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Robinson Scores with 6 Seconds left Has Downingtown East Rallies to Beat Spring-Ford

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

| October 31, 2025

DOWNINGTOWN: In the playoffs, it is do or die. For the Downingtown East Cougars, the difference between victory and defeat all came down to one play. Trailing the visiting Spring-Ford Rams 16-13 and with 10 seconds left on the clock, facing a 1st and goal on the Rams’ 9-yard line, the Cougars needed a score to keep their season alive. In a gutsy move the Cougars elected run the ball with the face of their program Juelz Robinson and the move paid off has Robinson was able dance his way into the endzone with 6 seconds left that put the Cougars up 20-16, completing the rally that saw the Cougars claw their way back from a 16-7 deficit with under 5 minutes to play, in a thrilling District 1 6A First Round matchup.

 

“He’s the face of the program. Last year, he was a fancy little kid, and we told him if you want to be a Downingtown Running back, you need to get in the weight room, learn how to squat, learn how to run between the tackles, and he’ll be the face of the program. There’s a lot more than just being a running back.” Cougars head coach Michael Matta said of Robinson, adding, “He’s a tough-minded, hard-nosed kid that busts his butt and I am very proud of him.”

“I knew we needed to get that touchdown. It was a hard-fought game in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, I knew I needed to step it up a notch. I trusted my O-Line and fullback John (Morrin). I knew we were going to get the job done, no matter what.” Robinson said of his go-ahead touchdown.

Entering Thursday night’s contest, the Rams were among the hottest teams in the state, rallying from a 0-4 start to their season to reel off 7 consecutive victories and earn them the 9th seed in District 1. Right from the start, the Rams appeared to continue their hot streak. On the game’s first play, Brayden Hinkle busted through the Cougars’ defense and raced 80 yards down his sideline, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead mere 14 seconds into the game.

On the ensuing drive, the Cougars’ offense, on the strength of eight Robinson carries, put together an impressive 14-play drive reaching the Rams’ 15 before being stopped on a 4&1, turning the ball over on downs.

The Rams appeared to carry the momentum from their defensive stop on their ensuing drive, going 14 plays of their own and reaching the Cougars’ 1, where the Cougars made an impressive stand and on 4& goal stopped Hinkle for a loss of a yard and a turnover on downs.

The Cougars used that momentum change to go 98 yards on 13 plays and tying the game at 7 with a 3-yard touchdown run by Alex Rios.

 

On the ensuing drive, the Rams once again put together another drive and took advantage of several Cougars’ penalties to reach the Cougars’ 5 before their drive stalled and they had to call on Ryan Reavy to kick a 22-yard field goal to put the Rams up 10-7 heading into the half.

On the opening drive of the second half, they drove down to the Rams’ 31 before turning the ball over on downs. On their first possession of the second half, the Rams again drove deep down into Cougars territory, reaching the 13, where their drive stalled and Reavy had to come in and add a 32-yard field goal, giving the Rams the 13-7 lead.

 

Reavy added another 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, extending the Rams’ lead to 16-7. Following a 51-yard punt by Reavy that put the Cougars at their own 38 trailing by 9 with 4:21 left to play, they decided to let Ethan Ellis showcase his arm and the Jr QB responded completing 6 of 9 passes on the drive for 58 yards and cut the Rams lead down to 16-13 when he connected with Abe Sesay for a 4 yard touchdown with 2:59 left to play in the fourth quarter. Ellis finished the game 13-19 for 103 yards.

With the Rams expecting the onside kick, the Cougars decided to put their faith in their defense by electing to kick the ball deep, and the move paid off, having their special team unit brought down Hinkle at Ram 15. The Cougars’ defense forced the Rams to a three-and-out on a drive that ate only 30 seconds off the clock.

The Cougars took over at the Rams’ 49 with 2:22 remaining. They needed six plays to get to the Rams 17, where, facing a 4th and 3, Morrin picked up eight yards, bringing them to the Rams 9 and then quickly getting to the ball without any timeouts remaining, setting the stage for Robinson to be the hero, which he became with his 25th carry of the night. Robinson finished the game with 145 yards.

With the win, the eighth-seeded Cougars advance to next week’s second round, where they will face the winner of Friday’s game between the number 1 seed Pennridge Rams and 16-seed Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials.

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