DiGIOVANNI: Downingtown West’s mindset as impressive as its play

It was a very interesting and exciting first week of the scholastic football season. Coatesville was tripped up by Harrisburg, while Downingtown East, West Chester Rustin and West Chester East all had very impressive wins.

But, one victory that stood out was Downingtown West’s 42-19 demolition of defending Central League champion Garnet Valley. It was a statement win for a lot of reasons. Not only did the Whippets control both lines of scrimmage and wear down the Garnet Valley front, the Whippets did it again with injuries to some of their key pieces. Injuries that some other teams would not be able to recover from.

Even before the first snap, Downingtown West lost 6-foot-4 wide receiver Jackson Lundberg for the season with a broken foot. Lundberg would have been a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries because of his height and his soft hands. Then, defensive lineman Pat Cusack went down in practice to a torn ACL. All this one season after Kansas State-bound quarterback Will Howard missed the final seven games last season due to a broken wrist suffered in the 42-13 loss to Coatesville. A year where the Whippets used their third-string quarterback to still reach the District 1 Class 6A semifinals.

But, Downingtown West does not feel sorry for itself. All the Whippets do is put their collective heads down and keep working, working to get to the lofty goals they have set for themselves this season.

Downingtown West head coach Mike Milano was forced to start three sophomores at linebacker against Garnet Valley, along with another 10th grader to replace Cusack. What is left standing is a very fired up bunch of tough Downingtown kids whose first goal is to try to unseat Coatesville for the Ches-Mont National Division crown.

This current edition of Downingtown West football was really born two seasons ago when Milano started seven sophomores in his lineup. Two of those 10th graders were Howard and Division 1 prospect Sean Pelkisson. Howard is like a coach on the field, and Pelkisson, along with Max Hale (another one of those sophomores who was thrown into the fire two seasons ago), both hit anything that moves. Both tortured Garnet Valley all game Saturday night.

Pelkisson and Hale also play big roles on the offensive side of the ball. Pelkisson scored three times against Garnet Valley, twice on runs and he also caught a scoring pass from Howard. These three are the heart and soul of the Downingtown West squad along with senior running back Tyriq Lewis, who ran for more than 100 yards against garnet Valley.

Some teams would feel sorry for themselves with the crucial injuries the Whippets have suffered. Some teams would make it a crutch. Not this edition of Downingtown West football. These Whippets are not wired that way, and even if they were, Milano would stomp that out really fast.

Downingtown West has waited three years for a team that could seriously challenge for a league, district and possibly state crown. Saturday night at Kottmeyer Stadium, you saw a team that is not about excuses, and not about pointing fingers.

What you saw was a team that believes in the teachings of its coaching staff and has belief in each other. The talent level may have been thinned out with Lundberg, Cusack and others out of the lineup.

What is left is a group of young men who have pulled together for what they hope is a glorious season. The nonleague schedule is the toughest in District 1 and it is like that for a variety of reasons. Make no mistake, Downingtown West will be severely tested way before it gets to Downingtown East and Coatesville.

Some would say the Whippets passed their first test Saturday night against Garnet Valley. I think they passed their test when they ran on the field and banded together with anybody who was still healthy enough to put on a uniform.

That is a winning philosophy and a winning attitude. And isn’t that what high school football strives to teach? 

Peter DiGiovanni covers high school football for the Daily Local News and Pa. Prep Live. You can reach him at pdigiovanni07@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteDLN.