FOOTBALL: Zollers injured as Spring-Ford falls to Downingtown West to drop to 1-3

by dennis weller

ROYERSFORD — Downingtown West made it to the District 1-6A football championship game last year and have shown no signs of letting up this season. West boosted its record to 4-0 with a 21-12 win over Spring-Ford Friday night at Coach McNelly Stadium behind a strong defense and the passing and running of junior quarterback Cole Bricker.

Bricker passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as the Whippets stormed back with three consecutive TDs after the Rams (1-3) scored on the game’s opening possession. Spring-Ford senior quarterback Matt Zollers threw for 182 yards and two scores, but was injured late in the game while being sacked and was taken off the field in an ambulance.

The Whippets played without their two top running backs, but sophomore Marcus McComsey picked up the slack with 78 rushing yards on 13 carries and also caught a TD pass.

“We didn’t have our starting backs tonight,” said Bricker. “We kept it in the air a lot more than usual. That’s a good football team. But we did what the defense gave us and it worked tonight.”

“We did some nice things,” added first-year West head coach Tom Kline, who was a Whippet assistant for 10 years. “(Bricker) is a great kid. He showed me a lot. Even when he was pressured, he made some great throws.”

Spring-Ford drove 66 yards on seven plays, with Zollers passing 28 yards to Jordan Marsilio (5 catches, 106 yards, 2 TDs) for the score with 8:58 left in the opening quarter. But the Rams did not score again until early in the fourth quarter despite several good opportunities.

“We had a bunch of drives, but we stalled,” said Rams head coach Chad Brubaker. “Our defense played very well. We made mistakes on special teams and we were 4th-and-1 and we had illegal motion called. We could have had two more scores in the first half.”

Downingtown West took a 7-6 advantage late in the first quarter with a 39-yard drive, the last 26 on a scoring pass from Bricker to McComsey. Then the Whippets put together a 10-play, 72-yard march in the second quarter, scoring on a 1-yard sneak by Bricker for a 14-6 lead with 1:50 to go until the half. Bricker hit Darian Smith with a 31-yard scoring pass in the third shortly after a muffed punt by the Rams set the Whippets up at the Spring-Ford 26.

The Rams came right back with a 73-yard drive but fumbled the ball on 4th-and goal at the 3-yard line. They scored early in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard TD pass from Zollers to Marsilio and got the ball back with 5:26 to go. But Zollers was injured on the next play as he was taken down for a nine-yard loss

Jamal Lewis led the Rams’ running game with 70 yards on 11 carries and Blake Turner caught five passes for 40 yards as part of Spring-Ford’s 250 total yards of offense.

“We came in wanting to get some pressure on them,” said Kline. “We spent a lot of time meeting and talking about how to mix up the defense and get some pressure. We’re working hard every day. This is the best conditioned team I’ve had. They’re believers. There’s a tradition here and they want to keep it going.”

The Whippets gained 280 yards on the night – 148 on the ground and 132 passing.

“We have a new coach and we’re much more disciplined than last year,” said Bricker. “We’re a very conditioned team and we have a good mentality, always hustling to the ball.”

The Rams will begin Pioneer Athletic Conference play next week without their starting quarterback, among other injuries that have hurt them during their four non-league contests to begin the season.

“We’re beaten up,” said Brubaker. “We’ve got to rally around. These guys are hurting. We’ve got to keep going, continue to play for each other, including the guys who can’t suit up.”

Downingtown West 21, Spring-Ford 12

Downingtown West 7 7 7 0 – 21

Spring-Ford 6 0 0 6 – 12

SF-Marsilio 27 pass from Zollers (kick failed)

DW-McComsey 26 pass from Bricker (Sharp kick)

DW-Bricker 1 run (Sharp kick)

DW-Smith 31 pass from Bricker (Sharp kick)

SF-Marsilio 38 pass from Zollers (kick failed)

DW SF

First Downs 13 13

Yards Rushing 148 68

Yards Passing 132 182