Week 8 Spotlight Game: The Frost Bowl
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Hamburg (2-5) vs. Schuylkill Valley (4-3)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Leesport.
Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5 records: Hawks 1-3, Panthers 3-1.
Series: Schuylkill Valley leads 25-24-1.
Last year: Schuylkill Valley won 30-21.
Frost Bowl overview: Hamburg leads the trophy series 24-19-1 but Schuylkill Valley has had the upper hands in recent decades, winning 10 of the last 15 games and has gone 15-10 since 2000. The Panthers have won three straight in the series. No one on the Hamburg roster has been part of a Frost Bowl victory.
2024 recap: Logan Nawrocki completed 23-of-34 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns as Schuylkill Valley remained undefeated in league play with a 30-21 win on Hawk Hill. The Panthers were out-gained in the back-and-forth game but clinched the deal with a 12-play drive late in the game that ended with Cooper Hohenadel’s 2-yard run with 54 seconds left. Tyler Shuey became Hamburg’s all-time passing leader, completing 21-of-30 passes for 292 yards with two TDs; he also ran for a score.
Hawks update: Gave up 14 fourth-quarter points last week in losing 31-21 to Pequea Valley, their second straight loss. . . Freshman quarterback Isaac McFadden did not finish the game after being knocked out with a back injury. . . He is practicing this week and is expected to play Friday. . . McFadden has thrown for 779 yards and five TDs, with just one INT. . . He also leads the team in rushing, and with 7 TDs. . . Top receiver is Alex Soto, who has 20 catches. . . Have been playing without top tailback Blaise Peters since he broke his leg in Week 2; he won’t return this season. . . Bryce Schmeck was moved from H-back to tailback to take his spot. . . Lone league win came in Week 5, 21-20 over Kutztown, when McFadden threw a TD pass with 7:29 remaining. . . Will likely need to win out to return to the postseason for the fifth straight years. . . One more loss will end streak of four straight winning seasons.
Fast fact: Bill Sakusky and Jeff Chillot share the record with eight Frost Bowl victories apiece. Sakusky coached at Hamburg. Chillot earned seven of those wins with Schuylkill Valley and one with Hamburg. He’s currently an assistant coach with the Hawks.
Panthers update: Reese Wamsher’s 27-yard field goal as time expired beat Columbia 17-14 last week. . . Trailed 14-7 entering fourth quarter. . . Remain a game behind Section 5 leaders Berks Catholic and Annville-Cleona. . . Lost to Saints 55-19 in Week 6; play Dutchmen next week. . . Currently No. 5 in District 3 Class 3A power ratings; top six qualify for tournament. . . QB Alex Aletras has thrown for 1,139 yards and 16 TDs. . . Leading rusher Brandon Pyle missed last week’s game but is expected to return this week. . . He is averaging 8.4 yards per carry, with six TDs. . . WR Anthony Batista leads team with 15 receptions and with 6 TD catches. . . Have turned the ball over just twice in the last two games. Had four turnovers in loss to Fleetwood and three against Kutztown.
Did you know? The Frost Bowl was first played in 1976 and had traditionally been played as the final game of the regular season and coordinated with the King Frost Parade in Hamburg. That changed when the two schools joined the Lancaster-Lebanon League last year. They have played 44 times for the Frost Bowl trophy; Hamburg leads 24-19-1.
Fast fact: Schuylkill Valley won the first seven meetings in the series, from 1970-1976. The Hawks took their first lead in the series in 1989. The Panthers didn’t regain the series lead again until 2014.
Series flashback 2022: Dominic Giuffre ran for a program-record 302 yards and scored four touchdowns as Schuylkill Valley snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. Among Giuffre’s highlights was a 96-yard TD run. His last score, late in the third quarter, put the Panthers up 41-20. The Hawks scored with 44 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game. They tried an onsides kick but could not recover. The game included four field goals, two by each team.
Quotable: “It’s always a fun one to see because you’re going to get each team’s best. It’s a high-energy game with two passionate football teams that want to get the job done.” – Hamburg coach Tyler Hartranft, on the Frost Bowl atmosphere.
