Young runs wild as No. 6 Coatesville blanks West Chester Henderson

WEST CHESTER >> Coatesville running back Aaron Young is thankful for his offensive line.

“Our line stepped up. They executed. I’m thankful for the line … blocking for me. I appreciate it,” a beaming Young said after the Red Raiders’ 42-0 road rout of West Chester Henderson Friday evening.

Coatesville’s front seven gifted Young, a strong and explosive runner, with open avenues to the end zone for the entire duration of the first half, and with each run Young had the Henderson defense at his mercy.

He shed tacklers with ease and got into the open-field, where he left Henderson (0-2 Ches-Mont, 0-5 overall) hopeless.

Young finished the first two frames with 157 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries, with each scamper being for a sizable chunk of yardage.

Red Raiders quarterback Ricky Ortega was also the beneficiary of Coatesville’s sturdy offensive line, dropping back time and time again to deliver dimes to his receivers.

Ortega finished his two-quarter stint with only one incomplete pass, going 10-11 for 167 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were reeled in by different receivers.

Coatesville (2-0 Ches-Mont, 4-1 overall), which entered the night ranked sixth in the Pa. Prep Live Top 20, is furnished with playmakers all over the field offensively, and Ortega put an emphasis on spreading the wealth, making sure all his guys were sufficiently fed.

The Red Raiders established their mammoth lead in the first half, scoring three touchdowns in both the first and second quarters. While Young and Ortega steadied Coatesville’s offense, a host of other characters joined in on the action as well.

Henderson’s offense failed to get its wheels spinning offensively, as the running games and passing games were both neutralized by Coatesville’s defense. By the time the second half rolled around, the Warriors, realizing the Red Raiders’ lead was insurmountable, elected to let the clock bleed by running the ball on almost every down.

Warriors running back Jay Pierce, who ran the ball only five times for three yards in the first half, saw his workload more than double in the third and fourth quarters, where he ran the ball 16 times for 51 yards.

Henderson only attempted one pass in the second half, a completion from quarterback Joe Saulino to Nick Vitucci for seven yards.

Young believes an emphatic victory like the one his Red Raiders earned over Henderson should be accredited to Coatesville’s coaching staff.

“It’s mostly our coach. He keeps us level-headed. I give a lot of credit to him.”