WESTTOWN -- The West Chester Rustin football team continued its assault on the District 1 5A playoffs Friday night as the third-seeded Golden Knights downed sixth-seeded Kennett, 42-7, in quarterfinal round action. Rustin will now play the winner of Saturday's Garnet Valley-Chester game in the semifinals.
Rustin (10-2 overall) rushed for 340 yards, 275 of them by senior Will Garner, who scored four touchdowns on the night. Garner ran through some big holes set up by the Knights' powerful offensive line. Andrew Shallo is the leader of the unit and he talked about running the football.
"We played them earlier in the season and we thought we could run the football tonight," Shallo said. "We saw a lot of film this week and we practiced very hard for this game. Kennett is a tough team. They fought on every play. We love it when it gets cold because we like to pound the football. And this senior class saw what last year's seniors did in winning the district title and we want the same thing. We say tradition never graduates and we practice that. There is a standard here and every year we try to live up to that standard."
Rustin went on a nine-plus minute drive in the first period with Garner going in from 28 yards out for an early 7-0 lead. The Rustin offense kept up the pressure on the Blue Demons' (9-3) defense as it scored 21 points in the second period to take a 28-0 halftime lead.
Garner made it 14-0 with an 80-yard run up the middle, and then Luke Matthias caught a Max Blane pass for a 43-yard score to make it 21-0 late in the second period.
The roof then fell in on the young Blue Demons as the ensuing Rustin kickoff hit a Kennett player and Rustin's Nate Lewis recovered the football at the Demons' 32 yard line.
On the very next play, Garner rambled 32 yards to the end zone and the Knights had a 28-0 lead at halftime. Rustin scored two touchdowns in nine seconds at the end of the first half.
"We got out to the lead and then we just do what we do, and pounded the football." Shallo said.
Rustin received the second half kickoff but the Blue Demons' defense forced a three and out. Rustin punted the football away and Kennett went on a nine-play, 61-yard scoring drive with Joalex Carabajal taking a four-yard touchdown strike from Garrett McCracken to make it 28-7 midway through the third period.
"Kennett fought on every play tonight," Rustin head coach Mike St. Clair said. "They play every down hard and they love to play for (head coach) Lance (Frazier)"
Leading 28-7 after three periods, the Knights went back to their bread and butter: the running game, and Garner scored from 31 yards out as he went untouched to the end zone for a 35-7 advantage early in the fourth period.
After a failed Kennett fake punt attempt, the Knights struck again as they got the football on the Demons' 32 yard line. Six plays later, Colin Baldesari bulled in from three yards out and Rustin had a 42-7 win and were headed to the District 1 5A Final Four next week.
"We do what we do," St. Clair said. "When it gets cold and windy out we run the football and now we take this to next week and see what happens."
For the Blue Demons, who only have seven seniors on their roster, head coach Lance Frazier talked about his group and the future of Kennett football.
"We are young and we went 9-3 this season and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Now, we cannot take this off season off. We have a bright future if the kids work hard. The kids have worked very hard this season and I am very proud of them and excited for the future."
Rushing -- KEN: Ritch 11-50; Reidenberg 6-9; James 3-12; Dougherty 3-16; McCracken 6 (-15); Carabajal 2-6. WCR: Garner 23-275, 4Td's; Boland 6-24; Baldesari 7-41, TD.
Passing -- KEN: McCracken 11-17-97, TD; Barker 0-1-0. WCR: Blane 2-5-73, TD.
Receiving -- KEN: Carabajal 3-18, TD; Ristch 1-12; Taylor 3-28; Reidenberg 2-13; Kise 2-28. WCR: Matthias 1-43, TD; Learn 1-30.