The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Coatesville pulls away from CB West
DOYLESTOWN >> Coatesville felt there was room to roam.
“The last couple weeks, it felt like teams were begging us to run the football,” Red Raiders coach Matt Ortega said. “That’s what happened tonight. And hopefully that’s gonna make us a tough team to beat in the future. We’re really excited to get that running game going to complement the passing game.”
Coatesville ran away to a commanding victory in the District 1-6A Quarterfinals, rallying past Central Bucks West 41-24 to go marching onto the semis.
“The past three weeks, we passed for over 300 yards,” quarterback Ricky Ortega said. “We had to have games where we could rush too. We had to pound the ball and show them we can do that too.”
Ricky Ortega turned draw plays, runs and scrambles into 131 yards and three touchdowns. Backfield counterpart Dapree Bryant ran Wildcat plays deep into the night, going for 167 yards and another score. And John Ruttman burst free for 31 yards and a fifth rushing touchdown for Coatesville at chilly War Memorial Field.
“That’s gonna be big for us too because other teams can’t just key on me,” Ricky Ortega said of Bryant. “You put him in the backfield and that opens up things. They’re gonna crowd the box and that can open up long passes.” TURNING POINT >> West led 7-0 early, on a three-yard run by Josh Jackson.
Two scores by Ortega (five, 28), a field goal by West (Bailey Moyer, 26) and a one-yard sneak by Jack Neri made it 17-13 Bucks at the half.
But then the third quarter belonged to No. 10 Coatesville.
The Red Raiders scored on back-to-back possessions, as Ricky Ortega sprinted in from 14 yards on a draw and Bryant ran for a 69-yard TD out of the Wildcat to push the Red Raiders into a 27-17 lead.
With its defense getting much more penetration in the second