Defense shines as Chester cruises

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CHESTER —  Three of Chester’s top playmakers were not in uniform Saturday afternoon.

Malachi Langley, Malik Langley and Shaheem Pharr each rank among the top-15 in the county in receiving yardage. Due to injuries, though, they were relegated to spectator duty in the Clippers’ 38-0 rout of Glen Mills.

Eventually, quarterback Tahree Fuller-Bryan will have his favorite targets back in action. On this day, though, Chester’s offense would rely upon a balanced rushing attack led by senior Ish Maultsby and sophomore Anton Sterling, who made his return from a season-long injury.

Sterling rushed for a team-high 83 yards and a touchdown. Maultsby caught a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a score. On the ground he racked up 53 yards on eight carries.

“All week long, we had good practices,” Maultsby said. “Today, we were more excited than we’ve been all year. It was a good game for us. We’re just tired of losing. I believe we can be a 10-0 team, that we can be a great team.”

The potential is certainly there for Chester. Its 2-5 record (1-1 Del Val League) is not indicative of the talent on coach LaDontay Bell’s roster. That was apparent from the outset Saturday. The Clippers dominated in all facets. The offense scored with ease and had zero turnovers. But even with Maultsby, Fuller-Bryan and Sterling showing the way, this 38-point thumping of the Battlin’ Bulls had more to do with a defense that yielded just 40 yards. Chester caused nine Glen Mills turnovers (five fumbles, four interceptions). Key’onn Goodman had two picks, Rafiqe Hilliard and freshman Sharif Bethea chipped in with one apiece. Glen Mills’ leading rusher was quarterback Nasir Johnson, who finished with 32 yards. All other GM ball carriers combined for minus-12 yards on the ground. Four of Johnson’s 10 passing attempts were picked.

It was a hideous offensive performance by the Bulls, but a defensive effort that Chester can hang its hat on. This was the Clippers’ best game since their last win, a 20-14 decision over Great Valley back on Sept. 1.

“The last couple weeks, we just weren’t ourselves out there,” said senior defensive end Tylee Williams-Clark, who had a blocked punt, two fumble recoveries and a handful of tackles behind the line of scrimmage. “It was a lot of mental mistakes. We realized that we had to stay together, to come together as a team and keep on working hard. Our mindset was to keep on grinding, talk to each other and just executing.”

With the Langley twins and Pharr cheering on their teammates, the Clippers made it look very easy against a Glen Mills team that was coming off a hard-fought 6-3 victory against Chichester last week.

“We were missing our best players and, in my eyes, three of the best players in Delco,” Williams-Clark said. “Those guys are out right now, so it’s time for us to step up. The younger players, too, they really stepped up today. It’s not just us (the seniors), it’s everybody stepping up and doing their jobs.”

Bell was proud of his players for overcoming the adversity of four straight defeats. This was exactly the type of result he wanted to see.

“I told the boys today, don’t think about the win, think about execution,” Bell said. “And today they started to execute. They responded when I asked them to respond, and I’m very pleased with their effort here today.”

Chester led 14-0 at halftime. Maultsby’s four-yard scoring scamper put the Clippers on the board in the opening period. In the second quarter, Glen Mills was set up to punt, but a high snap sailed into the end zone and Chester linebacker Isaiah Powell-Gates pounced on the loose ball in the end zone. In the third quarter, Maultsby hauled in a six-yard catch from Fuller-Bryan (5-for-8, 64 yards). Sterling’s scoring run and another passing connection between Fuller-Bryan and Maultsby capped the day’s scoring in the fourth quarter.

Williams-Clark looked at the scoreboard one last time. He couldn’t help but smile at the final score.

“Thirty-eight. That’s my number,” he said. “We’re going to make it known that we’re underdogs and we’re ready to play anyone in the Del Val.”

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Matt Smith

Matt Smith
Matt Smith is a sports writer with the Delaware County Daily Times. To contact him, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.

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