Downingtown West
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Ryan Wetzel is a leader for the Whippets as one of the top linebackers in the area. (NATE HECKENBERGER)
DOWNINGTOWN >> The motto of the 2018 edition of Downingtown West football is “Hungry Dogs Run Faster.”
An unfamiliar 5-5 record and no playoff berth in 2017 was more than enough to make the Whippets hungry.
Downingtown West head coach Mike Milano started 14 sophomores last season, one of them superb quarterback Will Howard, who currently has three Division 1 offers.
“Will is the total package,” Milano said. “He is, if not the smartest kid in the school, he is in the top three. And he is very humble. You would never know he is the heir of the team. He can throw deep, throw on the run and run the football. He can do it all and we have had some really good quarterbacks here in the past like Nolan Kearney, Bret Gillespie and Nick Pagel. Will is a one of a kind player and leader of the football team.”
Watching Howard air out his arm to waiting receivers at Whippet practice is a site to behold, and the junior signal-caller says that qualifying for the district playoffs is a big goal of this team, and he feels playing all the young kids will really benefit this year’s team.
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Big things are expected from junior quarterback, Will Howard, who threw for 1,795 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall for the Whippets. (NATE HECKENBERGER)
“We just have more experience in game situations with the bright lights on,” Howard said. “Everybody is together this season, which was not always the case last season because we played a lot of sophomores instead of some seniors. We really have a family atmosphere here right now and we want to win the league and make the playoffs.
“And, I love that we are playing teams like Perk Valley, Neshaminy and Central Bucks South,” Howard said. “Those game can only make you better for the league games.”
Milano knows those games will get the Whippets ready for the tortuous Ches-Mont slate and heavyweights like Coatesville, Avon Grove and Downingtown East.
“I just think playing these kinds of teams is the way to go,” Milano said. “Last year we played well for a half at Perk Valley and lost our focus in the second half and then we go to Neshaminy and beat them. What hurt us was losing to Bishop Shanahan and Avon Grove and that cost us a playoff spot. But, the kids are a year older and we finally have some guys with some size up front.”
One of the mainstays of the Downingtown West defense is middle linebacker Ryan Wetzel, who led the Whippets in tackles last season.
“We will definitely be better on defense this season because of the maturity and by playing together in big situations,” Wetzel said. “We are really looking forward to this season.”
Offensive Player to Watch
Will Howard: The big, strong armed junior has offers from Rutgers, Yale and Morgan State University.
Defensive Player to Watch
Ryan Wetzel: Wetzel is a ball hawk seemingly always being around the football and the leader of an improved Whippet defense.
-By Peter DiGiovanni, pdigiovanni07@gmail.com, @PeteDLN on Twitter
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