At Downingtown West, the art of football

The Downingtown West football players in art teacher Becky Desmond's class may have looked as if they were checking their appearance as they studied their faces in the mirrors on their desk tops.

But they weren't preparing to have their trading-card pictures taken. For the three seniors and two juniors, this was serious art business. They were working on self-portraits or other projects. The mirrors help as they work on self-portraits.

Desmond, who has been teaching art in the Downingtown district since 1961, said she can't remember when she's had so many football players taking high-level art courses.

Junior Trey Faust, a fullback, and senior Matt Finkbohner, a defensive back, are level-1 art majors, while running back Evan Trexler and offensive lineman Mack Crowell are both advanced-placement studio art majors. Wide receiver Louis Smith, a junior, is preparing for the commercial art field.

"Their focus is on the arts, and they are really serious about it," Desmond said. "Evan and Mack have been in the program since ninth grade. Matt got into it last year. He came here after transferring from Bishop Shanahan."

Four of the five young artists have also made solid contributions to the football team, which is the defending Ches-Mont League National Division champion.

Trexler, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder, has been forced to the sideline this season because of a torn ACL. He hopes to be back before the regular season ends.

"Their focus is on the arts, and they are really serious about it," Desmond said. "Evan and Mack have been in their program since ninth grade. Matt got into it last year. He came here after transferring from Bishop Shanahan."

And their work has paid off. For example, Trexler's portrait of Abraham Lincoln, made with more than 2,000 pennies, has been on display recently in Harrisburg. It's due to return for display next month at Penn State's Great Valley campus during the Pennsylvania Art Education conference.

"I'd been saving the pennies for a long time," said Trexler, who hopes to go to Temple's Tyler School of Art after graduation from West. He did a similar work with pennies on Betsy Ross.

Other works by the five have been entered in exhibits at places such as the Tel Hai retirement community and the school.

Crowell, a 5-10, 220-pounder, remembers developing an interest in art in preschool.

"My work was better than everybody else's," he said without a hint of boasting. He likes to work with colored pencils.

Smith, whose father is in the Navy, moved from Florida to the Downingtown area. At first he attended Downingtown East.

He initially wanted to be an architect. Now he's leaning toward commercial art. He hopes to play college football, and Rutgers, Delaware and Connecticut, among others, have expressed interest in him.

Finkbohner designed a 50th anniversary logo for Bishop Shanahan before he transferred to West.

"I also have an interest in law enforcement, so I'm not sure which way I'm going," he said.

All five agreed they have had no comments from teammates over their strong interest in art.

"The team has been very supportive," Smith said.

Football coach Mike Milano said he was surprised to find he had so many budding artists on the team.

"I'm from the old school. I like competition [on the field], but I go to the art shows to support the kids," he said. "My mother was an artist, but I didn't inherit any of her talent. In fact, Mrs. Desmond gave me a C in her class for a project of mine. We were big into ashtrays then. I still tease her about it."