Coatesville runs past Central Bucks West in District 1-6A quarterfinals

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 half, shutting West out in the third quarter and for much of the fourth, the Red Raider offense put the game out of reach.

Ricky Ortega audibled to a deep shot along the left sideline, hitting Artie Burgess – who had beat single coverage – in stride for a 34-17 cushion. Ruttman’s 22-yard score further padded the lead.

“They’re a very good football team,” Bucks coach Rob Rowan said. “(Bryant and Ortega) are great players and they’re in a system that supports those two.”

Plenty to be proud Of

The No. 2 Bucks saw their season come to a close, but it was a remarkable season at that, with 10 wins against just two losses.

“Immensely proud of them,” Rowan said. “We were down to dressing 33 guys for the past four weeks. They re-established the standard of what’s acceptable here moving forward.”

Jack Fallon rushed for 179 yards and quarterback Jack Neri had 18 yards and two TD’s. He also threw for 110 yards.

“They’re a great program,” Matt Ortega said. “They have good kids and a good coach. Our kids came out in the second half, we made the adjustments, we got the stops and our offense made it happen.”

Said Matt Ortega of moving forward, with a game at Garnet Valley next week: “We’re gonna come in week in and week out trying to defend that district title.”

Coatesville 41, CB West 24
(10) Coatesville 0 13 14 14 – 41
(2) CB West 7 10 0 0 – 24
First Quarter
CBW – Josh Jackson 3 run (Bailey Moyer kick), 5:11.
Second Quarter
C – Ricky Ortega 5 run (Pierce Hadzor kick), 8:05.
CBW – Moyer 26 field goal, 5:41.
C – Ortega 28 run (kick failed), 5:08.
CBW – Jack Neri 1 run (Moyer kick), :53.
Third Quarter
C – Ortega 14 draw (Hadzor kick), 8:13.
C – Dapree Bryant 69 run (Hadzor kick), 3:37.
Fourth Quarter
C – Artie Burgess 81 pass from Ortega (Hadzor kick), 6:59.
C – John Ruttman 22 run (Hadzor kick), 2:01.
CBW – Jack Neri 2 run (Moyer kick), :32.
C CBW
First downs 17 18
Rushes-yards 38-329 42-223
Passing 9-20-1 7-17-0
Passing yards 190 110
Total yards 519 233
Punts 2 2
Penalties-yards 9-74 1-5
Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0
Rushing
Coatesville: Ricky Ortega 23-131, 3 TD; Dapree Bryant 13-167, TD; John Ruttman 2-31, TD.
CB West: Jack Fallon 23-179; Josh Jackson 8-20, TD; Jeremy Goldrick 1-1; Jack Neri 8-18, 2 TD; Nick Olear 2-5.
Passing
Coatesville: Ortega 9-19-190-1-0; Bryant 0-1-0-0-0.
CB West: Neri 6-16-110-0-2.
Receiving
Coatesville: Bryant 6-57; Artie Burgess 2-117, TD; Jordan Engler 1-16.
CB West: Donte Mancini 1-11; Fallon 2-37; Olear 2-51; Luke Laatsch 1-11.
Interceptions
C – Abdul Stewart, Bryant.