HECKENBERGER: Bryant’s bold move gives Coatesville it swagger back
DOWNINGTOWN >> Shamaur Hall thought he was going left out of the tunnel.
Coatesville went right.
Following Dapree Bryant’s lead, the Red Raiders headed right to the Downingtown West end zone, right in front of West’s student section, right in the line of sight of the Whippets, who awaited the national anthem.
Disrespectful? Maybe.
A bold statement? West certainly noticed.
It was the ultimate “Do you mind if we dance with yo’ dates” move.
After going 6-1 without much flare, the Red Raiders got their swagger back with a 29-21 win, Friday at Kottmeyer Stadium, and reminded everyone that until someone beats them, they’re still king.
“We just came and had to tell them we ain’t scared of y’all,” Bryant said. “We gonna go right to your own end zone, right where y’all at.”
The Raiders are still the two-time defending District 1 champs, but there was an air of underdog about them that hasn’t been there in a good seven years. That’s partially due to circumstance, partially due to the attention West was getting after steamrolling its way to 8-0.
Coatesville started its season with a 14-6 loss. They won at Cumberland Valley, but no one saw it all the way out in Central Pa. Ricky Ortega wasn’t his electric self due to a nagging toe injury.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity for the Whippets to overcome them.
Believe it, Coatesville felt that, too.
“The success we’ve had, coming in with all the hoopla about them, we had a chip on our shoulder, I’m not gonna lie,” Coatesville coach Matt Ortega said. “We came in here and we knew what our program is about. We knew our kids believed in themselves and they loved being the underdog in the game. They cherished it, they embraced it and they came out here and played their tails off for their school and their community.”
What the fans finally got was that heavyweight bout: two Division 1 quarterbacks, talent all over the field and a game that finally went the distance.
But on a night that undefeated Central Bucks West went down, and North Penn went down, there was Coatesville, standing in the middle of the ring with its arms raised.
“It meant a lot to us,” Ricky Ortega said. “Usually we’re the ones with the target on our back and this year it was Downingtown West. They were 8-0 coming in here and picked to win the league, so we just came out and believed in each other and came out here and got a huge win.”
Ortega was a surgeon against a Whippet defense that all but begged Coatesville to throw short passes. Ortega didn’t mind. He carved them up, dinking and dunking like Tom Brady.
Coatesville felt in charge the majority of the game, minus West’s first couple possessions of the second half.
The Red Raiders’ defense was beyond stellar, holding an offense that put up 41.4 points per game coming in to just three touchdowns.
But it was Bryant who was the difference. What he has, you can’t coach. Four plays to get 10 yards with an athlete like him on the field just feels unfair. He ran around West, he ran through West, and as Hall reminded us, Coatesville goes where he goes.
“Dapree was in the front and he took us over there,” Hall said of Coatesville’s audible to the West end zone. “He’s one of the biggest leaders. That set the tone, come out with that ‘Ville mentality. We gotta come out and be the best.”
Coatesville is a win against Downingtown East away from its fourth-straight Ches-Mont League National Division title. The Raiders still haven’t lost a league game with Ricky Ortega under center.
The Raiders come back to Kottmeyer next Friday, but teams hoping to reach the state tournament may now realize the district once again goes through Coatesville.
“We definitely think we’re capable of beating anybody,” Bryant said. “We just come in and gotta play.”
Nate Heckenberger covers high school football for the Daily Local News and Pa. Prep Live. You can follow him on Twitter @nheckenberger.
