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It’s Wednesday night and Tyriq Lewis just got done catching up with former teammate and current Ohio State University quarterback, Will Howard.
“He was literally just sitting on the couch after a film session with Chip (Kelly),” Lewis said. “He was packing it in for the night.”
A rather pedestrian moment for the local star was a welcomed calm before the proverbial storm that begins Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Five-plus years after leading Downingtown West to its first District 1-6A championship, Howard is at the forefront of NCAA football as Ohio State takes on Notre Dame for the national championship.
While Howard has reached heights few from the area ever have, those who competed with him are every bit invested in cheering him on.
“One hundred percent I’m living vicariously through him,” said Lewis, who just finished his football career at East Stroudsburg University. “It’s fun getting to talk to him about the game. Now that my career is over, it feels like I’m still in it.”
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You don’t need many fingers to count the amount of quarterbacks from the Ches-Mont League who’ve gone on to succeed at a high level in Division 1 college football.
Howard’s road to where he is now certainly had some bumps, but he found his way to the starting position at Kansas St., fighting through multiple other options, and left there having thrown the most touchdowns (48) in school history.
“The whole five years have been amazing,” former Downingtown West coach Mike Milano said. “To be able to see him on national television, starting at Kansas State and then go on to Ohio State, with all the expectations. It’s not as stressful as it is for mom and dad, but I get nervous for him and love it when he does well.”
After his four years at Kansas St., Howard had multiple suitors for his fifth and final season, and Ohio State offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, was the best fit for his future plans.
“He had two goals,” Milano said. “The first was to improve his draft status, and I think he’s done that. The second was, he wanted to go somewhere with a chance to win a National Championship. He has a chance to achieve everything he wanted to achieve.”
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Howard has completed 74 percent of his passes for 919 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in three playoff games, and two of his three 300-yard games this season have come in that run.
The pride Milano and many former West players and fans feel for Howard is of course met with some testing of allegiances, as much of the area roots for Penn State University.
When Milano went to Happy Valley this season to see his former offensive tackle, Drew Shelton, start for the Nittany Lions against Howard and the Buckeyes, Milano, a Penn State fan, hoped the game would be “50-50 and end in a tie.”
And of course, staying loyal to the Downingtown-Coatesville rivalry, Milano had to pick his outfits out wisely.
“I can’t wear red, of course,” Milano said.
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Milano has made his rounds this season, including a trip to the Rose Bowl where he had flashbacks of his 2019 squad. Like West, who dropped a regular season game to Coatesville that year, Ohio State was a one-point loser to Oregon in October. Howard sliding as time ran out in that game was fuel for the non-believers all season, but just like he had his best high school game of his career in a win over Coatesville in the 2019 district final, Howard did it again in Pasadena.
Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Buckeyes blew out Oregon in the rematch.
“We’ve stayed in touch and we talked about the parallels about 2019 when we took that loss against Coatesville the first time and (Ohio State) lost to Oregon the first time around,” Milano said. “We got redemption later and they did, too, so that was really cool watching that.”
It comes with the territory, but Howard has dealt with doubters his whole career. Even in high school, being constantly compared to Coatesville’s Ricky Ortega or St. Joseph’s Prep’s Kyle McCord, the evaluation of a quarterback is ever-shifting.
Fortunately, Howard’s teammates had his back, even if it came in the form of tough love.
“Everybody in high school was Will this and Will that, so I was the guy who told him he sucks to keep him down to earth and humble,” former West defensive end Sean Pelkisson said. “He loves (the outside criticism). I know it fuels him. He doesn’t get upset. It just keeps the fire going.”
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That 2019 Whippet squad will go down as one of the most talented teams in Downingtown history. Howard and Shelton are key cogs on top five programs, Pelkisson and Lewis had successful college careers come to a close this past fall and Max Hale is ranked top 20 in the country as a Division 1 wrestler for the University of Penn.
There are plenty others still thriving in other football programs or the working world, and Lewis is not surprised.
“I knew this was a special group, growing up,” Lewis said. “Even in our senior year when we went 13-2. I expected a lot more from this group, but it was just the beginning for a lot of us.”
The end for most of the group, at least collegiately, will be Monday, and Howard’s opportunity is felt back home.
“It fills me with a lot of pride,” Pelkisson said. “To see somebody from your home town, who works so hard and is so humble make it to that level is awesome. … But it’s stressful. Eventually I end up just screaming at the TV.”
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Milano concurs, but like many in Chester County, he’ll be shelving the Penn State gear. There will likely also be some contorted Notre Dame fans not sure how to react.
Downingtown pride runs deep and Monday night, Howard will give his fans their grandest chance to feel a part of something bigger.
“I’ll be nervous all day for him,” Milano said. “I’ll be with the family watching, watching together and rooting like hell.”