Whippets keep Cooper in check

WEST GOSHEN »> Quarterback Will Howard and Downingtown West (4-5, 1-4) controlled the clock and limited West Chester East (1-8, 1-5) tailback Jared Cooper on the ground to pick up their first Chest-Mont win Friday night, topping the Vikings, 28-14.

According to Whippets head coach Mike Milano, keeping Cooper off the field was the gameplan from the start.

“If he didn’t have the ball, that was the key for us,” Milano said. “We knew West Chester East was down but they got Cooper back. And he’s the next best back in the league behind Coatesville’s Aaron Young.”

While Cooper still carried the ball 17 times for 147 yards, mental mistakes hurt the Vikings’ offense, as they could not keep up with the Whippets.

“Our defense was out there for too long getting worn down, and when our offense had a chance, we couldn’t capitalize,” Cooper said.

Downingtown West’s gameplan was to sustain long drives, taking time off the clock and moving the ball down the field. The Whippets’ best drive of the game started with East holding a one-point lead with 2:53 left before halftime.

The Whippets got control of the ball on their own nine-yard line after a punt. Howard completed passes of 13, 10 and 12 yards to start the drive. On the next play, he gained 10 yards on a rush and with 2:13 let, the Whippets had the ball at East’s 40-yard line.

Then Owen Landis, TJ Simmons, and Josh Wilen-brock combined to move the chains for 26 yards. With 26 seconds left and the ball on East’s 14-yard line, Landis rushed up the right side through the Vikings defense, and around the fiveyard line he pointed his finger in the air untouched as he crossed the goal line. Going in to halftime, the Whippets took the lead 1914 and would not relinquish to end the game.

“We practiced that twominute drill every Thursday,” Howard said. “We knew how to work it and it gave us the momentum back going in to halftime.”

Howard completed 1524 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He also added seven rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown.

My offensive line played awesome tonight,” Howard said. “They really stepped it up and I had time to be cool and collected back there.”

Another offensive standout for the Whippets was Owen Landis. Landis combined for two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving — for a total of 132 yards. Often doing his work on the outside, Landis bailed out the Whippets multiple times on third downs as he accounted for eight of Downingtown’s 20 first downs.