By Chris Sheehan, Correspondent, The Times
DOWNINGTOWN — In a statement game, Friday, night Downingtown East made it clear that it can make a claim as the top team in the Ches Mont and maybe Chester County.
The Cougars extended their undefeated season to 5-0 as they took down Bishop Shanahan 34-7 at Jack Mancini Stadium, in a Ches Mont National matchup.
“They played hard out there down to the end, I’m proud of the boys” said Downingtown coach Mike Matta.
The Cougars did not let up their hard gameplay throughout the duration of the game. The offense led by quarterback Bryce Lauletta was explosive from the beginning. Running backs Tim Aivado, Garvey Jonassaint, and Brassir Stocker marched up and down the field to put up 34 points by the end of the game.
Jonassaint would put the early points up in the first quarter with a tough run on the goal line to make the score 7-0 after a successful extra point. He would also score again later in the night on another big run. With two more touchdowns from both Aivado and Stocker, the Cougars put up over 300 rushing yards combined. The offense circles primarily around the circulation of these running backs giving them time to rest and have consistently fresh legs throughout the game. This tired out the Shanahan defense as Downingtown possessed the ball most of the game.
Shanahan had a rough night offensively as the Cougars’ defense was impenetrable. Multiple sacks caused Shanahan to punt five times and several offensive mistakes, such as bad snaps, put Shanahan in bad field position. Although, Shanahan did score once from a pass from quarterback Dan Dibennidito to receiver Tom Waite. The Eagles defense also picked off Lauletta twice in the red zone, saving two more possible touchdowns for the Cougars.
With 5:51 left in the game, and a lengthy possession at hand, Downingtown East marched down the field on repetitive runs from Jonassaint, Aivado, and Stocker. On their own 15 yard line, Aivado was the one who punched it in for the Cougars final points. The starters were then taken from the game and Shanahan ran the ball until the clock expired. The final score was 34-7.
The atmosphere of the game was unlike any other. A town rivalry in Downingtown produced a crowd larger than any other high school football in recent memory. Both sides of the stands were completely packed as the fans rallied for their team.
Although the score proved the game to be one sided, both teams left everything they had on the field. Downingtown continues it’s undefeated season along with fellow Ches Mont team Unionville. Coatesville — which may have something to say about which is the top team in league — has just one loss to, powerhouse Cumberland Valley, and clearly has Oct. 20 — when it travels to play Downingtown East — circled on the calendar.
Meanwhile, the Cougars hope to add to this streak next week as they take on the West Chester East Vikings at Zimmerman Stadium. Bishop Shanahan also plays right down the road in West Chester against Henderson High School both games start at 7 p.m.
