Resilient Rustin falls just short in District 1 5A championship game

Upper Dublin >> After coming within inches of beating host Upper Dublin in the District 1 Class 5A championship game Friday evening, West Chester Rustin head coach Mike St. Clair reflected on the Golden Knights’ Class of 2019.
“We had phenomenal senior leadership this season,” said St. Clair. “It’s one of the best groups to ever come through Rustin, they lead by example in the classroom and on the athletic field.”
Led by an impressive crop of versatile, tough, two-way seniors, Rustin lost two of its first five games but then battled back, running off a seven-game winning streak that put them into the District 1 5A championship game Friday night against No. 2 seed Upper Dublin.
On Friday evening, fifth-seeded Rustin fell behind twice only to tie it up, the second time coming back from a 28-14 deficit in the third quarter. After Upper Dublin went ahead 35-28 midway through the fourth quarter, Rustin began a long march to the end zone, and with less than two minutes to play came up inches short of the goal line on fourth down.
“We were going for two points if we scored that last touchdown – we were going for the win,” said St. Clair. “After the game, I told our guys that they got to the state quarterfinals, and not too many teams get to say that in their lifetime.”
Rustin senior defensive end/tight end Sean Hopkins, who made a picturesque 75-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown just before halftime, said, “I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team, even though I’m a little sad that we came up on the short end.”
Golden Knight senior quarterback Will Pileggi, who threw the pass to Hopkins, noted, “This is the closest group of guys I’ve ever played with.”
“It’s hard to say goodbye to this group, but I’ll never forget the memories and the bonds my teammates and I have made,” said Rustin senior Collin Hurley, a University of Delaware lacrosse commit whose 86-yard kickoff return triggered the Golden Knight’ third-quarter comeback. “This is a close-knit group of guys, and our seven-game winning streak came from our togetherness and being a cohesive group.”
Rustin fell behind 7-0 at the end of the first quarter Friday, but bounced back with a 63-yard touchdown drive that consisted of 11 consecutive running plays. The biggest ground gainer for the Golden Knights Friday evening was junior Nick Madonna, who picked up 105 yards on 12 carries.
“Nick’s at another level with his speed,” said St. Clair. “He was out with a shoulder injury the last two weeks, and it was good to have him back tonight.”
St. Clair also praised his standout senior offensive linemen.
“We moved the ball on the ground really well tonight,” said St. Clair. “Our offensive line did a good job. R.J. Cleveland had a really good game as well as Jacob Fails, Sean Durant, Greg Shakarjian. They play tough every night.”
Rustin fell behind 21-7 with 1:14 to go before halftime when Upper Dublin junior quarterback Mike Slivka hit senior wide receiver Dylan Zlotnikoff for a 39-yard touchdown. In the first half, Slivka threw for 150 yards, including a 66-yarder to senior wide receiver Lucas Nina-Boesler.
But Rustin came back 20 seconds later on a 75-yard catch-and-run down the middle by Hopkins, who gathered in the pass from Pileggi at midfield and ran the rest of the way.
On the opening drive of the second half, Upper Dublin steadily rolled down the field for a first-and-goal at the Rustin 7 yard line. Two plays later at the Rustin 2, Cardinal senior running back Lucas Roselli was nailed for a seven-yard loss by Cleveland, and a 26-yard field goal attempt failed.
A costly Rustin fumble on the next play from scrimmage gave the ball right back to Upper Dublin, and this time, the Cardinals converted, scoring with 4:09 to play in the third quarter to go ahead 28-14.
But then Rustin bounced back. On the ensuing kickoff to Rustin, Hurley took the ball at the Golden Knights’ 8 yard line, and with some great moves, took it all the way down to the Upper Dublin 6. Two plays later, senior running back Michael Covert ran left into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Two plays later, Upper Dublin fumbled at its own 20, and the Golden Knights capitalized, with Pileggi going over from the 1 to tie it at 28-28 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.
Pileggi said, “In the third quarter, we knew we needed to score soon, and create some turnovers. We were able to do that with the long kickoff run, and their one fumble we turned into points, and that gave us momentum. Our o-line was doing a great job blocking the entire game, our running backs were doing a great job of hitting the holes.”
A nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive by Upper Dublin put the hosts ahead 35-28 with 8:04 left; then Rustin made its own long drive, getting down to the Cardinals’ 6 yard line on a 13-yard run by Madonna, then Covert made two quick bursts down to the one-yard line. One fourth and goal at the one, Rustin’s final offensive play finished inches short of the goal line.
“We made a couple of mistakes on defense to give them some big plays; but Upper Dublin is a very, very good team,” said St. Clair. “With Bret [head coach Bret Stover], they move the ball as well as we do; it just came down to the last stop. They’re tough to stop, and it came down to one inch at the end.”