Four Downs: 4 big takes from Week 4
Four biggest takeaways from Week 4 of the 2022 high school football season:
1ST DOWN
Get used to hearing Pierce Mason’s name. The Hamburg senior running back is doing some sensational things this season, as are the Hawks.
One week after matching the program rushing record Mason matched the program record for touchdowns in a game with five in a 39-26 win at Annville-Cleona.
That gives him a stunning 16 trips to the end zone in four games, easily the most in the entired 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League. He’s third in rushing with 727 yards and second with a 13.7 yards-per-carry average (Wyomissing’s Drew Eisenhower is first at 13.9).
Mason rushed for 270 yards at Annville; he now has two of the top three single-game rushing marks in program history after going for 292 a week earlier against Eastern York.
As for the Hawks, they came behind again — they trailed 20-13 in the second quarter — and recorded their fourth straight win. They’ve averaging 54.0 point game, tops among all teams in District 3.
2ND DOWN
Even when teams are trying not to kick to Cam Jones he finds a way to take it back to the house.
Roman Catholic went into its season-opener against Wilson with the express purpose of not kicking to the return specialist but didn’t execute its plan; Jones took the first ball he touched back to the house for a 77-yard punt return.
Same thing happened Friday at Shirk Stadium. Reading High tried to keep the ball away from the elusive Jones but he picked up one kick along the sidelines before it went out of bounds and took it back 61 yards for a TD; earlier he returned a punt 57 yards for a score.
“(Coach Doug Dahms) tells me to field everything I possibly can and then get to the wall,” Jones said. “That’s what I did tonight on those two returns.”
That makes three punt returns for TDs this season and seven over the past two seasons. He also retruned three kickoffs for scores last season. That’s 10 special teams TDs in 16 games.
If you kicked the ball into the stands Jones would probably buy a ticket and run in there and get it.
3RD DOWN
Muhlenberg and Reading High, programs with proud histories, have gone through some tough times in recent years. The Muhls won just two games over the last four seasons and experienced a 26-game losing streak. The Red Knights went 1-12 the last two years and suffered through a fall without football in 2020, when the school district suspended all sports.
Both have bounced back this season.
The Muhls are 2-2 after beating Lebanon 47-25 Friday. The Red Knights are also 2-2, one of those wins coming against the Muhls.
Not only are they finally enjoying some success but each has one of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s most dymnamic players.
The Red Knights are led by dual-threat quarterback Amier Burdine, who has thrown five TDs passes, run for two and leads the team in rushing.
The Muhls are led by tailback Gio Cavanna, who scored five touchdowns Friday — one short of the program record — and ran for a career-high 240 yards. He’s second in Section 2 with 540 rushing yards.
4TH DOWN
What to make of the Berks Catholic Saints?
They’re 0-4 for the first time in their brief history but gave a spirited effort against top-ranked Wyomissing Friday in the renewal of the “Backyard Brawl.” The Saints led at the half, on Andrew Kurtas’ last-second field goal, and continued to put up points in the second half against the league’s top-rated defensive unit before succumbing 41-24.
If Berks Catholic can play that well the rest of the way it could avoid a losing regular season and qualify for the District 3 Class 3A playoffs. It’ll take a 5-1 finish to get there, and there are still some tough teams on its schedule, with Lampeter-Strasburg in Week 7 and Cocalico in Week 9.
The Saints have faced one of the toughest schedules of any team in District 3: Their four opponents are a combined 14-2.
Rick Keeley, who hasn’t had a losing season since 2006 (at Holy Name), seemed encouraged Friday by the effort. This will be interesting to watch.
