Raiders explode for 42 points for second straight week
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
Coatesville’s high-powered offense pretty much had its way again, scoring on its first six possessions en route to a 42-7 win over Bishop Shanahan, Friday night.
COATESVILLE – Coatesville put up another six-touchdown performance on Friday en route to a 42-7 blowout against Bishop Shanahan. All six touchdowns of the Homecoming victory came in the first half, allowing the Red Raiders to rest their starters with a 42-0 halftime lead.
Coatesville has now outscored its opponents 84-7 in its last two games.
After a false start on the first play after the opening kickoff, senior quarterback Emmett Hunt found senior wide receiver Chris Jones with a deep pass for 50 yards to put the Red Raiders deep in Shanahan territory. The big play set the tone for the night with the Red Raiders scoring on each of their first six drives. On the seventh, Hunt kneeled the ball to end the first half.
“I told the guys to play hard, play focused, play with intensity,” said Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega, who wanted to make sure his team did not relax after last week’s big win. “We had a great week in practice, and we didn’t overlook anybody.”
The first two touchdowns came off very similar swing passes, one to senior wide receiver Dre Boggs and the second to Jones, who effortlessly shrugged off a few tackles and then dropped a shoulder to power his way into the end zone.
Coatesville quarterback Emmett Hunt and Daylin Myers were honored as Homecoming King and Queen at halftime of Friday night’s game.
Thanks to a big punt return by Jones to start Coatesville’s next drive on Shanahan’s 29, Hunt only needed one play to find senior wide receiver Vinny Williams for a touchdown. Throughout the first half, the Red Raiders played four wide receiver formations, forcing Shanahan’s defensive backs into unfavorable positions against the highly talented receivers.
“They were playing a lot of man-to-man, and we saw some matchups we liked,” said Ortega.
Worley, who added two more touchdowns, contributed a fine first half performance, accumulating over 100 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Those runs came on a mixture of plays with Worley demonstrating his ability to find holes on the interior as well as outrun the defense on tosses to the outside.
The Red Raiders defense also had another superb game, holding Shanahan scoreless for three quarters. Every time Shanahan ran, Coatesville’s entire front seven seemed to be crowded around the ball carrier before he crossed the line of scrimmage. They also held the Eagles’ passing to under 50 yards for the entire game.
The Red Raiders capped off their scoring with less than two minutes to go in the first half. On the first play of the drive, Jones beat his man in a flat out footrace down the sideline, and Hunt lofted a ball to him for a 65-yard touchdown. The play exemplified the night; one team simply outmatched the other.
“He’s been playing unbelievably,” Ortega said of his quarterback.
After his last play for the game, a kneel down leading into halftime, Hunt’s night was not done. Still in his uniform and pads, he escorted homecoming queen Daylin Myers during the halftime festivities. 2012 Alumna Kaylin Richards sang the alma mater for the packed home crowd.
The second half saw both teams substituting their first string players in the already decided game. Coatesville’s sophomore running back Jalen Hudson stood out in particular, showing good lateral quickness and agility to beat defenders to the corner and earn some solid yards.
Shanahan’s only touchdown of the game came from a Red Raiders’ lost fumble, which allowed the Eagles to start on the Coatesville 13.
“We got this thing rolling,” Ortega said to his team after the game. “Be smart, do the right things, and stay focused.
Coatesville has now outscored its opponents 201-82 all year. The two losses in their 4-2 (2-1 Ches-Mont National) record, have come by a combined six points. The team has found a groove with a dynamic quarterback, dynamic running back, depth at wide receiver, and an intelligent defense.
Coatesville will travel to West Chester East (1-4) next week in the first of three consecutive away games. The Red Raiders will once again have to make sure they focus and look too far forward to Henderson and Downingtown West, two difficult games that will define the season.
