Coatesville surges to semifinal win

Jordan Young could see his first punt returning to him.

After warming up about an hour before Coatesville's District 1 Class AAAA semifinal, he took the football field cold and could see the result of the extra-early warmup spiraling end over end into his own backfield.

The punt went for a loss of three yards and spotted fifth-seeded Downingtown East an early field goal.

On his next play, Young, primarily a quarterback, saw his handoff stick to running back Jalen Hudson and bounce into the middle of the field. He quickly dived on it, gaining five yards, then proceeded to pick up 24 more total yards on the drive to help Coatesville take the lead.

Young embodied the Red Raiders' effort in Friday night's 31-12 home win. It wasn't always pretty, marked by a safety and two fumbles in Downingtown East territory, but top-seeded Coatesville, like Young, stayed calm and advanced to the District 1 Class AAAA final next Friday against Pennsbury at Souderton.

"That's the character of this team," Coatesville coach Matt Ortega said. "These guys keep believing. They don't get rattled. That's what makes this group special. They came back and made the next play."

Young recalled some sloppy moments in an Oct. 3 comeback win over Downingtown East to overcome his early struggles. He finished 12-for-20 passing for 173 yards and a 36-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Coleman. Taking away a sack and kneel downs, he had nine carries for 74 yards.

"After [the early mistakes], we knew we could drive on them," said Young, whose three other punts averaged 47 yards. "We're so confident, cool and calm under pressure. We're fine."

Coatesville's pass rush overwhelmed Downingtown East (9-4). The Red Raiders (13-0) collected eight sacks. Amir Ealey reaggravated a sprained left thumb he has had for three weeks, but still had four sacks.

"Our coaches put us in the right position to make plays," Ealey said. "When we get that adversity, that's when we come out."

Coatesville had the ball in Downingtown East territory midway through the fourth quarter and, despite the defensive effort, was only up by a point. After a holding penalty pushed the Red Raiders to first and goal from the 15, Young faked the give and sprinted straight through the middle of the defense for the touchdown that opened the floodgates.

The mistakes were in the past. This time, Young epitomized the team set to dominate.

Downingtown East 10 2 0 0 - 12

Coatesville 13 0 0 18 - 31

DE: FG Drew Brennan 32

C: Jalen Hudson 44 run (Ibrahim Kallie kick)

DE: Keith Conner 2 run (Brennan kick)

C: Keenan Coleman 36 pass from Jordan Young (kick blocked)

DE: Safety

C: Young 15 run (kick failed)

C: Hudson 33 run (kick failed)

C: Ahkeema Evans 33 with interception (kick failed)