Week 7 glance: Wyomissing hoping to avoid letdown in Berks 2 return vs. Twin Valley
Days before his team headed to Southern Columbia to challenge one of the top programs in the state, Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum had his eye on the game after, against Twin Valley.
How, Wolfrum wondered, would his team respond after playing its biggest game of the season?
The Spartans would be on an emotional high, he knew, to play the four-time defending state champion Tigers, but would they be able to bounce back for tonight’s key Berks Football League Section 2 game at Twin Valley?
“We’ve had two pretty big games,” Wolfrum said after the Spartans ended the nation’s longest winning streak with a 41-21 win at Southern Columbia. “This one and Pottsville. We played with great enthusiasm that night (at Pottsville), too. When we’re ready to go, we’ve been really, really good.”
Getting the Spartans back up to a level high enough to beat the best Raiders team in years is the Week 7 challenge for Wolfrum and his staff.
Wyomissing (2-0, 6-0) at Twin Valley (2-1, 4-2) is one of the highlights of the Week 7 Berks football schedule. All nine games are scheduled for tonight.
The GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week features Gov. Mifflin (0-0, 5-0) at Exeter (1-0, 4-2). The Eagles, expected to be the Mustangs’ biggest challenger in Berks 1, hope to slow down the top-ranked Class 5A team in the state.
Wilson (1-0, 3-3) opened play in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last week in commanding fashion, hammering Penn Manor 40-6. Tonight the Bulldogs get McCaskey (0-1, 2-4) at Gurski Stadium.
In Berks 1, Reading High (0-0, 1-3) returns to the field for the first time in three weeks to play Berks Catholic (1-0, 4-2) at Shirk Stadium. The Red Knights had to cancel their last two games due to COVID issues.
Also in Berks 1, Daniel Boone (0-1, 3-3) heads to Muhlenberg (0-1, 0-6) looking to bounce back after a 40-7 loss to Berks Catholic. The Blazers were missing half their offensive line last week but are expecting Colin Leahy and Tony Rulli to return. The Muhls, meanwhile, are looking to snap a couple of losing streaks — five straight to the Blazers and 23 overall. They have not won since the 2018 season finale.
Berks 2 features several key games, including Conrad Weiser (2-1, 4-2) at Hamburg (1-1, 5-1). Neither can afford another league loss if they’re hoping to gain a share of the section title. The Hawks have already lost to Wyomissing; the Scouts have lost to Twin Valley and play the Spartans in the regular season finale.
Fleetwood (1-2, 3-3) picked up a key win last week against Twin Valley and hopes to keep its momentum going with a Berks 2 game at Schuylkill Valley (1-1, 2-4). The Panthers saw their two-game winning streak snapped last week by Conrad Weiser.
Also tonight, Boyertown (0-1, 2-4) hosts Methacton (1-1, 4-2) in a PAC Liberty game and Kutztown (2-4) hosts Susquehannock (3-3) in a non-league game. The Cougars will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak after a promising 2-1 start.
The Raiders were off to their best start in years and in strong position for a district playoff berth before a letdown performance at Fleetwood. One week after topping Conrad Weiser in double-overtime the Raiders were thoroughly out-played in a 26-9 loss to the Tigers.
“Twin Valley hit a bump (last week),” Wolfrum said. “They’re still capable of making plays. We’ve gotta go and play. They have some guys that can go the distance and make big plays. All it takes is a couple of those, you turn the ball over and you can be in trouble.”
The Raiders feature two of the league’s top play-makers in running back Dominic Caruso and wide receiver Trey Freeman, easily the best offensive duo in program history. Twin Valley is averaging 28.7 points per game.
The yards will be difficult to come by against Wyomissing, which is ranked No. 3 in Berks in total defense and No. 2 against the rush. It is ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing 11.7 points per game.
“Our defense, as it has all year, just did a great job keeping (Southern’s) offense in check,” Wolfrum said. “(Running back Gavin) Garcia (a Kent State recruit) is the real deal. He had a lot of great runs that went for 3 yards. We were chasing him all over the lot. We stayed discipline and didn’t let him get outside or cut back.”