Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Dominance Continues Into the Postseason with Convincing Win
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs
Matt Licwinko | November 4, 2023
The 2023 playoffs began for Plymouth Whitemarsh under their home lights against a familiar opponent. The Colonials welcomed their in conference adversary, the Hatboro Horshum Hatters into their home stadium in a match up between a juggernaut fourth seed and an up and coming thirteenth seed on a frigid fall night. Although the rosters themselves on paper may have at least looked somewhat competitive, the result on the field showed everyone why PW is as fearsome of a team as they are. In a dominant showing from start to finish, Plymouth Whitemarsh ended Hatboro Horshum’s season in a 42-7 blowout.
The Colonials were given the ball first in this one, and their offense uncharacteristically looked a little sluggish out of the gate. Sticking to their signature option offense, all five plays on the opening drive were rushes. However, things took a turn when star RB Luke Winterbottom mishandled a toss to the outside and ended up fumbling it away, leading to the Hatters jumping on it and getting a crucial early turnover in a game where they would certainly need it. But if one thing was going to be enforced throughout the game, it was that the Colonials defense came to play. Their star studded defensive line closed the holes on all three Hatboro rushes and forced a quick punt to put the ball back in their offenses hands. The special teams also got a piece of the action early when Mike Bongard took the punt return 30 yards across mid field and placed it just inside the 25. In the absence of Everett Baker, head coach Dan Chang stuck by his running back committee and used RB Luke Laviola on a second down rush which he ended up taking 21 yards to the house to get his team fired up. The Hatters offense would be swamped when they got their turn to answer, DT Chase Rarrick made a nice tackle for loss on second down, and then the Colonials forced a fumble on a hand off which they then proceeded to jump on to give their offense great field position once again. On the ensuing drive, QB Caiden Leszczynski ducked through two different sack attempts and stepped up in the pocket to find Marcus Laffredo for a great touchdown pass from 23 yards out. Needing some yards desperately, the Hatboro offense was able to string out a six play drive before they were forced to deal with Chase Rarrick once again who proceeded to sack the QB and force another punt from the Hatters and end the first quarter.
Being versatile is a huge point of emphasis for PW and its skill players, so it was no surprise when Chase Rarrick then blew open a screen pass for 25 yards to bring his team to the red zone. The Colonials then housed their third touchdown with a four yard toss to Winterbottom who had already become a dominant force in this game. Hatboro Horshum found their offense in an absolute slump by this point, with another disappointing three and out at the mercy of the PW defense. With the game in their control, Plymouth Whitemarsh’s offensive unit continued to play their game and force Hatboro to make adjustments as they drove down the field. Running arguably their most effective drive of the game, Leszczynski dropped a ten yard pass to WR/RB Nazye Boggs who powered his way through multiple defenders to make it a four score game before the first half was even over. The Hatters were stunned by the explosion of PW in the first half, and their offense clearly showed that by going three and out once again. The lowly play from Hatboro allowed PW to essentially put the game away before the first half was even over, running a nine play drive that included multiple 15+ yard rushes from Laviola and Boggs before Leszczynski capped it with a two yard keeper to make it five scores as the buzzer rang for half time.
Hatboro Horshum came out of the half with a definet change in energy. They proceeded to push the ball down into the PW 25 before LB Kevin Heggarty made his impact felt with a crucial fourth and short sack to force a turnover on downs. He and the entire PW sideline was noticably hyped up after this play, and that energy would carry straight into their offensive drive. Boggs and Laviola both once again had big rushes of their own, and a sixth straight unanswered score was punctuated by a Nazye Boggs 22 yard rush where he carried a Hatter into the end zone. Hatboro would get themselves on the board finally on their next posession with a 47 yard big score, but the damage had been done much sooner then that. By the time the fourth quarter started, PW had their entire second string in, giving some big playing time to guys who wouldn’t usually be given that opportunity. The backup Colonials offense was even able to sustain an eight play drive of their own that drained nearly half of the quarter before turning it over on downs. In the end, the Hatters couldn’t muster up another score and it held firm at 42-7
Despite having the high expectations of being a four seed in the 5A playoff, Plymouth Whitemarsh was still able to exceed their goals for the game and really put the rest of the bracket on notice. Hatboro Horshum has officially ended their season with a disappointing loss, but plenty of reason to be happy as they defied some of their odds and made the playoffs as a 13 see. For PW, the road has just begun, and it won’t get any easier from here. Next week the Colonials will welcome the fifth seed West Chester Rustin into their home field for a showdown that may send some serious shock waves through the district one bracket depending on the result. Plymouth Whitemarsh is going to be bringing an offense that is still playing exceptionally into another game where they can make a huge impact. Not to mention the fact that their defense is proving to be one of the best units in the entire district. If they can continue this dominant stretch into next week and take down WC Rustin, there should be no doubt that they can stand toe to toe with the number one seed Chester, even if it’s on the road.
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