Penncrest High School’s football team punched their ticket to the District 1 Class 6A semifinals on Friday night with a convincing 35-7 victory over Perkiomen Valley at Coatesville High School. The Lions got off to a fast start, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter. Running back Mark Webb opened the scoring with a 1-yard run. Quarterback Josh Dugan then connected with wide receiver Aidan McDonald for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The final score of the quarter came on a 22-yard run by Dugan. Penncrest extended their lead in the second quarter with a 20-yard field goal by James McCool. The Lions’ defense continued to dominate, forcing Perkiomen Valley into a three-and-out on their ensuing possession. The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Logan Smalls in the third quarter. However, Penncrest responded with a 40-yard touchdown run by Webb to put the game out of reach. Webb led the Lions’ rushing attack with 120 yards on 18 carries. Dugan completed 10 of 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. McDonald had four catches for 90 yards. Perkiomen Valley’s offense struggled to get anything going against Penncrest’s defense. Smalls completed just 8 of 20 passes for 80 yards and was intercepted once. The Vikings rushed for 65 yards on 25 carries. Penncrest will face top-seeded Downingtown West in the semifinals next week. The Whippets defeated Garnet Valley 35-14 in their quarterfinal matchup. The Lions are now 9-2 on the season and have won five straight games. They are looking to advance to the district championship game for the first time since 2016.Penncrest’s Reese Bigler, left, is congratulated by Kaitlyn Roth after Bigler’s goal against Upper Dublin in a District 1 Class 3A game last month. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)Penncrest’s Reese Bigler, left, is congratulated by Kaitlyn Roth after Bigler’s goal against Upper Dublin in a District 1 Class 3A game last month. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group) WEST CHESTER – It all came crashing down early for the Downingtown East girls lacrosse team, and no matter how hard they tried to put it back together, the pieces didn’t quite get there. The Cougars, the sixth-ranked team from District 1, fell behind quickly, succumbing to fourth-ranked district Penncrest, 19-9, in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals Saturday at Penn DOT Field in West Chester Henderson. “Honestly, we got off to a little slow start today,” Downingtown East coach Kathryn Kropp said. “It’s been a long period, a long season. The girls were resilient, but they came out strong and we got off to a bit of a slow start.” The Lions (18-6) are trying to reach the championship game for the second straight season after falling to Owen J. Roberts in the title game. To get there, they must beat district champion Radnor on Tuesday at a location and time to be determined. “We are very excited to see Radnor again,” said Penncrest senior midfielder Kate Stanton. “They are our Central League rival. We beat them last year, then we lost to them by a few in the regular season and they beat us in districts, so we’re ready to prove ourselves.” “This will be our third time playing them,” Lions junior Cara Childs added. “This time we are ready. It feels great. We have worked very hard for this. We’re together for the next two years and we just want to go out with a bang and beat all the teams.” Penncrest got off to a great start, winning the opening draw and cashing in on a goal from Kaitlyn Roth in just 34 seconds. Just over two minutes later it became 2-0 when Childs fired a shot into a free position. The Lions’ great start continued when Stanton got on the board to make it 3-0. Childs made it 4-0 from close range with 8:39 left. “Our whole team trusts each other on the field and we all trust and work with each other, and that’s what we did here,” Childs said. Reese Bigler and Kathryn Harding ended the first quarter with goals for a 6-0 lead, and Stanton added one to start the second quarter. The Cougars (17-7) stopped the drought and got on the board when Riley Marks scored with 10:33 remaining. The Cougars scored twice more to cut the deficit to 7-3 as Jayne Michaels and Lexi Conte dented the net. “There were some things that didn’t go our way, that we had no control over,” Kropp said. “We did everything we could to climb back in, but we couldn’t get over the hump.” Penncrest extended its lead again by scoring four straight goals to lead 11-3. The penultimate total in that series was Stanton’s third of the day and 300th of her career. “It was really exciting,” Stanton said. “My team really helped me get there and we all work well together and the goals will come when they come.” “That’s really exciting,” Childs added. “She is a great asset to this team. She managed to play very sloppy on the field and she is such a big player for us.” East kept things interesting as Michaels and Ally Flynn tied the game near the end of the half but still trailed, 11-5 at halftime. The Cougars still trailed, 12-7, after scoring two of the first three goals to open the third. However, the Lions went on a 6-0 run in the third and fourth quarters, sealing their passage to the final four of the PIAA 3A.Penncrest’s fast start proved to be the difference as the Lions punched their ticket to the semifinals with a convincing win over Haverford. The Lions raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Quarterback Mike Fowler connected with wide receiver Matt Silva for a pair of touchdowns to give Penncrest the early advantage. Haverford was able to cut the lead to 14-7 in the second quarter, but Penncrest responded with another touchdown to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. The Lions continued to add to their lead in the second half, scoring two more touchdowns to seal the victory. Running back Dan D’Amato rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown, while Fowler threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. Penncrest’s defense also played a key role in the win, forcing three Haverford turnovers. Linebacker Matt Perri had a particularly impressive game, recording 10 tackles and two interceptions. With the win, Penncrest advances to the semifinals, where they will face off against top-seeded North Penn. The Lions will be looking to reach the championship game for the first time since 2019.
