Then Chester assistant coach Dennis Shaw speaks at a rally held at the Southeast Delco School District headquarters in Folcroft, attempting to lobby the Del Val League to reinstate fall sports during a COVID pandemic shutdown in 2020. Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group
By Rob Parent
It had taken several years, but LaDontay Bell’s football rebuild at Chester High was going smoothly, his Clippers having improved to a point of success in their home Del Val League and beyond.
That’s why it was a bit of a surprise at the start of December when Bell announced he was stepping down as the Clippers’ head football coach.
But rather than extend and build on his coaching accomplishments – and his resume – at the ripe young age of 42, Bell was looking for something else … a continuance commitment. Not for himself, but for the student-athletes at Chester High.
“No doubt,” Bell said Thursday when asked if it was difficult to step away from the football program he had helmed since 2016 to become the school’s full-time athletic director. “It came with some spiritual guidance. It came with really having to sit still and block out all the noise.”
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