Jacobs Scores 5 Touchdowns as Rustin Dominates Wissahickon 48-13

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

Zak Wolf | November 7, 2020

It was the Dayshawn Jacobs show Friday night as West Chester Rustin dominated Wissahickon 48-13, clinching their place in the District 1 5A championship game. The Junior running back followed up his 200 yard performance from last week with another one this time around. Jacobs set the tone early with four first half touchdowns, while picking up positive yardage pretty much every time he touched the ball.

Jacobs was explosive all night, scoring on touchdowns of 37 yards, 59 yards, and 42 yards. “We expect that from him. He’s a Rustin running back,” Rustin’s coach Mike St. Clair said of his player. “Our guys practiced real well, they stuck to the game plan. We’ve got a nice offensive line that does their job and we did a good job of executing tonight.” He added.

Jacobs also credited his offensive line and the job they did, “They moved people, did exactly what they were supposed to do, the holes were huge and I just followed their blocks and they lead me to victory.” Jacobs is a relatively small back at 5’8″, 160 pounds, but he stayed patient all night, finding most of his success on runs to the outside. From there, he used his speed to get to the edge and pick up solid gains, consistently.

“I’d like to think of myself as a big game player” Jacobs explained. Jacobs put the team on his back last week, recording 215 yards on the ground against Downingtown East, in what was a must win game to get to the playoffs. And on Friday he put up 248 yards to lead his team to victory once again.

Wissahickon’s coach Bruce Fleming had high praise for Jacobs, “After looking at film, I knew he was going to be a challenge to try and stop. He’s a very dynamic and gifted runner, and credit them for putting the ball in his hands and letting him do his thing.

As for Wissahickon, a landmark season comes to a dissapointing end. The Trojans hadn’t won 3 games in a season for 8 years, but that changed this year. The Trojans certainly had their fair share of drama, with all three of their victories being come from behind wins in the fourth quarter. Coach Bruce Fleming credited his senior class for their hard work over the years, “We have 18 seniors on this team, and you’re only as good as your senior class. That’s a thing I’ve learned and made sure I paid attention to. This senior class really took this program to the next level.”

The Trojans competed well in the first half. Rustin struck first on a Jacobs 37 yard run, but the Trojans were able to answer right back with a Jeremiah Clark 3 yard score. Clark struggled last week against PW fumbling on a crucial possession in the fourth quarter, but bounced back tonight with a score as well as contributing to the Trojans on defense.

Rustin took the lead again with another Jacobs touchdown, making it 14-7. The Trojans responded with a  touchdown of their own, keeping pace with the Knights. This time Junior quarterback Aidan Defeo hit E.J Schreiner over the middle for a 32 yard score. Schreiner had two big touchdowns last week against PW and added another one this week. Schreiner has been a crucial player for the Trojans on offense as a receiver, on defense as a corner and on special teams as a returner all season long.

The first stop of the game came on the next possession when the Trojans forced a three and out from Rustin. Wissahickon’s offense was able to move the ball in Rustin territory, but a QB sneak on fourth and one by Aidan Defeo was stuffed. The Trojans were punished on the very next play when Jacobs took the ball 59 yards to the house. It looked like Jacobs got tripped up after picking up the first down, but he was able to keep his balance and run in for the score.

The Trojans got deep into Knight territory twice in the second quarter, but were unable to capitalize on either opportunity. One drive ended when a snap went over Defeo’s head and Rustin recovered. The Trojans had another chance to cut into the lead with a field goal, but the kick was missed by Andrew Snyderman. Normally, it’s Nate DeVincent who kicks the filed goals, but an injury midweek caused him to miss the game. Making mistakes in key moments has been an issue for the Trojans all year long and that trend continued tonight.

“Football is about minimizing mistakes and executing when you have the chance. We didn’t execute when we got down into the redzone and we just can’t have miscues. The smallest miscues can cost you, when your playing against a good Rustin team. They took advantage of our miscues, while we remained flat and unable to find a rhythm at all.” Said Coach Fleming

Rustin added to their lead, with yet another Dayshawn Jacobs touchdown and with 30 seconds remaining in the half, John Crispino completed his first pass of the game, for a 25 yard touchdown. The ball was under thrown and looked like it was going to be intercepted, but senior cornerback Tommy Quinn misjudged the ball. Quinn was still able to get a hand on it, but it wasn’t enough as the receiver adjusted and made the catch for the touchdown. This made it a three possession game, giving Rustin a comfortable lead going into the second half.

The third quarter was tight, with both defenses playing a lot better than they did in the first half. Rustin’s pass defense had significantly improved after Defeo was able to find his receivers with relative ease in the first half. The junior was getting rid of the ball quick and accurately to his teammates, but that changed in the second half. “They came out and were throwing the ball all over us, so we changed the defense up,” Said coach St. Clair, “We went to more coverage than rush and we were able to take away, their short, quick passing game.”

Jacobs scored the first points of the second half with his fifth touchdown of the game, punching the ball in from one yard out at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Crispino then put the cherry on top, with a QB sneak touchdown to give Rustin a 45-13 advantage.

TD Jacobs. Number 5 on the night. 40-13 Rustin leads @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/Oossc2Q2KP

— Zak Wolf (@ZakWolf22) November 7, 2020

Despite the loss, Coach Fleming was proud of his teams effort this season and the progress they made “When I first came to Wissahickon in 2016 as an assistant coach, I always had the mindset that wherever I coach at, that I make sure it’s better when I leave.  I knew it was going to be a long journey, but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made since 2016 to now. We now know we are a team that can make the playoffs and fight through adversity. Hopefully the younger guys are seeing what it takes to now carry it on moving forward.”

The Trojans will finish off their season at home against Springfield (1-3) in a consolation game, as they look to end their season on a good note and finish above .500.

On the other hand, Rustin advances to the District 1 5A championship game against Upper Dublin. The Cardinals got an automatic route to the finals after finding out their opponents Kennett were unable to play due to a COVID case.

Coach St. Clair is just happy his team has an opportunity to play, after not even knowing if there would be a season, “We’re just grateful to be playing next week, that’s all. Wherever it happens, it happens, but we’re happy we have another game against Upper Dublin,” He also mentioned “I’m really proud of what these guys have done. The weight room has been closed since March and for these kids to stay in the type of shape they did, it’s a tribute to their hard work”

St. Clair will be looking to capture his second district title with the Knights next Friday on the road against top seeded Upper Dublin.

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