Panthers’ Logan Nawrocki continues to earn passing marks
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
If it looks as though Logan Nawrocki has been playing quarterback his whole life it’s because, well, he has.
His flag football coach saw something in him when he was 6 or 7 years old and put him behind center; a decade later the Schuylkill Valley senior has become one of the most prolific passers in Berks football history.
He had a big junior season, throwing for over 2,000 yards, but he’s really refined his game this season, improving his footwork and throwing mechanics and making smarter decisions with the football.
“He’s just taken off,” said Panthers quarterbacks coach Lou Orth, a longtime college coach who joined the staff this season and has helped Nawrocki smooth out some of the rough edges of his game.
The Panthers (9-2) are on a roll, with eight straight wins as they head into Friday’s District 3 Class 3A semifinal at Trinity (8-2). Nawrocki’s been a driving force: He has thrown for 2,436 yards and 34 touchdowns, last week matching the Berks record for TD tosses in a season.
He’s gotten sharper throughout the season; over the last five weeks has sliced up defenses with five straight 200-yard games, 19 touchdowns, and only one interception.
He’s produced a 216.2 passing efficiency rating over a stretch that has seen Schuylkill Valley complete its first perfect run through league play, wrap up its first outright league title and beat up on Littlestown in the opening round of the playoffs.
He’s gotten to that critical point in quarterback development where the game seems to have slowed down for him; he feels confident in the pocket that he’s got all the time he needs to make the right read and get the ball to the right guy in the right spot.
“(I’m able to) do what I want,” he said, “pick the defense apart. The first few games (this season) I was getting a little antsy (in the pocket). Now I’m starting to trust my line and stick in the pocket and make the plays.”
That was the case in a Week 7 romp over Columbia when every pass was on the money. He completed 12 of his 13 throws; he was one drop away from a perfect night.
“He was flawless,” Orth said.
Nawrocki wasn’t always such a cool customer in the pocket. He remembers being thrust into his first big game, in the Frost Bowl late in his sophomore season. His heart was pounding as he came off the bench in front of that big crowd at Hamburg; he kept his poise and helped the Panthers pull out a wild 41-34 victory, throwing a touchdown pass in the process.
Panthers coach Bruce Harbach, who saw big things from Nawrocki after arriving in Leesport in 2021, kept giving his young quarterback more and more time in that 2022 season to get him ready for a full-time run the following year.
Nawrocki was able to show off his big arm as a junior, firing 21 touchdowns – several of them on deep balls to Kowen Gerner, his all-league wide receiver.
This year he’s become more adept at the short- and medium-range throws, and he’s had to. With All-State running back Dominic Giuffre gone and working behind a young offensive line the Panthers haven’t been able to produce a consistent running game. They’ve used their short passing game to compensate.
Orth has been able to help Nawrocki improve his footwork and release point and be more accurate with his throws.
“He’s really developed in that way,” Harbach said.
Nawrocki’s 68.2 completion percentage this season ranks as the fourth-highest in Berks history. His 2,436 passing yards rank as fourth-most in a season in Berks history. He’s just the third with a pair of 2,000-yard seasons.
He’s 16 yards away from becoming just the sixth in Berks history to top 5,000 yards. Only Wilson’s Chad Henne, a four-year starter, has thrown more career touchdown passes.
Nawrocki has matched or broken at least 10 Schuylkill Valley passing records but he “aw-shucks it” when you ask him about it. All these records, he says, just “sort of just happened.”
He credits Harbach, offensive coordinator Steve Heck, and Orth for working with him on different parts of his game.
And he knows he’s been blessed with some special receivers, most noticeably Gerner and tight end Luke Spotts, who leads the league in receptions and receiving yards; he’s been throwing to most of these guys since that flag football coach – his father Eric – handed him the ball oh-so-many years ago.
He was a ball boy when older brother Justin was the Panthers starting quarterback in 2015 and 2016; he couldn’t wait to get his chance to do the same.
“I liked seeing the brotherhood on the field, and the leadership (of the position),” Nawrocki said. “That made me want to be a quarterback.”
Berks single-season passing leaders
| Jon Monteiro | Daniel Boone | 2,969 | 2008 |
| Tyler Shuey | Hamburg | 2,762 | 2023 |
| Logan Klitsch | Conrad Weiser | 2,472 | 2021 |
| Logan Nawrocki | Schuylkill Valley | 2,436 | 2024 |
| Colin Payne | Exeter | 2,381 | 2021 |
| Kyle Beissel | Schuylkill Valley | 2,372 | 2012 |
| Zach Koenig | Fleetwood | 2,368 | 2014 |
| Nate Daniels | Muhlenberg | 2,347 | 2008 |
| Zach Zweizig | Wilson | 2,326 | 2009 |
| Nate Daniels | Muhlenberg | 2,285 | 2007 |
Berks career passing leaders
| Chad Henne | Wilson | 7,071 | 2000-03 |
| Evan Myers | Twin Valley | 5,595 | 2021-24 |
| Chris Bokosky | Daniel Boone | 5,300 | 2003-05 |
| Logan Klitsch | Conrad Weiser | 5,177 | 2019-21 |
| Jon Monteiro | Daniel Boone | 5,070 | 2006-09 |
| Logan Nawrocki | Schuylkill Valley | 4,984 | 2022-24 |
| Nate Daniels | Muhlenberg | 4,724 | 2006-08 |
| Terrance Derr | Berks Catholic | 4,319 | 2015-18 |
| Corey Unger | Fleet./Wyom. | 4,281 | 2009-12 |
| Tyler Shuey | Hamburg | 4,256 | 2023-24 |
| Steve Huber | Wilson | 4,192 | 2006-08 |
| Zach Koenig | Fleetwood | 4,029 | 2012-14 |
Berks single-season touchdown passing leaders
| Logan Nawrocki | Schuylkill Valley | 34 | 2024 |
| Jon Monteiro | Daniel Boone | 34 | 2008 |
| Jake Templin | Wilson | 30 | 2014 |
| Zack Koenig | Fleetwood | 27 | 2014 |
| Tyler Shuey | Hamburg | 25 | 2023 |
| Jon Monteiro | Daniel Boone | 25 | 2009 |
| Tommy Bodolus | Daniel Boone | 25 | 2010 |
| Case Smith | Daniel Boone | 25 | 2006 |
| Jordan Kipp | Muhlenberg | 25 | 2005 |
