Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Titles can’t hide Ches-Mont’s issues
Strength at top doesn’t fix league’s future
Friday night was a very big night for two Ches-Mont League football teams, and for the reputation of the entire league.
Coatesville took home the coveted District 1 Class 6A title with a thrilling win over a very game Garnet Valley squad. Avery Young clinched the game when he returned a Jaguar interception for a pick six with under a minute to play. It was the Red Raiders’ third district title in program history, with the last one coming in 2012 when they rolled over Spring-Ford in the district final.
Unionville also went on the road, where it won its second district crown with a gutsy win over previously undefeated Springfield (Delco). The Indians last won a district title back in 1994 when current Downingtown West head coach Mike Milano piloted the Indians. The Indians’ defense outplayed the more celebrated Cougar defense, and the game was a hard-hitting affair from the outset.
Other Ches-Mont League schools can puff out their collective chests, as the league brought home two district titles. But no one, at least this season, has said the Ches-Mont was weak at the top, as Unionvile, Coatesville and Downingtown East were all major players in the district from beginning to end. The league’s problems come at the bottom, and the disparity in the ChesMont between the top and bottom tiers is getting wider and wider with each passing season.
And the Ches-Mont is at a crossroads right now because there is still no plan for the American Division teams to replace Oxford on their schedules. Finding a non-league game in Week 6 or 7, when the rest of state is in the middle of league play, could be near impossible. And with whispers that the American Division teams no longer want to play the crossover game with the National, you can look for even more open dates. More than ever, the league needs direction, and two district titles should not make the powers that be turn a blind eye to the problems further down the league ladder.
*** Now, both Coatesville and Unionville will play their respective eastern finals, and their opponents — St.Joseph’s Prep and Archbishop Wood — are both defending state champions in their brackets and blew out good teams this past weekend. Both local teams have mountains, not hills, to climb this weekend if they want to play in Hershey. It can be done, as Coatesville showed in 2012 when the Red Raiders beat La Salle in the eastern final, but what the Prep did to a very good Parkland team on Saturday was downright scary, and Archbishop Wood’s roster is littered with Division 1 talent.
But, this week is for celebration, and both Coatesville and Unionville should be very proud of what they have accomplished. District titles are very hard to come by, and two Ches-Mont League schools are the best in the district. That is still a very big deal.