Football: Chester’s Jalen Harris’ potential seems unlimited … but so do his suitors

WHITEMARSH — Long before the story ended Friday night, the unlikely, if not the impossible, already had been reached.

Long before a 30-12 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh in the District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals, the athletic reputation at Chester High had been expanded.

Long before a season would end with a Del Val League championship, Chester had won the right to be considered … a football school?

Not that the Clippers hadn’t had the occasional success in football and other sports over the decades, but there has never been a dispute that it was the basketball program – eight times good for a state championship – that was most responsible for building and maintaining a sturdy sports reputation.

But then came the football season of 2022, a 7-0 start, a tidy 4-0 Del Val campaign and a second-round appearance in the district tournament. By any measure, that was season that should put some friendly pressure on the Clippers to do as well this season in basketball.

At the minimum, it proved there was room for more than one group of heroes wearing the orange and black.

There is not said to be any secret to the Clippers’ rise to excellence this season, other than that, as it often happens in high school sports, a strong bubble of athletes has moved through the program at once. The Clippers were home-grown, not recruited. More, they were fortunate that the usual suspects hadn’t yet swooped down to try to do some recruiting of their own, endeavoring to lure some Clippers to other high schools.

If that happens – and it’s difficult to imagine why it wouldn’t – it will begin with a zeroing in on quarterback Jalen Harris. The 6-1 freshman passed for 141 yards Friday, including a nine-yard second-quarter touchdown to Aqeel Austin. He showed bounce in the pocket and a strong arm, was a little inaccurate in misty weather, was twice intercepted but was also victimized by penalties resulting in unfortunate field position and at least two critical second-half drops.

Harris finished his rookie season with 2,260 passing yards, 35 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. With seven lost yards Friday, he finished with 90 rushing yards for the season, including four touchdowns.

As much as Harris’ fine season further sent Chester into high District 1 relevance, it will also loom as a shadow over coach LaDontay Bell’s program until the opener next season. Specifically, how difficult will it be for Chester to prevent Harris from being wooed by area private or Catholic schools – or, given that he is recognized as one of the top freshman quarterbacks in the country – one of those sports academies that specialize in preparing athletes for college sports and beyond in some far-away state.

And, by the way, is there still a Bishop Sycamore?

“The kid is phenomenal,” Bell has said. “Sometimes I’m just sitting back there and I’m just watching him play. He’s very young but his poise, his maturity back there is really something to watch. I’m excited to see what he’s doing.”

Earlier in the year, Bell was quoted as saying the Clippers would “score at will.” On many nights they did, but they they sputtered Friday, scoring only on the Austin catch and a recovered fumble in the end zone. While there were some tears afterward, the Clippers should have come away with one realization: At that point in the tournament, strength makes a difference.

And much as they did a week earlier against Sun Valley, the Colonials used a distinct size advantage to wear Chester down with a relentless running attack that included three Tommy Hannon touchdowns.

The Clippers finished at 10-2, having won double figures for the first time since going 10-1 under Joe Carroll in 1986. In Bell’s seventh season, they were in their second consecutive postseason.

Feelings bruised during the penalty-saturated game, there was a brief on-field dust-up between the teams at the end. Harris choosing to keep his thoughts private afterward, he did hint during the season that Bell’s coaching style has left him content at Chester.

“He is a great mentor,” said Harris earlier, on Dave Burman’s Delco Sports 360 broadcast. “He is a great coach. He cares about us for more than about football. He wants us to succeed in life.”

That would be a powerful recruiting counter-pitch for Bell, should the expected happen. Chester may not have the glittering facilities that some private schools can offer, but there is something of value about the mission of a coach who cares about what essentially is a neighborhood team.

Trouble is, the Chester basketball program has been mentored by some of the most caring and capable coaches for years, but recently has been swamped by defections to other programs – sometimes after the transferring players themselves insisted that they had no intention to leave.

So, the wait is on, and there could be some roster upheaval for as potent a Chester team as there has been in modern history.

It’s just what can happen at a football school.

Contact Jack McCaffery at jmccaffery@delcotimes.com