In a rare Saturday night home opener, due to Downingtown West having a home game Friday night, the Downingtown East Cougars defeated an improved Northeast Vikings squad out of the Philadelphia Public League, 19-7.
The game remained in doubt for most of the night until Shane Keenan scooped up a fumble and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.
The Cougars took a 6-0 lead into halftime behind field goals of 23 and 39 yards by Paul Selden.
After halftime, Jules Robinson broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run to extend the Cougars’ lead to 12-0. Despite Robinson rushing for 220 yards, Northeast’s defense did a good job of making him work for those yards, as he needed 35 carries to reach that total.
Amir Miller answered Robinson’s touchdown run with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, cutting the deficit to 12-7.
Although Northeast was able to produce some highlights, two second-half turnovers proved to be the difference. One came on a strip-sack that resulted in Keenan’s 62-yard fumble return for a touchdown. The other was an interception thrown by Jayden Boyd on Northeast’s final drive.
After the game, Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta said the Cougars’ special teams still had a lot of work to do. He also expressed concern about the upcoming bye week, noting that a team often makes its biggest improvement from Game 1 to Game 2 and that the week off could slow that development.
The Cougars do not play next week and will be off until September 10, when they travel to Perkiomen Valley.