Where does Wyo’s win over Southern Columbia rank among the program’s greatest?

Wyomissing’s 41-21 win over Southern Columbia easily ranks among the greatest in program history. But it isn’t No. 1. Or even No. 2 or No. 3. Not even close.

Mid-season games can’t compare with the postseason, even if the win comes against a four-time defending state champ one win away from tying the state record for longest winning streak.

The Spartans are receiving national notoriety after knocking off the team that owned the nation’s longest high school football winning streak.

Still, it doesn’t compare with their 2012 victory over Aliquippa in the PIAA Class 3A championship game. That capped a 16-0 season.

Given the thrilling manner in which that game unfolded — a historic field goal, a goal-line stand, a late go-ahead touchdown against a favored opponent — it’s likely no Wyomissing game will top that on any list. Ever.

The infamous “Lord’s Prayer” game, when the Spartans got a last-minute touchdown bomb to — Gregory Lord, of course — ranks right up there. That netted a District 3 Class AA championship, against the state’s top-ranked team, Lancaster Catholic.

The week before the state championship win the Spartans had to knock off highly rated Imhotep Charter in a state final, 35-13. Crushed them, in fact.

District championships are always special.

The 2019 victory over Middletown was memorable because it broke a three-year spell of beatdowns administered by the Blue Raiders.

The 2014 district championship win over Berks Catholic ranks right up there, too. It came just a couple weeks after a heart-breaking loss to the Saints in the “Backyard Brawl,” when Isaac Lutz made two of the greatest catches you’ll ever see.

The Spartans have won nine district championships, so you’d need a long list to include all of their great moments. The first title, over Holy Name in 1990 — which had beaten Wyomissing early in the regular season — will be right up there.

That’s not to take anything away from the win over Southern. It was a classic. It elevated Wyomissing’s brand across the state. And it raised the bar for this current team, which no longer has to live in the shadows of the ultra-talented 2020 state finalists.

“We played as well as you can, and had a lot of good things happen because of how hard we played,” Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum said after a few days of reflection. “We got a blocked punt, a kickoff return (for a touchdown), a scoop and score (off a fumble recovery).

“I was a little disappointed with the efforts against Boyertown and Hamburg (in Weeks 3 and 4), but the kids realize that when they play like they’re capable they can be really good.”

Wolfrum was just happy to have a chance to play Southern and get to spend a few minutes with its legendary coach, Jim Roth.

“Recently, it’s been very hard to get games like this,” Wolfrum said. “Nobody wants to play you (when you’re successful). I was thankful they gave us the opportunity. They have the same mindset as we do, they want to test themselves.

“I have a lot of respect for Jim; he’s an impressive guy and they run a great program. I hope we get to do it again. When you play in a program like ours, big games are what the kids live for.”

With that said here’s a list of the Spartans’ biggest regular season games. No postseason games included.

We’ll go in David Letterman order, from No. 10 to No. 1:

10. (Tie) The Spartans clinched their first Inter-County League championship with a 31-12 win over Conrad Weiser in 1984. Wyo was not a powerhouse at the time; it was just in the building stages of what it has become.

One of Bob Wolfrum’s favorite games came in 1995, when the Spartans beat Gov. Mifflin 14-7 in a season finale that was added because neither team made the postseason. His son, Andy, was on that team; that and the fact that Wyo stepped up to beat a larger school made it special to him.

9. The Spartans beat Berks Catholic 34-28 in the 2015 regular season finale to clinch the Berks 2 title. Both teams were 9-0 at the time.

8. Muhlenberg and Wyomissing were each unbeaten in 2003 when they met in Week 8. The Muhls took a 14-0 lead before the Spartans came back to win it 21-14 on an Andy Taylor touchdown.

7. John Yocum’s Muhlenberg teams dominated Wyo in the 1990’s. They had won 8-of-9 after a 35-6 drubbing in 1999. A year later the Spartans went to Laureldale, came up with a goal-line stand and hung on for a 16-14 win. From that point on the Spartans were on even ground with the Muhls in what was one of Berks’ greatest rivalries.

6. Wyomissing was headed for a perfect season (and a state title) in 2012 but first it had to get past Berks Catholic in a battle of unbeatens. Before one of the largest crowds in the history of the A-Field the underdog Saints played great and trailed just 7-0 at the half; the Spartans prevailed 14-0 in a fiercely fought game. A loss there takes a little of the glow off of what was to come.

5. Bob Wolfrum doesn’t believe in ties, he believes in wins. He went for two and got it for a 22-21 overtime win at Muhlenberg in 2006. That was the only close call during a perfect regular season.

4. The Spartans’ tremendous 2019 season took shape in Week 2 at Pottsville. A week after losing their starting quarterback, Zach Zechman, for the season they moved Evan Niedrowski from guard to fullback and he plowed his way for a TD in overtime for a 21-20 win. That set the tone for the season.

3. Muhlenberg was in the midst of a dominating run and had a 27-game regular-season winning streak when it met Wyomissing in a Week 7 battle of unbeatens. The streak ended with the Spartans’ 28-7 win.

2. The physically toughest game the Spartans played during their state championship season was not against Aliquippa, or Imhotep, but against Pleasant Valley in Week 5. The Spartans dug out of a 14-0 as Alex Anzalone broke off a pair of big scoring runs, and they hung on to win 31-27.

1. Yeah, you guessed it: Southern Columbia. There’s some recency bias here, no doubt, but seriously: How are you going to top a game like that?