Juelz Chiron-Robinson
DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Mike Matta’s hoodie had seen better days. The pale, white pullover was dabbed with subtle stains and in tatters, the right cuff torn apart and the hood ripped in places.
But it stood firm and held up to the brisk November air, much like the owner wearing it Friday night.
After 45 years of coaching, and the only coach Downingtown East has ever had, Matta let his team know in September that this season would be it, his last as the Cougars’ coach.
It gave the Cougars even more incentive this season in the PIAA District 1 Class 6A playoffs to send their legendary coach out a winner. So far, the farewell victory tour has worked well, going undefeated in the regular and now reaching the District 1 semifinals, after a scary, though impressive 30-27 victory over Ches-Mont League rival Coatesville Friday night.
The undefeated No.1-seeded Cougars will now host No. 4 seed Spring-Ford, 28-21 winners over Plymouth Whitemarsh.
The Cougars are playing to make history. Downingtown East has never won a PIAA District 1 football championship. The original Downingtown High School won District 1 titles in 1994 and 1996 before splitting into Downingtown East and Downingtown West entering the 2003 season.
The closest the Cougars ever came to a District 1 championship was in 2005, when East reached the District 1 championship only once in program history, losing to North Penn, 55-20.
East junior tailback Juelz Chiron-Robinson brought Matta and Cougars’ program a little closer to history by rushing for a career-best 247 yards, the bulk of which came on touchdown runs of 46, 74 and 77 yards. The 74-yard TD came on a third-and-19 play, and the 77-yard scoring run was the result of a third-and-13 play.
“They have a great defense and we came out battling,” Robinson said. “(Right tackle) Caleb Webb and (tight end) Samson Samoylo gave that edge on the right side. We thought we could take advantage of that space on the outside. They crashed the inside giving us the outside.”
Plus, they were playing for a higher incentive.
“Every single day is motivation, not only from the players, but from the coaching staff as well, we’re all doing this for Coach Matta,” Robinson said. “We’re doing everything in our power to keep him coaching (this year).”
Matta has coached for 45 years. He’s 67 and he felt the time was right.
“I’ll miss the kids, but I knew before the season the time was right (to retire),” said Matta, who has 11 assistant coach on his staff that he coached, and generations of players going back to former player’s sons and even grandsons. “I have three kids on this team who I’ve coached their dads.”
East took a 13-0 lead into halftime, holding Coatesville to two first downs, one came by penalty, and 34 yards of total offense to East’s 8 first downs and 118 yards of total offense.
Everything flipped in the second half.
Coatesville gained more yards and had more first downs on its initial second-half possession than the Red Raiders did on the previous two quarters. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Mikal Shank Jr. to Nico Christino changed the course of the game.
A pair of Andre Watson’s touchdown runs, made possible by an onside kick, tied the score 20-20 with 11:15 to play.
That’s when Robinson put on the clinching score, running right, hitting the edge and going 77 yards with 3:01 to play giving the Cougars a 30-20 edge and cushion enough to win.
What can’t lost in the Coatesville loss was the amazing play by the Red Raiders’ Florida-bound Max Hiller. The mammoth Hiller is going to Florida to play offensive tackle, but he may have given the Gators’ coaching staff something to think about, because he was an absolute force on defense at defensive tackle, a one-man wrecking crew who made 8 tackles for minus-19 yards, and had two sacks for minus-12 yards.
He is 311 pounds, yet moved like he was 211 pounds.
Scoring Summary
Coatesville (7-5) 0 0 13 14-27
Downingtown East (11-0) 6 7 7 10-30
1st Quarter
DE – Josiah Johnson 11 pass from Ethan Ellis (kicked failed), 1:35
2nd Quarter
DE – Juelz Chiron-Robinson 46 run (Paul Selden kick), 4:36
3rd Quarter
C – Nico Christino 33 pass from Mikal Shank Jr. (run failed), 7:37
DE – Robinson 74 run (Selden kick), 5:59
C – Andre Watson 55 run (Landon Levan kick), 4:34
4th Quarter
C – Andre Watson 1 run (Levan kick), 11:15
DE – Selden 30 FG, 6:47
DE – Robinson 77 run (Selden kick), 3:01
C – Blaine Watson 9 pass from Shank (Levan kick), :25
Downingtown East coach Mike Matta
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.