23 intriguing numbers entering the ’23 Berks football season

---

The season kicks off Friday, Aug. 25. Here are some numbers to prepare you for the upcoming season.

---

0

Number of championship banners hanging on the wall for Schuylkill Valley.

The Panthers have played 50 seasons of football. They’ve never won anything.

They came close last season, their first in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. They won their first five league games, then stumbled at Annville-Cleona in Week 9, a game that would have clinched at least a share of the title.

A week later they led unbeaten Lancaster Catholic 14-0 in the first quarter and were tied before the Crusaders hit a field goal with 22 seconds left to clinch the title.

This might be the year to erase that zero. The Panthers return 18 starters, more than any team in the section, and look like the team to beat.

“We want to hang a banner,” said senior running back Dominic Giuffre.

.764

All-time winning percentage for Berks Catholic, third-highest in the state.

The Saints won six games in their inaugural season, then nine or more over the next seven seasons. After 11 straight winning seasons they experienced their first losing record last year, finishing 5-6. Before that they had a .788 winning percentage.

Only two programs in the state rank above the Saints: Central Valley (.814) and Ridley (.776).

Right behind: Imhotep Charter (.745), Southern Columbia (.743) and West Chester Rustin (.737).

Wilson is No. 10 with a .710 winning percentage.

.824

Winning percentage of Wilson’s Doug Dahms, highest in Berks history.

In his first 17 years as head coach Dahms has won 178 games, more than any Bulldogs football coach – even the guy they named the stadium after, John Gurski (151).

Wonder what they’ll end up naming for Dahms? This will be his 48^th season on the coaching staff; he’s been part of 442 wins.

And he’s never had a losing season – not even close. His teams have finished 8-4 twice; those are his worst seasons. In one of them the Bulldogs still won the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 championship – one of 13 under Dahms.

Now that he has retired as a teacher and head track coach he’ll have even more time to devote to football, not to mention golf and scuba diving.

1

Head coaching changes in Berks football.

Former Daniel Boone quarterback/linebacker J.D Okuniewski takes over at his alma mater after six seasons on the Blazers staff as an assistant.

At age 28 he’s the youngest head coach in Berks and the second-youngest in the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League.

He’s surrounded himself with family and former teammates on his staff so he’ll have a strong internal support system. He’s reminding his young players that Boone once had a powerful team – when he played for Dave Bodolus – and that they can do it again.

Last season, by the way, marked the debut of four new head coaches in Berks, at Hamburg, Fleetwood, Twin Valley, and Reading High. Two of them – Matt Hoffert at Hamburg and Brett Myers at Twin Valley – won district playoff games.

4

Consecutive District 3 championships won by Wyomissing, something no other Berks team has accomplished.

It wasn’t so long ago the Spartans couldn’t seem to get over the hump, getting pounded by Middletown three straight years in the district playoffs, twice in the championship game.

Bob Wolfrum must be getting smarter in his old age because he and his grey-beard coaching staff have produced some of the best teams in program history, which is saying a lot. They played for PIAA championships in 2020 and 2021 and came within a heartbeat of making it back last year.

Despite graduating six All-State players the Spartans are still loaded and aiming at a fifth straight District 3 championship.

7

Wins needed by Wilson to reach 600.

Just 10 years after winning their 500^th game the Bulldogs are positioned to reach another milestone.

Given that they’ve won seven or more games in every full season since 2002, and that they’ve got a strong returning cast, it’s safe to expect the Bulldogs to reach the 600-level this season.

Just three programs in District 3 have more than 600 wins: Steel-High (795), Bishop McDevitt (624) and Middletown (603). Each of them have been playing for over 100 years; Wilson was a relative latecomer to the party, beginning its program in 1945.

Wilson is currently fifth among District 3 teams, trailing Manheim Central by (594) by one. The Barons are loaded, so they’re likely to hit the milestone first.

Mount Carmel, by the way, is the state leader with 890 wins.

17

Number of weeks Wyomissing has spent ranked No. 1 by the Harrisburg Patriot/New..

Only one other Berks team has ever been ranked No. 1: Gov. Mifflin, which spent 11 weeks on top.

In addition to Wyomissing and Mifflin only two other Berks program have been ranked as high as No. 2: Exeter and Wilson.

The state rankings first appeared in 1988, the same year the PIAA began its state tournament in football.

17

Consecutive seasons qualifying for the District 3 playoffs by Wyomissing, the longest active streak in Berks.

Gov. Mifflin saw it’s 18-season streak stopped last year, when it finished 3-7.

The COVID Year, 2020, when the playoff fields were truncated, saw a bunch of streaks snapped, including lengthy ones by Berks Catholic and Exeter.

After Wyomissing the longest active streak is two, by Exeter, Hamburg, Twin Valley and Wilson. Each should add another notch this season.

19

Wins needed by Matt Bauer to top Don Thomas’ program record for victories at Exeter.

Thomas was so successful, winning 123 games and two Inter-County League championships, that they named the stadium after him.

Bauer’s resurrection story at Exeter rates a chapter in the bible (at least in the Berks Football Bible). Few remember now but he inherited a program coming off back-to-back, confidence-shattering 0-10 seasons.

He scraped the remains of the program off the sidewalk and by his third season, 2011, had the Eagles in the District 3 playoffs.

They’ve been back to districts every year since (except for 2020, when the playoff field was reduced due to COVID-19.)

Two years ago the Eagles won their first district championship, beating the top-ranked team in the state, Gov. Mifflin, on its home field. Last year they returned to the title game.

Bauer’s .665 winning percentage is the best in program history and among the best in Berks history.

21

Seasons for Conrad Weiser coach Alan Moyer, most in program history.

He also holds the Scouts record for wins with 136.

Interesting to note that Weiser has had just four head coaches in its 55-year history: Ferdie Kuczala, Joel Heilman, Al Silveri and Moyer.

Twin Valley has had 12 head coaches in its 27 seasons.

30

Touchdowns last season by Schuylkill Valley’s Dominic Giuffre, the most of any returning Berks player this season.

Giuffre set the Panthers’ program record as a junior, topping the mark of 27, set by Edward Shuttleworth in 2014. He also set the single-game rushing record with 302 yards vs. Hamburg in the Frost Bowl.

Twin Valley’s Evan Johnson is No. 2 on the list of returning scorers; he had 17 TDs last season.

35

Wyomissing’s regular season winning streak, longest in Berks history.

The Spartans have been like a machine, cranking out four straight perfect regular seasons: 10-0, 5-0, 10-0, 10-0. (They played just five regular season games in 2020, due to the coronavirus.)

Their sixth win last season, at Donegal, topped the Berks record of 30 set by Wilson, from 2012-15.

Berks Catholic put together a 29-game streak from 2013-15.

It’s hard to see the Spartans’ streak ending anytime soon. They enter the season as the favorite in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Right now they’d be favored to beat any of the 10 teams on their schedule.

Their biggest challenge likely will come in Week 7 at Cocalico.

38

Berks Catholic coach Rick Keeley will break the same record this season that he broke last season, and the season before that: Longest tenure as a Berks head coach.

This will be his record 38^th season.

Wyomissing’s Bob Wolfrum is entering his 37th season and owns the Berks record for most games coached (438).

Keeley’s years have been split between Holy Name (22 seasons), Hamburg (3) and Berks Catholic (13).

39

Receptions last season by Hamburg’s Cohen Correll, the most of any returning receiver this season.

The Hawks also have the No. 2 guy on the list, Ty Werley, who had 35 catches. Hamburg also brings back it’s third-leading receiver, Mason Semmel.

47

Consecutive winning seasons by Wilson, the longest active streak in the state. The Bulldogs have been on the plus side every season after 1975, when they went 5-5 under John Gurski.

The streak has stretched through head four coaches — Gurski, Gerry Slemmer, Jim Cantafio and, for the last 17 years, Doug Dahms — and has been in jeopardy just a few times, most recently in 2001 when the Bulldogs beat Gov. Mifflin 41-6 in Week 10 to finish 6-4.

Wilson has had 59 consecutive non-losing seasons, starting in 1964, Gurski’s first in West Lawn.

49

Wins by Wyomissing over the past four seasons, third-most in Berks history over a four-year stretch.

Wilson owns the record, going 51-6 from 2011-14. Berks Catholic is next at 50-6.

The Spartans are 49-4.

Don’t forget, the Spartans saw five games scratched from their 2020 season due to COVID-19. They likely would’ve won them all, improving their four-year record from 54-4.

Wyomissing went 37-3 over the past three season, two wins short of the Berks record but with the highest winning percentage over any three-year span.

Over the last nine season Wyomissing has . . .  16 losses.

70

Seasons for Gov. Mifflin football.

The Mustangs first played in 1954, after the merger of Shillington High and Mohnton High.

Ray Linn took over as head coach in Mifflin’s third season and brought home the first of seven Tri-County League championships in his fourth season.

The Mustangs’ best seasons have come over the last 15 years, under Mick Vecchio and now Jeff Lang. They won 14 section titles in the final 17 years of the Berks League and claimed their only District 3 championship in 2020, when Nick Singleton was a junior.

Mifflin won its only Lancaster-Lebanon League title in 1996, in Section 1.

They enter this season with 410 victories and 42 winning records in their first 69 seasons.

129

Seasons for Reading High football, easily the most in Berks and among the most in the state.

The Red Knights first played in 1892.

They have played 1,234 games.

275

Wins by Rick Keeley, fourth-most among active football coaches in Pennsylvania.

The only ones ahead of him are Jim Roth of Southern Columbia, Bob Wolfrum of Wyomissing and Kevin Clancy of Strath-Haven.

Keeley ranks 30^th all-time in the state.

325

Weeks Wilson has appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot/News state rankings without being ranked No. 1, more than any program in the state.

That stat speaks to the Bulldogs’ amazing consistency and also to the fact they’ve never been able to get over the hump and win a state title.

The Bulldogs have been listed as an honorable mention in the state rankings 173 times, also more than any other program.

350

Wins by Wyomissing’s Bob Wolfrum, No. 2 among active Pennsylvania football coaches and No. 6 all-time in state history.

Jim Roth, who’s still going strong at Southern Columbia, is No. 1 all-time with 482 wins.

The only other active coach among the Top 10 is Kevin Clancy of Strath-Haven, who has 332 wins after a 12-1 finish last year.

Wolfrum passed Manheim Central’s Mike Williams (348) last season to become the winningest coach in District 3 history.

The Spartans went 13-1 last year, pushing Wolfrum’s record to 350-87-1. He is 49-4 over the last four seasons.

Only four PA coach have reached 400 wins: Roth, George Curry (455), Jack Henzes Jr. (444) and Jim Render (406).

1,335

Passing yards last season by Fleetwood’s Jack Riffle, the most among returning Berks quarterbacks.

Riffle’s 12 touchdown passes are also the most among returning QBs.

Three other 1,000-yard passers return this season. Evan Myers of Twin Valley (1,106), Tommy Hunsicker of Wilson (1,065) and Donovan Gingrich of Conrad Weiser.

1,448

Rushing yards needed by Dominic Giuffre to become Schuylkill Valley’s all-time leader.

Former quarterback Derek Gaul set the record of 3,289 from 2007-10.

Giuffre went for 1,548 yards last season and enters his senior season with 1,842.

He is the lone returning 1,000-yard rusher this season.