Football Notes: Red Knights’ ‘Mount Rushmore,’ six-pack, state champ ‘stung,’ and more
Reading High has produced some of the greatest receivers in Berks history.
Tony Hardy was a Big 33 Classic MVP and an All-State pick. Richie Reyes was an All-State pick, too. Charlie Randall topped many of their receiving records.
Ruben Rodriguez has joined that group to complete the Red Knights’ Mount Rushmore of receivers.
Robriguez is best known for his basketball skills; he’s a two-time All-State pick. He hadn’t picked up a football for several years until returning to the sport last season.
He didn’t play much last season but has emerged as one of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s most dynamic receivers as a senior, finishing with 52 receptions for 933 yards and 12 touchdowns.
According to stats on Lancasteronline.com, He ranks third in the league in receiving yards and fourth in both catches and TD catches. His 17.9 yards-per-catch average is seventh-best.
Rodriguez’s numbers compare favorably to the Red Knights’ elite receivers of past generations.
He ranks third in single-season catches, behind Randall’s 59, in 1993, and Reyes’ 54 in 1987.
Rodriguez’s 12 TD receptions are tied for third-most in program history with Reyes. Hardy and Randall each had 14.
He had 11 catches in a win over McCaskey, matching the program record set by Mike Riley in 1976.
He matched Hardy’s 1989 record with four touchdown catches in a game, against McCaskey.
Rodriguez has been Berks’ most productive receiver. He leads in receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions; only Exeter’s Joey Schlaffer has a higher average per catch (22.4)
Rodriguez had the three biggest yardage games of the season: 166, 157, and 156 yards.
Interesting to note that Reyes, Hardy and Randall also played basketball for the Red Knights. Reyes later coached them to a pair of District 3 championships.
Quick six
Dominic Giuffre’s six touchdowns last week against Lancaster Catholic matched the Schuylkill Valley record and came within one of the Berks record.
Giuffre scored on runs of 7, 11, 8 and 21 yards and on receptions of 25 and 50 yards in the 44-41 loss. He topped 100 yards in both rushing and receiving.
Ed Shuttleworth was the first Schuylkill Valley player to scored six TDs in a game, in 2014 against Twin Valley.
Nick Singleton of Gov. Mifflin is the most recent Berks player with a half-dozen scores. He went for six TDs against Episcopal Academy and seven against Warwick, both last season.
The current Penn State freshman shares the Berks record with Dan Capozello of West Readng (1954) and John P. Charlton of Reading High (1912).
That’ll be a tough record to top.
Berks’ best
Placekicking has never been a strength of Berks Catholic’s football program. It is this season.
Andrew Kurtas, who didn’t start kicking footballs until this past summer, has been a boon since joining the Saints. The converted soccer play has been good on 6-of-7 field goal attempts and hit a 44-yarder against Wyomissing — both are now program records.
Kurtas shares the Berks lead in field goals with Weiser’s Adam Noll and has the third-longest kick of the season.
Central Valley stung
Pennsylvania’s longest winning streak ended when Aliquippa beat visiting Central Valley 35-24 in a battle of unbeaten Class 4A heavyweights Friday.
Central Valley, the two-time PIAA Class 3A champ, had won 36 straight games. The Warriors’ last loss came in 2019.
“It hurts, and it stings,” Central Valley coach Mark Lyons told the Pennsylvania Football News. “We haven’t experienced this in three years. As they say, all good things must end at some point.”
Central Valley beat Wyomissing in each of the past two PIAA Class 3A championships before moving up a classification this year due to expanding enrollment.
Aliquippa, the defending PIAA Class 4A champ, has won 21 straight. Central Valley’s winning streak was the fifth-longest in the nation. Bixby, Okla., has the longest winning streak in the nation at 58 games.
Aliquippa and Central Valley are expected to meet again in a few weeks. They are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the WPIAL Class 4A Tournament.
Aliquippa was slated to go up to Class 5A this season due to the PIAA’s Competition Formula but the Quips fought against the move and won their appeal, just as Wyomissing did. The Spartans were slated to move to Class 4A this year.
Aliquippa is ranked No. 1 in the state in 4A by PennLive.com; Central Valley slipped from No. 4 to No. 5.
Family matters
Adam Noll’s 46-yard field goal against Lampeter-Strasburg in Week 9 tied the Conrad Weiser record and set a family record.
The kick matched Jake Roth’s 46-yarder in 2015 against Daniel Boone.
It topped the 45-yarder by his brother Matt, in 2018 vs. Susquehanna Township. Matt had two other 40-yarders for the Scouts. This was Adam’s only 40-yarder.