Division champions crowned as playoffs loom

The regular season is over and now area football fans can look forward to the District 1 playoffs starting Friday. But, the final week of the regular season saw two champions crowned in the Ches-Mont League and other area teams securing their playoff spots.

No one was more impressive in week 10 than Coatesville, which took home the Ches-Mont League National Division title for the sixth straight season. The Red Raiders sounded a loud warning shot to the rest of the 6A schools with a 42-7 pounding of Downingtown East. The running game, led by Ashon Wesley, punished the Cougars for 427 yards on the ground and basically put the game out of touch early. The win should tell those who are giving the 6A title to Garnet Valley, to hold off a little bit.

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Unionville continued to impress as the Longhorns took the Ches-Mont American Division title with a 21-0 win over Great Valley. With the heavy wind and rain Friday night, the Longhorns relied on their running game and got big games from quarterback Matt McCloskey and running back Ethan Bennink. The Longhorns finished in the third spot in the 5A bracket, and will be a handful in the playoffs for anyone. Remember, Unionville handed top seed West Chester Rustin its only loss of the season, 21-7.

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West Chester East defeated Kennett Friday night, 14-7. It was the Vikings’ second win of the season and you have to give head coach Scott Stephen, his staff and kids a lot of credit for battling in the last game of the season when the playoffs were out of reach. Kennett is a good team and will be the nine seed in the 5A bracket, but the Vikings showed heart and determination to keep playing hard in a bad season and deserve a ton of credit for not mailing it in.

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West Chester Rustin rolled past Sun Valley, 5224. Once again, running back Dayshawn Jacobs had a very big night. Jacobs went for his usual 200-plus yard rushing night, with 257 and four scores. The Golden Knights finished the regular season at 8-1 and garnered the top seed in the district playoffs. The Golden Knights’ offensive line is dominating people and along with Strath Haven and Unionville, are one of the favorites to win the district title.

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Downingtown West finished its season with a 31-7 triumph over Avon Grove. The Whippets shut down the Red Devils and John Mulville had three rushing touchdowns. Downingtown West is definitely good enough to be a 6A playoff team, but a loss to Kennett and two very close defeats to Coatesville and Downingtown East ultimately cost the Whippets, who played one of, if not the hardest nonleague schedules in District 1.

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Only three 6A teams finished the season undefeated -- Garnet Valley, North Penn and Quakertown -- but all three have questions. Garnet Valley has rolled over its Central League opponents, averaging 47 points per game, but how good is the Central? North Penn’s defense is suspect and the Quakertown schedule is filled with patsies. Should be an interesting playoff in both 5A and 6A.

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Bishop Shanahan ran all over Chichester 34-8 as the Eagles earned the top spot in the four-team, 4A bracket. Chi will not have to wait long for a chance