Four Downs: Four big takeaways from Week 2 in Berks football
Four takeaways from Week 2 of the 2022 high school football season:
1ST DOWN
Troy Godinet nailed down career win No. 1 Friday, with a lot of help from two-way standout Amier Burdine.
The senior quarterback, known more for his basketball exploits to date, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in a 33-20 win over rival Muhlenberg.
The Red Knights are coming off a tough stretch, with just one win (before Friday) over the past two years. Godinet, a former Red Knights linebacker from the Al Wolski era, is the right man to fix that.
It was a mistake for the school to go outside the district the last time it hired a coach but it has one of its own in place now and that’s always a good thing. It’s clear the players believe in Godinet and they’ll play their hardest for him.
2ND DOWN
Time to start asking: Is Exeter better this year than a year ago?
Who would’ve thought that was even a question, what with the Eagles coming off their first District 3 championship and then graduating eight all-league picks.
It was up in the air throughout the summer as to who the Eagles’ quarterback would be but that’s no longer a question: Senior Mason Rotelli has completed 19-of-26 passes for 297 yards in his first two starts. He’s thrown six TDs, scored one himself and hasn’t been picked off.
He’s working behind a big, strong, veteran offensive line, the strength of last year’s championship team and again of this team.
With Rotelli securing the QB spot, that frees Penn State recruit Joey Schlaffer to be more of an offensive weapon, lining up at various spots.
And don’t think that Schlaffer still won’t be used at quarterback. Matt Bauer’s got that one in his back pocket and will spring it when needed.
So far the Eagles haven’t needed it: They had outscored their first two opponents 72-0 before the backups gave up some late TDs to Boyertown Friday.
3RD DOWN
Most of us were throwing darts during the preseason when it came to picking a favorite in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Too many programs with undistinguished track records, not enough returning players to get a feel for what we might see unfold.
Two weeks in and it’s clear that Solanco has become the front-runner.
The Mules showed that with an impressive Week 1 win over Lampeter-Strasburg, 40-35, and reinforced it Friday with a 21-7 win over Cocalico. The Pioneers and Eagles are two of the better teams from what’s considered a superior Section 4. The Muhles handled them.
Elizabethtown and Garden Spot are also 2-0 but not nearly as impressive to date as Solanco, which won just three games a year ago.
It’s still early, though. With quarterback Dean Rotter back in the lineup Daniel Boone (0-2) remains a contender, and it’s way too early to count out Twin Valley (1-1). This still figures to be an excellent race.
4TH DOWN
Gov. Mifflin, which entered the season with a 21-game regular season winning streak, is 0-2 and head coach Jeff Lang is not happy about it.
He called Friday’s 48-14 loss at Carlisle “a total debacle” after seeing the Mustangs turn it over five times.
“We have a lot to figure out,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to some basics.”
The No. 1 basic at Mifflin is offensive line play, in large part because of Lang, the former O-line coach who always former strong lines that provided guys such as Zach Schmidt, Wilson Fontanez, Issac Ruoss and Nick Singleton with enough running room to excel.
That hasn’t happened so far. The Mustangs netted just 97 yards on 40 carries against Carlisle.
Mifflin’s been here before.
It started 0-3 in 2019 and finished with eight wins its final nine games.
It started 0-2 in 2012 and came back to win 10 straight and reach the district semifinals.