Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Comeback Comes Up Short in Battle vs West Chester Rustin
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs
Matt Licwinko | November 11, 2023
We were treated to a fantastic second round game between the fourth and fifth seeds in PIAA District One, as Plymouth Whitemarsh attempted to use home turf to edge out a win vs a very tough opponent in West Chester Rustin. With both teams at a 9-1 record and riding blowout wins in their respective first round games, this was bound to be a great match up. We got nothing short of that in a game filled with big plays, tough calls, and an overall spectacular environment for playoff football. In the end, West Chester Rustin would never give up a lead they took early, and despite a valiant PW effort, they pulled away with a great 22-14 win.
West Chester did not wait any more time then they had to in order to get a lead they would surely need in a juggernaut match, and on the very first offensive play, Sophomore RB Will Garner would explode through the line of scrimmage and house a statement touchdown to get his team on the board. Unfortunately his special teams couldn’t convert a two point attempt, so it was 6-0 just about 12 seconds into the game. Plymouth Whitemarsh would stick to the same format that got them to this spot, and chose to go with five seperate run plays on their opening drive. Although these attempts led to some okay ball movement, Rustin was able to stop the Colonials and force a punt. PW got a great punt however, and the Golden Knights would have to take it from their own four yard line to start their second possession. West Chester would make the infamously aggressive Colonials defensive line look underwhelming with an absolutely methodical twelve play drive all the way down into their red zone. This drive included four different ball carriers, and a conversion on fourth and nine that really sucked the life out of the opposing defense. But with their back to the wall, Plymouth Whitemarsh was able to stall out the impressive attack and hold them to just three points, making the score 9-0 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The Colonials offense would 100% match the energy West Chester’s offense brought by going on an extremely impressive fifteen play drive that included three of their own ball carriers, and two goal line rushes before QB Caiden Leszczynski went up and punched it in to put his team on the board. However, Rustin’s special teams were able to block the extra point and maintain a field goal lead of 9-6. The PW defense had woken up as well, with plenty of pressure on the West Chester QB and getting through for a combined sack by LB Kevin Heggarty and DE Shy Sajid to force a quick punt. The momentum of the game looked like it had flipped as PW marched down the field, but a busted flea flicker play resulted in a loss of five and from there the drive sputtered out around midfield. Going into the half, it really was anyone’s game, and it was more about who wanted it more going into the second half.
Plymouth Whitemarsh had a great chance to start the second half on the right foot as they received the ball to kickoff. But this answering drive was derailed when Senior RB Luke Winterbottom uncharacteristically fumbled the ball, and West Chester jumped on it to get possession back almost instantly. Now with great field position and lots of momentum, the score felt almost inevitable for the Golden Knights. Will Garner would once again get loose in the backfield for Rustin and would end up walking into the end zone for his second score of the game, opening it up to 16-6. Desperate for any kind of offensive life, PW chose to let QB Caiden Leszczynski air it out to WR Marcus Laffredo for a huge 40 yard connection that got them right back into the mix. As PW struggled to gain ground West Chester once again made their defense felt and got a huge stuff on a fourth and one at mid field which forced a turnover on downs. From there it looked like smooth sailing to another score and a huge lead for Rustin, but things took even more of a dramatic turn when a jump ball to the end zone was intercepted by DB Chase Smith to breathe some life into his teams offense. Plymouth Whitemarsh could not get much of anything going on offense and opted for three rushes that left them plenty short of a first down. Things took a significant turn for the worse when Nazye Bogg’s punt was severely miss-kicked and only made it out to about the 25 yard line. It took just three plays before Junior RB Chase Hatton punched in a four yard score to seemingly put this game out of reach at 22-6. With the clock running down in the third, things seemed hopeless for the Colonials until Nazye Boggs did what he does best and instantly put his team back in the game with a monumental 74 yard rushing score where he broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone. With a quick two point conversion to Winterbottom, Plymouth Whitemarsh had suddenly thrust themselves back into a spot where they could win the game to close out the third.
West Chester now had an opportunity to slow down a surging Colonials team with a score that could have very well put the game out of reach in the final frame, but PW’s defense refused to give up and they forced a punt from the Golden knights to put the ball in their offenses hands needing just eight points to tie the game. In a crucial spot, all the pieces were clicking for Plymouth Whitemarsh and they were driving straight towards a game tying score. But following a huge ten yard rush from Nazye Boggs, a flag was thrown over the middle of the field. The official call was an unsportsmanlike on PW, but the reasoning was never entirely disclosed or obvious to those in the stands. A huge 15 yard penalty stalled out the blazing hot Colonial offense, and on a daunting fourth and thirty Caiden Leszczynski fired a pass to Boggs who had it taken from him and intercepted. At this point in the game with no timeouts Plymouth Whitemarsh needed a quick stop more then ever from their defense. They got exactly what they needed in a three and out that left a Rustin punt with just over two minutes left. The PW special teams nearly blocked the punt, but instead if was pinned at around the 15 yard line, setting up a minute to win it scenario with the entire season on the line. We wouldn’t have to wait long to get a result. On the very first play of the final possession, Leszcznyski fired a pass over the middle that hung way too low and was again intercepted by the Golden Knights, sealing their victory in an instant classic.
Both teams came into this game with serious aspirations to win the district. West Chester came out hot but PW was able to get themselves back into the game and had a serious shot at least at typing the game up extremely late. West Chester Rustin dominated Plymouth Whitemarsh on the ground like no other team has this year, routinely breaking into open space and keeping everything in front of them throughout the entirety of the game. Because of this they were able to control the tempo and score when it mattered most. The Golden Knights will move on to the district one 5A semifinals in a match up against either the #1 seed Chester or Phoenixville, a game which is being played tomorrow. This also marks the end of the playoffs for one of the more talented rosters in the entire district. Plymouth Whitemarsh simply took too long to wake up in a game where their opponent was ready to pounce right away. With this loss their hopes of a district title have faded, and a spot in the state playoffs may also be as well. Although disappointing, PW has a lot to look forward to in the future. For West Chester, they must look straight ahead as they continue their hunt for a title they so desperately desire.
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