Wyomissing ‘D’ figures to get a workout against Tanner Maddocks and Fleetwood
The guys on offense usually grab the majority of the headlines at Wyomissing; the Spartans are usually so consistent on that side of the ball.
Not right now: Defense has been the most efficient unit at Wyomissing.
The Spartans rank No. 1 in Berks in total defense and scoring defense.
“We were expecting them to be pretty good,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum of a unit that replaced seven starters, four of whom earned All-State honors after a trip to the PIAA Class 3A title game. “Nobody’s really moved the ball on us; I can’t complain about them, at all.”
The Spartans (4-0) face one of their biggest challenges so far Friday when they head to Fleetwood (2-2) to try to corral quarterback Tanner Maddocks, a Villanova recruit and one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the region.
Several other Berks teams face major tests Friday.
Wilson (2-2) tunes up for Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 play with a crossover game against state-ranked Manheim Central (4-0), the Section 2 favorite when league play opens next week.
Two Berks League Section 1 teams get ready for the start of league play next week against tough Inter-Ac opponents.
Gov. Mifflin (4-0), the top-ranked Class 5A team in the state, heads to Episcopal Academy (3-0) tonight; Berks Catholic (3-1), ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 4A, hosts Malvern Prep (2-1). The Inter-Academic League teams are not listed in the state rankings, but they each among the best teams in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Elsewhere Friday in Berks 2, Conrad Weiser (3-1) plays at Twin Valley (3-1) and Kutztown (2-2) is at Schuylkill Valley (1-3). In non-league play, Daniel Boone (2-2) heads to Ephrata (3-1) after adding that game earlier in the week; Tri-Valley (3-0) is at Hamburg; and Selinsgrove (2-2) is at Muhlenberg (0-4). In a PAC-Liberty opener, Owen J. Roberts (3-1) is at Boyertown (2-2).
Saturday at 6, Exeter (2-2) heads to West York (0-4) in non-league play.
Reading High (1-3) is sidelined after the program was indefinitely shutdown following a brush with COVID.
Wyomissing will be a heavy favorite at Fleetwood — it always is. The Spartans are 16-0 all-time against the Tigers and none of the games have been close; their average winning margin has been 40.5.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see how the Spartans defend Maddocks, who gave Conrad Weiser fits last week when he threw for 289 yards and four TDs in a 52-38 loss.
Maddocks, a senior with a rifle arm, is second in Berks with 689 passing yards and tied for second with six TD passes.
Last year, in a 49-9 loss, he completed 15-of-23 passes for 154 yards but no TDs against Wyomissing.
“He’s pretty good,” Wolfrum said of Maddocks. “We know we’ve gotta be ready for everything. When you play those zone teams, the ones that can throw and run, they cause you a lot of problems. You really have to take care of everything. That can be tough. That’ll be a good test for us.”
The Spartans feature one of the league’s best cornerback tandems in seniors Nevin Carter and Amory Thompson; they’re three-year starters and are so good they rarely get challenged.
They have gotten strong play from their linebackers, Jack Miller and Tommy Grabowski on the inside and Matt Kramer and Rory Filoon on the outside. Julian DiMaio has been consistent at nose guard, playing between a pair of Division I recruits: Aiden Mack and Jven Williams.
Mack, a senior, has committed to Richmond; Williams, a junior, received five big-school offers this week.
“They’ve done a good job,” Wolfrum said of his defense. “When we do struggle on offense, they keep the game under control until we get it back together.”