History
West Chester East head football coach Joe Carroll and assistant Scott Allison had a dream. They pursued this dream aggressively, and in 1999, their dream materialized at Coatesville’s Multi-Purpose Stadium: a football game. Not just any old football game, though. This contest gave the best senior high school football players in Chester County a final opportunity to display their gridiron talents locally. While the game was the focal point for Carroll’s and Allison’s efforts, the beneficiary would be Special Olympics of Chester County. Why not a Chester County game? Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties each had similar contests, the time had come, and Carroll and Allison were the driving forces. Hence, the birth of the Valor Bowl. In just its ninth year, the game has already reached and surpasses a level of success enjoyed by the other all-star games. Fan support has been enthusiastic, and donations to Special Olympics of Chester County have exceeded the founders’ expectations. The commitment exhibited by coaches and players on the field has been matched by many community sponsors, who have donated their time, financial support, or services generously in promoting the contests. Chester County has some of the best high school talent in Pennsylvania, with many players annually drawing the attention of college football recruiters. On June 2nd, the young men assembled at W.C. Henderson will perform one final time in a high school game. They and the game sponsors thank you for attending. And for the thirteenth time, Carroll and Allison will watch happily as their dream unfolds before them.
East Offensive MVP – Dan Burtch, Bayard Rustin East Defensive MVP – Mark Kaminskis, Conestoga West Offensive MVP – Dae-Hon Cheung, Coatesville West Defensive MVP – Dillan Martin, Downingtown East
It appeared early in the 14th edition of this all-star game that it would be another resounding West victory. With 8:39 to play in the first half, the West looked secure with a 21-3 lead. But the East chipped away gradually. When Rustin’s C.J. Stienmetz intercepted Bishop Shanahan Ryan Egolf’s pass with 48 seconds to play in the game, the East reveled in its thrilling 22-21 win, only its fifth victory in the series. Henderson’s Kyle Morton spotted the East a 3-0 lead on its first series with a...
The direction name didn’t matter. The East team (formerly the South) hadn’t claimed a victory in the annual Valor Bowl since 2005. That streak came to an end in the 13th, and what turned out to be lucky, annual game for the Easterners, with a thrilling and outright crazy ending over the West, 21-20, at West Chester Henderson.. The winning touchdown came when Great Valley quarterback Drew Hausladen (East Offensive MVP) hooked up with Conestoga’s Dexter Bridge for a 70-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 remaining in the game. Great Valley’s...
Downingtown West quarterback Bret Gillespie attacked the East (formerly South) defense with a vengeance as the West (formerly North) pounded the South, 39-13, in the game’s 12th edition at Conestoga High School. Gillespie made a shambles of the Valor Bowl record book, with new records for total yards (397), four touchdown passes, 323 passing yards on 15-26 passing attempts, and several other new standards, in addition to leading the West in rushing with 74 yards. In the process, the West/North scored all of its points before the East responded with...
For the first time in the 11-year history of the Valor Bowl, overtime was needed to determine the winner. The North, after stopping the South’s attempt to put points on the board in the extra session, wasted no time as Downingtown West’s Jared Heller scored on the North’s first play of OT to record a 20-14 win. The “W” set a record for the classic, as the North has now won four games in a row, and holds an 8-3 overall edge. The North, which earlier in the evening had...
The Valor Bowl concluded its first decade with a somewhat surprising, and easy, North 27-7 win. It was the second time the North has won three consecutive games in this all-star classic, and ran its record to 7-3. The result was a surprise because of the offensive firepower the South possessed, with Unionville quarterback Matt Carroll (South Offensive MVP) and the Conestoga pitch-and-catch combo of quarterback Steve Richter and wide receiver Nihja White. Then, there was also the running prowess of Henderson’s Jabair Khan. But, it was the pass rush...
The North ran its record to 6-3 in this series with a convincing 24-10 win at Great Valley. It combined a powerful inside running game along with the speed to get to the outside and a solid defense to win its second game in a row. The Northerners utilized the big-play capabilities of Downingtown East’s Richie Walls and Downingtown West’s Roshaan McCain (North Offensive MVP) to score on runs of 51 and 48 yards, respectively. Coatesville’s Scott A’Hara also tossed a 55-yard scoring pass to a streaking Todd Eagles (Downingtown...
The North halted the South’s two-game winning streak by scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns to capture a 17 – 10 win at Conestoga. The North employed a terrific defense and a ground chewing offense to offset a more balanced South team. The North set game records for most rushing yards (223) and the longest drive in Valor Bowl history, which took 11 minutes and 15 seconds, in taking a 5 – 3 lead in the series. After an exchange of field goals for a 3 – 3 halftime score,...
For the first time in the Valor Bowl’s seven-year history, the South won back to back games, capturing a 21-0 win at West Chester East’s Zimmerman Field. The North holds a 4-3 lead in the series. The South did it in grand style, pitching a shutout and limiting the North to just 128 yards of total offense. This was the third time that the winning team recorded a shutout. The winning touchdown was scored just one minute and 13 seconds into the game, when Conestoga quarterback Josh Cohen completed a 32-yard...
The South broke the North’s three-game winning streak with a 15-9 win at West Chester University’s Farrell Stadium, marking the first time that the game was not played at a Chester County high school. The South gained a 9-0 first-half lead behind a two-yard touchdown run from Henderson’s Maurice Adams and a safety on a blocked punt by Conestoga’s Kevin Johns that went out of the endzone. This was the first time the South held a halftime lead since the 2000 contest. But the North showed its resilience by taking...
The Downingtown High School football program faded into history in a blaze of glory. For the last time together, the Whippets led the way as the North won for the third straight year at Owen J. Roberts’ Wildcat Stadium. Downingtown quarterback Matt Helm set several records, including total offense (285) and rushing yards by a quarterback (104). He threw two touchdown passes to high school teammate Geoff Paugam (North Offensive MVP). The teams set records for most combined yards, most points in a half, and most combined points. After being...
For the second year in a row, the North squad, this time behind the efforts of Downingtown’s Brandon Darlington (North Defensive MVP) and Coatesville’s Jonathan Williams, pitched a shutout in the 2002 edition of the game, at Coatesville. Darlington (three receptions for 32 yards) caught a 16-yard touchdown pass and also caused a fumble by sacking South quarterback Dan Wray (Oxford), which Williams picked up and ran 42 yards for a touchdown. The South quarterbacks completed only 4 of 10 passes for 56 yards, and the South totaled only 120...
The North squad, behind a strong contingent of players from District 1 runner-up Downingtown and Coatesville, was totally dominant in the 2001 contest at West Chester East. Coatesville quarterback Bob Findora set Valor Bowl records with 217 passing yards and four touchdown passes, while completing 11 of his 15 pass attempts. His performance earned him North Offensive MVP honors. Downingtown’s Dave Gracia and Coatesville’s Corey Mayo led a North defensive effort that held the South to just 40 yards rushing. Gracia, who returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown,...
Conestoga running back Marquis Weeks made his final appearance at Conestoga’s Teamer Field memorable, rushing for a Valor Bowl record 122 yards and scoring two touchdowns, en route to the South Offensive MVP award. Malvern Prep’s Chris Muntz led the South defensive effort, which held the North to 196 total yards. Muntz was the South Defensive MVP and also scored the game-winning touchdown. Muntz’ Malvern Prep teammate, quarterback Mike Ryan, was razor-sharp, completing 10 of 16 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown pass. Great Valley’s Ed Hill was outstanding...
The inaugural contest, in 1999 at Coatesville, came down to a last-minute North goal-line stand. With fourth-and-goal at the North eight yard line, Coatesville’s Steve Hill stopped Henderson’s Mike Kamon for an seven-yard loss on a screen pass. Coatesville running back Stephan Lewis paced the North squad with 117 yards rushing and a game record three touchdowns. His high school teammates, Sean Schellenger and Derrick Green, also excelled. Schellenger completed 11 of 25 passes for 168 yards, while Green caught seven balls for 132 yards. For the South, West Chester...
