Tonight, the Cougars from Downingtown East dropped their second straight game to start the 2024 season. This week they were defeated 31-2 by the Tom’s River North Mariners.
The Cougars are young this season, replacing ten starters on offense and ten starters on defense from last year’s 12-1 team that advanced to the District 1 6A semifinals. Early on, their lack of experience showed, as the Mariners scored at will.
The first half was the TJ Valero show, as he accounted for all three first-quarter touchdowns, a 15-yard run on their first possession, a 26-yard pass to Mekhi Morse, and a 30-yard pass to Cam Thomas, which put Tom’s River North up 21-0.
Nasiah Cormin tacked on a 23-yard field goal for the Mariners’ 24-0 halftime advantage. TJ Valerio put the Mariners up 31-0 on a 39-yard pass to Malachi Ford. TJ Valerio accounted for 375 (272 passes, 103 rush) of the Marniers’ 402 yards
The Cougars prevented a shutout when they tackled the punter in the end zone for a safety.
Downingtown East’s punishing running game was non-existent, managing only 83 yards.
