Valor Bowl looks to pick up scoring from last year as East and West go at it

If Special Olympian, Chris Nudy, has it his way, the 21st annual Valor Bowl will be a repeat of last year’s 3-0 slugfest.

“Hopefully they play good defense,” Nudy said emphatically.

Nudy, a graduate of Downingtown East, is a fan after Cougars’ coach Mike Matta’s own heart. Matta, who is heading the West All Stars, would love another low-scoring slobberknocker, but as always, there will be a lot of talent on both sides of the ball when the game kicks off at 7:15 p.m., Thursday at West Chester University.

Members from the Chester County schools in the Ches-Mont League, as well as Conestoga and Malvern Prep will suit up one last time for a game that raises money for the Special Olympics. 

“It’s been amazing to meet everybody,” said Great Valley/East’s Josh Burgess. “It’s the last time to play football in high school, so it’s really special.”

The East, which is led by Malvern Prep’s Dave Gueriera, ended a run of three straight wins by the West last year, but has only scored one touchdown in the previous two meetings.

Burgess, a two-way star for the Patriots, will be one of the top playmakers for East, along with West Chester East’s Pierre Marchant and Unionville’s Nick Schnaars. The three quarterbacks on the East roster are West Chester Rustin’s Will Pileggi, WC East’s Ryan Cassidy and Great Valley’s Jake Prevost.

“I’m looking forward to playing with the boys,” Marchant said. “Hopefully it’ll be a great game and we can come out with the win.”

It will be tough sledding for the East again, with Coatesville’s Nik Thompson, Downingtown East’s Stuart Regitz and Oxford’s Brandon McWilliams leading the West defense.

The West’s depth may be tested with five less players on the final roster and Oxford’s Brett Kochmansky, the only listed QB. 

Still, 1,000-yard rusher Garvey Jonassaint of Downingtown East and receivers Mitch Kosara from Kennett and Coatesville’s Dymere Miller will be a challenge to contain.

“I’m looking to have a real successful game and looking to lead the team to a win,” Jonassaint said.

East will counter Lehigh-bound Tygee Leach of Malvern Prep, Conestoga’s Ryan Duffy and Rustin’s Sean Hopkins, among others, on the defensive side.

“I just want to have fun,” said Coatesville/West’s Dylan Nichols. “It’s the last chance to play football in high school, so it’s really exciting.”

The West boasts arguably the top kicker in the area in Coatesville’s Than Hylen, while Great Valley’s Sarah Merriwether is the second female competitor in this event, and she will split kicking duties with Malvern’s Will West for the East.

While the game itself is a fun opportunity for the players to showcase themselves alongside their peers, the interaction with the Special Olympian buddies is the most impactful memory for all involved.

Tuesday, at Downingtown West, both teams combined for a pep rally with dozens of buddies to run through football drills and have dance-offs and take selfies.

“It was a lot of fun,” Nudy said. “I had a blast meeting everybody and doing all the stations. It was such a lot of fun.”

The smiles were infectious and the event helped to put the game in perspective.

“(Tuesday night) was eye-opening,” Jonassaint said. “Seeing all these schools come together to support the community is heart-warming. It reinforced my compassion for the community.”

Marchant reiterated that sentiment, with almost an unexpected satisfaction tone in his response.

“I really had fun with the Special Olympic kids,” Marchant said. “I’ve never been to an event like this before and I really enjoyed having fun with them.”

Whatever the result, Thursday, the point of the event has already hit home.