Losing a state title game does nothing to dim the achievement of Coatesville’s football team
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
HERSHEY — Admittedly, it didn’t go exactly to plan.
You know what? A state title for Coatesville High School in the PIAA AAAA championship game would have been amazing and special — something that not only the players and the school could embrace, but the larger community.
But the Red Raiders, in front of some 7,000 fans decked out in red and black who made the 90-minute drive to Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night, lost to North Allegheny, 63-28.
Coatesville High School football players hoist their Eastern Pennsylvania PIAA AAAA championship trophy following Saturday’s loss to North Allegheny in the state title game.
Maybe the final result of one game is less important than the way the Coatesville community came together to support this team. Maybe one loss matters a whole lot less than dozens of signs on businesses from Caln to Sadsbury rooting on the kids from Coatesville High. And maybe — even after the loss — there were hundreds of cars, emergency vehicles, parents, fans and just community supporters there on Route 30 late Saturday night to welcome their heroes home.
It’s no secret that that’s been a rough few years for the city and neighboring communities. If you read the headlines, it’s been one body blow after another — some self-inflicted by local elected officials, and some just lousy luck — and yet, somehow, Coatesville is still standing, wobbling at times to be sure after some of the toughest blows, but always finding a way to get up off the mat, shake off the pain and get back into the fight for its community and future.
Say what you will about the Coatesville area, but there is no quit in this community.
The 2012 Coatesville football team will probably be remembered the same way. After a 2-2 start and the emotionally draining loss to Downingtown East after a furious comeback, the Red Raiders were just one loss, one more mistake from their season being over.
How did this collection of young men respond? They got on a bus, drove down to Unionville and handed that program its worst loss in a decade — a 42-0 win that was more than a victory; it was a statement:
More than 7,000 folks made the trip from the Coatesville area to cheer on the Red Raiders in Hershey Saturday — as an entire community came together behind a championship football team.
“We may go down, but we will go down fighting.”
Week after week, these young men in red and black unleashed arguably the best offense in southeast Pennsylvania and the kind of work ethic during practice, according to head coach Matt Ortega, that makes for winners.
As the buzz grew on this team, as the community rallied about it, this teams seemed to find a higher gear — an ability to outclass pretty darn good football teams and make it look easy. To be sure, it wasn’t easy — Ortega makes it clear how hard his team worked in practice to make those Friday nights look effortless — but each week, amazingly, this team seemed to get better.
And this wasn’t one of those teams driven by a superstar, but a collection of young men who came together as a true team. When you stopped senior quarterback Emmett Hunt, you had to deal with junior tailback Duquan Worley, and if you somehow contained him, there was Dre Boggs, or Chris Jones or — well, this list goes on and on.
That teamwork, that commitment led to 11 straight wins — an amazing accomplishment in and of itself — and the Eastern Pennsylvania AAAA championship, the school’s first since the current playoff system started in 1988.
Sure, it’s just a football game. And you could argue that here in football crazy Pennsylvania we put too much emphasis on this one sport. But these young men — coming from every possible socio-economic background imaginable — are the future leaders of this area. The lessons learned on the field, of the power of not giving in when it seems so easy to do so, of coming together to build something special, will live long past 2012.
So, sure, say what you will about what was on the scoreboard. But never doubt for one second that this group of young men who have made this community so proud are anything but one thing and one thing only:
Winners.
