DOWNINGTOWN >> In every Battle of the Brandywine, priority No. 1 is establishing the pace of the game.
Friday, at Kottmeyer Stadium, Downingtown East set the tone early and often as to how the game would go and Downingtown West had no answer.
The Cougars scored on all four first-half possessions, forced two first-half turnovers and rode a four-score halftime lead to a 35-7 win.
East secured its first undefeated regular season and outright Ches-Mont National Division championship since 2015 with the victory.
“I’m happy that we finished what we started,” East coach Mike Matta said “I’m very happy the kids lived up to the goals they set and worked so hard for. They’ve done everything we’ve asked and this was just one of those games.”
Both sides of the ball for the Cougars (4-0 division, 9-0 overall) put constant pressure on the Whippets (3-1, 8-2).
East ran the ball 24 times in the first half and produced yards on each one of them. The Cougars out-gained West 365-121 for the game.
As Michael Leo said in the team huddle after the game: “The only thing that was unexpected was the seven points.”
The Cougars’ defense had gone 26 straight quarters, dating back to September 1, without giving up a point until Quinn Henicle hit Dean Hangey for a 37-yard score on fourth-and-fourteen on West’s first drive of the third quarter.
“That was a little weird,” East senior Owen Lammy said about getting scored on. “We just had to stay locked in and finish the game.”
Lammy’s impact was felt on both sides of the ball. In the defensive secondary, Lammy helped East hold Henicle to 69 passing yards and West’s dynamic duo of Hangey and Jake Kucera to three catches for 63 yards.
“They can all play,” West coach Mike Milano said of the East defense. “They’re well-coached and they’re physical and fast. They beat us up on the line of scrimmage. We couldn’t run the ball and had trouble with protection. And when they had the ball on offense, they were a machine. They get after it.”
The Cougars followed their script to a tee. Ayden Harris had 19 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and 18 carries for 88 yards and a score in the second half. Lammy added a 42-yard TD run in the first half and finished with 93 yards on nine carries.
JJ Helverson completed seven passes for 93 yards, including a 31-yard TD to Tanav Appapogu on a fourth-and-three.
“We’re a one-two punch,” Harris said. “My line makes it a lot easier for me. I feel confident behind them. I’m just happy to be a part of this family. It feels amazing.”
West is now minus-four in the turnover department for the season, having turned it over five times in their two losses in weeks eight and 10.
In the first half the best plays for the Whippets were when protection broke down and Hangey scrambled. But after rushing for 28 yards in the first quarter, Henicle ended with just nine as the Cougars got to him in the backfield five times.
“(West) is a very good football team,” Matta said. “(Henicle) is very good and (Kucera) was not 100 percent, but he’s one of the better players around. We felt pretty confident in our defense, but to be OK we knew we needed to score some points.”
Both teams will head into the District 1-6A playoffs next weekend, with East guaranteed a first-round home game. Final seeding will come on Monday, but Matta is hoping this perfect regular season finally has a storybook ending.
“We’ll see who we play and take it one game at a time,” Matta said. “We’ve made the playoffs a million times and never seem to get through it, so hopefully we can figure out a way to do that.”
Downingtown East 35, Downingtown West 7
Downingtown East 14 14 0 7-35
Downingtown West 0 0 7 0 – 7
Scoring
First Quarter
DE- Harris 2 run (Hornak kick)
DE- Appapogu 31 pass from Helverson (Hornak kick)
Second Quarter
DE- Lammy 42 run (Hornak kick)
DE- Harris 5 run (Hornak kick)
Third Quarter
DW- Hangey 37 pass from Henicle (Mehan kick)
Fourth Quarter
DE- Harris 3 run (Hornak kick)
Team Totals
DE DW
First downs 16 7
Yards rushing 47-272 28-41
Yards passing 93 80
Total yards 365 111
Passing 7-12-0 7-14-1
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Punts-avg. 2-33 4-35.5
Penalties-yds 5-60 3-20
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Downingtown East — Harris 37-177, 3 TDs; Lammy 9-93, TD; Brown 1-2. Downingtown West — Gonzalez 5-15; Alex 7-14; Henicle 11-9; Campbell 1-3; Kucera 2-2; Taraschi 1-0; Evans 1-0; Dunn 1-(-1); Moyers 1-(-1).
Passing: Downingtown East — Helverson 7-12, 93 yards, TD. Downingtown West — Henicle 5-12, 69 yards, TD, INT. Bricker 2-2, 11 yards.
Receiving: Downingtown East — Appapogu 1-31, TD: Walsh 1-29; Benner 2-21; Brown 1-8; Harris 1-3; Noble 1-1. Downingtown West — Hangey 2-51, TD; Kucera 1-12; Gonzalez 2-11; Taraschi 1-4; Alex 1-2.
Interceptions: Downingtown East — Leo.
