Downingtown West tops West Chester East in shootout as both teams prep for playoffs
DOWNINGTOWN >> Rain and high scoring games don’t necessarily go hand in hand. However, the Downingtown West Whippets would find a way to stave off the West Chester East Vikings Friday night in a wet and wild shootout at Kottmeyer Stadium Friday night.
Now, when you think shootouts, you expect the winning team to rack up the passing yards. That was not the case Friday, as Whippets running back Tyriq Lewis would have himself a game on the ground gaining 203 yards and scoring four touchdowns in a 48-26 win over the Vikings.
“I’ve been running behind a great line all year,” said Lewis. “We have had some adversity with some injuries on the line but it’s the next man up mentality and whoever we have out there comes out and they play extremely hard.”
The most explosive of Lewis’ carries was a 50-yard touchdown where he would take a toss out left and burn the Vikings defense to extend the lead to 28 points at the end of the third quarter.
“We have great weapons on offense, Lewis is a great runner, but we also got good pieces like Tyler Alston, Dan Byrnes, and so is my new quarterback Ryan Wetzel,” said head coach Mike Milano. “We have a four back set now and we have morphed from what we were early in the year but we have continued to grow each week with our new style.”
The Whippets will likely enter the District 1 Class 6A playoffs as the No. 4 seed, meaning a home game next weekend, possibly against Upper Darby, Ridley, Council Rock South or Pennsbury.
West Chester East is safely in the Class 5A bracket, but will likely have to go on the road Friday as the ninth seed, possibly at No. 8 Upper Merion. The brackets will be made official later this weekend.
The scoring would come in waves Friday night, beginning when Whippets quarterback Ryan Wetzel found Jackson Luneberg for a 21-yard touchdown reception.
“We’re playing with a quarterback who is one of the best tight ends/linebackers in southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Milano. “Any chance we can get him reps and grow is huge and he played really well again tonight for us.”
Wetzel would finish the night 7-for-10 with 94 yards and one touchdown. Downingtown West did not attempt a pass in the second half.
Lewis would then get the Whippets more points late in the first quarter and in he early stages of the second with back-to-back red-zone touchdowns. The first came from three-yards out and the second from the one-yard line.
In the first half, West Chester East had struggled to get the offense moving as only converted on one first down in their six possessions.
“We just have to figure out how to play the first half,” said West Chester East head coach Scott Stephen. “We have started slow and that has been a trend the past couple of weeks.”
The Vikings would go into half on the board with a beautifully thrown ball from quarterback Ryan Cassidy to his favorite target Michael Gray for a 16-yard pitch and catch. It was set up by what would wind up being the longest play of the afternoon, a 62-yard punt return by Joey Wileczek.
