Downingtown East shuts down Quakertown for trip to semis

QUAKERTOWN — A dominating second quarter was enough for fifth-seeded Downingtown East to upset No. 4 Quakertown, 21-0, in a District 1 Class AAAA quarterfinal Friday.

The Cougars (9-3) will face top seed, and Ches-Mont League National Division rival Coatesville in the semifinals next week.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the Cougars’ offensive unit came alive in the second quarter. After forcing the Panthers (10-2) to go three-and-out, East quarterback Andrew Hudson led a march down the field, converting two third downs and one forth down. Hudson found wide receiver Dan Chisena on a 15-yard pass to set up a first-and-goal from the one. On the next play, running back Keith Conner punched the ball in on a right-side dive, giving the visitors a 6-0 advantage.

With 38 seconds remaining in the half, the Cougars attacked the Panthers’ secondary again. This time they used their top weapon, tight end Cary Angeline. On a fourth-and-one from the Panthers 31, Hudson threw a strike to Angeline, who broke two tackles en route to the end zone. Angeline ended the evening with 5 catches for 93 yards.

“I think we tried to be more physical than them tonight,’ Angeline said. “We tried to execute as much as possible. I thought we were able to outwork them this evening. It all starts with practice. We had a great team effort this week. It showed tonight. The line did great. The defense did great. It was an awesome win.’

With just over three minutes remaining in the game, the Cougars sealed the victory when Conner snapped off a 26-yard touchdown run.

“I thought everyone on the defense did an excellent job tonight. Everyone did their part. The front seven did a great job. They are always pretty stout, and our back end was great too,’ Downingtown East coach Mike Matta said.

The play of the game may have come early in the second quarter. With the score still 0-0, Quakertown’s quarterback Alec Verra found his tight end John Lilley wide open in the slot. With four yards between Lilley and the end zone, defensive back Matt Boorman hustled from behind to strip Lilley. East recovered in the end zone for a touchback, denying the Panthers their best scoring opportunity.

“Tonight was a huge win for us. It is enormous,’ Matta said. “This is a great group of kids. We have made the playoffs nine of 12 years, but only made it to the third round three times. I am really excited about this team. They are awesome and I love being around them.’