DOWNINGTOWN — An unbeaten Downingtown West football versus a two-loss Avon Grove is expected to have West in the driver’s seat from beginning to end. But, the Red Devils turned that wisdom on its head making the fans at Kottmeyer Stadium a wee bit uncomfortable. The Whippets used a couple of big plays and a dominating second half to power their way to a 40-19 Ches-Mont League crossover game on a beautiful late summer Friday evening.
“They came to play,” said Downingtown West coach Tom Kline. “I told their coach (Joe Coffey) I love what they’re doing. They were not scared of us.
We had a little adversity at first.” With a number of running backs unable due to injury, including Spencer Dunn, the Whippets (5-0 overall) needed someone to fill the void. That task fell to junior Jacob Barry, and he performed admirably.
He ran for 69 yards in 16 attempts and two touchdowns. “I love that kid,” Kline said of Barry. “He comes to practice and works so hard every day.
We keep preaching next man up and he stepped in and did an awesome job. We have a lot of great kids here who are looking for an opportunity and he took his tonight.” “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met in my life,” added Darian Smith.
“He fights and scraps his way onto the fight no matter what. He’s just always making plays for us.” Avon Grove (2-3) gained one first down on its initial possession and punted the ball away to West.
On second down, Cole Bricker went back to pass and was sacked from behind by linebacker Jack Reilly and knocked the ball loose. The Red Devils recovered on the West 32-yard line to set themselves up. Two pass plays put them on the 7.
Then on second-and-goal, QB Frank Hoogerwerff tossed a screen pass to wide open Jose Sabastro, who waltzed into the end zone. The extra point was blocked, but the Red Devils held the shock 6-0 lead. “We had a game plan going in, the defensive staff did a great job,” said Avon Grove coach Joe Coffey.
“Created a turnover, scored first and they scored and we answered. I couldn’t be more proud of them with how they answered in the beginning and moved the ball. We did a lot of things we wanted to do early on.
” Downingtown West then went on a typical type of drive, with run after run gaining positive yards and eating up the clock. In fact, the drive that started with 6:58 in the first, didn’t end until early in the second. The Whippets went 74 yards in 16 plays in a march that went 7:59.
They were helped by a pass interference call on a 4th-and-17 on the AG 23. The penalty moved the ball half the distance and Cole Bricker hit Tommy Miller for an 8-yard gain and a first down. Barry then plunged in from the three for his first scholastic touchdown.
Avon Grove returned the favor and blocked the extra point to tie the game at 6-6. “It was big for me,” said Barry. “It was something special.
With the injuries we’ve had, someone had to step up and I was confident the whole game.” Avon Grove jumped back in front. After a 35-yard kickoff return by Sebastian Binstead, they went on a march of their own that was helped by a pass interference call on West.
On the next play, Hoogerwerff hit tight end Dylan Laganelli for a 12-yard score. The see saw then tilted back to the Whippets for the first of two huge plays in the quarter. Smith took a handoff and broke through the line into daylight and sprinted up the left sideline past a defender who had an angle on him to complete the 61-yard scamper to put West into the lead for good.
“My o-line blocked it perfectly just how it was drawn up and I just saw a hole open up and I took it there,” said Smith. Avon Grove unleashed a long march themselves and it got down to the West 4, where they faced a fourth down. That was where the play of the night happened.
Hoogerwerff was under duress from the West pass rush when uncorked a pass. It was intercepted by Jackson Kobus, who took off down the field escorted by a convoy. He ended up with a stadium record 98-yard interception return with seven seconds left in the half as the Whippets went into the break with a 20-13 advantage.
“It just happened like that. I was in the right spot at the right time and the ball went right to me. The run after it was killer,” Kobus said.
“It was all fun and games. We were playing football. It was so fun when I was running down the field just seeing everyone smiling and hearing the fans.
I was exhausted though. I went to the sideline and I needed water.” West made it 27-13 as they started to pound the ball consistently against a tiring defense.
Miller posted a three-yard score, then early in the fourth Barry notched his second of the night, this time from 9-yards out. The Red Devils, bottled up in the second half, gave their one more glimmer of hope when Binstead got behind his defender and caught a strike from Hoogerwerff for a 74-yard TD. Mike Taraschi put the cap on the scoring with a 22-yard run with 2:17 left.
The Whippets, who defeated the Red Devils for the 17th time in 20 all-time meetings, outgained them, 222-76 in the second half. All but 21 of West’s yards came on the ground. “They’re doing a great job for us,” Kline said of his offensive line.
“It starts up front. Drew O’Connor and the guys are doing a great job. Drew is leading the way.
If we need to, we run right behind him and he is just doing an awesome job for us. I’m proud of those guys.” Next week will be a clash of unbeatens as West will face West Chester Rustin in the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
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