The long wait is over.
Finally, and actually a week earlier than usual, the scholastic football season is getting underway tonight and we have a full slate of interesting games on tap. These nonleague games will be critical for area teams’ playoff hopes and a victory in Week 1 will go a long way to jump start a season.
Here’s a look at Week 1’s action:
Tonight’s games
Garnet Valley at West Chester Rustin
Rustin starts the season off with bang as the Golden Knights host perennial Central League power Garnet Valley. Rustin went 7-3 last season but missed out on the playoffs, and Golden knights head coach Mike St. Clair likely will have his team ready for a very stern challenge from the Jaguars.
“Garnet Valley is a very well coached team,” St.Clair said. They run the veer and split back veer offense very well. You really have to play disciplined defense to stop them. They have enough kids to run a two platoon system that keeps their kids fresh late in the game. On defense, they mix up their even and odd fronts very well.I think we are going to have to have an even mix of run and pass to be able to effectively move the ball. I think it should be a good early — way too early — test for us.”
Rustin’s Ty Pringle, who rushed for over 1,200 yards as a sophomore will have to have a big game for Rustin to defeat the deeper Jaguars, but like most games, it will be won up front and Rustin does not lose those battles very often.
The Pick: W.C. Rustin 24, Garnet Valley 21

Delaware Valley at Downingtown East
The District 2 invaders were 8-3 last season and qualified for the district playoffs. They bring eight starters back on both sides of the ball. But the Cougars are bigger up front and will move the ball and control the clock here. Junior quarterback Bryce Lauletta will make his starting debut for the Cougars.
The Pick: Downingtown East 28, Delaware Valley 21

Simon Gratz at Coatesville
Get ready for some offensive football between these two supremely talented offensive squads. Gratz looked very impressive in 7 on 7’s this summer and they can stretch a defense. But, they are playing with 11 guys tonight and that favors the ’Ville. Aaron and Avery Young should have big games for the Red Raiders.
The Pick: Coatesville 35, Simon Gratz 17

West Chester Henderson at Oxford
Early Ches-Mont crossover game here. Henderson is coming off a 1-9 season and the Warriors are itching to right the ship. Oxford graduated their all-time leading passer in Dan Green but the Hornets bring back eight starters on both sides of the ball. Look for Henderson’s C.J. Preston to break off a few long gains tonight.
The Pick: West Chester Henderson 28, Oxford 14

Springfield (Montco) at Octorara
This is the rare occurrence that Octorara plays a school its same size. The Braves are led by Scott Burridge and he gained 525 yards on the ground last season. Let’s go with the home team.
The Pick: Octorara 14, Springfield (Montco) 13

West Chester East at Academy Park
Life without Jon Jon Roberts begins for East. The Vikings do have Jared Cooper in the backfield and two excellent receivers in Alex Hirsch, who grabbed 44 balls last season, and tight end J.D. Carroll, who hauled in 35 balls for 492 yards. But, the knights are the defending District 1  Class AAA champions and they have enough back to defeat the Vikings.
The Pick: Academy Park 31, West Chester East 21

Kennett at Avon Grove
Avon Grove went 5-6 last season and if the Red Devils want to improve on that mark they cannot trip up heard against Kennett. Nate Jones, who led the Ches-Mont National with 1,434 rushing yards, will have a big night for the Red Devils. Kennett will counter with running back Myles Robinson and tight end Kerry Tomasetti, who are both talented players.
The Pick: Avon Grove 28, Kennett 10

Owen J. Roberts at Conestoga
Owen J. Roberts has a punishing running game and they should be able to pull away from the young Pioneer offense in Conestoga’s first game under new head coach Marquis Weeks.
The Pick: Owen J.Roberts 24, Conestoga 14

Great Valley at Phoenixville
Great Valley has a talented core back from a district playoff team last year. Quarterback Robert Geiss, who threw for over 1,900 yards last season, and running back Mark DeRobertis should make life miserable for the Phantoms.
The Pick: Great Valley 42, Phoenixville 13

Spring-Ford at Unionville
The Indians’ early-season schedule is brutal, and after an 8-3 record and American Division title last season, there won’t be much time to ease the newcomers in. Unionville is led by a duo at linebacker in Jesse Gill and Trevor Gardiner but the Rams are coming off a 10-1 season and they look tough again this season.
The Pick: Spring-Ford 28, Unionville 24

Saturday’s games
Bishop Shanahan at George Washington
George Washington has five starters back on both sides of the ball, including their offensive backfield. But, Shanahan will win the battle up front to give its talented offense time to make plays. “George Washington has a very skilled quarterback that is a dual threat both throwing or running the football,” Bishop Shanahan head coach Paul Meyers said. “They also have good speed at running back and wide receiver. But there numbers re low so we will try to up tempo them and wear them out in the heat.”
The Pick: Shanahan 30, George Washington 14

Perkiomen Valley at Downingtown West
This is a big time nonleague matchup. Perkiomen Valley quarterback Steven Sturm threw for over 3,100 yards last season with 31 touchdowns and he has a trio of talented receivers including Justin Jaworski, who hauled in 85 balls last season. Sturm is getting Division 1 interest. But, West can score points too and junior quarterback Kyle Geiser will keep the Whippets in the game until West can wear the Vikings down late with the running game.
The Pick: Downingtown West 34, Perk Valley 27

WEST GOSHEN >> At halftime of Friday night’s key Ches-Mont National Division matchup between Bishop Shanahan and West Chester East, the two teams were knotted at 14-14, although Shanahan clearly had the edge in play on both sides of the ball. But a kickoff return by the Vikings’ Jared Cooper and a bad snap that resulted in East recovering a fumble in the end zone had the game tied.

But in the decisive second half, Shanahan got a big boost from its offensive line, which dominated the Vikings up front to the tune of 260 rushing yards and the Eagles’ defense gave the squad a big boost when Josh Burke intercepted a J.T. Thompson pass at the Shanahan 5 yard line, to help the Eagles stay perfect with a 31-21 triumph.

“I told Brendan Dearing that we had to do something there with them driving the football,” Burke said. “I think the quarterback telegraphed the pass and I just jumped it, caught the ball and took off running. We were mad at ourselves at halftime because of the mistakes but the seniors took over and coach (Paul) Meyers gave us a quote from Mike Tyson.

“He said Tyson said that everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. That really got us going and we took over the second half.”

West Chester East (0-1 Ches-Mont National, 2-2 overall) had trouble running the ball all night as the Vikings could only muster 26 rushing yards. Thompson threw for 262 yards on 30 attempts, but the Eagles picked off three of his passes. Although Shanahan (1-0, 4-0) controlled the game from the outset, Cooper’s 85-yard touchdown on a kickoff return and Tom Silva’s fumble recovery of a Nick Skulski fumble off a bad snap kept the Vikings even at halftime.

“We have created turnovers all season but tonight in the second half we made them,” said West Chester East head coach Dave Gueriera. “Our quarterback played well and he is coming on but we really wanted the win here tonight on homecoming. We just made too many mistakes tonight.”

Shanahan took a 17-14 lead early in the third period when John George ended a long Eagles drive with a 31-yard field goal. Then, the Vikings got going with Thompson hitting Alex Hirsch and Mike Salloum with passes. Then on third down, Burke jumped a route and ran it back to the Vikings’ 34-yard line. Runs by Andrew Smyth and Joe Gueriera took the ball down to the Vikings’ six yard line and Skulski hit Smyth with a six yard swing pass for a 24-14 Eagles lead. Skulski threw for 134 yards and ran for 110 more in another very impressive performance.

East then took the ensuing kickoff and went nowhere. After a punt, the Eagles drove down the field for the clinching score. Behind their physical offensive line, led by Jake Colby and Noah Smith, the Eagles pounded the ball right at the Vikings. Skulski finished the nine-play drive by rolling in from four yards out to make it a 31-14 game early in the fourth quarter.

“Our offensive line has been real good all season and it makes running behind them easy,” Gueriera said. “And Jake and Noah are just so big and strong and physical. We were mad at halftime that we were not up in the game and the seniors made it a point to take over the game in the second half.”

East did not quit, however. It only took the Vikings 1:12 to come back down the field and make it a 31-21 game with a little over 10 minutes to play in the fourth. Thompson suddenly got hot and hit Hirsch and Salloum with passes. Hirsch hauled in nine passes on the night. The touchdown came when a wide open Salloum hauled in a Thompson strike for a 42-yard score.

After Shanahan took five minutes off the clock and finally punted the ball away to the Vikings, the Eagles defense stopped Hirsch a yard short of the first down chains with 3:22 to play and Shanahan had its fourth straight win and kept its perfect season intact with a home game with West Chester Henderson looming next Friday.

“All week in practice we challenged our offensive line,” said Bishop Shanahan head coach Paul Meyers. “And tonight we were relaxed at halftime because we knew we were playing well and we would be alright if we cleaned up the mistakes. We did that in the second half and moved the ball on the ground. And West Chester East is a very good team. Dave has done a great job here.”

CALN >> The Coatesville High School football team fired a very loud warning shot to the rest of the Ches-Mont League, and District 1, for that matter. Friday night at Red Raider Stadium, Coatesville won its third straight game, getting a sensational 324 yards rushing, and five touchdowns from super sophomore Aaron Young, while the defense held Downingtown West to 144 total yards of offense, en rout to a convincing 48-9 National Division triumph.

Coatesville (2-0, Ches-Mont, 4-1 overall) spotted the Whippets (0-1, 1-4) seven points early in the game. After a fumble recovery, substitute quarterback Ryan Wetzel hit Cole Zapf for a 30-yard touchdown. Wetzel was subbing for the injured Ryan Geiser, who left last week’s Kennett game with an injury.

Young and Coatesville took control, scoring the next 28 points to take a commanding 28-7 lead at halftime. Young went straight up the middle for his first two scores with gaping holes in the Downingtown West interior defense.

“The middle was open all night every time,”  Young said. “It seemed we could pretty much run where we wanted. I like carrying the ball a lot, even though it was a hot night. We are big on conditioning, and my offensive line did a great job for me tonight. It all starts with them. Hopefully we can keep improving. We are very focused right now and playing good football.”

Young’s first two TD runs were of eight and 72 yards. Following a West turnover, Young struck on the very first play, roaring up the middle untouched 36 yards to make it a 21-7 game with 3:08 left in the first half. The Downingtown West offense helped the Red Raiders by losing two fumbles and throwing two interceptions.

After kicking off, the stingy Coatesville defense forced a punt. Coatesville took the punt back to the Downingtown West 49-yard line. Two plays later, Young burst up the gut again for a 44-yard scoring run and a 28-7 bulge.

“We took what they gave us, and tonight, they challenged us to run the football,” Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega said. “We have been throwing the ball lately, but tonight, it was good to see us run the football. We know we can do both. Our defense was real good tonight. We were one play away, the last three games, from really shutting teams down.”

The second half started the same way. Mitchell Micale came in at QB for West, and was greeted by a Alexander interception. Young took the handoff, and pulled defenders with him into the end zone for a 15 yard run , nd the game was officially out of hand at 35-7.

“We just have to focus one game at a time.” Alexander said. “We lost in Week 2, but we are rolling now and we are working hard in practice. Tonight, we ran the football with Aaron having a great game. Now, teams know they have to protect the pass, and the run against us.”

Ortega took Young out of the game after his fifth touchdown, and cleared his bench. But, the defense kept up its relentless intensity, as they forced a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Brandon Talbot.

Later in the fourth, quarterback Ricky Ortega rolled around the left side from one-yard out for the exclamation point.

Except for a 47-yard run by Cole Zapf in the first period, the longest run from scrimmage for the Whippets was six yards.

“We did not panic after the Cumberland Valley game,” Matt Ortega said. “We trusted the process, focus week-to-week and keep trying to improve.”

Octorara High School’s long-rumored move from the Ches-Mont League to the Lancaster-Lebanon League is now official. The move was ratified by the league this week and the Braves will join the league in all sports beginning in 2018.

That also means Octorara will leave District 1 and join District 3. The Braves will play the rest of this school year and all of next season in the Ches-Mont and District 1 before moving over.

“We just feel that this a better fit for our kids and will give them a better chance to compete,” said Octorara Athletic Director Gene Lambert. ” We are not necessarily going to win everything but we are definitely going to be able to compete more fairly.

“We are the smallest school in terms of enrollment in the Ches-Mont and now we will be able to compete with like-sized schools. Our coaches are very excited about the move and feel it will help the morale of the students in the school.”

Lambert said that the Lancaster-Lebanon League is going to realign for the 2017 school year and he will know then what conference the Braves will be in.

Currently, at least in football, there is an opening in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Section 3 only has seven members, while Section 1 and Section 2 each have eight schools.

Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League currently includes Lancaster Catholic, ELCO, Northern Lebanon, Donegal, Pequea Valley, Annville-Cleona and Columbia.

The move will leave the Ches-Mont League with seven schools in the larger National Division and just six in the American Division. There is no word yet on any sort of realignment in the Ches-Mont.

The second round of the District 1 playoffs takes place Friday, and the area has six teams still alive in their respective quests for district and state honors. Five Chester County teams will go on the road Friday, where it is very difficult to win in the playoffs, while fourth-seeded Coatesville has a stern home test with No. 5 Ridley.

Ridley at Coatesville

Coatesville’s Aaron Young (4) and Avery Young (2) celebrate Aaron’s fourth TD. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)

Ridley and Coatesville have traditionally been two of the strongest District 1 programs over the years, and Coatesville, which has won nine straight games since a Week 2 loss to Cumberland Valley, will have to play its best football. Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega talked about what challenge the Green Raiders present.

“Ridley’s defense is very active and they are quick,” Ortega said. “When you watch them on film you can tell they are very well coached by Coach (Dave) Wood. They play disciplined defense and their defense scored two touchdowns in their first round win over Plymouth-Whitemarsh. They are one of the most storied programs in District 1 and this Ridley team reminds me of the 2008 team we played in my first year here. It will be a very good game with them.”

Ridley’s only loss this season was to the top seed in 5A, Springfield (Delco), and the Green Raiders’ defense has pitched four shutouts and only has given up 96 points in 11 games. But, I do not think the Green Raiders have seen the sped and athleticism that Coatesville presents. And during the nine-game winning streak, Coatesville has averaged 40.5 points per game. Aaron Young is averaging 11 yards per carry for Coatesville and quarterback Ricky Ortega is not playing like a freshman.

The Pick: Coatesville 34, Ridley 17

Downingtown East at Perkiomen Valley

Perkiomen Valley’s Brendan Schimpf tries to get away from Penn Wood’s Zackiey Sheriff during the first half. (Sam Stewart – Digital First Media)

Downingtown East has to travel to play a Perkiomen Valley team that features star quarterback Stephen Sturm, who has thrown for 2,843 yards and 36 touchdowns during the regular season. Wide receiver Justin Jaworski missed three games during the season and still led the district with 61 catches for 1,203 yards. Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta talked about how potent the Vikings offense is and what his team has to do.

“Perkiomen Valley has an outstanding quarterback and they run a great scheme,” Matta said. “They also have a lot of very good skill players and a couple of pretty big linemen. We definitely have our work cut out for us. We need to control the ball on offense and hope for some breaks.”

The Pick: Perkiomen Valley 31, Downingtown East 21

Class 5A

Great Valley at Springfield (Delco)

Great Valley’s Ryan Hubley dodges OJR defenders en route to a 33-yard gain during the second quarter. (Sam Stewart – Digital First Media)

The eighth-seeded Patriots visit the top-seeded Cougars, who have just one loss this season, a 24-21 decision to Garnet Valley. Great Valley has the edge with quarterback Robert Geiss, who threw for 2.257 yards during the regular season. Wide receiver Ryan Hubley hauled in 47 balls for 957 yards in the 10-game regular season. Great Valley head coach Dan Ellis knows how tough the Cougars will be on their home field.

“The thing with Springfield is that their kids play so hard,” Ellis said. “They are tough kids and we have to match their physicality. After a little down stretch during the regular season we seem to have our continuity back. We are going to try to put stress on their defense with a short passing game and we hope to be able to run the football.”

The Pick: Springfield 21, Great Valley 17

West Chester Henderson at Upper Dublin

West Chester Henderson’s CJ Preston runs in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Great Valley. Henderson won 17-10. (PETE BANNAN – Digital First Media)

Upper Dublin is the fourth seed and defending District 1 4A champions, but that squad lost 24 seniors to graduation.

“Upper Dublin is very legitimate,” said Henderson coach Steve Mitten. “Bret Stover is a great coach. He was the quarterback on the best team Millersville ever had and he is a very accomplished player, coach and offensive mind. He is a Dan Ellis type of guy. They have very good skill people and we will try to keep them off the field with running the ball with C.J. (Preston). And our special teams will be key and coach Jeff Bott has done a great job for us this year with the special teams play.”

The Pick: West Chester Henderson 28, Upper Dublin 21

Bishop Shanahan at Academy Park

Bishop Shanahan quarterback Nick Skulski fires a touchdown pass to Andrew Smyth, at right. Shanahan won 31-21. (PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)

Academy Park is the defending district champion and No. 3 seed. The Knights are very tough on their home field and the No. 7 Eagles, who looked very impressive in their first round win over West Chester Rustin, will have their hands full with the Knights.

“Academy Park has athletes all over the field,” said Shanahan coach Paul Meyers said. “We need to stop their running game. The quarterback can throw the ball a little bit but I don’t think it is constant enough. Defensively, they are really quick and physical like a mini Coatesville team. I think we can throw on them and run some things to slow down their aggressiveness like screens, shovels, draws and so on. We must also play smart and always be ready for anything. they will onsides kick, run no-huddle, run fake punts and throw double passes. They like to run a lot of gadget plays.”

Bishop Shanahan quarterback Nick Skulski is a duel threat with over 1,300 yards passing and 600 yards rushing during the regular season, and he might be the difference here.

The Pick: Bishop Shanahan 28, Academy Park 24

West Chester East at Marple Newtown

Marple Newtown’s Carmen Christiana rushes upfield in the Tigers’ 42-13 win over Archbishop Carroll Friday. (Digital First Media/Anne Neborak)

West Chester East must travel to face the high flying Tigers, who average 37 points per game. Quarterback Anthony Paoletti threw for 2,229 yards and 21 touchdowns during the regular season. The Tigers also possess two fine receivers in Cameron Mathes, who hauled in 41 passes for 817 yards during the regular season, and Dash Dulgerian who hauled in 36 balls for 796 yards.

“Marple Newtown has a very balanced offensive attack,” said East coach Dave Gueriera. “They have a very strong-armed quarterback and great athletes surrounding him. We need to be fundamentally sound in all aspects of our defense and limit his time in the pocket. We need to bring the same physicality to Marple Newtown that we brought to the Unionville game”

East will be hampered if receiver Alex Hirsch cannot play again due to injury, but I think this Vikings team has enough to pull the upset here.

The Pick: West Chester East 28, Marple Newtown 27

CALN >> Coming into Friday night’s District 1 6A quarterfinal, Ridley had the top-rated defense in the district, allowing a paltry eight points per game.

Coatesville beat that average five times over.

The potent Red Raiders attack scored three touchdowns in the first eight minutes of play, and fourth-seeded Coatesville rolled to a convincing 41-21 triumph Friday night. The Red Raiders (11-1) will hit the road to face No. 1 North Penn Friday night at 7 p.m.

Coatesville rolled up a whopping 519 total yards of offense as freshman quarterback Ricky Ortega put on quite a show, throwing for 138 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 123 yards and three long TD runs. Both touchdown passes went to the talented Avery Young to open up the early lead. Aaron Young had his usual big night, rushing for 246 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

The first score came on the first Coatesville series of the game, as Ortega rolled to his right and hit a streaking Avery Young with a 21-yard TD pass. After a Ridley three and out, the Red Raiders struck again as Avery Young hauled in a 39-yard strike from Ortega for a 14-0 just five minutes in.

Coatesville’s Ricky Ortega and Avery Young celebrate after a first-quarter touchdown (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media).

“We saw some things that we thought would work,” Ortega said. “They did not have safety help on the weak side so I just found Avery and he made two great catches. We wanted to get the early lead and get out on them early. Now, we look forward to North Penn and get back to practice Monday, and we have another week of hard work.”

Ridley did not help itself as the fifth-seeded Green Raiders (10-2) lost three first-half fumbles and never got the passing game going, as Ridley quarterback Cade Stratton completed just five of 10 passes for 63 yards. After a Ridley fumble was recovered by the Red Raiders’ Zach Hilliard, the Coatesville offense struck again.

This time Coatesville went on a seven-play, 52-yard drive that culminated in a 24-yard touchdown run by Ortega straight up the middle, putting Coatesville up, 21-0, after one quarter.

Ridley did not quit however, as the Green Raiders came back and scored when Malik Young went five yards around the left side to cut the lead to 21-7. But after the Ridley kickoff, Coatesville marched down the field again and Ortega ran 22 yards for a score to make it a 28-7 game at halftime.

Ridley had a chance to make it a two-score game, but the Coatesville defense stuffed Ridley on a fourth down play at the Coatesville 4 yard line just as the first half ended.

Coatesville’s Ed Clark delivers a big hit (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media).

“We have a lot of young players on this team but they are all stepping up,” said Coatesville’s Jadan Hudson. “And the seniors are keeping it together also. We have a close team and we are really looking forward to going up to North Penn next week. It will be a great game.”

Ridley came alive in the second half, when Stratton completed two short passes and a 39-yard toss to Brock Anderson to set up Young’s 23-yard touchdown run around the left side to cut the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter.

But it seemed like only a matter of time before the Red Raiders scored again, and this time Ortega again took matters into his own hands, running 22 yards for a score and a 34-14 lead.

“We saw some things we could do and that is the beauty of the no-huddle offense,” Matt Ortega said. “You can change things at the line. and, this team has great chemistry and they are very close. Ridley deserves a lot of credit. They did not quit and hat’s off to them. We wanted to put them away earlier but they did a good job staying in the game but we got that third period touchdown after they made it 28-14 and we will take the win.”

There are only two local scholastic football teams still alive in their respective district playoffs as this weekend saw four area teams go down to defeat, all on the road. Only West Chester Henderson (5A) and Coatesville — the only area team with a home game — survived the weekend.

The two winning teams did it their way. The West Chester Henderson win over Upper Dublin was a typical Warrior win. The Warrior defense won the skirmish at the line of scrimmage while special teams stole the show late to seal the Warrior victory.

Kavond Jones broke through the Upper Dublin line and blocked a punt in the fourth to give Henderson the football at the Upper Dublin 20-yard-line. Then, Bryce McEhliney drilled the winning field goal and the Warriors have another road playoff win to add to their long list over the years. Junior running back C.J. Preston had another big night as the Warrior star rushed for 136 yards on 22 carries. Henderson is a tough as nails, gritty bunch and they have a big shot to upend the top seed in 5A, Springfield (Delco) this Friday. The road is not an intimidating place for the Henderson Warriors.

The Coatesville win over Ridley showed how much talent and quick strike ability the Red raiders posses. When Aaron young gains 240 yards on the ground and is not the big story of the night, then you know something is brewing, something special in Coatesville.

Freshman quarterback Ricky Ortega stole the show as he scored three rushing touchdowns and threw for two more scores. It is not a surprise anymore to see Ortega do these things. The surprise is that this is his first year playing at the varsity level and he makes things look so easy. Ridley did not lay a hand on him on any of his three touchdown runs. And why Ridley chose to single cover Avery Young is a still a mystery to me, but the Green Raiders found out what real speed can do to a defense.

Now, the Red Raiders must make the trip most Ches-Mont League teams dread. The long trip up the turnpike to take on head coach Dick Beck and the top seeded Knights of North Penn. It usually does not end well for the various Ches-Mont League schools when they play North Penn in November as Avon Grove, Downingtown East and Downingtown West teams of the recent past can attest.

North Penn has never lost a playoff game at Crawford Stadium where it is still grass and dirt, with a little mud and ice thrown in. But, this Coatesville team is too young, too brash and too talented to worry about all those things. This Coatesville team has speed, confidence, ability and just enough swagger to pull this off and advance to the District 1 6A title game against either Garnet Valley or the Steven Sturm led Perkiomen Valley Vikings. A lot of people said the Red Raiders were a year away because of their youth. Maybe their youth is a benefit. The Red raiders, especially Ortega, have no fear and that is dangerous.

With West Chester East, Great Valley, Bishop Shanahan and Downingtown East all going down to defeat this weekend to end their respective seasons, a look at the teams may give an answer as to why their seasons ended so soon.

Great Valley ran into a very tough defensive team in Sprinfield (Delco) and when quarterback Robert Geiss left the game with an injury, that was basically it for the Patriots. Bishop Shanahan went into Academy Park and battled for 48 minutes but the speed of the home team won out in the end. Nonetheless, Eagles quarterback Nick Skulski had a great year as he almost willed the eagles into the semifinal round.

Downingtown East is not a team that can score quickly and although the Cougars can pressure a quarterback, Sturm and receiver Justin Jaworski were just too much for the slower-footed Cougars. But, another quarterfinal playoff run for East under head coach Mike Matta. West Chester East had the most heartbreaking loss of the weekend as a blocked point after conversion dropped the Vikings by a single point in double overtime to Marple Newtown. Viking football is in good hands with head coach Dave Gueriera as the Vikings won a playoff game for the first time in 10 years.

Daily Local News Chesco Super Seven

1.Coatesville. 2. Malvern Prep. 3. Downingtown East. 4. W.C. Henderson. 5. Bishop Shanahan. 6. W.C. East. 7. Great Valley.

Red-hot Coatesville travels to Lansdale to face undefeated and number one seed, North Penn in Friday night’s District One 6A bracket playoff game.

“North Penn is very good. This is not your typical North Penn offense,” Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega said. “They still have some size up front and they have good backs, but their quarterback (Reece Udinski) is the real thing. He is tall, stands up well in the pocket, and he has a lot of receivers who can catch the ball, not just (Ricky) Johns. He’s not real fast, but he can run it a little.

“Defensively, they do what North Penn usually does, and that is play tough, hard defense,” Ortega said. “And playing at North Penn makes our kids have a chance to make history because they are very tough to beat there. We are playing well right now and we are looking forward to the challenge. They look for matchups to beat you and they have a lot of guys that can make plays. Those kids have been in big games before, so playoff games are no surprise to them. It is a great program.”

Udinski, who has thrown for 3,060 yards and 36 touchdowns, has a slew of receivers who can go up and get the football. Johns is the prime target. The West Virginia recruit hauled in 35 passes in 10 regular season games, along with seven touchdowns.

Coatesville will be led by the defensive play of Isaiah Hall, Ed Clark and Alex Raimondo. The Red Raiders are on a 10-game winning streak, and have averaged just over 40 points per game during that span.

North Penn plays very good defense, but the Coatesville spread offense could end up giving the Knights fits. Udinski and North Penn will put up points, but the Red Raiders put up a little more.

THE PICK >> Coatesville 31, North Penn 28

West Chester Henderson must travel to face top-seeded Springfield-Delco in the Class 5A bracket on Friday night.

Both teams face very stern tests, and their coaches are fully aware of what their teams are up against.

Henderson is coming off a thrilling 17-14 win over Upper Dublin that had head coach Steve Mitten looking back.

Special teams has played a huge role in several Henderson games this season.

“Our special teams have been great all season, and then against Upper Dublin, we get a punt block and then Bryce McElhiney kicks another game-winning field goal for us,” Mitten said. “He won the Oxford game and in the West Chester East game, he hit a big field goal. CJ Preston, besides rushing the football for us, had the big punt block that won the Downingtown West game for us. And, Joe Saulino set a school record with a 77-yard punt to pin Great Valley inside the one-yard line. So our special teams have been fantastic.”

Mitten then turned his attention to the district’s top seed.

“As far as Springfield, they are the Central League champions, and the Central has Garnet Valley, Springfield and Marple Newtown still left, so to win that league this year is a big thing,” he said. “They play very hard, have excellent skill players and they really rally to the football. It will be another big challenge for us.”

Springfield and Henderson are almost carbon copies of each other. Both like to run the football, play tough defense and have good special teams. Henderson has a knack for going on the road in the playoffs and knocking teams off. And playing in the Ches-Mont League National Division is just about as tough as anything the Cougars will throw their way. They go on the road and do it again.

THE PICK >>  W.C. Henderson 21, Springfield 14

They say following a legend is never an easy task. Taking over for the Pellegrini name at Malvern Prep, Aaron Brady lasted two-plus seasons as head coach.

Brady submitted his resignation Friday with one game left in the regular season. Assistant coach Scott Hisey will take over for Tuesday’s finale against the Avalon School from Maryland, although Brady may attend.

In a text message to the school Friday, Brady said “I am very thankful to have coached in a family community like Malvern Prep. This decision did not come easily. It was an honor to be part of Malvern Prep and to coach leading men.

“After Tuesday’s game, I am moving on to new opportunities. I am so proud of my players and I love them.”

The Friars come into Tuesday’s game with a 7-3 mark. They shared the Inter-Ac League championship with Germantown Academy with 4-1 records.

The school declined to comment on the suddenness of Brady’s resignation.

The 40-year-old Brady took over for Kevin Pellegrini after a successful stint at Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. He was 23-9 overall, going 12-3 in Inter-AC play in his three seasons.

DOWNINGTOWN >> As two of the most storied teams in the long history of District 1 football, North Penn and Downingtown East have often been known for their punishing defenses.

Friday night saw a much different chapter being written into those history books.

The two teams — who entered the night ranked seventh (North Penn) and eighth (East) in the Pa. Prep Live Top 20 — set an all-time points record for Kottmeyer Stadium by combining for 95 points, 40 first downs and 900 yards of total offense. When the blitzkrieg ended it was the host Cougars, who scored 27 unanswered points at the end of the first half and in the third quarter, coming away with a resounding 61-44 triumph in nonleague action.

“I never thought that this game would be a shootout like this,” Downingtown East lineman Connor Munnelly said. “We usually play close defensive style games but we took it to them tonight with our running game and we were the fresher team in the second half. We wanted to get them back for last season.”

The first half featured five lead changes between the teams as they both seemed able to score at will. The Cougars’ (2-0) Brassir Stocker, who rushed for 150 yards on just 14 carries, returned a kickoff 93 yards in the second period to send the faithful at Kottmeyer into hysterics. Stocker ran hard all night and was, along with Tim Aivado and Garvey Jonassaint, something to watch all night as the Cougars rushed the football for an incredible 380 yards on the Knights defense.

“Our offensive line is very good,” Stocker said. “They work so hard all summer long and they lift weights and they did a great job for me all night. And we scored so many points I think North Penn got down a little bit. They are not used to things like this.”

The Knights (0-2) got a huge game from senior wide receiver Justis Henley, who hauled in 11 of Steve DePaul’s passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

“We did not stop their running game and we left some chances out there,” Henley said. “But, we will regroup and get going.”

North Penn took a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime but the Cougars took the second half kick and went on a 11-play drive that ended when quarterback Bryce Lauletta went in from one yard out. After that, Downingtown East scored the next two touchdowns, a 13-yard run by Aivado and a 45-yard jaunt from Stocker that put the Cougars in control of the wild affair at 47-30 with 5:34 left in the third.

“We felt pretty good at halftime,” Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta said. “We made some mistakes in the first half by trying to do too much. And this year we have three different style backs that keep teams off balance and this is the best offensive line we have ever had here, and we have had some good ones. Brassir is explosive, Tim Aivado will run you over and Jonassaint is very shifty. In the past we have not had that mix. and our quarterback Bryce Lauletta is a real leader. And our strength program led by coach Darren Wasser is top notch and it showed tonight.”

North Penn closed the gap to 47-37 when DePaul, who threw for 299 yards and four scores, hit Henley down the left side for a 41 yard touchdown and the Knights seemed to have life, down 47-37 with two minutes to play in the third period.

But, the night belonged to the Cougars as they went on another long drive to take time off the clock. And when Lauletta went in from a yard out, there were just over eight minutes to play and the Knights were up against the wall.

When all was said and done, the Cougars fired a very loud warning shot to the rest of District 1.

“I thought we would have played better defense tonight,” North Penn head coach Dick Beck said. “They just lined up and kicked our butts tonight and they kept it up all night and we took it. Nothing fancy, just a beating.”

CALN >> If you had a few Coatesville football players in your fantasy league, you would be sitting pretty right now.

Friday night in a nonleague Ches-Mont crossover against West Chester Rustin, the Red raiders piled up 553 yards of total offense, 305 on the ground and 258 more through the air courtesy of quarterback Ricky Ortega, as the fifth ranked team in Pa. Prep Live’s Top 20 destroyed No. 19 West Chester Rustin, 49-0.

Not only was the Coatesville (5-1) offense on fire, the Red Raider defense, led by senior Alex Raimondo, held Rustin (4-2) to just 92 yards of total offense in a completely dominating performance. Rustin had averaged 42 points per game in its last three outings, but the Red Raider defense shut out the Golden Knights.

Coatesville’s Avery Young barely misses a punt. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)

“These kids like to play together and in front of this home crowd,” Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega said. “They play for the community and they are a very close group. When one of our junior varsity guys scored late in the game, the whole team went to greet him because he works on the scout team and gives everything he has in practice all week. These kids have fun together.”

The fun started early for the Red Raiders as they took the opening kickoff and went on a 10-play, 68-yard touchdown drive with Ortega hitting Avery Young from 15 yards out to make it a 6-0 game. Then, Rustin fumbled on the second play after receiving the kickoff and Jimmy Limpett fell on it at the Rustin 33 yard line. The longest offensive play the Golden Knights had all night was a 19-yard pass play from Will Pileggi to Tyler Kaliner.

Five plays later Coatesville was in the end zone again when Dapree Bryant caught a pretty six-yard slant pass from Ortega. Ortega finished the game completing 16 of 25 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns and had another 66-yard bomb called back due to a penalty.

“We never lose our focus no matter what the score is,” Bryant said. “We are locked in right now. Offense, defense and special teams are all playing very well and we want to keep things going the way they are now.”

With a 13-0 lead, Coatesville racked up 22 points in the second period to take a commanding 35-0 lead at halftime and put the second half into the mercy rule. Coatesville, leading 28-0, took a Rustin punt at its own 43 yard line with 17 seconds to play and it looked like the Red Raiders would run the clock out and go into the locker from with a nice lead.

Coatesville’s Aaron Young (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)

Not these Red Raiders. Ortega threw a screen pass to Aaron Young, who weaved his way through traffic and carried Golden Knights defenders down to the one yard line with one second to play in the half. One play later, Young waltzed into the end zone for a 35-0 lead and the home crowd wildly roared its approval. Young rushed for 134 yards on 14 carries with three scores on the night.

“I don’t think we lose our focus even with the big leads we have been having in these games,” Young said. “I think I can do a lot of things in the backfield. I am pretty shifty and I like to catch the ball out of the backfield. Tonight, we played very well.”

Coatesville scored again in the third period when Frankie Sherman went in from a yard out and Ortega cleared his bench, but that did not stop the Red Raider onslaught. Daryl Perry busted through the Golden Knights’ line like he was shot out of a cannon and rumbled 46 yards to make it a 49-0 game and close out the lopsided affair.

“These kids love to play in front of this crowd because of all the support they get,” Ortega said. “It is a throwback town and the team is as close as the community is.”

DOWNINGTOWN >> Rarely do big events live up to the hype. Friday night at Kottmeyer Stadium, the Battle of the Brandywine more than lived up to its billing, and then some.

Downingtown East and Downingtown West went at each other furiously for 48 minutes. The Cougars broke a halftime tie to hold off the upset-minded Whippets, 28-14, in the Ches-Mont League National Division football game.

The win was fourth straight for East in the series, which now stands at 9-5 in favor of East.

“It feels great to get them four times in a row,” Downingtown East receiver Jack Riley said. “We just came out in the second half and played Downingtown football and we dominated up front. This is a great event and it is such a big rivalry, it feels great to come out on top.”

Downingtown East WR Brassir Stocker scores the game’s final TD. (Mike Reeves – PAPL)

Downingtown West (0-3, Ches-Mont National, 3-4 overall) tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter when superlative sophomore quarterback Will Howard bulled in from three-yards out. Howard threw for 262 yards on the night on 19 of 27 passing.

The Whippets were stopped on a fourth-and-inches by the East (4-0, 7-0) defense earlier in the period or the Whippets would have gone into the locker room with the lead.

The Cougars took the second-half kickoff and promptly went back to their patented running attack. East used Brassir Stocker a lot in the second half. He gained 160 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. East took the lead after going on a 80-yard, 10-play drive — all runs — when Stocker went 15 yards to bring the ball down to the West five.

Two plays later, Bryce Lauletta went in from the one for a 13-7 advantage after the PAT was blocked.

“We made some defensive adjustments at halftime,” Downigntown East head coach Mike Matta said. “We also made a decision to run the football and it worked out. (West coach) Mike Milano has a lot of pride and his kids played very well. It feels good to get out of here with a win.”

Downingtown East tight end #35 Connor Noble (Mike Reeves – PAPL)

After stopping the Whippets on a three-and-out, the Cougars went on another scoring drive with Stocker and Garvey Jonassaint running behind the mammoth offensive line. Stocker finished the eight-play drive by going around the left side for a 21-7 lead. Stocker set up the eventual winning score with a 20-yard run to the 10.

“At halftime, coach told us to just go out and do what we do,” Stocker said. “And we did that. We just ran the ball and got after them. To beat them four years in a row is a very big thing.”

Downingtown West was not done. Two plays after taking the kickoff, Howard hooked up with Josh Willenbrock for a beautiful 78-yard pass and run to cut the lead to 21-14 with 11:24 to play in the fourth.

But with East grinding up yardage on the ground, the Cougars advanced the ball and ran down the clock.

Downingtown East, which rushed for 301 yards on the nigh, asserted themselves in the fourth, controlling the football for eight minutes of the final period. Stocker sealed the win by going up the middle for a five-yard TD run with 7:37 to play.

Downingtown West RB Owen Landis (6). (Mike Reeves – PAPL)

West tried to come back again, but could not find the magic as Howard could not record a first down.

“I am real proud of my kids effort,” Downingtown West coach Mike Milano said. “We got two kids back on defense and they are both sophomores and that helped. But, to come back after the loss we had last week and play like this, I am real proud of the effort of our kids.”

Note: Owen Landis had a big night for West, hauling in 10 passes for 100 yards.

DAPREE BRYANT CATCHES IT IN THE END ZONE. COATESVILLE LEADS WITH 3 SECONDS LEFT. pic.twitter.com/DvMoBRGY6k

— Steve Moore (@Smoore1117) October 21, 2017

DOWNINGTOWN >> The Ches-Mont League game of the year had already lived up to the hype, and then some, as Ricky Ortega and Coatesville lined up for one last play, trailing by a single point.

Seconds later, the game of the year became a game no one will ever forget.

Ortega hit receiver Dapree Bryant with a beautiful, lofted 20-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline with just three seconds left on the clock, sending the visiting fans at Kottmeyer Stadium into a delerious celebration on the way to a 38-27 win Friday night.

The touchdown actually gave Coatesville, ranked fifth in the most recent Pa. Prep Live Top 20, a 32-27 lead. But No. 4 Downingtown East fumbled on a desperation kickoff return as time expired, leading to a garbage-time touchdown and the final margin.

“When they scored with 49 seconds left, there was no doubt we would come back and score,” Ortega said. “We just knew we had too many playmakers for them to stop. We had Aaron Young run the safety off and I hit Dapree in the end zone with the pass. He is the absolute best receiver in the state and he got the job done tonight when we needed it.”

It looked like Downingtown East (4-1 Ches-Mont, 8-1 overall) had the game won when Brassir Stocker scored on a three yard run up the middle on a fourth and one play with 49 seconds left in the fourth. But much like NFL fans who say “you left too much time for Tom Brady,” the Cougars left too much time on the clock for the electrifying Coatesville (5-0, 8-1) offense.

The Cougar defense had played well all night and it looked like Coatesville was in trouble until the late heroics.

Coatesville now has clinched at least a tie for the Ches-Mont National Division title, and can win the title outright with a win next Friday at home against Bishop Shanahan.

“We ran the ball pretty well to start the game, but then they clamped down on us,” Aaron Young said. “But, we knew we would score after they did. It’s just us that way. We are a real family and we stuck together. They had Stocker spying me the whole game tonight.”

The game was a sight to behold before an overflow crowd at Kottmeyer. The hitting was ferocious and the two teams showcased their athletes and showed why they are two of the best Class 6A teams in the state.

Coatesville rushed for 268 yards and Ricky Ortega threw for 176 more as the vaunted Coatesville offense did its job, but the Red Raider defense — which was the second-ranked 6A unit in District 1 by allowing just nine points per game — did not hold the Cougars down as Downingtown East totaled 334 yards of total offense.

East more than held its a own, thanks largely to a big night from junior running back Garvey Jonassaint, who rushed for 110 yards on 15 carries and had touchdowns runs of 25, 23 and 10 yards.

The game was tied at halftime and the Cougars took a 21-14 lead when Jonassaint burst through a big hole in the middle of the Red Raider defense to score. Coatesville came right back on a long drive of its own with the big play being a third down completion to Avery Young for 34 yards and a first down at the Cougar three yard line.

Two plays later, Ortega went in from a yard out, but Coatesville missed the extra point and Downingtown East had a 21-20 lead.

Coatesville kept the pressure on the Cougars and Downingtown East responded after a Bryant three yard touchdown run early in the fourth period, going on a four minute, 32 second drive that culminated in Stocker’s touchdown.

“Our kids played their hearts out,” Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta said. “But, we always play that way. I know our kids deserved better than that tonight.”

Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega looked drained after the hair-raising win, and was impressed with his club’s resilience.

“This was a great game and that last touchdown play shows what kind of team this is,” Ortega said. “They are a tough group that plays for each other and they did that again tonight.”

EAST MARLBOROUGH >> Three-peat, it has a nice ring to it.

The Unionville football team accomplished that lofty feat Friday night, completely dominating Great Valley, 41-14, to take its third consecutive Ches-Mont League American Division title. The Indians finished the regular season with a perfect 6-0 division record, 9-1 overall, and should, unofficially, head into next week’s District 1 Class 5A playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will host a first-round contest.

Unionville jumped out to a 14-0 lead after just one period as the Indians ran for 397 yards, 121 passing, and amassed 22 first downs as they took control of the game early and proved to be the class of the American again.

“It is a great feeling to win this title with this bunch of guys,” Unionville’s Joe Zubillaga said. “To win there times in a row is quite an accomplishment. We knew all the hard work we put into this would be worth it. “Tonight, we came out early and showed them we are the better team. We won this tile in dominating style.”

Unionville’s Joe Zubillaga lifts up James Hower late in Friday’s game. (MICHAEL REEVES)

The first two scoring drives were of 80 and 90 yards, and showed the strength of the Unionville rushing attack. Zubillaga posted 143 yards on just 12 carries on the night, and Dante Graham busted out for 101 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns. Many times, the Unionville runners carried Great Valley (5-1, 6-4) defenders with them on their backs for extra yardage.

Junior Joe Fariello came off the bench to rush for another 74 yards on four carries, including a huge third-down run in the third quarter to keep a drive alive.

Zubillaga ended the first drive with a 19-yard run around the left side for a touchdown. Graham capped the second march by pushing the pile into the end zone from six yards out for a 14-0 lead after one.

Unionville threatened late in the second, but Dom Braithwaite’s 39-yard field goal attempt hit the upright and bounced back to the field as the horn sounded for halftime.

Great Valley could not muster much offense all night as the Unionville defense, led by Alijah Woodall (10 solo tackles) and Sam Ross, was all over the field. Ross and Pablo Aviles also tortured the Great Valley offense. Great Valley tried many offensive formations, including a no-huddle, but it was all to no avail.

“I thought we did a real good job in coverage and at times, we got good pressure on their quarterback,” Unionville head coach Pat Clark said. “To win the title three years in a row is a testament to how hard the kids work and how much they put into this program. We get everybody’s best game week in and week out, so to win the league three years in a row is a great accomplishment for our kids.”

The third period saw a scoring explosion as the Indians took a 28-0 lead before Great Valley’s Owen Banavich brought a kickoff back 79 yards to make it a 28-7 game.

Unionville’s James Hower tries to get to the pylon in front of Great Valley’s Damien Carter. (MICHAEL REEVES)

But, all that did was give Unionville the ball back and start another long, time-consuming drive. The Indians went 67 yards on eight plays with Graham busting through the middle for a three-yard run for a 34-7 lead.

“We knew coming in tonight that we were the better team,” Zubillaga said. “But, we needed to go out and execute and we did those things the coaches told us to do, and we dominated the game.”

Great Valley could only run the football for 57 yards. Quarterback Jake Prevost, who had a big game against West Chester Rustin last week in a 30-28 win, was under pressure all night as Unionville sacked him four times and made him hurry many of his throws.

“We did not want to be in a situation down 14-0,” Great Valley head coach Dan Ellis said. “But, they are a tough, physical team that likes to pound the football and Pat coaches them up. “We did not get it done tonight.”

CALN >> Three weeks ago, Coatesville needed some last-second heroics to defeat Downingtown East.

Friday night, it was much easier for the Red Raiders.

[PETE BANNAN’S PHOTO GALLERY FROM FRIDAY’S GAME]

Despite the frigid temperatures at Red Raider Stadium, the fifth-seeded Red Raiders were smoking hot on offense as they jumped all over Downingtown East, taking apart the Cougars, 62-41, and sending Coatesville into the District 1 Class 6A semifinals Friday at home against No. 9 Pennsbury. The Falcons upset the top overall seed, Neshaminy.

Coatesville rolled up an astonishing 602 yards of total offense and accumulated 30 first downs in a very impressive offensive performance. The Coatesville (11-1) defense also held the Cougars (10-2) to just seven points in the first half before the game got out of hand in the second.

“The difference between the first game and this game is that we saw what they did and we prepared for all their stuff,” Coatesville quarterback Ricky Ortega said. “We picked up their blitzes and I hit the hot receiver and we jumped on them early and took them out of the game.”

Ortega was sensational for the Red Raiders as he completed 15 of 25 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 110 more yards in a display of brilliance not usually seen at the high school level. He consistently darted through Cougar defenders for extra yardage and his passing was pinpoint much of the night.

“They are a very talented team but make no mistake about it, No. 1 (Ortega) makes that team go,” said Downingtown East head coach Mike Matta. “Things got away fom us early and against a team like that it can become a tidal wave.”

Coatesville blocked a Cougar punt that was recovered by C.J. Brown in the first quarter, and five plays later Ortega hit Kathero Summers, who was wide open in the end zone, with a 27 yard touchdown pass to make it 6-0. With the Coatesville defense, led by Alex Raimaondo and Johnny Clifford, shutting down the Cougar offense, Aaron Young, who rushed for 157 yards, scored the next two touchdowns and it was a 20-0 Red Raider lead after just one quarter.

“I feel I am a big part of the offense and it was important to score early and when we did it took their confidence away,” Summers said. “We studied what they did to us the first time and practiced hard and came out and took their will tonight.”

The Downingtown East offense did virtually nothing in the first half as the Red Raiders shut down the Cougar running game and had quarterback Bryce Lauletta on the run most of the time with Raimondo recording four sacks by himself.

Downingtown East showed some life early in the second period when Lauletta hit a streaking Jack Riley with a slant pattern for a 27 yard touchdown pass to make it a 20-7 game.

But the Cougars could not slow the Coatesville blitzkrieg down for long.

Avery Young took a 20 yard pass from Ortega to the end zone, dragging a Cougar defender with him for a 26-7 lead. Then the sensational Dapree Bryant hauled in a 10 yard strike from Ortega to make it a 34-7 halftime lead and Coatesville was home free.

“Our defense shut them down in the firs half,” said Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega. “Our D coordinator E.J. Moyer did a great job getting the kids ready to play. And we did not play that well the first time we played them. The points they scored in the second half might have been our kids losing focus a little bit.”

Downingtown East showed life in the second half, scoring 35 second half points behind the hard running of Brassir Stocker, who broke free for an 86 yard touchdown run to make it a 14-point game with just over eight minutes to play. But, Coatesville took the ensuing kickoff and drove down the field to seal the deal when Bryant skirted the left side for a five yard touchdown run and the Cougars’ season was over, while Coatesville was looking ahead to Pennsbury.

“We never felt we were in trouble of losing the lead,” Ricky Ortega said. “We knew we could score pretty much anytime so we were very confident.”

CALN >> The District 1 Class 6A playoffs are supposed to be taut, tense affairs with most games that go deep into the fourth quarter before being decided.

Someone forgot to send that memo to Coatesville.

A week after putting up 61 points and 602 yards of total offense on Downingtown East, the Red Raiders blew the doors off Pennsbury, 42-2, to move to next Friday’s District 1 Class 6A final against Garnet Valley at the Jaguars’ Moe De Frank Stadium. It will be the Red Raiders’ first appearance in the district title game since 2014.

Friday night’s semifinal was really never in doubt as the Red Raiders jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and ended up putting the Falcons into the mercy rule early in the third quarter. Coatesville (12-1) quarterback Ricky Ortega was sensational again as he rushed for 128 yards and threw for 182 more in just over one half of football. Ortega made most of his yardage by going right up the middle of the Pennsbury (10-3) defense for good gains as Coatesville moved the ball with ridiculous ease.

Coatesville’s Dapree Bryant picks up yards in the third quarter. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)

“They were trying to take everything outside away from us,” Ortega said. “There was no linebacker or safety up the middle so I just decided to take what they gave me. This is going to be the fourth time Coatesville has played in a district championship game and we are ready. I feel we are battle-tested because we have played good teams like Cumberland Valley, D-East and Pennsbury. We are definitely looking forward to it.”

The crafty sophomore got things going right off the bat as the Red Raiders took the opening kickoff and went on an 11-play, 65-yard drive with Ortega taking it the final four yards to score and make it a 7-0 game. Meanwhile, the Coatesville defense, led by Alex Raimondo, Avery Young, Zach Hilliard and Johhny Clifford, held the Falcons to just 22 yards of total offense in the first half. Pennsbury did not muster a first down until there were three minutes left in the first half.

“Our coaches put us in good situations and we know what to expect,” Raimondo said. “And our offense scores so many points it takes the pressure off of our defense. Tonight, we just had fun out there and to play in a district title game is a big thing. The last time Coatesville went I was in the seventh grade and I told myself I wanted to go with my team. And to see the community behind us and excited is a great thing.”

Coatesville put the game out of reach in the second period, outscoring the Falcons, 21-0, in the period. Aaron Young scored from two yards out to make it a 14-0 game and after the fourth three and out for Pennsbury, Ortega went play action and hit a streaking Mekhi Alexander with a pretty 40 yard touchdown pass to make it a 21-0 game.

Pennsbury sits dejectedly during Coatesville’s 42-2 victory. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)

Pennsbury took the ensuing kickoff and showed some life, moving the football down to the Red Raider 30. On a third down play, Falcon quarterback Zach Demarchis overthrow his receiver and Aaron Young picked the ball off and weaved his way through the Falcons for an electrifying 92-yard interception return and Coatesville had Pennsbury by the throat at 28-0 at halftime.

“That was a big play,” Young said. “The guys blocked well for me. And I am real happy to play in a district title game. Last year we lost in this round so take things one step further is exciting.”

Coatesville, which has now scored 161 points in its three playoff games, put the game into the mercy rule early in the third period. Ortega hit Dapree Braynt for a 38-yard gain down to the Pennsbury 20, and one play later, the quarterback called his own number and dashed down the left sideline, breaking two tackles to cap a 20-yard touchdown run, making it 35-0, as the Red Raiders continued their stretch of making powerful District 1 teams look like cupcakes.

Coatesville piled up 398 yards of total offense and it could have been more, but head coach Matt Ortega called off the dogs. Ricky Ortega ended his splendid night by hitting a wide open Bryant for a 68-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-0 and the Coatesville first team had the rest of the night off.

“We watch a lot of film and our team is well prepared,” Aaron Young said. “Now, we get back to work for next week.”

With so many stars on the football field at Coatesville, one may think it would very hard for a particular athlete to stand out. With Division I-level talent all over the place in Avery Young, Aaron Young and Dapree Bryant, the Coatesville attack was the most potent offense in the state, averaging more than 46 points per game on its way to a District 1 title and the PIAA Class 6A semifinal.

But, it takes someone to lead this elite group. Someone to direct the activities on the playing field into a cohesive unit, so that not only does it score points and keep the opposing defenses guessing, but is able to adjust on the fly. The Coatesville offense was one that was feared by most, if not all, of the Red Raiders’ opponents.

Sophomore quarterback Ricky Ortega was singular force that allowed Coatesville to stand head and shoulders above the rest of District 1, and for that reason, he is the 2017 Daily Local News All-Area Football Player of the Year.

The Red Raiders’ signal-caller was a two-way threat, leading Coatesville to its first district title since 2012.

In 2017, Ortega threw for 42 touchdowns and 3,270 yards on 192 of 304 on passing with only four interceptions, and just two during the regular season. Ortega also rushed for 823 yards and consistently left opposing defenses bewildered as to what the Coatesville offense would do.

“Ricky really came on over the summer with all his hard work and working with coach (Jim) Cantifano,” said Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega. “He is starting to really understand the game and he is also becoming one of the leaders on the team.”

The Red Raider sophomore was like a coach on the field, constantly looking for any edge he could garner to exploit opposing teams’ defenses. In the Red Raiders’ quarterfinal round playoff win over Pennsbury, Ortega noticed a switch in the Falcons’ defense and started to run the football up the middle of the Pennsbury defense. Ortega ended that game with more than 150 yards rushing and he talked about the move after the game.

“I noticed they moved their linebackers and the safety to the outside to try to take away our receivers so I saw an opening up the middle and that is where I tried to go,” Ortega said. “We always look for an edge and our coaches put us in great spots to succeed. They do a great job for me.”

One of Ortega’s greatest showings came in the PIAA semifinal, a game where the Red Raiders were eliminated by nationally ranked St. Joseph’s Prep and its stingy defense. The Hawks had only given up 92 points the entire season, but Ortega led the way with an incredible six touchdown passes, and the Red Raiders lost a tight one, 53-49, ending their marvelous season.

But Ortega caught the eye of Hawks head coach Gabe Infante, who said after the game, “He is a quality quarterback who does a lot of things right and he can do things on the run,” Infante said.

Ches-Mont League foes will have to deal with the Red Raider signal caller for two more years, as Ortega belies his grade level and plays more like a seasoned senior. After throwing four touchdown passes in a playoff win over Ches-Mont rival Downingtown East, Cougars head coach Mike Matta raved about the silky smooth sophomore.

“They have a lot of great skill players but make no mistake, Number 1 (Ortega), is the one that makes that team go.”

With over 3,000 passing yards and 42 touchdown passes as a sophomore, Ortega is already on the radar of Division I college coaches, and the Red Raider quarterback has already picked up an offer from Morgan State University, with plenty more to come in the next year. Ortega’s offensive coordinator and highly respected quarterback guru Cantifano has taken Ortega under his wing and imparted his many years of knowledge to the young Red Raider.

“This kid is something else,” Cantifano said after the playoff win over Pennsbury. “He is definitely a Division I quarterback and he will be able to pick what college he is going to attend. He is smart, disciplined and he picks up things very quickly.”

With Coatesville being one of the favorites to win District 1 going into the season and with much hype around the team, it might figure that a young quarterback would take things for granted and develop a big sense of purpose around him.

Not Ortega. When asked about the team’s chances this season, the sophomore responded like an old pro.

“We are just taking one game at a time and blocking out a lot of what people are saying. We know no one is going to give anything to us and we have to be humble and work hard.”

Work hard and do your homework, that is what opposing defenses are going to have to do for the next two seasons when they face a star as bright as Coatesville’s Ricky Ortega.

EAST WHITELAND >> Downingtown West’s offense proved prolific in a 49-21 win at Great Valley Saturday evening.
The Whippets (5-0) exploded for 603 yards and 26 first downs. Junior running back Tyriq Lewis had a sterling performance, scoring five touchdowns, while rushing for 150 yards on 21 carries.

Downingtown West also got a sensational passing night from quarterback Will Howard, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown.

All of this offense came in handy as the Whippets fumbled the ball six times, losing four of them.
“We were just pointing the ball well tonight, and the offensive line did a great job,” Lewis said. “We were a little sloppy with the fumbles, but we feel we can overcome adversity and strive to get a little better each week.”
“We won ugly tonight,” Downingtown West head coach Mike Milano said. “We won because we had more players than they do. It was not because of scheme or anything like that. We have some things to clean up.”
The Whippets jetted out to a 14-0 lead early in the second period, compliments of two rushing touchdowns from Lewis and a 14-of-15 passing in the first half from Howard.
Josh Burgess took a 15 yard scoring pass from Jake Prevost one play after Great Valley (1-4) recovered one of four lost Whippet fumbles. But, right after the Great Valley score, the Whippets went 57 yards on six plays, with Lewis going the final two yards for a 21-7 halftime edge.
“We did not play our best game at all tonight,” Howard said. “We need every practice and every rep in practice and we know we have to, and can, get better as a team. Tonight, we were a little sloppy with the football.”
Great Valley closed the gap to 21-14 early in the third period when Burgess recovered a Howard fumble in the end zone. It appeared that Howard’s arm was moving forward, but the ruling on the field ruled it a fumble.
But, Downingtown west was too strong up front for the Patriots, as Lewis scored from six yards out. After Alex Rosano picked off a Prevost pass, Dan Byrnes went around the left side of the Patriots defense for a eight yard touchdown run and the Whippets were in full control again at 35-14. The Whippets scored the next two touchdowns to send the game into the mercy rule in the fourth quarter.
Downingtown West now looks ahead to next week’s home game with Avon Grove, who defeated the Whippets last season.

It is no secret that Ches-Mont League athletic directors and principals have been trying to come up with an equitable way to realign the league for football to achieve a competitive balance.

There is no easy solution.

The four Class 6A schools — Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Coatesville and Avon Grove — really would rather not play the 5A schools. Aside from the lopsided routs, the teams miss out on precious playoff points because of the way the formula penalizes teams for playing “smaller” schools.

And on the flip side, the 5A schools do not want to face the larger 6A schools, especially as the gap in talent continues to get larger, leading to blowout losses for most of the 5A schools. At last week’s meeting, sources tell me there was nearly a coup, as West Chester East and West Chester Henderson voted to move to the Ches-Mont American Division, leaving just Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Coatesville, Avon Grove and Class 4A Bishop Shanahan alone in a five-team Natonal Division.

The proposal passed, but at the last minute it was tabled, pending a meeting in early October. It has long been the fear of the 6A schools that this would happen, leaving them in the lurch with no real league, and having to find five nonleague games a year. That task is next to impossible, outside of pairing up with teams from other smaller leagues, like the Del Val, which would defeat the purpose of the switch. Nearly every other Class 6A school in the state would be in the middle of league play and unable to schedule nonleague dates with the Ches-Mont quartet.

And in terms of potential moves to other leagues, it’s unlikely any other league would be willing to take in the 6A powers, for fear of being drowned out in their own league by perennial powers.

This is the exact reason the Ches-Mont League split up back in the late 1980s, anyway. At that time, Pottstown, Phoenixville and Boyertown wanted no parts of Coatesville and Downingtown, so don’t expect the Pioneer Athletic Conference to come to the rescue now, or a merger with the Central or Del Val leagues.

The four 6A schools would basically become orphans with nowhere to go, which has been their fear for a while now.

The wild card in all this is little Bishop Shanahan (Class 4A), which seemingly wants to stay in the National Division with the big boys. Head football coach Paul Meyers has long said that he likes the challenge of playing the big schools.

Another wrinkle with Shanahan is also the constant whisper about a move to the Philadelphia Catholic League.

There is another meeting in early October, so we will see where the state of the Ches-Mont League lies.

I understand both sides of the situation. Since the West Chester district split into three high schools, it is very hard for West Chester East and West Chester Henderson to compete in the Ches-Mont National Division. And the crossover games have been largely a joke, with the 6A schools dominating the American side.

The number and ease with which the 6A schools are dominating the smaller 5A schools is becoming almost laughable. Coatesville led West Chester Henderson, 48-0, in the first quarter Friday night and was forced to pull starters well before halftime.

Games like that are not good for anybody.

And it’s easy to see why the 6A schools complain about losing points in their playoff pursuit by having to play the 5A schools.

If Coatesville runs the table, as expected, the Red Raiders will likely finish behind a 10-0 North Penn squad in District 1 because wins over the two 5A West Chester schools, West Chester Rustin and Class 4A Bishop Shanahan.

I do not know where this league is headed, but something has gotta give. So stay tuned.

Peter DiGiovanni covers high school football for the Daily Local News and Pa. Prep Live. You can reach him at pdigiovanni07@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteDLN.