Chester County football: District 1 playoff point races starting to clear up

Week nine is in the books and the District 1 playoff point race is starting to clear up a little for the Chester County high school football teams.
This weekend produced some very entertaining games but the big game was Downingtown East vs. Downingtown West. The two old friends battled for the entire 48 minutes until the Cougars prevailed late in the fourth period, 35-28, in a classic battle.
There may not be a team with worse luck than Downingtown West. The Whippets battled back from a 27-7 deficit to take a 28-27 lead before giving up a the winning touchdown late in the fourth period. The Whippets lost to Coatesville earlier in the season in the same fashion. Downingtown West is now sitting at No. 18, two spots out of the golden 16 needed to qualify for the district playoffs. The Whippets will need a win over Avon Grove, and some losses for Haverford and Bensalem, to qualify for the postseason.
Coatesville kept rolling with a 32-20 win over Bishop Shanahan. The Red Raiders exploded for 26 first period points and had a 32-0 lead at halftime. Coatesville quarterback Harrison Susi threw three touchdown passes on the night. The Eagles battled back behind the passing of Cooper Jordan to make it a 32-20 final. Coatesville linebacker Nolan O’Hara was all over the field, making 12 tackles for the night and constantly putting pressure on Eagles quarterback Cooper Jordan.
Bishop Shanahan is currently 6-3 on the season, losing to the two Downingtowns and Coatesville, but the Eagles are sitting at No. 2 in the District 1 4A playoff race. The Eagles have a big matchup next Friday against Chichester at Jack Mancini Field – no other 4a team plays the rigorous league schedule the eagles do and Bishop Shanahan will benefit from that once the 4A playoffs begin. The Eagles were the District 1 4A champions in 2019.
Conestoga may be the surprise team the area. The Pioneers are 7-2 and Friday night they defeated Marple Newtown, breaking the Tigers’ five-game winning streak. The passing combination of Calvin Shirley to Peter Detwiler is the best in the Central League and the duo accounted for three touchdowns against Marple Newtown. Conestoga is currently sitting at No. 8 in the District 1 6A race and the Pioneers will visit a 8-1 Ridley team next Friday.
West Chester Henderson quarterback Eddie Smink had a huge night in the Warriors 41-20 win ower West Chester East this past Friday. Smink threw three touchdown passes and ran for there more in the Warriors romp. West Chester Henderson rolled up 440 yards of total offense and overwhelmed the Vikings by taking a 28-14 halftime lead. The win likely puts the Warriors into the 5A playoffs, which begin in two weeks.
Unionville and West Chester Rustin, both major players in the 5A bracket, both scored convincing wins this past Friday. The Golden Knights used their patented Wing-T offense to defeat Great Valley 42-0 while Unionville downed Oxford 49-22. The Longhorns won for the third time in a row and got a big rushing game from Joe King and Etahn Bennink, who rolled up for 267 of the Longhorns’ 352 yards rushing.
The 5A bracket and playoffs should be very entertaining as multiple teams have a legitimate shot to take home the District 1 championship. West Chester Rustin is currently the No. 1 seed but Unionville, Strath Haven, Chester and a couple of other teams are all in the mix for the title.
In the District 1 6A race, everybody is chasing Garnet Valley. The Jaguars are the top seed and it looks like the Jaguars will finish in the top spot with North Penn, also undefeated, coming in at No. 2. The winner of the Downingtown East vs. Coatesville game will not only win the Ches-Mont National title, but finish at No. 3 in the 6A bracket and be guaranteed two home games in the playoffs.
In the Inter-Ac, Malvern Prep is now 2-0 after an impressive 24-13 win over The Haverford School on Friday afternoon. The Friars’ special teams and defense were big in the win, as D’Angelo Stocker blocked a punt that led to a Friars score. An interception by Andrew Connolly led to another Friars touchdown. Malvern Prep is the best team in the Inter-Ac but will be tested next week by Germantown Academy.