What’s next for the . . . Wilson Bulldogs?
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(This is the third of a series as MikeDragoSports.com takes an offseason dive into Berks’ top programs.)
With track season about to start Doug Dahms is getting excited about the prospects for Wilson’s 4×100 relay team.
With Justice Hardy joining Jaiden Carpenter and the Greer brothers, Monty and Damian, the Bulldogs – who won BCIAA gold last season — will have a formidable foursome.
“Our 4×100 could be good,” allowed Dahms, an assistant coach in track.
That quartet will bring a lot of speed to Dahms’ other favorite sport, football, where the Bulldogs also figure to be formidable.
Even before Hardy, a two-time All-State pick at Wyomissing, transferred Wilson appeared to be an early, early favorite in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. His game-changing talents will aid the Bulldogs on offense, defense and special teams.
“He’s strong, he’s quick, he looks good for what we’re doing so far,” Dahms said of winter workouts.
“But,” he cautioned, “you’ve gotta wait and see what happens when he throws the pads on against the big boys. It’s going to be a different level.”
Hardy has played primarily against Class 4A and 3A competition; the Class 6A teams he’ll face with Wilson will feature more bigger, stronger, faster athletes.
Hardy should be able to hang. He’s a physical player and a dogged weight room worker who’s caught the attention of college coaches. He has collected more than a dozen Division I college offers, including one from Bill Belichick and North Carolina.
Hardy will provide an interesting counterweight to Michael Glover, Wilson’s two-time All-State tight and a Division I prospect himself. Neither will attract the kind of singular defensive attention they might have on separate teams.
Dahms looks forward to providing a weekly dilemma for opposing D-coordinators.
Hardy had limited touches at Wyomissing but still managed to score 19 touchdowns and average 10.7 yards per carry as a junior. He was also a threat in the passing game.
Glover shared the team lead with 35 receptions and had seven TD catches as a junior; he was also a factor in the run game, where he averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He figures to become the first tight end in program history with 100 career catches (he’s already the leader with 1,242 receiving yards).
“Michael’s obviously somebody you’re gonna build your offense around,” Dahms said. “He’s a force: They have to account for him. We can flex him out. That creates a mismatch, in terms of size. If they want to double him, that opens someone else up.”
So, who’s going to deliver the ball to Glover and Hardy? That remains the No. 1 offseason question in West Lawn as the Bulldogs intensify winter workouts and close in on spring drills.
Wilson utilized first-time senior starters at quarterback the past two seasons, and each quickly blossomed. Madyx Gruber moved from wide receiver to behind center in 2024 and was a revelation. Mason Young replaced him last season and put up big numbers; his 2,199 yards, 26 TDs, and 176.1 passing efficiency rating each rank No. 2 all-time in program history.
Will Cole Peterson continue that single-season starter mold? He was the No. 2 guy as a junior but had his hands on the ball more as a long snapper than as a quarterback.
Peterson is the first name Dahms mentions when discussing the quarterback situation, so that’s telling.
“Cole’s the leading candidate,” Dahms said. “He’s a senior and he’s smart and he’s a good team leader; he has all those tools. He doesn’t have Mason’s speed or arm strength, but he’s smart in terms of the game and he’s a good leader.”
Peterson will be challenged for that spot by the aptly named Johnny Challenger, who saw late-game time last year as a sophomore, as did Logan Pettit, also a sophomore. There could be a younger player in the mix; keep the name Dax Werley, who will be a freshman, in mind.
Dahms hopes to narrow the quarterback field down to just a couple of names by the time spring drills end in early June.
“We have a couple of nice young kids coming up,” he said. “We don’t know (right now how it’ll all shake down). It’s something we’re trying to figure out.”
Wilson didn’t get a lot of production out of its running game last season but that could improve. A pair of starters return to the offensive line: second-team all-league tackle David Wise and guard Preston Symons. There are some younger players, among them rising juniors Jaisnav Kasaraneni and Kevin McFarland, emerging to fill the open spots along the line.
There’s no shortage of talent at tight end/H-back, with rising junior Braydon Farrell, rising senior Barima Archampong, and rising sophomore Travis Bassoon joining Glover, the Section 1 Offensive Lineman of the Year. Someone from that group – not Glover, of course – could be shifted to the line.
Hardy will split time at tailback with rising senior Monty Greer and could see time at receiver with Damian Greer, Jackson Becker, Brady Matesic, and Sammy Dianna, a group Dahms feels good about.
The defense is even deeper and more experienced, with six return starters, led by MikeDragoSports.com Berks Defensive Player of the Year E.J. Brownback, who will be a senior and three-year starter at inside linebacker.
He’ll be joined at linebacker by Farrell, Matt Wyatt and – if he’s not the starting quarterback – Cole Peterson.
Glover was an all-league pick at defensive end. He’ll take on more responsibility as a senior by moving to the strong side, where he’ll encounter more blockers and be more important against the run game.
The defensive backfield will be composed of those speedy skills guys, Hardy and the Greers, along with Becker.
Preston Oxenreider had a remarkably consistent season as a freshman; the Bulldogs won’t be worried about a placekicker for the next several years.
Wilson finished 9-3 last season after getting knocked out by Central York in the District 3 Class 6A semifinals. It could be strong enough to make a bid for its second district championship appearance in three seasons.
“(The) quarterback has to come through for us,” Dahms said. “The inside of the offensive line has to come through, and we have to find a nose tackle. Those are all question marks.”
Dahms, who won his 200th game last season, is set to begin his 21st season as head coach and 51st on the Wilson staff. He’s as enthusiastic as ever.
“This is the time of the year you start getting excited,” he said. “The kids are working hard in the weight room and we’re starting to see some nice improvements. Now we’ll see what we can do on the field.”
What’s next for the . . . Wyomissing Spartans?
What’s next for the . . . Twin Valley Raiders?
