Madonna, Gallen run wild as Rustin blanks Henderson in playoff tuneup

WEST CHESTER >> The West Chester Henderson Warriors learned a very valuable lesson went it comes to facing off against crosstown rival West Chester Rustin. 

Simply put: speed kills.

The Knights ran their way right past Henderson, beating the Warriors, 46-0, and sending them home scoreless on senior night.

“We played a good game,” said Knights head coach Mike St. Clair. “Our kids are always excited to play Henderson because of the crosstown rivalry. We had a good showing tonight.

“We came out fast with running back the opening kickoff. It set the tone,” St. Clair continued. “Drew Gallen and Nick Madonna are two very good backs. Every time they touch the ball, they can go the distance because they are so fast and strong. The line did a really good job opening holes today and they were able to capitalize.” 

With the win, Rustin likely secured the seventh seed and a home game next week in the District 1 Class 5a playoffs, possibly against Upper Dublin 

Despite the lopsided result and a 3-7 record, Henderson should also sneak into the Class 5A bracket as the 15th seed. The Warriors’ test will be far tougher, with a likely road game at another crosstown rival: second-seeded West Chester East. 

The Gallen-Madonna show set the tone of the game rather quickly. On the opening kickoff Gallen ran back an 85-yard kickoff return to put the Knights up 6-0 just seconds into the game. Shortly after, Gallen would strike again on a 83-yard run right down the visitors’ sideline. In a blink of an eye, Rustin went up 13-0 and left Henderson trying to figure out what just happened. 

As the Warriors sought to simply contain Gallen, they forgot about the second part of the show and Madonna made them pay for it. Madonna ended the night with 76 yards rushing, 12 yards receiving and three touchdowns. 

However, while the Gallen-Madonna show showed up big offensively. The Knights’ defense was able to put the offense in position to seal the game at the beginning of the second half. On three consecutive drives, Rustin’s defense recovered two Henderson fumbles and recorded an interception, giving the offense the ball in enemy territory each time. 

Any thought of a comeback quickly went out the window as the margin got larger. 

“It definitely felt good tonight,” said Madonna. “Henderson is always a rival week and we just don’t want to beat them we want to destroy them, and we did that tonight.”

“When Gallen can get going, he’s a very dangerous player with his speed,” Madonna continued. “When he starts running like that it really opens things up for me. This game definitely gave us confidence heading into the playoffs. We’re ready to do it.”