Wyomissing stymied by Central Valley in PIAA championship game
HERSHEY — Wyomissing’s defense was up to the task of stopping one of the most powerful offenses in the state.
The Spartans just couldn’t score.
They lost in the PIAA Class 3A championship game to Central Valley for the second straight year, this time 7-0 at Hersheypark Stadium Saturday afteroon.
“They got one play,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum of the Warriors (15-0).” We made a lot of great stops on defense. Really proud of the way we played that. It’s just tough that we couldn’t even make a showing on offense. We could do nothing.”
The Spartans (15-1) were locked in a scoreless battle for more than 38 minutes before Central Valley’s Landon Alexander broke off a 28-yard TD run with 9:54 remaining.
“We played great,” said linebacker Tommy Grabowski of the Wyomissing defense. “They had one good play. (Our) defense, we did what we had to do.”
The Spartans threatened to score in the fourth quarter when Drew Eisenhower broke off a 63-yard kickoff return to the 28. They had a fourth-and-goal from just inside 4 and were looking to pass but All-State defensive end Sean FitzSimmons blew up the play, wrapping up quarterback Ben Zechman before he could set up to throw.
“We were trying a Sprint Pass into the end zone and I guess we didn’t get that big guy blocked again,” said Wolfrum, “and he got ahold of the ball and knocked it loose. We didn’t block him all day. He’s tough.”
The Spartans managed just 115 total yards and seven first downs. They got just 34 total yards in the second half. They were shut out for the first time since 2017, by Middletown in the District 3 Class 3A championship game.
“Their defensive (front), we couldn’t block ‘em,” Wolfrum said. “We got a few plays off early but there was nothing we could do consistently. Really frustrating when you can’t . . . there’s nothing you can call your own.”
Wyomissing’s defense was on its heels all afternoon. It got a huge play from Grabowski late in the third quarter when he made a leaping, one-handed grab at the goal line to intercept a pass and keep the game scoreless.
“The defense was great today,” Grabowski said. “We stopped ‘em. We did everything we possibly good.”
Alexander finished with 231 rushing yards on 35 carries. Central Valley was turned back several times inside the Wyomissing 30. It punted four times, was stopped on downs twice and turned it over once. It also had a short field goal blocked.
The Warriors extended their winning streak to 27 games, longest in the state. Wyomissing had the second-longest streak in the state at 15.
The Spartans survived some shaky moments in the early minutes and went into halftime tied 0-0.
Central Valley moved the ball freely on its first possession, getting three first downs and moving to the Wyomissing 3. The Warriors went for a 19-yard field but it was blocked by Ja-mhi Jackson. CV kicker Serafino DeSantis entered the game having made 80 straight PATs; the field goal was basically from PAT distance.
Central Valley got only two more first downs the rest of the half as the Spartans defense gradually began to gain control up front. The Warriors turned it over on downs at the Wyo 28 on their second possession, then went three-and-out on each their final three possessions.
Wyo didn’t move the ball much in the first half, either. It managed just 81 total yards, all on the ground, and five first downs. It advanced no closer than the Central Valley 36.
The Spartans had not been shut out in the first half since a District 3 semifinal loss to Middletown in 2018. The Warriors had not been shut out in the firt half since a 2019 district championship game against Aliquippa.
Wyomissing is the first Berks team to reach the state title game in back-to-back seasons. Only two other Berks teams reached the championship game: Wilson, in Class AAAA in 1989 and Wyomissing in Class AA in 2012.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wyomissing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Scoring summary
| 4 | Central Valley | Alexander, 28 run (DeSantis kick) | 9:54 |
Team statistics
| Wyomissing | Central Valley | |
| First downs | 7 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 35-102 | 46-296 |
| Passing yards | 13 | 17 |
| Total yards | 115 | 313 |
| Passes | 3-11-0 | 4-9-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-1 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 6-23.5 | 4-29.2 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-20 | 10-68 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wyomissing: Grabowski 15-55, Thompson 10-26, Eisenhower 6-18, McIntyre 1-7.
Central Valley: Alexander 35-231, Merritt 5-28, Simpson 2-25, Johnson 2-7.
PASSING
Wyomissing: Zechman 3-11-0–13.
Central Valley: Johnson 4-8-0–17, Merritt 0-1-1–0.
RECEIVING
Wyomissing: Carter 1-13, Williams 1-6, Thompson 1-(-6).
Central Valley: Thompson 3-17, Simpson 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wyomissing: Grabowski.
