CALN – If you read a coaching manual on how to win a football game, especially in the postseason, it would probably say defense and big plays.
Coatesville followed that playbook perfectly Friday evening in its District 1 6A quarterfinals against Council Rock. Andre Watson ran for two scores and the defense notched its first shutout of the season to post a 14-0 victory over the fifth-seeded Golden Hawks.
The Red Raiders (10-2), seeded fourth, advance to their first semifinal since 2021, and will face the top seed in 6A, Pennridge, next Friday for a spot in the finals.
“It feels really good,” said senior Elias Hanson. “This is my first time, but it’s been awhile since Coatesville’s been in it. So, it feels real good to be here with my friends and teammates and coaches to get the city of Coatesville back to this level.”
The defense is a big reason the Red Raiders booked their spot in the semifinals. They held South to 41 yards of total offense and two first downs in the second half. They have now allowed 17 points over their last three games.
“We’re happy to play. All you’re worried about right now is moving on,” said Coatesville coach Matt Ortega. “I’m just proud of the effort of our kids. They came out and executed when we needed to execute and played great defense, but it’s been complimentary football all season. We started off 7-0 with a hot offense and now our defense is getting hot. We’re definitely excited about moving on.”
For the Golden Hawks (10-2), they had opportunities to score in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize.
“I think we were a little undermanned,” said coach CJ Szydlik. “But, that’s not an excuse. Our kids played their hearts out. They’re a really good football team. When they’re clicking they’re really tough. They have athletes all over the place and they block well. They tackle well. Truly hope they win more games because obviously, if you knock us out, we’ll cheer for you now.”
Coatesviile started moving the ball on its first possession. They were into South’s end, but fumbled the ball after a reception.
From its 18-yard- line, CRS then gained 39 yards on the ground, primarily between Gavin Lacey and Nate Szydlik. They faced a 4th-and-2 on the Coatesville 39 and decided to go for it, but
Szydlik was stopped inches short and the ball went back to the Red Raiders.That was the best chance for either team as the first quarter ended scoreless.
After being held in their own end, the Golden Hawks punted.
On the first play, Watson broke through the middle then made a jump cut to the left and went untouched for a 40-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
“It’s just instincts,” Watson said of his cut. “Following my guys. I set the guy up and got outside of him.”
South recorded its longest play of the game on its next drive as junior QB Marley Emerson hit Szydlik on a flair route out of the backfield for a 38-yard gain to the Coatesville 13. Later, they once again faced a fourth down. Emerson’s pass was intercepted by Hanson, who returned it 31 yards.
“It hung up for me,” said Hanson. “He threw the flat and unfortunately for him, I was right there waiting for it.”
Coatesville tried to score before the half, but Ortega, Jr. was sacked on the last play of the second and the teams went into break with the Red Raiders up, 7-0.
Both teams turned the ball over twice in the first 24 minutes. The Golden Hawks also had six penalties.
“It’s playoff football,” said Ortega, Sr. “The kid made a great play on the strip and we had the interception down here. We were able to keep the turnovers equal.”
South’s task became harder on the first possession of the second half as Szydlik was tackled and limped off and played sparingly the rest of the half.
“He got hurt a couple of weeks ago and re-aggravated it and couldn’t go,” coach Szydlik said of his nephew. “It limits us. Other kids stepped up and we tried.”
After being stopped on a fake punt, Coatesville took over on the South 23. After a 15-yard penalty pushed the Red Raiders to the 44. Watson broke up the right seam and raced into the end zone for the clinching touchdown with 3:26 to play in the game.
“Especially with our line, he’s the kind of back who’s going to grind you out,” Ortega said of Watson. “He may get a 2-yard run, a 5-yard run, a 7-yard run, then break off a long one. He’s been an unbelievable spark for our program.”
Coatesville cemented the win after Landan Querey recovered a fumble. Two knees in Victory formation later, and the Red Raiders celebrated the victory.
Despite the defeat, the head coach was optimistic about the future for the Golden Hawks.
“It’s probably one of the best seasons that Council Rock has had, so I can’t be sad there,” Szydlik said. “These seniors have built a foundation for us. We will be back in the playoffs. We have a really good young group, so we’re just building it from here.”
Coatesville will now head up the Turnpike to tackle a team that has lost just once on the campaign.
“It’s going to another Suburban One team that’s going to be very physical,” said Ortega. “We’ve played them twice in their new stadium. It’s going to be a long trip, but we’re excited for the opportunity, so it will be a great game.”
Coatesville 14, Council Rock South 0CR South 0 0 0 0 — 0Coatesville 0 7 0 7 – 14
ScoringCoatesville – Watson 40 run (Bernardo kick)Coatesville – Watson 44 run (Bernardo kick)
Team TotalsCRS CFirst downs 9 14Yards rushing 32-89 24-131Yards passing 84 138Total yards 173 269Passing 10-19-1 16-22-1Fumbles-lost 4-2 1-1Punts-avg 4-34.5 5-24.2Penalties 9-67 9-80
Individual Statistics
Rushing: CR South – Szydlik 7-38; Lacey 15-44; Emerson 5-13; Rogers 1-4; Walker 3-(-3); Team 1-(-7). Coatesville – Watson 17-141 2TD; Bradshaw 2-4; Green 2-5; Ortega, Jr. 1-(-17). Team 2-(-2).
Passing: CR South – Emerson 10-18-1 173 yards; Rogers 0-1-0 0 yards. Coatesville – Ortega, Jr. 16-22-1 138 yards.
Receiving: CR South – Szydlik 3-42; Rogers 3-12; Oakill 1-19; Smith 1-5; Rogers 1-5; Koepke 1-1. Coatesville – Beckett 6-71; Hanson 4-22; Watson 4-21; Christino 2-24.
Sacks: CR South – Szydlik.
Interceptions: CR South – Smith. Coatesville – Hanson.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment