowl going, something has to change.

It’s just extremely unfortunate for the kids who had their last few quarters of football in high school torn away from them because the crowd couldn’t be civil. It’s a situation that is all too familiar in today’s world. Something needs to change or we may see the day much like we did in 2020 where kids are forced to play in front of empty stadiums. At PA football news we hope the Hero Bowl does continue. We also hope our society learns to behave and respect each other.

Let’s be honest, though, it wasn’t fans that ruined the night. It was a group of people who simply paid admission to be at an event. The fans sitting in the stands enjoyed watching the game as their favorite sons, grandsons, teammates and players battled on the field. Real fans don’t behave in this manner.

Thank you to all those seniors who participated in the game and to the first responders who helped bring order in the night of chaos.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews