Ches-Mont flexes its muscle in first round

The Ches-Mont League flexed its collective muscle in the first round of the District 1 Class 6A and 5A playoffs on Friday.

In the 6A bracket, all three Ches-Mont teams advanced to the quarterfinals with impressive showings.

Coatesville, as expected, rolled over Central Bucks East as the Ricky Ortega aerial circus deralied the game Patriots. Downingtown East earned a return date with the big, bad Red Raiders by making quick work of Spring-Ford.

Downingtown West advanced with a solid beating of Upper Darby, and now the Whippets host the surprise team of District 1 in Harry S. Truman. Even without injured quarterback Will Howard, head coach Mike Milano and his kids look like they could advance to the district final against Coatesville.

The surviving 5A Ches-Mont teams are the two old standbys of the American Division: West Chester Rustin and Unionville. Both teams go on the road in Round 2, as Rustin visits Academy Park and Unionville goes to Radnor.

The big loser was the Central League in Class 6A, as only Garnet Valley advanced. Haverford was embarrassed at Neshaminy, Ridley lost to an average North Penn team, and Upper Darby fell to the Whippets.

These impressive Ches-Mont League showings came on the day the league decided to take a different look for 2019. The quartet of 6A schools (Coatesville, the Downingtowns and Avon Grove) plus Bishop Shanahan will form one division, and all eight Class 5A schools form the other division.

There are people who like the new 8-and-5 format and some who despise it, claiming it dumbs down the competition and puts the 6A schools in a box trying to find five nonleague games.

I will reserve judgement until I see how it all shakes out. But, what I do know is something had to happen, as no one liked to see countless mercy rule games week after week.

BILL RUDICK — FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Coatesville’s Ricky Ortega throws on the run under pursuit from CB East’s Luke Keller last Friday night.