Raiders drop last-second battle with Downingtown East, 35-34, after rallying from down 3 TD
By Kyle Carrozza, Correspondent, The Times
Coatesville gets ready to take the field Friday night against Downingtown East, a game that have as many twists and turns as any game in recent history. Kyle Carrozza photo.
CALN —Twice facing big deficits, Coatesville rallied from behind only to see its dreams of upending powerful Downingtown East disappear as the clock went to zero.
An extra point with no time left sealed a 35-34 Downingtown East victory over Coatesville on Friday night, capping one of the most thrilling contests in recent memory.
One of the ChesMont’s most anticipated games of the season lived up to its hype with both offenses having success through the air, including a 10-yard touchdown pass by East as time expired. The score would set up the extra point to win the game for the visitors.
The high scoring affair saw big plays on both sides, including both quarterbacks combining to complete just under three-quarters of their passes, three receivers and a running back with 100 yards or more, and 10 total touchdowns. The result puts Coatesville at 2-2 and Downingtown East at 4-0 for the season.
Trailing 21-0 in the first quarter, the Red Raiders’ offense found its legs. On the first play after an East touchdown, senior wide receiver Dre Boggs showed his prowess as a deep threat, beating his coverage to allow senior quarterback Emmett Hunt to find him with a long pass resulting in a 68-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter.
East answered with another touchdown to put the visitors up 28-7 near the beginning of the second quarter. On the following Coatesville drive, another wide receiver showed his skills as a threat; senior Chris Jones found a hole in East’s zone coverage, broke a tackle, and dragged some defenders with him for a 65-yard completion deep in the opponents’ territory. He capped off the drive on the next play with Hunt finding him for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
At the end of the half, still trailing 28-14, the Red Raiders struck to put themselves within one touchdown. On what seemed to be the last play of the half, Hunt, who finished with 289 passing yards and five touchdown passes, threw an incomplete pass. The clock showed all zeroes, but a defensive penalty allowed Coatesville one more play. Hunt did not miss his chance for redemption, finding junior tight end Tyler Burke in the end zone. The extra point made it 28-21 with the Cougars leading going into halftime.
Fans were in full voice as the teams took the field for the second half, including Coatesville’s student section dress—and painted—in all white for a whiteout to show support for the Red Raiders. On the first play after the second half kickoff, a hard hit forced a fumble by East’s junior running back Ryley Angeline. One could not help but think the students’ raucous support provided adrenaline for the hard hit that caused the ball to come loose. On the next play, Coatesville capitalized on the turnover with Hunt finding Boggs for a 28-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 28-28 near the beginning of the second quarter. Boggs finished the night with 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Coatesville would carry that momentum, managing to stop the Cougars offense for most of the second half. With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Red Raiders took their first lead of the night as Jones, who finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns, caught another Hunt pass for a touchdown to make it 34-28 to the home team. The drive included a run by Hunt on an option play where he chose to keep the ball and drag some defenders with him for a 17-yard gain. Crucially, though, the Red Raiders would miss the extra point.
The game went scoreless until the last possession. With just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, East started with the ball at their own 25. Over the next 14 plays, they managed to work the ball down to Coatesville’s 10-yard line with nine seconds remaining. On the final play of regulation, East’s senior quarterback found senior wide receiver Jay Harris on the front edge of the end zone to make the game 34-34 with no time left. The following extra point try by senior kicker Chris White hit the goal post but had just enough momentum to win the game for the Cougars.
Even in the losing effort, Coatesville showed heart, coming back from the 21-point first quarter deficit, only to lose by the slightest of margins. The Red Raiders go to Unionville (3-1) next Saturday at 2 pm.
Coatesville stats
Total offense: 354 yds
Passing:
Emmett Hunt – 16/24, 289 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: 65 total yards
Daquan Worley – 11 att, 40 yds
Emmett Hunt – 7 att, 12 yds
Isaiah Flamer – 5 att, 13 yds
Receiving: 289 total yards
Dre Boggs – 6 rec, 149 yds, 2 TD
Chris Jones – 5 rec, 100 yds, 2 TD
Jay Stocker – 2 rec, 15 yds
Daquan Worley – 1 rec, 11 yds
Tyler Burke – 1 rec, 7 yds, 1 TD
Vinnie Williams – 1 rec, 6 yds
Downingtown East stats
Total offense: 453 yds
Passing:
Kyle Lauletta – 25/34, 329 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: 151 total yards
Ryley Angeline – 33 att, 124 yds
Kyle Lauletta – 15 att, 34 yds, 2 TD
Chris Beals – 1 att, -7 yds
Scoring
Coatesville: 7 14 13 0 34
Downingtown East: 21 7 0 7 35
Scoring plays
DE – Lauletta 1 run (White kick)
DE – Harris 22 pass from Lauletta (White kick)
DE – Beals 29 pass from Lauletta (White kick)
CV – Boggs 68 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)
DE – Lauletta 5 run (White kick)
CV – Jones 9 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)
CV – Burke 7 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)
CV – Boggs 28 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)
CV – Jones 4 pass from Hunt (kick failed)
DE – Harris 10 pass from Lauletta (White kick)
