Delone's Wiles heads home with title on the line

You''ll have to forgive Steve Wiles if he has a few mixed emotions tonight.

Yes, his Delone Catholic team is trying to lock up a 9-1 season, a high seed in the District 3, Class AA tournament and an outright YAIAA Division III title.

But Wiles will also have to cope with the odd task of playing Hanover -- the school he coached at for seven seasons and where he still teaches high school history.

"I teach there, I work with those kids all the time," Wiles said after his team's 35-6 win against York Catholic last Friday. "We want to go in there and play a clean game. It's a tough week. I want to see those guys do well, obviously."

Wiles compiled a 35-37 record during his time with the Nighthawks, before he was hired to replace Delone coaching legend Denny Frew in 2007. Since then he's 2-0 against Hanover, winning those games by a combined score of 118-12.

Considering the team's two records - Delone is 8-1, Hanover is 1-7 - another lopsided score could be in the cards.

But listening to Wiles, it's obvious he still holds plenty of affection for the team he used to lead.

"They've struggled this year, they're trying to build the program," he said. "They got a lot of young players, they're bringing the whole team back, so hopefully they can be more competitive next year."

Wiles said he teaches mostly ninth and tenth graders at Hanover, meaning he only tutors a handful of varsity football players there. That still leaves room for some playful banter every once in a while.

"In the beginning of the year a little bit," Wiles said, "but it's quieted down."