Narrative
There were obvious favorites in 1996. Defending champ Penn Hills brought back not one but two 1,600 rushers, an All American linebacker, their entire secondary, their quarterback and all of their receivers and tight ends, and were the preseason #1 team in the country. In the east, CB West returned quarterback/defensive back Travis Blomgren, who already held offers from Penn State, Florida State, and Nebraska, plus junior running back/defensive end and future Michigan Wolverine Dave Armstrong, and four offensive linemen from 1995’s 10-2 group. It was one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights since the inception of the tournament. Yet neither team would get out of the first round of district play.
Sitting at #6 in the preseason rankings were the Downingtown Whippets. They returned junior quarterback Dan Ellis, who set every school passing record as a junior and had already committed to Virginia before his senior season. Ellis had incredible command of the Downingtown offense, and was given the responsibility of calling each play at the line, a rarity for high school quarterbacks. Ellis was the lone sophomore starter on the 1994 Whippet team that lost to McKeesport in the state final. Ellis was joined in the backfield by junior Arlen Harris, who ran for 818 yards as a sophomore. Harris, whose older brother Aaron was the star on the 1994 team and was the starting fullback at Penn State, also was on a mission to get back to Altoona. It was his fumble on a kickoff as a freshman special teamer that set up McKeesport’s first touchdown in the 17-14 classic. The Whippets also returned a strong core of interior linemen, but had to replace their entire receiving corps.
Downingtown opened the season Allentown Central Catholic, which was the marquee game in Pennsylvania during week 1 and probably the best non-conference game in the state in 1996. The Vikings were the three time defending East Penn Conference champions, as one of two 3A teams playing in the 4A league. ACC won the state title in 1993, upsetting Berwick in the semifinal before a 40-0 rout in Altoona, and then lost to Berwick in the 1994 and 1995 semis after undefeated regular seasons. The Vikings ran a Wing-T, with future Penn State quarterback Matt Senneca as the triggerman. It was a disaster of night for Downingtown, one John Barr called “the worst of my coaching career” after it was all over. ACC scored on seven of its nine possessions, pounding out 302 yards rushing, dominating the clock, and scoring a whopping 48 points on the Whippets. Senneca also threw for 140 yards, completing 7 of his 9 passes. The score was 28-7 at halftime, and although Downingtown gained 361 yards, they spent the entire day playing catch up. The loss sent them tumbling out of the state polls, and most importantly, meant they needed to run the table for a shot at the District 1 playoff.
And run the table they did. For the rest of the regular season, no team held Downingtown under 41 points, and the Whippets averaged nearly 50 points per game. One week after the Allentown Central Catholic debacle, Ellis threw for 244 yards on just 8-11 passing as the Whippets gained 502 yards of offense in slaughtering Archbishop Ryan, who had been the premier PCL program to that point in the 1990s. In another huge non-conference game, Ellis threw for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns in a rout of Altoona. Week 4 brought defending Inter-Ac champion Malvern Prep to town, who accused coach John Barr of running up the score in a 61-7 win where Downingtown amassed a staggering 551 yards of offense. Harris and Ellis combined for 230 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries, and Ellis was a perfect 5-5 for 160 yards passing as the Whippets raced out to a 42-0 halftime lead. It would be more of the same through a week 9 blowout of Coatesville, where Ellis threw for a school record six touchdowns. It would set up a week 10 match-up with West Chester Henderson for the Ches-Mont title.
West Chester Henderson came into the final week of the season yielding less than ten points per game, were 7-1 on the year, and undefeated in conference play. At stake was not only a league championship, but there was still a shot for Downingtown to make the District 1 playoffs. All they needed was a win and for Ridley to knock off 9-0 Conestoga in the Central League. Downingtown did their part early, as Dan Ellis went 7-7 for 92 yards in the first quarter, Arlen Harris scored four touchdowns in the first half, and the Whippets were up 42-0 at halftime and led 61-7 before calling the dogs off in a 61-20 victory. Over in Folsom, Ridley held Conestoga to 133 yards in a 13-0 victory and the Whippets were in the playoffs as the #3 seed.
The four team District 1 tournament was one of the strongest fields of the era. Top seeded CB West had lived up to the preseason hype and blitzed through the regular season schedule, including a 21-3 win over archrival CB East in the regular season finale. CB East had already clinched the two seed and was ranked #8 in the state heading into playoffs. Downingtown would play the Patriots in round 1, while CB West drew fourth seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh, the defending D1 champions who had ended the Bucks season the year before.
Downingtown’s match up with CB East pitted the high powered Whippet offense against the tough, grind it out Patriots of the Suburban One National. Tailback Andy Ficzko came in to the game with 1,646 yards rushing, mostly hiding his tiny 5’8 frame behind 6’5 300 pound tackle and future Penn State guard Josh Mitchell. Downingtown opened the game with a 12 play, 77 yard drive capped by a a TD pass from Ellis to Jamie Kucera. CB East struck back in the on their first drive when future NFL safety Bryan Scott ripped off a 78 yard touchdown run. Although just a sophomore, Scott would be a thorn in the Whippets’ side all evening. In the second quarter, he took the top of the Downingtown defense on a 45 yard touchdown pass to put the Patriots up 13-8. But on the ensuing drive, Ellis led Downingtown on a 12 play, 72 yard drive which he finished with a touchdown to put Downingtown up 16-13. The game turned when CB tried to run a two minute drill following the Whippet touchdown. After moving the ball to the Downingtown 40, Ellis stepped in front of a pass and raced 65 yards for a score, giving Downingtown a 23-13 lead. Scott would look to play hero in the second half with a 77 yard punt return for a TD, but Arlen Harris answered with a pick six. In the fourth quarter, CB East blocked a punt to cut the score to 30-25 then forced a rare 3 and out, but Ellis intercepted a pass to get the ball right back and scored a TD to ice the game.
That night in Doylestown, Plymouth-Whitemarsh shocked CB West with a goal line stand in the final minute to preserve a 21-16 win. In Pittsburgh, Plum pulled the upset of the decade with a 14-12 win over Penn Hills, who was still #1 nationally following a 9-0 regular season. The upsets knocked out the top two teams in the state, and suddenly the field was wide open for the 4A champion.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh and Downingtown would play one of the great games in District 1 finals history. Like Allentown Central Catholic, the Colonials ran a Wing-T offense, and would try to confuse the Whippets with their precision attack. The game started as a shootout, with the first four drives of the game ending in touchdowns for both squads. Downingtown’s second touchdown would cost them however, as Arlen Harris was hit at the goal line in what John Barr called the most vicious hit he’d seen in his career. It cracked the star tailback’s helmet in half and left him barely conscious in the end zone and he would have to sit out the second and most of the third quarters. Inside linebacker Fran Gregor would break serve for the Whippets when he intercepted a second quarter pass and returned it to the 30. Ellis broke off a 28 yard touchdown two plays later to put Downingtown up seven at the half. In the third quarter, PW was able to break serve when Downingtown fumbled a punt at the 14 and the Colonials scored to go up 29-25. Harris returned from the locker room on the next drive, though Barr would only line him up at receiver to avoid big hits. Downingtown marched right down the field, with Harris catching three passes, including a 14 slant for a TD to put Downingtown up 32-29 early in the fourth quarter. After a PW punt, Downingtown faced a 3rd and 5 from midfield. To everybody’s surprise, they hit Gregor, lined up at fullback, on an inside trap, and he rumbled 46 yards to the four yard line. Ellis would score from four yards out to put the Whippets up ten with eight minutes to play. PW scored on the next possession, as James Scott busted a screen pass 65 yards, but the Whippets were able to run the clock out on their final possession, with Ellis scrambling for first downs on third down twice and fourth down once before kneeling the clock out to clinch a 39-36 win, a District 1 title, and a berth in the state tournament.
The rest of the state field was full of newcomers. District 11 had a first time champ in undefeated Parkland, who rose to #1 in the state following the CB West and Penn Hills losses. Also in the east, Cedar Cliff and future NFL safety Coy Wire overcame a two regular season losses to upset top seeded Wilson West Lawn and claim their first D3 crown since 1988. In the west, Erie McDowell rolled through an undefeated regular season and crushed D8 champ Schenley in a subregional final, while Altoona won D6. In the WPIAL, Woodland Hills barely made the newly expanded playoffs as the #11 seed, but found themselves in their first ever WPIAL final against state #2 North Allegheny future NFL quarterback Mike McMahon.
Downingtown drew District 2/4 subregional champion Coughlin in the first round. The Cougars were massive, averaging 260 pounds across their offensive line. The feather in their cap was a tight 6-3 loss to state superpower Berwick during the regular season. However, that team was nowhere to be found, as Downingtown rolled up a 36-0 halftime lead on their way to a 51-0 win. The Whippets picked off three passes in the first half, Ellis threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, and this game was never close. In the other eastern quarterfinal, Parkland destroyed Cedar Cliff, Erie McDowell blew out Altoona in one western quarter, while Woodland Hills shocked North Allegheny to continue their Cinderella run and win their first WPIAL title.
The eastern final pitted Downingtown against the Parkland Trojans, the top ranked team in Pennsylvania. Parkland running back Matt Thomas led the state with 2,267 rushing yards (including a state playoff record 277 against Cedar Cliff in quarterfinals) and his teammate Josh Conti had 1,157 yards, making them the first 2,000/1,000 yard pair in state history. Parkland was the only team in eastern PA to go undefeated through twelve weeks. The big point of comparison was Parkland’s 14-7 win over Allentown Central Catholic, who crushed Downingtown in the opener. The Trojans held the Vikings to 103 yards of offense and broke ACC’s three year stranglehold on the East Penn Conference (which the Morning Call noted helped start to break Parkland’s reputation for being “suburban soft”).
Despite predictions for a shootout, the first quarter was scoreless as both teams failed to move the football. Downingtown used a gadget play to open the scoring, with slot receiver Brian Hunter taking a reverse to the house to give the Whippets a 7-0 second quarter lead. Parkland answered with a 60 yard touchdown drive of their own, hitting 6’4 wide receiver Clint Dodson in the end zone to tie the game. But Downingtown’s offense would start to hum, as Ellis engineered a 74 yard TD drive, keyed by a 43 yard pass to Jim Kucera which put them in the red zone, then capped by a TD pass to Harris just before halftime. The Whippets received to start the second half, and again drove 70 yards for a score. Parkland finally got the ball back, and drove into the Downingtown red zone, but defensive end Trent Chandler blew up a 4th and 1 from the 18, tackling Matt Thomas in the backfield. Two plays later, Ellis pitched to Arlen Harris on an option play, and the junior burst 75 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to pretty much put the game out of reach at 28-7. Parkland would drive to the Downingtown 24 and the Downingtown 5 in the second half, but were not able to score again until garbage time. Downingtown controlled the clock with their running game in the second half, finishing with 313 rushing yards for the game (218 from Harris). Defensively, they held Thomas to 46 yards and the powerful Trojan rushing attack to just 60 yards. The Whippets were headed back to Altoona for the second time in three years.
Their opponent was the biggest surprise of the state playoff era to that point. Woodland Hills started their season 2-3 and looked like a non-factor in the WPIAL. However, the WPIAL playoffs expanded from eight to sixteen teams in 1996, and the Wolverines qualified as the #11 seed at 6-3. That’s when they caught fire. After an opening round win, Woodland Hills knocked off #3 seed Upper St. Clair, the state’s 5th ranked team, then shocked North Allegheny in the WPIAL final. Suddenly, Woodland Hills, which had only existed since 1987 after a court order to integrate five racially segregated school districts, was in the mix for a state title. They were led by future Syracuse quarterback Madei Williams, a dual threat who was one of the most elusive runners in the state. He teamed with 1,400 yard tailback Eric Walker in running behind an offensive line that averaged over 275 per man, plus Division I recruit Delrico Fletcher at wide receiver.
The result was...not pretty. Like their beating of Coughlin, the large offensive and defensive lines of Woodland Hills were no match for Downingtown’s speed and execution. Downingtown scored 27 points in the second quarter, and absolutely ran away with the state title. The 49-14 score was the largest margin of victory in the state final in 4A to that point. Arlen Harris ran for 182 yards on 17 carries and score two touchdowns, and barely played in the second half. In his final high school game, Ellis was masterful, going 9-13 for 106 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns, and making eight tackles and intercepting a pass on defense. If the 1994 game was Holmes-Norton, the 1996 title effort was an ‘80s Mike Tyson fight.
After the season, Ellis was named AP State Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the All State team after becoming the first player in state history to throw for 30 touchdowns and rush for 20. Harris and left tackle Trent Chandler joined him on the first team, while do it all tight end Mike Millard garnered second team honors. Head coach John Barr was named AP Coach of the Year, then shocked the District 1 community when he resigned as the head coach at Downingtown. Barr was hesitant about plans for Downingtown to split their high school, and when he was offered the opportunity to run Coatesville’s alternative education program and coach football, he jumped at the chance.
Dan Ellis went on to be a two-year starter at Virginia, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior. He remains fifth in UVA history in touchdown passes. Ellis has been a successful football coach in District 1, running the Springfield program from 2008-2010, then coaching at Great Valley from 2014-2019. He is currently the quarterbacks coach at West Chester University. Arlen Harris initially committed to Florida, but flipped near signing day to join Ellis at UVA. He played early for the Cavaliers, but injuries and academic problems ended his college career after two seasons. But following what would have been his senior season, Harris was invited to play in a postseason All Star game where he earned MVP honors. Because of his performance, Harris signed as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams, and had a four year NFL career with the Rams and Lions. Trent Chandler played in the I-AA Final Four for Delaware, and Mike Millard was an All Atlantic Ten tight end for Richmond. Brian Sims and Fran Gregor were both starters in the Division II National Championship game for Bloomsburg and Sims earned All American honors at defensive tackle. Sims also made history as the first openly gay captain of a college football program. John Barr finished his Downingtown career with a 74-30-2 record and a pair of state finals appearances. He coached at Coatesville form 1997-2001.
