Red Knights’ coach after loss to state-ranked Central York: ‘We needed to see this’
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
The football programs at Reading High and Central York are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Red Knights have one win and are near the bottom of the District 3 Class 6A power rankings; the Panthers are unbeaten and ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 6A.
After falling to the Panthers 39-0 Thursday night in a non-leaguer at Shirk Stadium, Red Knights head coach Troy Godinet talked about building a program similar to Central’s.
“We have the guys that can get to this level,” Godinet said. “But it’s going to take an everyday work ethic. We can’t just talk about it. Everyone says Reading has the talent, but we have to make sure we’re working in every aspect. We need to take care of the little things that are going to help us get to this level.”
Reading committed 14 penalties to Central York’s three, which kept drives alive for the Panthers and halted them for the Red Knights.
Reading had only 66 total yards and punted 10 times, frequently giving Central York short fields and exacerbating an already difficult task.
“That team’s going to go far,” Godinet said of Central. “That’s rough for us to go back-to-back with them and Manheim Township (ranked No. 4 in the state). Two teams that are going to compete for a district championship and potentially states. But we need this. We need to see this so we know where we need to get to.”
Reading lost for the seventh straight week, the last two by shutout. It’s only win came in Week 2, 25-7 against Muhlenberg. The Red Knights have lost a pair of overtime heartbreakers during the current losing streak, to Penn Manor and McCaskey.
The Red Knights knew they would face a difficult job replacing the production and leadership of all-league quarterback/safety Amier Burdine and Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 Receiver of the Year Ruben Rodriguez. That duo helped them finish 3-7 in Godinet’s first season.
This team is young and gaining experience; Godinet wants his players to look across the field to a successful program such as Central York for examples of what to emulate.
“We’re really young across the board,” Godinet said. “We’re not losing a lot of guys at all. We have 10 of 11 guys coming back on offense. We have nine of 11 coming back on defense. We have an opportunity to grow.”
The Red Knights (1-8) turned the ball over on an interception on the second play of the game.
Central York quarterback Brooklyn Nace hit Preston Fink for a 27-yard touchdown on the next play and Pitt recruit Juelz Goff ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Goff scored on runs of 8 and 7 yards on the next two possessions as the Panthers (9-0) stifled Reading’s offense and forced three-and-outs.
Colin Gurley scored on a 30-yard reception late in the first quarter and Carter Vaughn scored on a 25-yard reception in the second quarter on passes from Nace. Kicker Matthew Parker, who is getting Division 1 looks and hit a 51-yarder earlier this season, kicked a 34-yard field goal in the third.
The Red Knights will look to snap their seven-game losing streak when they end the season next week at Hempfield.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Central York | 29 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 39 |
| Reading High | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Central York | Fink, 27 pass from Nace (Goff run) | 11:11 |
| 1 | Central York | Goff, 8 run (Parker kick) | 8:13 |
| 1 | Central York | Goff, 7 run (Parker kick) | 5:13 |
| 1 | Central York | Gurley, 30 pass from Nace (Parker kick) | 2:40 |
| 2 | Central York | Vaughn, 25 pass from Nace (Parker kick) | 9:42 |
| 3 | Central York | Parker, 34 FG | 7:54 |
Team statistics
| Central York | Reading High | |
| First downs | 12 | 3 |
| Rushes-yards | 22-21 | 31-24 |
| Passing yards | 179 | 42 |
| Total yards | 200 | 66 |
| Passes | 10-22-2 | 6-12-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-34 | 10-17.4 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-40 | 14-98 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Central York: Goff 9-61, Hunter 2-(-1), N. Johnson 2-(-1), Diehl 3-(-3), Team 1-(-3), Kopko 2-(-15), Nace 3-(-17).
Reading High: Small 4-24, Alvarado 14-12, Laws 1-2, Fritz 12-(-14).
PASSING
Central York: Nace 8-15-1—161, Kopko 2-7-1—18.
Reading High: Fritz 6-12-1—42.
RECEIVING
Central York: Gurley 3-49, Carlos 2-48, Vaughn 2-42, Fink 1-27, L. Johnson 1-13, Goff 1-0.
Reading High: Drayton 3-21, Beatty 2-20, Alvarado 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS
Central York: Frey.
Reading High: Beatty, Cordero.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Central York: Parker 42.
