Who will be behind center this weekend as Berks football season kicks off
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Quarterback is easily the most visible and arguably most important position on the football field.
Other than a few notable exceptions – John Shaffer on 1986 national champion Penn State and Trent Dilfer with the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens come to mind – it’s difficult to make a successful playoff run without a standout quarterback.
It’s no different at the high school level, especially now with so many teams using the Read-Option: The quarterback has to make a quick read and split-second decision at the line of scrimmage. In the passing game he has to read the coverage, find an open receiver, and deliver the ball accurately – all while facing a pass rush.
Eight of 14 Berks teams will have a returning quarterback behind center when the season kicks off Friday.
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown:
The veterans
Twin Valley: Evan Myers threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Raiders’ first play of the 2021 season when he cracked the starting lineup as a 14-year-old. He hasn’t missed a game since.
He has started 35 games, has a chance to win 30-plus games – rare at this level — and could be just the second passer in Berks history to record four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
He threw for 1,472 yards last season, completing 59.1 percent of his passes; he also ran for 632 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.
“He’s made to be a high school football player,” said his father and Raiders coach Brett Myers.
Conrad Weiser: Donovan Gingrich enters his third season as a starter with renewed confidence after tacking 20 pounds onto his 6-1 frame and spending the offseason huddling with former NFL quarterback Chad Henne to improve his footwork and sharpen the mental side of his game.
With his extra bulk the athletic Gingrich figures to be a much bigger threat in the run game.
“The skills have been there from Day 1,” said Scouts coach Alan Moyer. “The biggest thing (now) is his understanding of the game (has improved).”
Gingrich passed for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore and for 963 yards and 10 TDs last season.
Schuylkill Valley: Logan Nawrocki gradually worked his way into the top spot behind center as a sophomore and made big strides last year when he threw for 2,045 yards and 21 TDs, some of the best numbers in program history. Bigger things are expected now.
“Logan’s become a coach on the field and I trust what he does, what he says when he sees something,” said Panthers coach Bruce Harbach. “He trusts his receivers and he knows if he throws the ball deep they’re gonna get it.”
Nawrocki threw for 1,741 yards in 10 regular-season games as a junior, seventh-most in the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League.
He’s on pace to throw for more than 4,000 career yards and 50 TD and become the program leader in both categories.
The return starters
Exeter: Riley Martinez started every game as a sophomore, throwing for 1,397 yards and 17 touchdowns.
At 6-3, 195 pounds he’s a big presence in the pocket, can make all the throws, and should take another big step forward.
He’s got a plethora of weapons around him, in the backfield with All-State pick Jayden Zandier and in the pass game with Carter Redding, Jayden Ware, Genuine Stutzman, and Aidan Dauble.
Gov. Mifflin: Javien Pletz split time behind center early in his junior year before winning the job outright by midseason.
He completed only 37 percent of his passes and threw more INTs than TDs but is expected to grow his senior season, especially with his all-important decision-making in the Mid-Line Option.
Hamburg: Tyler Shuey had an incredible junior season, throwing for 2,762 yards in 11 games and leading the Lancaster-Lebanon League in passing yards during the regular season.
He became the first Berks passer to throw for 300 or more yards in his first three starts and finished with a program-record 25 TD passes.
He also ran for 533 yards and 12 TDs and is expected to be even better in the run game after dropping some weight and picking up a step.
Kutztown: Colten Mathias was the Cougars’ full-time starter last season as a junior but was being challenged for the job throughout the summer by sophomore Wyatt Stoess.
Mathias completed just 32 percent of his passes in the run-oriented Cougars attack. Stoess saw limited time.
Reading High: Kayson Fritz got the majority of time behind center last season; he returns, as does his backup Jason Plylaharn.
Fritz completed 39-of-74 (52.7%) passes, for 340 yards, with just one TD.
Plylaharn completed 23-of-55 (41.8%), for 304 yards and three TDs.
The newcomers
Berks Catholic: Zach Suski got one start last season, throwing for a TD and running for another in a 19-16 win at Donegal.
He was filling in for injured starter Will Hess; now he takes over the spot full-time.
He completed 5-of-7 passes for 95 yards in his only starter and 6-of-12 overall.
Daniel Boone: Haydn Moyer has never taken a varsity snap; he’ll get his first chance Friday against Exeter.
Moyer established himself last season as a sophomore when he rushed for 339 yards, tops among Blazers running backs.
With no experienced quarterback available Boone coach J.D. Okuniewski decided to take his best athlete and put the ball in his hands every play.
Fleetwood: Tristin McFarland and Chase Domenech each attempted one pass last season; they’ll throw a lot more this season.
Tigers coach Steve Pangburn wants to take advantage of their athleticism while giving the opposing defense a little something extra to think about so they’ll split time at quarterback, alternating mid-drive at times.
“They’ve both got very big arms,” Pangburn said. “Tristin’s the better downhill runner; Chase, he can make you miss pretty good in space.”
Both will play wide receiver when they’re not at QB. McFarland has 26 catches, second on the team, last season; he also had 21 touches as a runner.
Muhlenberg: Junior Christian Coley won the job this summer, showing the kind of leadership and communication skills Muhls coach Rob Flowers was looking for.
He saw backup time at the position last season, completing 10-of-27 passes.
Wilson: Madyx Gruber threw a 40-yard touchdown on his only attempt last season; the Bulldogs are hoping he can throw for a bunch more.
The all-league wide receiver will move behind center, at least for a portion of the time, so that his team can take advantage of his athleticism, leadership, and fierce competitiveness.
How much time he sees there will be a developing story but the Bulldogs are hoping he can become the kind of dangerous open-field running threat Tommy Hunsicker was last season.
When he’s not behind center the Bulldogs will go with junior Mason Young, who saw limited time there in a backup role last season.
Wyomissing: Teddy White and Brady Eisenhower have battled evenly throughout the summer. No matter how it turns out the Spartans will be among the youngest at the position in the league: White is a sophomore, Eisenhower a freshman.
It appears White will start Saturday against Southern Columbia but Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum said he hopes to work Eisenhower into the game, as well.
White got snaps in almost every game last season as a backup, though he attempted just three passes.
Both are likely to see time as defensive backs when they’re not seeing time at QB.
