DiGIOVANNI: Coatesville’s team a perfect match for a proud city on the brink of history
The Coatesville football team always puts on a show on the field, and on the scoreboard.
But just a few yards off the sideline, where you may rarely look, there is another image that never gets old.
It occurs — at nearly every game — along the fence behind the Coatesville bench.
That’s where small children from Coatesville line up, in the rain, or cold, or snow, just to get a closer look at their heroes.
They stand there before the game, after the game, and during the game, hoping for a handshake, a high five, or a selfie with their favorite players, who look larger than life, and must seem that way in the eyes of a 6- or 7-year-old.
And those players always oblige, with a high five or handshake that may seem like a quick five-second moment to them, but means the world to a little kid.
Even on the big stage of a District 1 championship, the routine remained the same.
Friday night, all the way up in Bucks County, Coatesville continued its assault on the rest of District 1. Back home, in an oft-maligned, turbulent town that fiercely protects its own, hearts continued to swell (if there was anyone left back home who didn’t make the trip).
Coatesville dominated North Penn, 42-13, to claim its second straight District 1 Class 6A title. On the field, it was a very impressive feat. But on the sidelines, it felt like every resident of Coatesville was bundled up in the stands at Pennridge to cheer on the red and black.
The Red Raider faithful packed the away stands and dwarfed the crowd from North Penn, which may not have been hosting a true “home” game, but was much closer to home.
This is nothing new for Coatesville. The town embraced this team last season and has not let go at all.
And never is that more clear than along that fence on the sideline.
Coatesville is a town that has clearly had its share of ups and downs. It’s a diverse and relatively big city, oddly situated in an otherwise rural part of Chester County.
Inside the city limits, the Red Raiders are a symbol of community, loyalty and pride. A pride that runs deep in the bloodstream of every Coatesville resident.
While some bad apples give the city of Coatesville a bad name to outsiders, nearly all the city’s residents are hard-working, loyal to their community and faithful people who can seem tough to outsiders, but are quick to defend their own.
And the Coatesville football team shows all those qualities.
The immense talent on the field is there for all to see. But what is tougher to see is all the preparation, long hours and attention to detail that the Red Raider players and coaches put in to produce a product that has — without exception — mercy-ruled every District 1 foe it has played this season, while also showing mercy and class to those overmatched opponents by refusing to run up the score and inflate stats just for show.
Some North Penn people mentioned to me Friday night how amazed they were at the size of the Coatesville crowd that made the long trek from Chester County. I told them that’s just the way it is in Coatesville. The people of Coatesville are fiercely loyal and proud of their own, and they support the team and each other week in and week out.
And one of the reasons for Coatesville’s success is that the Red Raider players feel the same way.
When Malvern Prep, St. Joe’s Prep and other private schools came sniffing around and knocking on Anthony Young’s door, hoping to recruit his three talented sons away from Coatesville, the Young boys said, “No way.”
They wanted to play and win in Coatesville. For the fans. For their community.
A lot of bad stories appear in the Daily Local News and on TV about Coatesville, and those are things that have to be reported.
But, in my 20 years covering sports in Chester County, I have become an enormous fan of the Coatesville community and its people.
There is no pretense to these people. No phoniness. You know how they feel, be it good or bad. But they are never fake. And if you prove to be a straight-shooter that does his or her homework, you are welcomed into the community and embraced as one of its own.
The community has embraced what is likely the most talented team I’ve seen in 20 years watching Chester County football. A team that is on the cusp of bringing the city its first football state championship. The sheer joy on the faces of the Coatesville faithful brings a smile to my face every time the Red Raiders win.
And isn’t that what high school sports are all about? Playing for your family, friends and community.
Too often these days, some players, coaches and fans seem to be in it for themselves. For a college scholarship. For a gaudy stat line. For a pipe dream of a professional contract.
But at a Coatesville game, it always feels like everyone is in it together. It is a synergy of love between a team that looks destined to make history, and some really great people from a really great city.
The Coatesville faithful likely has back-to-back trips to HersheyPark Stadium in its near future. First for Saturday’s semifinal against Harrisburg, and barring a stunner, for the Class 6A final on Saturday, Dec. 8
And even at a big stadium, far from home, you’ll find the youngest of all the Coatesville fans in once place.
Down along the fence, waiting for a glimpse or a smile from their heroes.
Peter DiGiovanni covers high school football for The Daily Local News and Digital First Media. You can reach him at pdigiovanni07@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteDLN.
