Weird, Wild, Wacky outing, West whips East 24-13

 

In a game that celebrated the Downingtown state championship team of 1996, the Whippets of Downingtown West defeated cross-town rival Downingtown East- in the fourth rendition of the "Battle of Downingtown".

 

The Whippet defense confused Cougar quarterback Pete O'Connor all night, forcing him into his worst game of the season.  Standout Cougar running back Richie Walls was also a non factor for the second week in a row.

 

The Whippet offense ran the ball at will all night, with all three touchdown drives covering 10 plays or more.  Roshaan McCain ran for 150 yards and 2 scores, and Nolan Kearney was an efficient 8 for 10 passing.

 

Downingtown West started off the scoring on a 23 yard Rob Long field goal.  The advantage did not last long, as Danny Weber hauled in a scoring strike from Pete O'Connor covering 46 yards.  The Whippets took a 10-7 lead into the half, with McCain's first of two scoring runs, covering 5 yards.

 

They honored the 1996 Downingtown State Championship football team at half, and frankly I was disappointed to see so few of the players there.  Arlen Harris was going to be in attendance, but he just signed a contract with the Detroit Lions (who play @ the Meadowlands against the Jets tomorrow).

 

Here is where the weird, wacky, and wild come in.  With 7:43 left in the third quarter, we had a blackout at Kottmeyer stadium.  It was pure pandemonium in the stands, and the outage lasted about a half-hour.  The outage did not stall any Whippet momentum, as Nolan Kearney added a 5 yard run to make the score 17-7. 

 

West's advantage swelled to 24-7, after another McCain touchdown run.  The scoring closed with another strike from Pete O'Connor to Danny Weber, this one covering 9 yards.

 

A league title is not out of the question for either team.  If Downingtown East (6-2, 3-1) defeats West Chester East, and Downingtown West (7-1, 3-1) beats Coatesville one week from today, there will be a three way tie atop the Ches-Mont League.