Fords put brakes on Cougars in upset

Written by: Paul Sarpen on Saturday, November 9th, 2019. Follow Paul Sarpen on Twitter.

Tonight at Kottmeyer Stadium, a bunch of supporters from Downingtown East were expecting a win over a double-digit seed. They also expected a rematch with their inter-district rival in the District 1 semifinals.

To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friends.”

The Fords from Haverford High School put the brakes on that rematch, dispatching the home Cougars by a 35-12 score. The win was Haverford’s second win ever in the District playoffs.

Whatever could go right for Haverford, went right. The Fords’ offense was able to generate explosive plays, their defense suffocated Downingtown East’s run game, and their special teams scored. The Fords’ defense was highly opportunistic, forcing five turnovers.

As for Buffalo commit Trey Blair, he was as advertised. On Haverford’s opening drive, Blair broke free a 54-yard touchdown run, giving the visitors from Delaware County a 7-0 lead. The advantage was short lived, as the Cougars’ Stanley Bryant broke free for a 64-yard run to cut the lead to 7-6.

From there, it was all downhill for Downingtown East. Following Bryant’s touchdown run, Trey Blair returned the ensuing kickoff to paydirt to make it 14-6 and hit Sean Reynolds for a 26-yard pass to make it 21-6 after one quarter of play.

From there, the Trey Blair show continued, a one-yard plunge made it 28-6. Their backup quarterback hit Justin Burgess to make it 35-6 at halftime.

The only scoring in the second half was on a 64-yard run by Stanley Bryant.

After the game, longtime Haverford coach Joe Gallagher said their game plan was a “scheme they had not run all year. It was a change of pace. This is one of the most physically and mentally toughest teams I’ve ever coached. They were 85% run all year.”

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