Coatesville beats W.C. Rustin; await playoff fate

CALN >> There were a lot of things Coatesville couldn’t control Friday night, but their performance was not one of them.
At home in its season finale, Coatesville overtook West Chester Rustin, 31-7, in a Ches-Mont crossover game.
The win gave the Red Raiders a 7-3 record, but wins by Neshaminy and Pennridge likely ruined any plans to travel to Downingtown for a first-round playoff game next week. Though Coatesville is expected to miss the playoffs for the first time since coach Matt Ortega’s first year in 2009, the senior class went out in style after being part of a 29-5 three-year run.
“It means everything,” Coatesville senior quarterback Jordan Young said. “It’s a memory I’ll have forever. We did what we wanted to do and everyone played great and did their jobs. It was a fun experience.”
Coatesville was No. 19 in the District 1 Class AAAA rankings going into the game, while Rustin (7-3) was No. 20.
From the get-go, Coatesville played with a sense of urgency, scoring on its first drive on a run by Avery Young, and then tacking on a 28-yard field goal by Ibrahim Kallie after Rustin fumbled inside its own 20 on its first play from scrimmage.
The Golden Knights, who finished second in the Ches-Mont American Division, got on the board when Ty Pringle caught an Evan Wlock pass and fought his way in for a 23-yard score to cut Coatesville’s lead to 14-7 in the second quarter.
Rustin, which had turned the ball over just seven times all season, gave up four turnovers on the night, and allowed an 80-yard touchdown on a kick return by Aaron Young moments after its only score of the night.
“We started with a turnover and came back and closed the score and the kick return took the steam out of us,” Rustin coach Mike St. Clair said.
Jordan Young was limited with his feet after injuring his ankle on the opening drive, but he navigated an efficient two-minute drill at the end of the first half, and Coatesville went into the break leading 24-7 after Aaron Young’s one-yard score.
Mekhi Alexander caught a touchdown pass from Jordan Young in the fourth. Young passed for 191 yards, giving him 5,298 yards and 41 touchdowns through the air for his career. He also wracked up 1,391 yards and 38 TDs on the ground in 32 games as a starter.
“He’s a kid who does everything right on and off the field, and you know what you’re going to get from him every day at practice,” Ortega said of Jordan Young. “The kids love him and the teachers love him. It’s been a great experience coaching him these three years and he’ll go down as one of the best in Coatesville history.”
Coatesville will be haunted by a one-point loss to West Chester East in week six with a trip to the postseason just out of reach. A year ago, 6-4 Downingtown West snuck in as the No. 15 seed, but there will only be one or two 7-3 teams expected in the bracket this season.
“Our run last year (to the district title game) will stick with me forever,” Jordan Young said. “And playing with kids like Daquan Worley and Tyler Burke, who maybe I’ll see again if I play in college, was great. Being able to play with my brothers this year and all the seniors, it was just special.”
Rustin will bring back some big-time talent next year with backs Pringle and Brandon Frazier, as well as some young linemen. Pringle finished the year with 1,272 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns, as a sophomore.
“I thought with the amount of young guys in our lineup, we got as much out of them as we could,” St. Clair said. “Each week we got better and we should be pretty solid next year.”

Coatesville 31, West Chester Rustin 7
West Chester Rustin    0   7 0  0  — 7
Coatesville        10   14 0 7 — 31

Scoring
CV- Av. Young 4 run (Kallie kick)
CV- Kallie 28 FG
WCR- Pringle 23 pass from Wlock (Gallagher kick)
CV- Aa. Young 80 kick return (Kallie kick)
CV- Aa. Young 1 run (Kallie kick)
CV- Alexander 11 pass from J. Young (Kallie kick)

TEAM STATISTICS
            WCR    CV
First downs         16    12
Rush – yards         41-180    25-74
Passing yards     119    191
Total yards        299    265
Passing         12-20-2    18-25-0
Punts-Average     3-20    4-35.6
Fumbles-Lost        3-2    1-0
Penalties-Yards     6-52    2-30