Top Players to Watch in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League for 2025
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Many of the top players in Section 2 of Lancaster-Lebanon League, including Outstanding Back Jayden Zandier and Outstanding Lineman Logan Wegman, both of Exeter, have graduated.
Conestoga Valley took major June hits as well, losing Defensive Lineman of the Year Justin Corson and Defensive Back of the Year Isiah Sensenig.
Still, those two teams, which have battled for the top spot in the section the past two seasons, appear to remain on top heading into camp next month.
The Eagles bring back three first-team all-league picks and are represented on the Top Players To Watch list with five of the top 12 players. The Buckskins return a pair of first-team picks, including quarterback Sawyer Esbenshade.
Ephrata, also a top Section 2 contender, is well-represented on this list, especially with the return of Linebacker of the Year Chris Prange. All told, there are nine returning first-team all-league picks this season.
Here’s your first look at the top players in Section 2 for the 2025 season. On Monday we’ll take a look at the top players in Section 1.
(This is part four of a five-part series and a collaboration between LNP/Lancaster On-Line and MikeDragoSports.com. Jeff Reinhart of LNP contributed player capsules.)
Top Players To Watch in Section 5
Top Players To Watch in Section 4
Top Players To Watch in Section 3
Malachi Briddell, Lebanon
WR
Briddell put together one of the best under-the-radar seasons in recent memory.
Despite playing for a winless team he had a season worthy of all-league honors after catching 42 passes for 910 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging a nifty 21.7 yards per grab. Because of administrative issue within the struggling program Briddell wasn’t even nominated for all-section consideration.
He wasn’t completely overlooked, however: He earned a spot on the MikeDragoSports.com/LNP Big 37 team.
Briddell’s 910 receiving yards ranked No. 2 in the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League. Three of his touchdowns covered 55 yards or longer. He won’t be overlooked this season, for sure.
(Purdon Photography/Brad Drey)
Aidan Dauble, Exeter
TE/LB
The 6-2, 215-pound outside linebacker was a force on one of the league’s top defenses last year, recording 67 tackles for a team that matched a program record with 12 victories and reached the District 3 Class 5A championship game.
Dauble was a first-team all-league pick on defense and is expected to challenge for similar honors on offense this season and he gets an expanded role.
He had just five receptions last season as a tight end/H-back but will become a focal point of the passing attack with the graduation of all-league tight end Genuine Stutzman.
Dauble is attracting looks from PSAC and Patriot League schools because of his athleticism, football instincts, and intelligence. He’s a three-year starter, a two-year captain and top student.
Dauble was also an all-division pick in basketball as a junior after averaging 16 points and nine rebounds for a team that reached the district championship game.
Sawyer Esbenshade, Conestoga Valley
QB
Esbenshade is the latest in a long line of all-star quarterbacks at Conestoga Valley.
As a junior he completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,078 yards with 25 TDs and just three interceptions. He ranked No. 2 in the entire league in passing efficiency, passing yards, and TD passes. He also rushed for 419 rushing yards and six TDs.
More importantly he piloted the Buckskins to a 10-0 regular season ride and the Section 2 championship, their first since 2006.
(Chris Knight/LNP photo)
Esbenshade was rewarded with a first-team all-league nod and he earned a spot on the MikeDragoSports.com/LNP Big 37 team.
Esbenshade is smart. Nimble. Quick on his feet. Knows when to tuck it under and run. Sturdy pocket surveyor and a pinpoint passer. If the Bucks are going to defend their section crown they’ll need another big season behind center from this rising senior.
Jojo Garcia, Conestoga Valley
WR-DB
This cat-quick playmaker became one of Sawyer Esbenshade’s favorite targets last year.
He had 19 receptions, second on the team, for 310 yards, a 16.1 yards per catch average, and four TDs in helping the Bucks win the Section 2 title and complete a perfect regular season.
Garcia chipped in with 187 rushing yards and three rushing scores, picking up yards in chunks off the Jet Sweep.
The rising senior earned first-team all-league honors for his play-making efforts.
Garcia and Esbenshade are primed to do even more damage as the Buckskins prepare to take on Exeter and challenge for another Section 2 title.
(benschafferphotography)
Lebron Leaf, Gov. Mifflin
QB/LB
After showing big-play ability in limited touches as a junior Leaf will get a chance to make a lot of big plays this season as he moves to quarterback.
He averaged 11.5 yards per carry as a halfback last year. Now the Mustangs will try to tap into 4.56 speed, athleticism and natural leadership abilities by turning him into a dual threat.
The 6-3, 195-pound Leaf earned second-team all-league recognition as a safety last season, making 50 tackles, two for loss, with an interception and a forced fumble. He’s an aggressive defender, a sure tackler, and a force when it comes to stopping the run game.
Leaf excelled at the annual Chris Nunn Memorial Football Combine this spring, finishing third overall, second in the Pro Agility Run, third in the Vertical Leap and L-Cone Drill, and sixth in the 3-Hop Drill. Those skills usually translate well to Friday nights.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Riley Martinez, Exeter
QB
Martinez was leading the Lancaster-Lebanon League in passing efficiency when he was knocked out in Week 7 with a leg injury and missed most of the rest of the season.
He returns as a three-year starter and one of the league’s top passers.
He threw for 1,016 yards and 16 touchdowns, with just three interceptions, in roughly half a season last year. Now 6-2 and 205 pounds, he’s throwing the ball even better and is expected to become more of a running threat.
Martinez matched a program record with five TD passes last season against Lebanon – all in the first half. Another strong season should see him end up as Exeter’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes and several other passing categories.
Martinez flashed his potential as a sophomore, throwing for 1,396 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Kevin Oswalt, Exeter
(PhilMarPhoto)
OT
Must be something in the water around Reiffton; the Eagles keep producing one big line prospect after another.
Oswalt falls in line behind an impressive list that includes All-State selections Michal Menet, Lucas Palange, Kyle Lash, Anthony Caccese, Zack Zandier, and Logan Wegman.
He established himself as a top lineman on both sides of the ball last year as a sophomore, earning all-league second-team honors on offense and defense.
The 6-4, 220-pound rising junior recorded 55 pancake blocks and graded out at 89 percent on offense.
On defense he had 33 tackles, with three for loss, and six QB hurries.
Oswalt is getting looks from PSAC and FCS programs because of his physicality, toughness and work ethic.
Chase Prange, Ephrata
RB/LB
Mountaineers’ ball-hawking linebacker was an absolute hit machine last fall, piling up 117 tackles, including five sticks for a loss, six QB hurries and a pair of pass breakups as Ephrata went 6-4 and just missed out on a District 3 Class 5A bid.
The Mounts plugged Prange into the middle of their defense and he responded quite nicely, earning Linebacker of the Year honors in Section 2.
He’s the only major award winner returning to the section.
The rising senior will again spearhead Ephrata’s defense; he’s also in the mix for some carries out of the backfield.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Cameron Small, Muhlenberg
RB/DB
Small enjoyed a breakout season in his first year with the Muhls, scoring 23 touchdowns, earning All-State recognition and becoming just the fifth player in Berks history to rush for over 2,000 yards.
He topped 100 yards eight times in 11 games, reached 200 yards five times and set a program single-game record with 346 yards – against Exeter, one of the league’s stingiest defensive teams.
Small finished with a program-record 2,051 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per carry.
He had just 37 touches a year earlier as a backup at Reading High but blossomed in his new environment.
Small was also a standout on defense, where he earned second-team all-league honors as a hard-hitting defensive back.
Joel Ummarino, Exeter
C/DE
The three-year starter was an invaluable piece for the Eagles last season as a heady center who helped make the run game go, a pocket-collapsing defensive end, and a long snapper.
He’ll be even more important this season as the most experienced returning lineman and should make an even bigger impact after tacking nearly 20 pounds onto his 6-2, now 270-pound frame.
Ummarino was a first-team all-league pick as a defensive end after making 54 tackles, including 12.5 for loss, for a unit that No. 2 in the entire league in scoring defense and No. 7 overall in total defense. He had 11 QB hurries.
He was a second-team all-league pick at center, where he earned rave reviews from his coaches because of his football IQ and technique, which led to a 96-percent blocking grade. He was credited with over 50 pancake blocks.
He’s getting looks from PSAC programs.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Jayden Ware, Exeter
WR/CB/KR
Ware is known for his big-play ability, such as his 36-yard interception return against Southwestern in the district playoffs or his 73-yard touchdown catch against Bishop McDevitt in the District 3 Class 5A championship game.
What his coaches love most about him is his team-first mentality. Despite his speed and ability to make big plays as a wide receiver he’s also willing to block; that made a difference on many of those long scoring runs by All-State pick Jayden Zandier a year ago.
Ware was a second-team all-league selection at wide receiver after averaging 23 yards per catch on his 17 receptions last season, seven of them good for TDs. With Section 2 Receiver of the Year Carter Redding graduated he’ll become Riley Martinez’s top target.
He’ll take an even bigger role in the secondary, too, after leading the team with three interceptions.
Dylon Worley, Gov. Mifflin
G/LB
Worley was a punishing presence in the trenches for the Mustangs last season, setting a physical tone and earning all-league first-team honors at guard by leading the way for Grady Gardner, who rushed for over 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns.
The 6-foot, 245-pound rising senior is one of the strongest players on the team and also a natural leader up front. He earns praise from his coaches for his ability to pass-block and pull on sweeps, and for his consistency.
Worley was a second-team all-league pick on defense as a middle linebacker after making 36 tackles, five for loss, recording two sacks and five QB hurries.
Others to watch
| Cordell Bair | WR/DB | Conestoga Valley |
| Leo Brown | RB | Exeter |
| Austin Bryant | WR/DB | Ephrata |
| Camron Buchmoyer | LB | Lebanon |
| Kyle Capello | WR | Elizabethtown |
| Tony Ferriera Jr. | T/DT | Muhlenberg |
| Konnor Fisher | WR/DB | Conestoga Valley |
| Evan Honberger | PK/P | Ephrata |
| Dustin Hoover | FB/LB | Ephrata |
| Jackson Kozik | TE/DE | Exeter |
| Fred Lacey | WR/CB/KR | Muhlenberg |
| Sam Matoni | DT | Conestoga Valley |
| Michael Miller Jr. | WR/S | Muhlenberg |
| Jackson Nolt | T/DE | Ephrata |
| Alex Ortiz | G/DE | Ephrata |
| Andre Osborne | G/DL | Exeter |
| Zavier Otero | G | Muhlenberg |
| Caleb Rice | LB | Ephrata |
| Teagan Ruble | RB | Conestoga Valley |
| Gannon Shank | QB | Elizabethtown |
| Patrick Steuer | RB/CB | Gov. Mifflin |
| Chris Susana | RB/LB | Gov. Mifflin |
| Chris Volpe | LB | Elizabethtown |
| Prince Wratto | RB | Elizabethtown |
| Aaron Young | DB | Ephrata |
