New-look East opens with a bang

Vikings get revenge with big win at Council Rock North

While visiting various high school football camps, one gets a feeling of the pulse of a team.

While at West Chester East this summer, I got the distinct impression something was very different about the 2018 Vikings. After going 2-8 last season, the optimism at West Chester East was evident, and the hard work put in during the offseason was all the players and coaches talked about.

All the Vikings did in their debut Friday night was go on the

road and beat Council Rock North, 27-14, to get a bit of revenge on the Indians for an opening week loss in 2017. While the Vikings get ready to host Pottstown this Thursday, I caught up with East’s impressive young head coach Scott Stephen and he talked about the Vikings’ opening week win.

“It was a total team effort,” Stephen said. “We could not be happier for our players. We have had tremendous senior leadership and getting a win to open the season was important for the program, as it validates all the hard work they put in through our strength and conditioning program that began in December. For many of our players, it was their first time under the Friday night lights and we were pleased with how they prepared, responded and grew throughout the course of the game.”

players, it was their first time under the Friday night lights and we were pleased with how they prepared, responded and grew throughout the course of the game.”

For West Chester East, senior quarterback Ryan Cassidy completed 12 of 13 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns and Stephen said the senior did a nice job of making checks at the line, and was able to take advantage of the things Council Rock North was doing defensively. Running back Kyle Cichanowsky rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown and Mike Gray caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Pierre Marchant rushed for a touchdown and 38 yards and John Wileczek caught three Cassidy passes and did a nice job on the perimeter of the Vikings offense.

The Vikings can match their 2017 win total Thursday night as they host Pottstown, a Week 1 victor over Octorara in the opening week of the season. West Chester East will have a hard time winning the Ches-Mont National Division because of the talent of Coatesville and the Downingtown twins, but the Vikings are definitely improved, and in a three-school district, the job Stephen and his staff is doing is very impressive.

*** Speaking of Coatesville, after the Red Raiders’ 37-6 beatdown of a good Harrisburg squad, does Coatesville’s next opponent, Middleton South of New Jersey, know what the heck it is getting into to? It looks like Coatesville is ready to go on a march of mercy rule games, beginning Thursday night.

*** Malvern Prep heads to Wildwood, N.J., this Friday to open the season against a physical Roman Catholic team. The defending Inter-Ac champions lost four nonleague games against a murderous schedule last season. The Friars, to a man, are determined to take on another real tough schedule and get some wins this season.

The Friars have talent up and down the roster as running back Quincy Watson, a University of Delaware recruit, can break off a touchdown run from anywhere on the field. Drew Gunther, the senior quarterback, is another Division 1 recruit, and lineman Jake Hornibrook is ticketed for Stanford. Throw in possibly the best two-way player in the state in Clemson commit Keith Maguire, as well as receiver Lonnie White, and Malvern Prep takes a backseat to no one in the state.

*** Chester County teams went 8-4 in opening week action and Downingtown West’s win over a really good Perkiomen Valley squad may have been the most impressive of all the wins. The Whippets are on sort of a revenge tour, and Perkoimen Valley, which smoked West, 38-0, last year, was the the first victim of the new Whippet squad.

There will be more, for sure.

NATE HECKENBERGER — DFM FILE West Chester East coach Scott Stephen watched his team post a big road win in Week 1.