Football Notebook: Wyo D, coaching milestone, big numbers and more
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
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Wyomissing had the top-ranked defense in the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League last season.
The Spartans played their first three games this season without their top returning defender, All-State linebacker Ryker Jones. Now that he’s back on to the field following offseason knee surgery the Spartans figure to be very good on ‘D’ once again.
In his first game back the Princeton recruit had a team-high 11 tackles, four for loss, and a sack. The Spartans’ first-team defense held Berks Catholic to 136 yards and one score through the first three quarters in a 35-7 win. Jones was right in the middle of it all.
“He’s fast, he’s aggressive and he’s a hitter,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “That was evident right from the beginning. He made a couple plays in the first drive. After seeing him make a play where he caught a guy from behind (I thought to myself): ‘Well, he’s back.’ ”
(Tim Macrina photo)
Wyomissing had to replace five All-League players from its 2022 defense, including Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 Linebacker of the Year Matt Kramer and Defensive Lineman of the Year Jven Williams.
They returned their second level of defense intact, with outside backers Collin Niedrowski and Drew Forrey joining inside backers Chase Eisenhower and Jones. They all looked good in the “Backyard Brawl”; any or all of them figure to earn all-league honors.
In Jones’ absence Luis Huertas, who started at Conrad Weiser last season, stepped in.
“We sure as hell missed him,” Wolfrum said of Jones, “but we knew we had other guys. It wasn’t like we were crying because he couldn’t be out there. It’s nice when you have enough depth (to compensate for such a big loss).”
Wyomissing held each of its first two opponents, Kennard-Dale and Pottsville, under 200 total yards and to one touchdown.
In addition to the four returning linebackers, Wyomissing’s defense includes return starters Caleb Brewer, a Penn State offensive line recruit, at tackle and Ethan Brower at cornerback.
“I feel we’re just as good this year (as last),” Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are strong, physical, athletic. Our defense is smart, too; we know where to be at the right time.”
150 and counting
Schuylkill Valley’s 49-21 win over Kutztown Friday was the 150th of Panthers coach Bruce Harbach’s career.
Harbach won 139 games over 16 seasons at Lancaster Catholic before taking the job at Schuylkill Valley in 2021. After a 2-9 debut season the Panthers have gone 9-6 over the past two seasons and returned to the District 3 playoffs last year.
They’re 3-1 and appear to be playoff-bound and a top contender in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
Harbach won two PIAA championships, four dour District 3 titles and eight section championships at Catholic.
Fallen player honored
Three days after seeing teammate Max Engle succumb to head trauma, Jersey Shore intercepted five passes and recorded five sacks in beating visiting Shikellamy 61-12 Monday in a Heartland Conference game.
Fans on each side of Thompson Street Stadium wore orange – Jersey Shore’s team color – painted Engle’s No. 4 on their faces and paid other tributes to the fallen 17-year-old defensive lineman.
Engle collapsed late in a game against Selinsgrove on Sept. 8 and never recovered.
Prior to the game the two teams joined to take a knee and observed a moment of silence.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed after Engle died earlier that day.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 4A and have a 33-game unbeaten streak. Their game against Selinsgrove ended in a 21-21 tie.
Jersey Shore finished 12-1 last season and won the District 4 championship. It reached the PIAA semifinals in 2021 and the state championship game in 2020.
Nice catch
Evan Rittle had 10 receptions in Conrad Weiser’s 28-21 loss to Elco last week, a big number for any receiver, for sure – but not a program record.
You’re gonna have to have a really big day to get that.
Danny Sanchez set the mark with 14 catches in a playoff game against West York in 2008; he also set the program record with 254 receiving yards.
Rittle’s 10 catches – which would be a record at six other Berks programs – ranks fourth in the Scouts’ record book. Aanjay Feliciano had 13 in 2021; Dru George had 11 in 2006.
Classification shakeup coming
Some schools could see a drastic change in their classification for the 2024-25 school year now that the PIAA has approved a change in the formula used to count students who attend alternate settings, such as charter schools, cyber charter school, vo-tech or are homeschooled.
The PIAA will instruct schools to count 100 percent of those non-traditional students in their enrollment. Previously they needed to report just 10 percent. (This will affect only public schools since parochial and private schools don’t have charter or vo-tech students.)
The PIAA includes boys and girls in grades 9, 10 and 11 to determine a school’s classification in a given sport. Enrollment numbers are to be submitted by Oct. 1 for the next cycle, which will include the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Stats ’n stuff
Fleetwood’s Czion Brickle has topped 100 rushing yards in each of the Tigers’ four games; he’s the only Berks back to do that. He’s third in Berks rushing with 578 yards. . . Muhlenberg’s Josiah Urbaez has four interceptions in four games; that’s more than nine different Berks teams. . . Logan Nawrocki’s five touchdown passes last week in a 49-19 win over Fleetwood matched the Schuylkill Valley record. Nicco Iaccarino (2019) and Matt Korn (2001) each did it twice; Kyle Beissel did it in 2012. . . Elco’s Jake Williams has 1,141 yards and 16 TDs in four games; he’s averaging 16.8 yards per carry. . . Lancaster Catholic’s Elijah Cunningham (689) and Twin Valley’s Drew Engle (683) and Evan Johnson (627) are the only other backs in the league with more than 600 rushing yards. . . Hamburg’s Tyler Shuey (1,200) and Manheim Township’s Hayden Johnson (1,082) are the league’s first 1,000-yard passers. . . Johnson leads the league with 17 TDs throws; Shuey is next with 12. . . Eleven of Johnson’s scoring tosses have ended up in the hands of Landon Kennel; he has taken 11 of his 24 receptions into the end zone. . . The league’s best receiver – and maybe best all-around player – Aaron Enterline of Manheim Central leads the league with 27 receptions and 584 receiving yards.