Skip to content

Ex-York grid coach Ortega takes reins at Coatesville

Matt Ortega, who turned the program at York around in a five-year tenure there, became the new football coach at Coatesville yesterday. He succeeds Tom Nichols, who was appointed coach at Conestoga Valley, his alma mater, in March.

Matt Ortega, who turned the program at York around in a five-year tenure there, became the new football coach at Coatesville yesterday. He succeeds Tom Nichols, who was appointed coach at Conestoga Valley, his alma mater, in March.

Ortega, 34, comes to the Ches-Mont League National Division school after posting a 38-17 mark at York.

A 1997 graduate of St. Francis (Pa.) College, Ortega was an assistant at McCaskey High in Lancaster and at Harrisburg prior to York. He also coached a year at St. Francis.

York was among the nation's highest scoring high school teams in 2008, averaging 50 points a game with its spread offense. Coatesville is coming off a season in which it went 7-4 under Nichols.

- Don Beideman

Betancourt picks Boston College. Five Division I programs, including defending national champion Florida, made a last-second visit to West Girard Avenue to land the services of Seth Betancourt. Not swayed, the mammoth offensive lineman from St. Joseph Prep yesterday gave an oral commitment to Boston College.

"I just knew that Boston College was the right place for me," the 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior tackle said.

On Wednesday, Florida, Virginia, Rutgers, South Carolina and Syracuse visited Betancourt at school.

Scout.com had Betancourt ranked No. 95 among the top 300 football prospects in the country in the Class of 2010.

- Rick O'Brien

Rivers going to Chestnut Hill. Girard College senior Andre Rivers gave an oral commitment last week to play men's basketball at Chestnut Hill College.

Chestnut Hill's coaches "are talking about [how] I can be the future of the program," said the power forward, who was also being recruited by West Chester and Holy Family.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder averaged 10 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals this season for the Class A state champion Cavaliers.