In the biggest moment, Dtown West’s Howard has his biggest moment

DOWNINGTOWN — The smile Downingtown West’s Will Howard was there to stay.

That District 1-6A championship trophy wasn’t going anywhere, either. 

As one of the last Whippets out of Kottmeyer Stadium, Howard held that trophy like a baby, grinning from ear to ear.

This one was special, on multiple levels.

“This is what we’ve been working for all four years,” Howard said. “Everyone made plays and we knew we all had to make plays to get the win.”

Coatesville had been the best team in the district for two years running. It’d be a lie to say anyone in the region had good luck against the Red Raiders, but Howard and the Whippets seemed especially cursed.

Three times Howard lined up under center against Coatesville and three times, West walked away beaten and Howard, humbled.

He will tell you Friday’s 48-36 triumph over the Raiders in the district title game was a great team win and he would do nothing but credit his teammates afterwards, but make no mistake, finally getting that monkey off his back against a Ricky Ortega-led Coatesville team meant more.

“That’s a heck of a football team and I have nothing but respect for Ricky and Pree (Dapree Bryant),” Howard said. “It feels really good to get this win.”

Everything went right for the Whippets early, and they led by 20 in the second quarter. But when Coatesville stormed back to cut the lead to six early in the third, the onus went back on Howard.

In the biggest moment of his career, Howard responded.

“At the end of the game I told him he had to win the game for us, whether it was with his arm or his feet in the option game,” West coach Mike Milano said. “People talk about him as a passer, but we run the option more than anyone else around here, outside Garnet Valley, and (Howard) is great with the football.”

When West finally got the ball back with seven minutes, fifteen seconds in the third, Howard went to work. On a second-and-nine, from the West 10, he connected with Julian Williams for a 50-yard gain. Three plays later, on a third-and-12, Alex Rosano snagged Howard’s pass with one hand for 26. 

West got back in the end zone on an option run, with Tyriq Lewis taking the pitch from Howard to push the lead back to 13.

Coatesville responded with another long touchdown two minutes later, and Milano called on his signal caller one more time.

The Whippets ran veer options, read options, run/pass options. The point was to keep the ball in Howard’s hands.

He rewarded Milano with arguably the best 19-plus minute stretch of his high school career. From the first time Coatesville made it a six-point game, Howard completed nine of 10 passes for 186 of his 301 yards and his first touchdown pass in four games against the Red Raiders, a 37-yarder to Williams to put West up 13 with 9:55 to go.

“We needed him to play like that if we were going to advance,” Milano said. “He played the way we knew he could play and he made some great throws under duress.”

Entering the game, Howard was just 20-49 for 373 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. 

“I have to give the credit to the team,” Howard said. “We had so many players go make plays.”

West’s greatest season lives on at least one more week, with Central Dauphin in the state semifinals next week. But the buzz from finally slaying the proverbial giant is going to last awhile. 

“This is the biggest win of our lives and it couldn’t have come in a more special way, playing our rivals from right down the road in the district championship” Rosano said. “It’s amazing. Words can’t describe it.”