Tough loss to Coatesville elevates Chester’s reputation
CHESTER — Minutes after Isaiah Freeman launched a last-second Hail Mary that was intercepted in the end zone, the Chester High senior reflected on his team’s 34-28 defeat to Coatesville. He was down, but far from out.
It was believed that Chester had the juice to compete against the five-time defending Ches-Mont League National Division champions. Everyone who follows Pennsylvania football knows that Coatesville is a powerhouse in District 1’s highest classification. Under coach Matt Ortega, the Red Raiders made three straight appearances in the Class 6A final from 2017-19, winning two titles. And they have the talent to make another deep postseason run in 2021.
Saturday morning was Chester’s chance to prove that it belongs in the same conversation as a Coatesville and other juggernauts in Southeastern Pennsylvania. From that standpoint, the Clippers succeeded.
Freeman was proud of his teammates’ effort in what may have been the best football game ever to be played at Chester Athletic Complex. Well, that’s what some of the older fans were saying afterward.
Coatesville (7-1) grabbed the lead for good with 1:16 to play, thanks to a 32-yard touchdown pass from Harrison Susi to wide receiver Tommy Ortega, who caught Chester’s normally reliable secondary napping.
“We had everything against us today,” said Freeman, who completed 13 of 27 attempts for 207 yards and three touchdown passes. He also ran for a team-high 49 yards. “We came out here with everybody doubting us, people thinking we would lose by 20 (points), but we came out and put up a fight. When Coatesville goes back home, they can say that Chester was good.”
You bet they will.
“They’re going to be a real problem for teams in (District 1) Class 5A,” Ortega said of the Clippers. “Hats off to them. Their coaches are doing a great job and they’ve got a special group of kids. The quarterback’s a football player, and I’m sure they’re going to bounce back from this loss and be a better football team.”
A leader on and off the field, Freeman willed the Clippers to a fourth-quarter lead, connecting with favorite target and diminutive wide receiver Will Smith for a game-tying 12-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and goal with 2:39 to play. When he wasn’t engineering drives, Freeman was on the sideline, hyping his teammates.
But championship teams know how to dig deep … and Coatesville certainly showed its mettle against a Chester squad that hung with the Raiders every step of the way.
“We’re going to see tough teams in the playoffs and they’re going to see tough teams in the playoffs,” Freeman said. “It was a battle.”
Chester believed it let one slip away. Back in the third quarter, after Susi darted 18 yards to end zone to cut the Coatesville deficit to 22-20, the Clippers went on a 13-play drive that began at their 25-yard line. They drove down to the Coatesville 3, but turned the ball over after a false start and three straight incompletions.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Clippers started a drive at the Coatesville 22, but went four-and-out. While there were a few questionable calls by the officials, including what appeared to be a sack and fumble caused by Colin Ferrell that was ruled an incompletion, the Clippers wouldn’t make excuses for their loss. They gave it everything they had, but the Clippers can only blame themselves for not getting into the end zone when they had multiple chances to build on their lead in the second half.
Chester coach Ladontay Bell said those were “teachable moments” for his now 7-1 squad.
“When you get into the red zone, you’ve got to smell blood and you’ve got to score, you’ve got to want to get there,” Bell said. “We left 14 points off the board and that’s something we’ve got to learn from. You can’t take anything away from Coatesville, they’re a great team, but those were teachable moments for us. We played against a great program, and even though we lost today, I cannot be more proud of my team.”
Ortega, the younger brother of Coatesville great Ricky Ortega, who is a redshirt freshman quarterback at Villanova, delivered when it mattered most for the Red Raiders. Susi knew he could count on his good buddy to make a play on 3rd and 13.
“That’s my guy, he’s one of my best friends,” said Susi, who ran for 100 yards on 18 carries and was 4 of 11 passing for 84 yards. “That was special just to get the ball to him and see what he was able to do.”
The fourth quarter was an old fashioned barnburner. Susi started to find cracks at the line of scrimmage for big gains, and eventually scampered three yards across the goal line to give the Red Raiders a 26-22 advantage with 6:27 to play. Semaj Turner, who finished with 75 yards and two TDs on the ground, converted the two-point play to make it 28-22.
A good kick return set the Clippers up inside Coatesville territory with six minutes to go. Smith (four catches, 88 yards) snagged a 21-yard pass from Freeman. The Clippers were on the cusp of allowing another big chance to score fall by the wayside when they were whistled for back-to-back false start infractions on first-and-goal. On fourth down, Freeman wriggled out of the pocket and found a leaping Smith for a touchdown to tie it at 28.
Chester wraps up the regular season against Del Val League foes Chichester (4-2) and Academy Park (5-2). The Clippers are closing in on their first district playoff berth in program history. In 2019, when they were a Class 6A team, they finished with a 7-3 record but missed out on the postseason.
