Ryker Jones’ first trip to end zone highlights Spartans’ tune-up effort
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
Ryker Jones had waited for this moment for months: A chance to wrap his arms around a football, follow his blockers around the edge, then dart into an open space and toward the end zone.
He returned from offseason knee surgery two weeks ago but had been limited strictly to defensive duty.
Finally, on Wyomissing’s third possession Saturday, he got a chance to enter the offensive huddle. Then he heard his number called. Even for an All-State pick who’s played in a state championship game that was a big moment.
“It was blocked perfectly,” Jones said of his first carry in 10 months. “It was right there.”
He burst through an opening around the right side, headed for the first-down marker, then . . . tripped.
“I lost my balance a little bit,” he said. “I got pretty frustrated about that.”
No matter. On the next snap the Princeton recruit broke from his spot at halfback, streaked free past a Donegal linebacker and settled under a Logan Hyde pass for what became a 63-yard touchdown and the highlight of the Spartans’ 49-0 romp over Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 rival Indians at Wolfrum Field.
“(Logan) had a great throw, the linemen had great protection, so it all worked out perfectly,” said Jones.
It was one more cleared hurdle for Jones, who spent months rehabbing after sustaining a torn ACL and sprained MCL in his right knee in a 20-17 to Neumann-Goretti in a PIAA Class 3A semifinal in December.
He appeared in his first game in Week 4 against Berks Catholic and played like he never missed a moment, making 10 first-half tackles in the 35-7 win.
Now he’s ready to move back into his role on offense where he’s a breakaway threat and just as importantly in the Spartans’ Wing-T attack a tremendous blocker. As a sophomor he averaged nearly 11 yards per game in backup duty. Last season he averaged nearly 9 yards a pop.
His return to offense Saturday was no coincidence. Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum and his staff used the one-sided game against Donegal (0-3, 2-4) as a tune-up for next week’s Section 4 showdown at Cocalico.
The starters played roughly a half, then got off the field. Quarterback Logan Hyde got a chance to throw the ball downfield a little, just to remind Cocalico he’s capable of such things. And the defense got a look at an option offense that runs things similarly to the way the Eagles do.
“You need to take care of the dive back, the quarterback and the pitch (man),” Wolfrum said of stopping the option. “We let two (plays) get away from us for big gains (today). Cocalico, they’ll go the distance on those, so we saw we’re not perfect at it yet. That’s good for the kids to see that, too.”
The Indians didn’t get much against Wyomissing’s defense: 45 total yards, including just 24 rushing yards on 20 carries. More than a third of the run plays ended up as losses.
Drew Forrey got a Pick Six two snaps into the game. Ethan Brower had a sack. Collin Niedrowski blocked a punt. Justice Hardy forced a fumble.
The Spartans met little resistance. Chase Eisenhower ran 41 yards for a TD on their third play from scrimmage. Teddy White, one of four quarterbacks to see time, made a nice play to buy time and escape the pocket before launching a 33-yard TD pass to Jake Neff. Marvin Armistead, one of 13 ballcarriers, gained 77 yards on four carries.
The Spartans (3-0, 6-0) had 334 yards and a 35-0 lead by halftime – and that was with the backups on offense for a couple series, and with Hyde taking a knee at the Donegal 15 in the final minute of the first half.
The best thing for the Spartans was to once again see Jones in the backfield, brief as his return was. He’ll get more chances next week and going forward.
“I was so happy I was able to do it,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re used to playing both and having to stay on the sideline for one of them. You get antsy to go play more.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Donegal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyomissing | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wyomissing | Forrey, 28 interception return (Maher kick) | 11:41 |
| 1 | Wyomissing | Eisenhower, 41 run (Maher kick) | 8:15 |
| 1 | Wyomissing | Jones, 63 pass from Hyde (Maher kick) | 5:10 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | T. Niedrowski, 1 run (Maher kick) | 11:28 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | Neff, 33 pass from White (Maher kick) | 6:09 |
| 3 | Wyomissing | Diaz, 8 run (Plaggenborg kick) | 8:24 |
| 4 | Wyomissing | Grey-Brooks, 1 run (Plaggenborg kick) | 7:55 |
Team statistics
| Donegal | Wyomissing | |
| First downs | 3 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 20-24 | 39-340 |
| Passing yards | 21 | 109 |
| Total yards | 45 | 449 |
| Passes | 5-10-1 | 4-6-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-0 | 2-1 |
| Punts-average | 7-25.0 | 0 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-10 | 4-31 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Donegal: Mumper 3-41, Sload 6-20, Weymers 3-3, Hammaker 2-(-2), Marshall 1-(-5), Team 1-(-9), Baughman 4-(-24).
Wyomissing: Eisenhower 4-81, Marv. Armistead 4-77, Noey 3-34, C. Niedrowski 3-31, Diaz 2-22, T. Niedrowski 4-19, Grey Lopez-Sanchez 2-17, Macrina 2-16, Reason 3-16, Forrey 2-11, Brooks 3-9, Sierra 3-8, Jones 1-2, Team 3-(-3).
PASSING
Donegal: Hammaker 3-6-1–16, Marshall 2-4-0–5.
Wyomissing: Hyde 3-5-0–76, White 1-1-0–33.
RECEIVING
Donegal: Baughman 2-5, Mumper 1-11, Coco 1-4, Silvestri 1-1.
Wyomissing: Jones 1-63, Armistead 1-33, T. Niedrowski 1-7, Brower 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wyomissing: Forrey.
