High school football: Springfield, Coatesville believe their ‘best is ahead’ as district playoffs near

As Week 9 approaches, Springfield (Delco) finds itself on a rare pantheon in District 1. The Cougars are one of two teams to reach eight victories and be undefeated, along with Chester, this late in the football season.

Springfield coach Chris Britton thought he had a strong nucleus returning from a team that reached last year’s PIAA District 1 Class 5A championship, when it lost to West Chester Rustin.

What Britton may not have expected was the 8-0 start behind sophomore quarterback Johnny Hopkins, teamed with 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior running back/safety Luke Valerio, who is committed to Penn State for lacrosse.

Other top contributors include 5-10 and 185-pound senior slot receiver/linebacker Tanner Coll; 6-1, 195-pound junior fullback/linebacker TJ Valleti; 5-11, 205-pound senior fullback/inside linebacker Evan Herzig; and 6-2, 240-pound senior right tackle/defensive end Michael Francks.

Britton, in his 12th season, found out quickly just how good his team could be. Springfield beat highly talented Perkiomen Valley in the season opener, 33-31, guided by Hopkins. Springfield will be tested this Friday night against traditional Central League power Garnet Valley (6-2). It closes the regular season with another traditional area power, Strath Haven.

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Right now, Springfield, which has never won a District 1 championship, is the top Class 5A team in the district. The Cougars appear to be on a collision course with Chester, the No. 2 team, which also has never won a district title. The last time Springfield went 10-0 was in 2017, when the Cougars had a 13-0 record before losing to Unionville in the district championship.

What Britton has liked is how cohesive his offensive line has become. Juniors Shane Kilroy (tight end), Zion Culbreth (left guard), Jaxon DeConti (center), and Alex McGinnis (right guard) have merged with senior Dom Stewart (left tackle) and Francks.

“This season has been more of a ‘we’ than ‘me’ operation, so 8-0 is not a complete shock,” Britton said. “We felt we would be pretty good if the pieces would come together, including our offensive line. ...

“As well as we’re playing, we have only nine healthy seniors. This group is made up of underclassmen. We’re not trying to think too much ahead. Moving forward, I want to see these guys to continue to do what they are doing. This is not an accident,” Britton said.

The motivation: that loss in last year’s district final.

“We trust each other, and we have some guys from the [state championship] lacrosse team and we have guys who know how to deal with pressure,” Valerio said. “I believe we have a championship mentality. We have guys who have been in big games, who have made big plays. A lot of us grew up playing together, and there has always been chemistry between us.

“I think last year has been motivation,” Valerio said. “If there is an unsung hero, it is John Hopkins. Everyone believes in him. We found out just how good he is by beating Perkiomen Valley in the season opener. Hopkins handled it well. He’s worked so hard, and he is only going to continue getting better.”

Coatesville has already exceeded its victory total from a year ago, when the Red Raiders finished the season with an uncharacteristic 5-5 record and were ousted by eventual District 1 6A champion Downingtown West in the first round of the playoffs.

Coatesville was looking unstoppable at 7-0, as it entered its Ches-Mont League North Division game last weekend against Downingtown East.

Then Red Raiders senior quarterback Matt Ortega Jr., the son of the head coach, went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. The offense couldn’t overcome the loss of its starting quarterback as East (6-2) beat Coatesville, 15-0.

Coatesville is still 7-1 sitting at second in District 1 Class 6A behind 7-1 Pennridge. It will not get any easier on Coatesville, as it will host Downingtown West (6-2) on Friday at 7 p.m.

“I thought we could be really good up front, and our offensive line has been playing well,” said the elder Ortega. “We have gotten great production from sophomore running backs Andre Watson and Sage Bradshaw, but we could be a little better on our defensive line. I would like to see us get more consistent. We’re trying to get a better rotation there.”

Coatesville’s offensive front consists of nationally ranked 6-6, 310-pound junior left tackle Maxwell Hiller, next to 6-0, 200-pound senior left guard Josh Van Orden; 5-9, 195-pound senior center Santino Galarza; 6-4; 350-pound junior guard CJ Miller; and 6-1, 205 junior right tackle Carson Huch.

The group will need to carry much of the weight moving forward as the younger Ortega heals.

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For now, the Red Raiders will lean on their running game.

“I believe in these guys,” Ortega Sr. said. “We still have a big gauntlet ahead of us with West and Bishop Shanahan. I still think our best is ahead of us. We’re looking for another major jump.”

The last time Coatesville won a district title was 2018, when the Red Raiders repeated as District 1 6A champion.

It appears that Penn State’s local recruits in the Class of 2026 — Alex Haskell (St. Joseph’s Prep), Jackson Ford (Malvern Prep), and Terry Wiggins (Coatesville) — are staying committed to the school after the firing of Nittany Lions coach James Franklin.

In the Class of 2027, Penn State pledge Kemon Spell, a running back at McKeesport High, five-star offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt (Appoquinimink, Del.), and four-star safety Gabriel Jenkins (Imani Christian Academy, Pittsburgh) have withdrawn their commitments since the firing.

One player Penn State’s new head coach may call first is Hiller, ninth in the nation by ESPN.com in the 2027 class, and ranked as the nation’s No. 2 offensive lineman.

In August, Hiller named his final eight teams, with Penn State along with Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Maryland. Each of those school projects Hiller to be a tackle, although college scouts have been encouraging him to build reps at all five offensive positions, making him more valuable in getting him on the field faster in college.

Part of the reason Franklin may have been fired was losing the recruiting wars for homegrown Pennsylvania talent. La Salle College High safety Joey O’Brien and tackle Grayson McKeogh are heading to Notre Dame, and La Salle quarterback Gavin Sidwar is headed to Missouri, following former Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers. Beau Pribula transferred out of Penn State for Missouri, where he has led the Tigers to a 5-1 record and a No. 16 ranking. That’s also where St. Joe’s Prep’s Josiah Trotter plays.

Max Roy, a dominant defensive tackle out of the Prep, is at Ohio State, where former Hawks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord went. Will Howard, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was not recruited by Franklin out of Downingtown West, settled on Kansas State, then transferred and led Ohio State to a national championship last season.

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Hiller is still considering Penn State, although the program has dropped on his list.

“I still would consider Penn State,” Hiller said. “Nothing has changed there. Penn State is still on my list, just not as high. I think guys are decommitting, and why guys are questioning going there is because no one knows what is happening next. They are starting new.

“I’ll wait and see who comes in [to Penn State]. It’s still a great school. They could be missing a lot of guys to the transfer portal, whoever takes over. No one knows what players are staying. No one knows what coaches are staying. That’s the problem.”