Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
New offensive approach suits Red Raiders
DOWNINGTOWN >> Ricky Ortega and Coatesville are still here. And you can forget that at your own risk.
Friday night at Kottmeyer Stadium, the three-time defending Ches-Mont League National Divsion champion Coatesville Red Raiders felt like the underdogs against the No. 1 team in the District 1 rankings: undefeated Downingtown West.
The old bosses held up their end of the bargain, as Coatesville quarterback Ortega threw for 320 yards and the Red Raiders held the Whippets on a fouth and two with under two minutes to play, as Coatesville handed Downingtown West its first loss in a thrilling, 29-21 win.
“We knew we could get them with underneath passes,” Ortega said. “Last year they played us man and I threw for five TD passes in the first half so that did not work out too well for them. Tonight, we knew we had the hitch and short game and we took advantage of them.
“And we are usually the hunted team, but with all the hype around them, we wanted to show we are a real good football team. So it was a new role for us.”
Coatesville (3-0, 7-1) came out and took the opening kickoff down the field and made it a 7-0 game when Ortega went in from the 2 yard line. But, the Whippets (2-1, 8-1) came right back on a seven-play drive that culminated in a Max Hale twoyard run, and it was 7-7 after the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Coatesville (3-0, 7-1). Ortega found Dapree Bryant nine times through the air for 146 yards and a score, and he hit Abdul SaburStewart nine times for 123 yards. When Ortega dropped back and hit Bryant with a pretty 17-yard catch and run, it was Coatesville with a 20-7 lead at halftime.
“In years past we have been all vertical,” Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega said. “Tonight, three-step drop and get the ball out and it worked well for us. This team came together in the Unionville game and they played great tonight.”
The Whippets came out on fire in the third quarter. West quarterback Will Howard started running the ball and picked up good yardage as he finished the night with 32 yards on the ground and 230 through the air.
Downingtown Eest turned a tipped Coatesville punt that went 15 yards into a score when Howard went in from two yards out, and the suddenly potent Whippet offense took a 21-20 lead.
But champions die hard, and Coatesville, the twotime defending District 1 Class 6A champions, got a big third down pass from Ricky Ortega to Damonte Reason to put the Raiders deep in Whippet territory. Three plays later Ricky Ortega went in from a yard out and it was a 26-21 Red Raider lead.
The Whippets took the ensuing kickoff and drove the ball into Red Raider territory, but Howard put a little too much air into a deep pass and Bryant picked it off at the Coatesville 4 yard line. On a third and eight play, Ricky Ortega darted 54 yards right up the middle and Coatesville was in business again.
But Downingtown West held on downs and Pierce Hadzor drilled a 27-yard field goal to pad the Coatesville lead at 29-21.
The Whippets came right back and put the ball into Coatesville territory, but the drive bogged down and on a fourth and two play when Howard was stuffed by Jordan Engler, and Coatesville had a thrilling 29-21 win.
The win put the Red Raiders into position to win another Ches-Mont title with a win at Downingtown East next Friday in the regular season finale.
“I just read the quarterback’s eyes on the pick,” Bryant said. “I went up for the ball and out-jumped the receiver and got the ball. Tonight, we were the hunter and that was new for us. For the last three years everybody has been coming after us. This was different but we had them tonight.”