Bell tolls for Chester’s players … and they respond

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CHESTER >> LaDontay Bell instructed his coaching staff to exit the locker room prior to the second half of Chester High’s nonleague contest with Great Valley.

His players stayed put.

“I said these words: ‘Look yourself in the mirror,’ and then I walked out,” Bell said. “I knew that wasn’t my team out there in the first half. We have done too much work for that to look like us. I was disappointed. So, before I blew a gasket, I said, ‘Look yourself in the mirror,’ and I walked out.”

Aasim Muhammad wreaked havoc from the linebacker position in Chester’s 20-14 victory over Great Valley Saturday. (Digital First Media/Pete Bannan)

And the Clippers answered their coach’s demand.

Chester overcame an eight-point halftime deficit with a pair of second-half touchdowns and its steadily improving defense shut out the Patriots in final two quarters. In its home opener, Chester earned a 20-14 victory over a very good Great Valley program.

Chester’s game-winning drive happened only after its defense forced a turnover on downs. Phenomenal defensive back Rafiqe Hilliard had two interceptions, and his coverage on fourth-and-12 at the Chester 39-yard line caused Great Valley quarterback Jake Prevost to throw an incompletion. On the ensuing possession, Hakeem Bacon hauled in a 38-yard reception on third-and-11 to the Great Valley 1-yard line. On the next play Fuller-Bryan lowered his shoulders, pushed the mass of humanity and crossed the end zone for the go-ahead score.

“We wanted this,” said Fuller-Bryan, who completed 11 of 19 attempts for 193 yards. “And (in the fourth quarter) we knew we were going to score. We knew it would happen.”

Prevost tried a Hail Mary on fourth-and-16 after he was sacked by linemen Tylee Williams-Clark and Amandre Thomas. Waiting in the wings 30 yards downfield was Hilliard, who recorded his second pick of the afternoon.

“We made sure he was back there,” Bell said. “We had to be careful of the longball and made sure we had the right protection.”

Fuller-Bryan and the Clippers ran out the clock to secure their first victory of the season. After a difficult Week 1 setback to Haverford High, 26-12, the Clippers played inspired football Saturday in their home opener at the Chester Athletic Complex.

Rest assured, this looks nothing like a team that is coming off back-to-back 2-8 seasons.

“It’s a new era of Chester football,” said Williams-Clark, who was a terror all day on defense. “We know that we can be great this year. I can’t really say what it means right now, but it’s awesome.

“Once that ball went in the air, I knew one of my guys would go get it.”

Chester’s all-senior defensive line of Williams-Clark, Thomas, DeShawn Summerhill and Romeo Jeter wreaked havoc. At the linebacker position, Aasim Muhammad was a major factor with his clean, crisp tackling and penchant for disrupting the play in the backfield.

Chester’s defense did a good job against speedy Great Valley tailback Amani Christopher, who amassed 146 yards on 19 carries. However, 53 of those yards came on one play early in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots (1-1) inside the Chester 5-yard line. On the next play, though, Ish Maultsby tackled Christopher for a loss and GV eventually turned the ball over on downs.

“I give the credit to everybody on the team. In the first quarter (we were) a little off, but in the second half we came out and played with great intensity. It was all 11 players on defense, not just myself,” Williams-Clark said. “We realized after the first half that, if the offense can’t do nothing, we had to keep the game close for them so that they can get an opportunity to move the ball. We just kept fighting and never giving up. I’m proud of all my guys.”

Chester’s offense showed flashes of promise Saturday. It’s not a finished product, but the Clippers can be explosive. Senior captain Ian Jones anchored an offensive line that remains a work in progress — too many high snaps and tackles in the backfield.

“For me, personally, I knew I had to lock in,” Jones said. “In that first half, my head was … off. I just wasn’t in it. Coach came to me at halftime (and said), ‘it’s time to lock in.’ So I came out at halftime a whole different me, a whole different offensive line. We’ve basically got two rookies playing tackle. And my quarterback , he might be the best I’ve ever played with. He made a lot of plays happen today.”

As many as five projected starters were missing in action for Chester.

“We had people step in,” Jones said. “Everyone stepped it up today.”

Twins Malik and Malachi Langley are game-changing at wide receivers. Malik made five catches for 98 yards and caught the two-point conversion pass to put Chester ahead by six points in the final period. He also added 50 yards rushing on five totes. Maultsby, a Chichester transfer, showed a good burst out of the backfield (42 yards, 12 carries).

Great Valley fumbled the ball five times (one loss) and struggled to find a rhythm. The 6-5, 200-pound Prevost was sacked three times and pressured most of the afternoon. He completed only 10 of 23 attempts for 87 yards with two interceptions. Chester had its problems offensive (seven fumbles, two losses) but still managed to outgain Great Valley in total yardage, 280-274.

This was as good a win in Bell’s three years at the helm.

“The one thing I stress is, you’ve got to believe in yourself first. You have to look yourself in the mirror and you’ve got to believe in yourself before you believe in the person next to you. That’s how it starts,” Bell said. “And I think, as a unit, you saw today that we can be really good. I’m proud of the fact that they stuck together, despite the adversity. They weathered the storm together and I really appreciate that.”

Matt Smith

Matt Smith
Matt Smith is a sports writer with the Delaware County Daily Times. To contact him, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.

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