District 3 playoff preview: Wyomissing vs. West York
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No. 2 Wyomissing (9-2) vs. No. 3 West York (9-2)
What: District 3 Class 4A semifinal.
Kick: Saturday, 1, at Bob Wolfrum Field.
Series: Spartans lead 2-0, with wins in 2018 and 2019.
Key stat: West York has turned the ball over 23 times and is minus-1 in turnover differential. Wyomissing has turned the ball over 10 times and is plus-6.
Spartans update: Improved to 15-0 at home in the district playoffs with 31-0 win last week over East Pennsboro. . . Played without soph standout Justice Hardy, their leading rusher, receiver, scorer, and top cover corner, who was injured in Week 10 vs. Lampeter-Strasburg. . . Danny Fleischood filled in with a pair of touchdowns and 61 rushing yards on six carries. . . Derek Macrina produced a career-high 109 yards on 11 carries. . . Soph QB Teddy White did not attempt a pass. . . Defense, led by LBs Francisco Fabian, Tyler Niedrowski, and Chase Eisenhower, held East Pennsboro to 110 total yards in posting its third shutout of the season. . . Also blanked Northern Lebanon and Donegal. . . Have held five teams to seven points or less. . . Ended regular season ranked No. 5 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in total defense, No. 4 against the rush, and No. 7 in scoring (13.1). . . Saw record 36-game home winning streak snapped in Week 10 by Lampeter-Strasburg. . . Have won five straight Class 3A championships. . . Moved up to Class 4A this season due to PIAA’s “Success Formula.” . . . Ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 4A by PennLive.com.
Did you know? Wyomissing has won 12 consecutive district playoff games, the fifth-longest streak in District 3 history. Bishop McDevitt owns the record with 25 straight wins from 2010-16. Manheim Central won 24 straight, Steel-High 18 straight and McDevitt 14 straight (from 1995-2006). Berks Catholic set the Berks record with 11 straight district wins, from 2015-18.
Bulldogs update: Surprise team in the District 3 Tournament, rebounding from winless season in 2023 to win its first playoff game in a decade. . . Ron Miller, who took team to its only district championship, in 2008, returned this season after a nine-year absence and has completely turned program around after eight straight losing seasons. . . Miller was 86-25 with four semifinal appearances in his first stint with the team. . . Have patched together a winning formula with a quarterback rotation and strong defense, the latter coming up big last week in 5-3 win over sixth-seeded Eastern York. . . Used a block punt to score a safety on first possession of the game and added four sacks and five takeaways. . . Held Eastern to minus-6 yards rushing. . . Freshman Jensen Ferber has seen increasing time at QB throughout the season and went the whole way last week, completing 10-of-18 passes. . . In the opening round he completed 25-of-40 passes for 274 yards and two TDs. . . He has thrown for 1,161 yards and nine TDs. . . Senior Issac Roberts, the starter at QB last season, has split time between that spot and RB. . . He leads team with 829 rushing yards and 10 TDs. . . He carried the ball 34 times for 94 yards last week. . . Team is averaging 178 passing yards and 301 total yards. . . Defense has come up with 22 takeaways, 27 sacks, 86 tackles for loss and blocked three punts. . . Have held five teams to one touchdown or less. . . Won first six games before losing to South Western (27-7) and New Oxford (41-14) in consecutive games. . . Are 14-7 under Miller in district playoffs, with a championship game loss to Bishop McDevitt in 2012 and a 15-7 win over Manheim Central in 2008.
Fast fact: West York went 0-10 last season, 2-28 over the past three seasons, and 5-41 over the past five. The Bulldogs last made the postseason in 2018 when they finished 5-5 in the regular season, then lost their district opener. Meanwhile, Wyomissing went 61-6 in the five seasons prior to this year.
Quotable: “This is unbelievable. We might be the last team standing from York County after next week, and if you would have told anybody that West York would be the last team standing in York County, nobody — and I mean nobody — would have believed you.” – Bulldogs coach Ron Miller, to the York Dispatch.
Winner gets: No. 1 Lampeter-Strasburg (11-0) or No. 5 Twin Valley (9-2).
