Downingtown West Season Comes To A Wrap In 27-7 Championship Loss

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs

Noah Stomsky | November 25, 2023

It was a chilly evening game at 42 degrees with wind even before the kickoff. One could say it was the perfect game you could ask for and others would say bring me hand warmers. Downingtown West had recently just come off an upset taking down Downingtown East in their second meeting with a 17-14 win while on the other side of the field, the CB South Titans had also come off a win against the #1 seed CB West in their second meeting with the 42-14 win. This championship was one you may not have expected but one you would’ve hoped for.

The entire first quarter was all in South’s favor. West had issues getting their defense off the field in the first drive. South faced multiple fourth downs yet converted every fourth down. South moved the ball all the way down to the three-yard line before having Owen Pinkerton punch into the endzone with three minutes and forty seconds remaining in the first.

Once West got the ball for the first time, they fumbled on their first drive recovered by Jim Wades with two minutes and thirty-four seconds in the quarter. A minute and twenty-nine seconds later, Jimmy Neal jumped onto the ball for West recovering the fumble. After the first touchdown, both sides went back and forth with the ball in the first quarter and the score came to a 7-0 end.

West had issues shooting themselves in the foot with three first-half turnovers. In the second quarter, they fumbled two more times on the punt return. South capitalized on the third fumble when they were put at the opposite eighteen-yard line. One play later Anthony Leonardi took a reverse the full eighteen yards to get into the endzone. A missed PAT had the score sit at 13-0 with a minute and fifty-five in the half.

West had no momentum going for them in this final drive. Everything was signed against them that their final drive would amount to nothing. However, they moved the ball all the way to just one yard outside the red zone at the twenty-one. Before the clock hit 0.00, Dean Hangry snagged a ball in the endzone after almost losing it. West ended up kicking the PAT and ended half down 13-7. But for West, little did they know that this would be their final score of the year.

WEST BEFORE HALF! Dean Hangry snags it from 21 yards to cut the lead to 13-7. @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/bOl4tcoShB

— Noah Stomsky (@NStomsky) November 25, 2023

The second half was all CB South. West had chances but was unable to do much. Their first drive of the half got them to the twenty before kicking a field goal. The wind being as strong as it was, pushed the kick to the right and made the ball go off-target from 34 yards out. After the missed kick, West couldn’t get moving, and South didn’t stop the pressure on West.

On South’s side, Leonardi, Corey Moore, and Danny Gies all made crucial impacts in finishing off the game. With Leonardi’s 79-yard rushing touchdown, Moore’s one-yard rushing touchdown, and Gies’s two picks, all that had to happen now was the game coming to an end. West took a few more snaps and their 11-3 season was all a wraps after that.

Leonardi with his second! 79-yard rushing touchdown. 2-PT good 21-7 South with 9:00 in the game @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/dlmBFRG3s8

— Noah Stomsky (@NStomsky) November 25, 2023

“We’ve been, in and out up and down, certainly inconsistent at times, we absolutley didnt play our best game tonight– and that’s a great football team over there they did a great job, came out and did what they do and they did it well– it was not our best, it wasnt my best, my team was not their best. I’m extremly proud as you said, we accomplished a lot to get to the district finals it doesn’t happen often it just doesn’t and we got here and just didn’t finish.” Said Coach Mike Milano on recapping the season.

With twenty-one of their players being seniors, West has some gaps to fill but not many as ten juniors hold starting spots on the team. Those other twelve spots will need to be filled but it all comes down to who will be the ones to step up. With an end to the season, West will celebrate how far they came, once the celebrations end coaches will start planning for next year.

“You have young kids who have been through it now, got underclassmen who see what it takes, they see the work ethic of my senior class, how motivated they were to accomplish their goals so you take that away, you take away the fact that you played four extra games, they had four extra weeks of prep, they’ve seen four really good football teams in the postseason, so we take that away” Said Coach Milano on what he wants to build off of next year from this season.

South had the luck to win their first-ever school district title in the 27-7 win. They now wait to see the outcome of St Joe’s Prep vs Nazareth in hopes of continuing their dominant season and bringing back a state championship.