Two area teams still in pursuit of district titles
We are at the semifinal round of the District 1 playoffs and two area teams are still alive in there respective quests to win a district title. In the 6A bracket, Downingtown West will host a very tough Central Bucks West squad while West Chester Rustin will host Upper Dublin in the 5A semifinals. Here is a look at both semifinal games.
Any talk of CB West has to start with senior Ryan Clemens. Clemens has rushed for 1,518 yards so far this seasoning has 86 tackles from his linebacker position. In the Bucks 35-21 quarterfinal win over Downingtown East, the Bucks quarterback, Noah Mille, rushed for 176 yards. Miller is a dual threat and Clemens can also catch the ball as he has over 300 receiving yards this season.
The Bucks two losses have been to Souderton and Central Bucks South, the latter on a last second Hail Mary pass. Junior defensive end, Gavin Todd, has 67 tackles for the Bucks and will be a handful for the Whippets offensive line.
Pick: Downingtown West
Cardinals quarterback Kevin Etkin has completed 64 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,738 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. But, the Golden Knights secondary is very strong with Chase Hatton, Nate Pechin and LJ Beswick all very capable defenders of the pass and Hatton is a fierce hitter.
The Cardinals leading target for Etkin is Ryan O'Sullivan, who caught three touchdown passes in the win over Phoenixville. O'Sullivan has 42 receptions and 15 touchdowns for the season. On defense, O'Sullivan leads the Cardinals with 92 tackles. Rustin should be able to score on a Cardinals team that gives up 22 points per game.
The Golden Knights have Ryan Loper and Hatton in the backfield behind a very good offensive line to churn up yardage and quarterback, David McClain, is more than capable of throwing the football on the few times the Golden Knights decide to go to the passing game. Luke Matthais and Billy Tigue are McClain's favorite targets. Rustin seems to have the advantage up front in this one.
Pick: WC Rustin.
