A couple of thoughts . . . from Week 5

By Mike Drago Last updated Sep 22, 2025

It didn’t go unnoticed in the Wyomissing locker room that The Haverford School knocked off Bonner-Prendergast 28-24 on Friday. Bonner-Prendie is the defending PIAA Class 4A champ and has been ranked No. 1 in the state in that classification all season. Haverford School opened its season with a 29-26 loss at Wyomissing. Now, the communicative property – if A is equal to B, and B is equal to C, then C is equal to A – doesn’t apply in high school football. But still . . . that result sent a message to the Spartans, who are ranked No. 4 in the state, that if they can beat Haverford they can beat anyone. Granted it was a home game for the Spartans, and it was the Fords’ season opener – quite a disadvantage with Wyo coming off a Week 1 win at Southern Columbia. But it adds a dose of perspective. “There’s so much belief in our team that we can make it to the state championship,” said Wyomissing senior Andrew Bresnahan, noting Haverford School’s big win. “That’s our ultimate goal. We definitely have the ability to win if we keep doing what we’re doing and don’t take any days off.”

Speaking of Southern Columbia, it has reeled off four straight wins since that 49-27 season-opening loss to Wyomissing. The Tigers have outscored their last four opponents 165-16.

Just five Lancaster-Lebanon League teams have made it to the halfway point of the season unscathed: Conestoga Valley, Exeter, Muhlenberg, Twin Valley and Wyomissing. The juxtaposition is interesting, with three – the Buckskins, Eagles and Muhls — in Section 2 and the Raiders and Spartans in Section 4. If Muhlenberg wins at Elizabethtown this week – that’s no layup, by the way – we’ll see a Week 7 battle of unbeatens in Laureldale between the Muhls and Eagles. Conestoga Valley has Exeter at home in Week 9 and closes at Muhlenberg. Twin Valley plays at Wyomissing in Week 8 and hosts Lampeter-Strasburg in Week 9. Lots of good stuff coming up.

The Section 5 race could be put to bed this week when Berks Catholic heads to Schuylkill Valley. Each is 2-0 in league play (as is Annville-Cleona). Preseason favorite Lancaster Catholic has been hit hard by injuries and couldn’t match up to the Saints Friday, losing 35-6. Berks Catholic lost to Schuylkill Valley 20-14 last year, yielding a last-minute touchdown bomb. That played ended up costing the Saints a share of the section title. Don’t think for a minute that fact is not lost on them.

Doug Dahms became just the 11^th active coach in Pennsylvania with 200 wins when Wilson beat Cedar Crest 62-20 Friday. He spent too many years as an assistant coach (30) to move up very high on the list of the state’s all-time winningest head coaches but what he’s done in 20 years as a head coach is remarkable: He has the highest winning percentage in Berks history. To put things in perspective: Wyomissing’s Bob Wolfrum has been on the sidelines for 474 wins over 54 seasons as a head coach or assistant coach; Dahms has been part of 464 wins over 50 seasons.

Kutztown is ranked No. 1 in the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League in total yardage, averaging 434 yards per game, but the Cougars haven’t been able to take advantage of that. They’re 1-4 with two of those losses tied directly to turnovers: They fumbled it away five times in a season-opening loss to Fleetwood and had four turnovers in Friday’s 21-20 loss to Hamburg. Kutztown has 13 turnovers, second-most in Berks (Reading has 15, a staggering eight coming in a 41-8 loss Friday to previously winless Penn Manor.)

Meanwhile, Twin Valley has one turnover in five games and has gone four straight games without losing a fumble or throwing an interception.

Twin Valley’s doing a lot of things well, course. It is ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense, allowing 132.6 yards per game. It is averaging 56.6 points, second-most in the state (North Catholic is at 58.6). Granted, the Raiders haven’t seen much competition yet. Simon Gratz is winless, Selinsgrove and Elco are each 1-4. Their strength-of-schedule rating is one of the lowest in District 3. Practices have been tougher than some of the Raiders’ games so far.

Muhlenberg was a completely one-dimensional team on offense last season: It was Cameron Smalls left, Cameron Smalls right, Cameron Smalls up the middle. No longer. The Muhls’ passing game is 100 percent improved, and they’ve added a wrinkle to the running game with Smalls and wide receiver Michael Miller Jr. taking direct snaps out of a Wildcat formation. Miller Jr. is particularly dangerous in that role; he’s averaging 8.2 yards rushing; he ran nine times for 45 yards and a touchdown in Friday’s 35-17 win over Gov. Mifflin, some on Jet Sweeps, some out of the Wildcat. “It’s just (another) way for us to get the ball in our play-makers hands,” said coach Rob Flowers.

Might be time for Wilson to switch EJ Brownback to tailback. The junior linebacker has intercepted three passes in five games and has taken each to the house. No one’s tackled him yet. He returned a pick 47 yards for a score in Friday’s 62-20 romp over Cedar Crest. He returned one 30 yards the week before against Reading 40 yards against Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Not sure what the record for most Pick-Sixes in a season is but he’s got to be close. Brownback led the Bulldogs in tackles last year but didn’t have an interception.

Wyomissing’s Justice Hardy pulled in a second Division I offer last week, from Temple. He previously had one from Liberty. In the pre-Transfer Portal era he would’ve had 20 offers by now. J’ven Williams picked up about 10 Power Five offers in a week not so long ago, but the entire recruiting landscape has shifted dramatically. It’s extremely tough for high school players to get those offers any more. Major college coaches find it more efficient to recruit from FCS rosters.

Nazareth head coach Tom Falzone told Keith Groller of the Morning Call that his son Peyton is “probably” done for the season after suffering a broken clavicle against Bethlehem Freedom (one week after he threw three TDs to beat Wilson). Peyton Falzone is the top-rated quarterback in Pennsylvania and committed to play at Auburn.

Chase McMonagle fired 44 passes Friday in Fleetwood’s 28-7 loss to Pequea Valley but that’s not a program record. Not even close. Jack Riffle attempted 49 passes in that wild 42-41 overtime win over Shamokin in a 2023 Eastern Conference championship game. The 44 attempts are tied for fifth-most in Berks history. The record? It belongs to Logan Klitsch of Conrad Weiser, who threw 52 times against Big Spring in a 2021 district playoff game.