Football: Rustin’s dominance up front spells long night for Sun Valley

WESTTOWN — West Chester Rustin’s offensive line dominated up front, creating gaps that paid off to the tune of 373 rushing yards on the way to a 43-8 Ches-Mont American Division win over Sun Valley Friday night.

The Knights (5-0 Ches-Mont, 6-1 overall) jumped out to a 36-0 lead at halftime on the power of the interior line. Throw in some very talented skill position players and one could see it was going to be a long night for the visiting Vanguards. Chase Hatton rushed for 140 yards on just nine carries and Ryan Loper gained 50 yards on only four carries as Rustin had its way up front.

“Our offensive line does a great job every week,” Hatton said. “I mean, we run the football about 90 percent of the time and when we pass, they do a great job pass-blocking. We were laser focused tonight. Even in a lopsided game like this, when we are in the game we are focused on doing our jobs.”

Rustin had a 13-0 lead after one period as Loper opened the scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run and Hatton added a 41-yard jaunt at the end of the first period. The Rustin defense held Sun Valley (1-5, 2-6) to just 15 offensive plays in the first half and limited the Vanguards to only 27 rushing yards for the game, so there was plenty of possession time for the Golden Knights.

The second period saw Rustin outscore the Vanguards 23-0, to put the game away. A Hatton punt pinned the Vanguards at their own 1-yard line. One play later, the Golden Knights trapped Noah Griffin in the end zone for a safety and a 15-0 Rustin lead.

Sun Valley could not stop the Rustin running game as Loper rushed for another touchdown in the second period. Quarterback David McClain added a 45-yard scoring run and it was a 29-0 Rustin lead with three minutes to go in the opening half.

“Our O-line was great again tonight,” McClain said. “We were breaking off long runs and guys were not breaking tackles, they just had big holes to run through. We were executing very well tonight and when we are on like we were tonight it is a great thing to see.”

Sun Valley only had one first down in the opening half and L.J. Beswick picked off a Sun Valley pass with a little less than one minute to play in the first half and returned it 24 yards to the Vanguards 40. One play later, Loper took a McClain pass over the wide open middle for a 40-yard score and Rustin had a commanding 36-0 halftime lead.

Sun Valley did not quit, however, as the Vanguards played hard until the end. Late in the fourth period, Ben Romanski hit Aidan Cook with a two-yard touchdown pass to get the Vanguards on the board and make the final score 43-8.

“These kids never quit,” Sun Valley coach Ernie Ellis said. “They just look to the next play and the next drive. We make mistakes but the kids’ effort is there. We also have been decimated by injuries and that hurt us also.”