Ruben Rodriguez grabs Wyomissing Physical Therapy Player of the Week
Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week
It didn’t take basketball star Ruben Rodriguez long to catch on to football.
He played youth football, then gave it up to concentrate on basketball, where he’s become a state champion and two-time All-State pick.
He returned to football last season, played a little receiver, injured his knee and figured he was done with the sport. After being coaxed back for his senior year by his quarterback and basketball teammate, Amier Burdine, Rodriguez is having a banner season.
He matched program records for catches in a game and touchdown receptions in a game in a 38-0 win over McCaskey Friday and has been named Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week.
Rodriguez had 11 receptions and four TDs against McCaskey, scoring from 27, 19, 39 and 16 yards, all on deliveries from Burdine.
“Ruben has the ability to make plays in a timely manner,” said Reading coach Troy Godinet. “Every time he’s made a big play, it’s always come when we needed it: A third down, a fourth down.
“It just speaks to him as a person. He’s just a leader. He steps up in big moments.”
Rodriguez had just three catches last season.
Now he’s among the top receivers in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, with 33 receptions for 480 yards and eight touchdowns.
He’s second among Section 1 receivers in catches to Manheim Township’s Landon Kennel, who has 38; he’s fifth overall in the 37-team leaguue.
He’s tied for third in the league in TD receptions and seventh in receiving yards.
“Ruben is a true, dynamic threat,” said Burdine. “He always finds a way to get open and create something from nothing. I have complete confidence in him every time I throw it to him.”
Rodriguez is also a starting cornerback, with two interceptions, and returns punts.
Godinet says Rodriguez’s basketball skills translate to the football field. His speed and athleticism, which make him a terror on the court, set him apart on the bigger field.
“He understands spacing, like he’s played the game forever,” Godinet said. “He does things that he’s never been coached up to do; he just understands leverage, he understands how to get to the spots he needs to get to.
“He has a control of his body that’s different. He can lean back, catch the ball over his shoulder. Some of the catches he’s making are not easy catches: They’re in traffic, they’re over the shoulder, over his head. He’s a guy that looks like he’s played the game for a long time, but he hasn’t.”
The 11 receptions tied a program record established by Mike Riley in 1976, against Coatesville. Three other Reading players have 10 catches in a game: Tony Hardy (1991), Charlie Randall (1993) and Denny Nazario (2010). Randall did it twice, against Pottsville and Manheim Township.
Rodriguez’s four TD catches tied a record set by Hardy in 1989 vs. Gov. Mifflin.
Rodriguez has eight TD receptions; the Reading single-season record is 14, shared by Hardy and Randall. Richard Reyes, a former Reading basketball standout and later the Red Knights head basketball coach, had 12 TD catches in 1987.
Randall owns the single-game record for yards in a game, with 214, against Township; that broke Hardy’s mark of 213, also against Township.
In basketball, Rodriguez was Berks County Player of the Year as a junior, when he led the league in scoring at 19.8 points and led Reading to the District 3 6A championship. He set program record with 50 points in a game and has scored 1,291 career points.
Players considered for Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
Also considered for Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week:
- Richie Karstien, Exeter
- Jackson Schools, Gov. Mifflin
- Xander Menapace, Hamburg
- Dakota Thomas, Kutztown
- Gio Cavanna, Muhlenberg
- Dominic Giuffre, Schuylkill Valley
- Evan Johnson, Twin Valley
- Cam Jones, Wilson
- Matt Kramer, Wyomissing
Players selected earlier this season:
- Week 1: Gio Cavanna, RB, Muhlenberg
- Week 2: Cam Jones, RB, Wilson
- Week 3: Pierce Mason, RB, Hamburg
- Week 4: Gio Cavanna, RB, Muhlenberg
- Week 5: Josiah Jordan, RB, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Cam Jones, RB/KR, Wilson
Players selected last season:
- Week 1: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 2: DeShawn Wilson, WR, Reading High
- Week 3: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 4: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 5: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 6: Diohnny Ruiz, RB, Hamburg
- Week 7: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 8: Cameron Jones, KR, Wilson
- Week 9: Trey Freeman, WR, Twin Valley
- Week 10: Jadyn Jones, RB, Wilson
- Week 11: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 12: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 13: Eric Nangle, RB, Exeter
- Week 14: Colin Payne, Exeter
