Bryant, Coatesville steamroll Bishop Shanahan

DOWNINGTOWN – It was the kind of ‘wow’ moment that makes a lengthy indelible impression.

The 25-yard pass was overthrown and Coatesville’s incandescent receiver Dapree Bryant had just a step on the defender. But Bryant reached up, stuck out his right hand, and the football somehow, someway, stayed in his palm. And before Bryant ran out of room in the corner of the end zone at Jack Mancini Field, he cradled the ball and got two feet inbounds for a truly wondrous touchdown.

“I don’t know how I kept that in my hand. It was just natural, I guess,” Bryant recalled.

In all, Bryant and the rest of the Red Raiders made a bunch of eye-popping plays on their way to steamrolling overmatched Bishop Shanahan, 49-0, on Friday in the Ches-Mont National opener for both. And even though Bryant rolled up some big numbers and scored two more times, nothing came close to approaching his one-handed grab early in the second quarter.

“I honestly turned away because I thought it was overthrown. I can’t wait to see it on film,” said Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega.

“I had one like that last season in our first game against Simon Gratz. But this one was probably better,” Bryant added. “I had to look down to get my feet in and catch the ball.”

Quarterback Ricky Ortega also didn’t see Bryant’s acrobatic, seemingly gravity-defying play, but he definitely heard it.

“I got hit and actually didn’t see it,” he confirmed. “But I heard the crowd go crazy. I did watch a replay when I got onto the sidelines. It was crazy.”

Now a perfect 4-0 overall, the Red Raiders showcased their lethal trio of playmakers – Bryant, Ortega and running back Aaron Young – to the tune of more than 400 yards of offense. And get this: they did it in just one half of football.

“Every week we expect to put up numbers like this,” said Bryant, who finished with six catches for 129 yards and three TDs. “We have a good running back in Aaron (Young), a good quarterback, and good wide receivers.”

Ortega accounted for five first half touchdowns, and had already rolled up 318 of total offense by the break. He connected with Bryant on scoring passes of 60-, 25-, and 8-yards, added another to underrated wideout Dymere Miller, and ran one in himself on a keeper that covered 10 yards. It was part of 88 rushing yards by the junior quarterback on 10 carries.

“With our zone-read offense, it’s just taking whatever the defense is giving us,” Matt Ortega pointed out. “We got Rick (Ortega) rolling in the run game and I think that’s what helped loosen (Shanahan) up and we were able to throw the football because they didn’t know whether to cover us or load the box.

“We had them on their heels.”

In addition, Young broke loose for an electrifying 55-yard scamper and finished with 107 yards on just nine attempts (11.8 yards per).

“It’s hard to simulate Coatesville’s speed,” said Shanahan head coach Paul Meyers. “You try to practice it all week, but when you get on the field with them, that’s when you realize just how fast they are.”

The Eagles (2-2 overall) managed just 108 yards of total offense, and Meyers used two quarterbacks. Senior Michael Prieto made his first start and junior Charlie Maddocks finished the game, but neither was effective.

“We are going to keep battling,” Meyers said. “It will be an open tryout the whole week, and whoever wins out, we will go with him.”

It was 42-0 at the intermission, and two Shanahan turnovers led directly to two Coatesville scores. Charles Brown pounced on a Prieto fumble and three plays later it was 14-0. And then Shamaur Hall’s interception set up one of Bryant’s TDs to up the margin to 42.

“You turn over the ball and it never helps. But against a team that is that superior, it really kills you,” Meyers said.

None of the first unit played in second half for the Raiders, but another turnover – this time an interception by Frankie Sherman – led to the game’s final score: a short run by Dametrius McClain-Jackson.

“We were up by so much at the half, there is no point in keeping us in and risking injury,” Ricky Ortega said. “We took care of business and then let the young kids get in and get experience.”

It wasn’t, however, like Coatesville played a perfect game. The Raiders were whistled for 12 penalties for 85 yards, and an illegal block on the opening kickoff erased what would have been an 84-yard return by Young. But who’s going to quibble?

“We had some penalties, especially in that first quarter that bothered me,” Matt Ortega said. “But other than that, I thought we were sharp. Once we settled in, we took over from there.”

The total offense numbers from the first half were kind of hard to believe. The Raiders outgained the Eagles 406-57. And Bryant was at the center of a lot of the damage.

“Dapree has a special skill-set,” Matt Ortega said. “When he was growing up, people thought he’d be a running back, but I watched him and I knew he would be special out there as a receiver. He’s taken over for us as a receiver.”

Shanahan has now dropped two in a row, and things don’t get any easier next week. The Eagles next assignment is a road game at unbeaten Downingtown East.

“There are a few things we can build on, and one is that we (had one) penalty,” Meyers said.

“We told them our kids to keep their heads up. (Coatesville) was one of the best teams in the state. Sometimes, the opponent is just better.”