COLUMN: Dtown West’s seniors leave proud legacy

DOWNINGTOWN — Following Downingtown West’s 35-21 defeat at the hands of top-seeded North Penn, Friday, there was an overwhelming sense of peace in the Whippets’ postgame huddle.

Each coach voiced his appreciation for what the seniors accomplished and where this team was able to go.

With many season-ending losses the crying and the sorrowful hugs usually come with. And while there were a few tears shed on the West side, what stood out more was how the Whippets knelt, heads held high, attention focused forward.

With the amount of pride in the Whippets’ eyes, there wasn’t any room left for tears.

“There were no regrets,” West coach Mike Milano explained. “There was no ‘I wish I woulda worked harder or paid attention more.’ That’s the worst crime in life, the ‘I wish I woulda,’ and these guys have none of that.”

West’s season came to a valiant end, at the hands of undefeated North Penn in a game where the Whippets (11-2) were a deflected interception away from being up two touchdowns in the third quarter.

The 11 wins ties a program record, and reaching the District 1-6A semifinals is an accomplishment in itself, let alone with a tight end taking over the quarterback spot for a Division 1 prospect, Will Howard.

That tight end was no Joe Schmo. That tight end was Ryan Wetzel, and that will be a name that will be remembered around West for decades to come.

“(Wetzel) doesn’t understand what he did the last six weeks,” Milano said. “To put him in at quarterback and for him to lead us the way he led us, he’ll go down in Whippet lure for a long time.”

The season seemed hopeless in week seven when Coatesville blew out West, 42-7, and Howard was out for the season. Milano admitted he thought the season was lost, but what he saw after that was inspiring. 

The old saying goes: the strongest steel is forged from the hottest fire. Howard’s injury was devastating, but it allowed Wetzel and the rest of the Whippets an opportunity to discover the deepest parts of their character.

“It would’ve been easy to fold after the Coatesville game,” Wetzel said. “We stepped up and forged a brotherhood that’s never gonna change.”

West won five in a row following the Coatesville loss, starting with an emphatic 28-7 victory over Downingtown East and ending with a dramatic 24-22 decision against Harry S. Truman in the quarterfinals.

“We have a lot of pride,” Wetzel said. “What we accomplished and what we overcame, this is the most adversity we’ve overcome in my four years here.”

West’s resurgence as a district contender was a long-time coming, and did not happen overnight. After going 9-1 in the 2015 regular season the Whippets won nine games total the previous two seasons.

Much of this senior class took its lumps, starting as underclassmen. Wetzel was a three-year starter at linebacker and guys like receiver Dan Byrnes and lineman Nolan Hale had to learn the hard way for a couple seasons.

This fall was a culmination, and the senior class put its stamp in Downingtown’s rich football history.

“Coming from a 5-5 team last year, when we walked into the weight room in January, we knew we had a special group. We grinded our tails off, and when we lost our QB, Ryan Wetzel stepped in and absolutely killed it. It’s sad to see it end like this.”

West isn’t going anywhere, with Howard, Jackson Luneburg, Tyriq Lewis and Tyler Alston all back to keep the skill group bountiful, and Max Hale, Sean Pelkisson and Pat Cusack, among others, returning on the defensive side.

The future remains bright, but Milano hopes the heart of this group of seniors lingers.

“I’ll always remember their fight,” Milano said. “I remember watching practice the week after Coatesville. They weren’t going to lose that game to East. They just weren’t going to lose. I’ll forever remember their fight.”