Vikings dominate second half, Roberts throws 3 TDs
By Drew Diehl, Correspondent, The Times
KENNETT SQUARE —With the streets of the brough packed from the town’s annual Mushroom Festival, the visiting West Chester East Vikings (2-0, 0-0 Ches Mont National) took to the air en route to a 35-13 victory over the Kennett Blue Demons (1-1, 0-0 Ches Mont American).
After the two teams traded the ball back and forth for most of the first quarter, junior running back Emmanuel Creekmur opened up scoring with an 18 yard run into the end zone. After that point, West Chester East rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown—led by senior running back Steve Borum who ran for 77 yards on nine carries after the opening score—and passed for 226 yards and three touchdowns on the arm of junior quarterback Jon Jon Roberts—14-16 for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
“Kennett is well coached and it took us a bit to get ready,” Vikings’ head coach, Dave Gueriera, said of the team’s slow start, “it’s important for us to get the run game going.”
The run game must have been the key because after Creekmur’s touchdown, the Vikings forced Kennett into a three-and-out. With the ball back and momentum in their favor, Roberts’ hit senior wide receiver Nick Corialos—six receptions for 106 yards—on a fade route for a 76-yard gain. Kennett came up with three big stops on the goal line to force a fourth down. Poised to take a commanding lead early in the second quarter, West Chester East faked a field goal and Roberts found a man in the end zone, only for the score to be reversed due to an illegal man downfield, which resulted in a loss of down and a turnover on downs.
Down 6-0 on their own 17-yard line, the Blue Demons mixed short passes to the flat and inside runs, but were ultimately stopped and forced to punt once again.
The Vikings took over near the 50-yard line, and wasted no time attacking the Kennett secondary. After multiple runs from Roberts and Borum, East found their way into the end zone on a perfectly placed 34-yard pass from Roberts to senior wide receiver Pat Downey to take a 13-0 lead.
Not to be out done by Roberts, junior quarterback Nick Dunlevy—73 yards and two touchdowns on 7 carries and 7-10 for 111 yards passing—led his team on an 80-yard drive capped by his own 51-yard breakaway touchdown run.
Up only seven after the touchdown from Kennett, the Vikings manufactured a drive that closed out the first half with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Corialos to go up 21-6.
East opened the second half with the ball and started right where they left off with a 29-yard screen pass to Borum for a touchdown. Up 21-6, the Vikings possessed the ball for much of the rest of the game and added two more touchdowns. Dunlevy added a 20-yard run late in the fourth quarter, but it proved inconsequential.
“He is an electric player.” Roberts said about his connections with Corialos. “He’s determined to make plays; we knew our schemes and we capitalized.”
While West Chester East dominated both sides of the ball for the last three quarter of the game, they committed nine penalties, which is something they will need to clean up as they move into the heart of their schedule.
“We haven’t played our perfect game yet,” Gueriera said, “Great teams will capitalize on our mistakes.”
The Blue Demons will hope to right the ship next week against Pius X (1-0) before heading into their first game of the Ches Mont American schedule.
West Chester East will host West Chester Bayard Rustin (2-0, 0-0 Ches Mont American) in a matchup of undefeated teams.
“[Rustin] is a cross-town rival; we have to play well.” Roberts said.
