Preview: Downingtown West Whippets vs. Central Bucks South Titans
The Downingtown West Whippets will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Central Bucks South Titans at 7:00 p.m. on November 24th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Pennsylvania (Downingtown West is ranked 18th, while Central Bucks South is ranked 14th).
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Downingtown West had no problem doing just that on Friday. They skirted past the Cougars 17-14.
Downingtown West's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Quinn Henicle, who punched in a rushing scores, and also threw for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Central Bucks South stacked a seventh blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They breezed by Central Bucks West on the road to the tune of 42-14. Central Bucks South's victory was all the more impressive since Central Bucks West was averaging only 13.92 points allowed on the season.
Anthony Leonardi was his usual excellent self, rushing for 283 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.9 yards per carry. Leonardi was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 53 yards. Corey Moore and his 91 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Central Bucks South's victory.
Downingtown West's win bumped their record up to 11-2. As for Central Bucks South, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Downingtown West has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 153.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central Bucks South struggles in that department as they've been even better at 300.8 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Downingtown West's way against Central Bucks South when the teams last played back in August of 2019 as Downingtown West made off with a 34-13 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Central Bucks South's Sean Smith, who picked up 152 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Downingtown West to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
