Season preview: Reading High Red Knights
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Top Players To Watch in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
What to expect in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
Classification: Class 6A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 1.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 1-5 league, 2-8 overall
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2014.
Head coach: Troy Godinet, fourth season, 6-24.
Key losses: QB Kayson Fritz, RB Alex Alvarado, second-team WR Jared Santos, C Efrain Bonilla, G Romello Fuentes, second-team all-league DE Lenard Brown, second-team all-league DT Julio Casto, Section 1 Linebacker of the Year Gabriel Laws, all-league DB Xavier Beatty.
Top offensive players: QB Jason Plylaharn Jr., RB Idris Weaver, RB/KR Jeremiah Camara, RB Daron Wilkins, WR Ashton Linsinbigler, WR Amor Gomez-Peterson, G Isiah Ruiz, G Cyrus Rinkevich.
Top defensive players: E Cyrus Rinkevich, E Brandon Jones E Jamier Jacob, T Isiah Ruiz, T Emere Woods, T Ja’Sian Wellmaker, T Urijah Suliveres, OLB Makye Lias, MLB Braylon Williams, S Jason Plylaharn, S Ashton Linsinbigler, DB Jose Garcia, DB Keegan Engle, CB Jeremiah Camara, CB Idris Weaver, CB Daron Wilkins, P Cam Kauffman.
For the record: Nearly 75 years after playing his last game with the Red Knights, Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore still owns the program record with 22 touchdowns in a season. Moore played for Reading in 1950 and 1951.
On schedule: The Red Knights maintain a 12-11 series lead over Week 8 opponent Manheim Township but have lost nine straight in the series.
Quotable: “We knew when we came in here it was going to take some time. We were pretty much rebuilding from ground zero. After Covid, not having any football, losing a class, it hurt Reading High football a lot. We knew we were going to have to develop kids at a fast pace and we knew we were going to have to keep kids in Reading and make them want to play Reading High football.” — Red Knights coach Troy Godinet
Outlook: Third-year coach Troy Godinet prefers to use the term “rebooting” rather than “rebuilding” but no matter how you phrase it the Red Knights won’t have the top-shelf players they did a year ago.
They didn’t win many games but in Xavier Beatty, Gabriel Laws, and Keyshawn Efese the Red Knights had some of the top talents in Section 1. Now, with eight all-league players gone, they’re starting from scratch. (They’re the only team in the section without a returning all-league pick.)
Godinet is excited about the prospects for this team because of an influx of talented freshman he hopes will make an impact right away. Linemen Brandon Jones and Ja’Sian Wellmaker, linebacker Makye Lias, defensive back Daron Wilkins and wide receiver Amor Gomez-Peterson, all ninth-graders, are expected to be on the field in key roles.
“We knew this young group coming up was going to be a really great group,” Godinet said. “We’ve been waiting for them. We know that this ninth grade class can be very special and they’re gonna push these older guys to play.
“Not having any kids leave (the program) from the youth level, to the middle school level, to the freshman team, into 10th grade is really big for us; it’s not something that used to happen.”
Godinet is equally excited about the leadership he’s getting from senior quarterback Jason Plylaharn and senior two-way back Idris Weaver.
Plylaharn takes over at QB full-time after splitting that job a year ago, when he completed 49 percent of his passes. Weaver moves from wide receiver to running back, as does basketball star Jeremiah Camara. Godinet wants those two play-makers to have the ball in their hands as much as possible.
“Idris is an amazing kid,” Godinet said. “He gives 100 percent every rep. If you could put that kid’s heart into every single person on our team we’d be winning Section 1 on a regular basis. He’s an example of what we’re trying to build around this program.”
There’s a little more experience returning on the defensive side, where Weaver and Camara return to the backfield and Plylaharn will play linebacker. They’ll be joined by linemen Isiah Ruiz, Jamier Jacob, Emere Woods, and Cyrus Rinkevich.
The Red Knights gave up a lot of yards last season – they were ranked No. 26 in the league against the rush and No. 31 against the pass – but that was amplified by the astounding number of penalties they committed. They were flagged 21 times against McCaskey, 15 against Penn Manor and 11 or more three other times. Improving mental preparation and discipline, Godinet said, have been a point of emphasis in the offseason.
One thing he’s happy about is effort. After six straight losing seasons he feels the tide turning.
“We’ve built the program to the point where you’re gonna see Reading High give everything they’ve got on the football field, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “Our kids are going to play with effort all the time, and that’s what the standard is.”
At the wire: Back of the pack in Section 1.
