Saints look forward to playing for a title after regular season ends in loss
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Andrew Clauser— MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
There are hundreds of words to describe Berks Catholic coach Rick Keeley and his approach to coaching but one word that is always a guarantee is “optimistic.”
A season filled with gut-wrenching losses would make a lot of coaches second-guess themselves and look forward to the end of a season. It’s also easy to be optimistic when you’re winning and competing for championships but it takes a unique individual to remain positive and upbeat when that doesn’t happen.
Keeley’s Saints were a touchdown away late in the fourth quarter Friday with a chance to qualify for the District 3 playoffs but Elco’s Jake Williams prevented that from happening.
The Lancaster-Lebanon League’s leading rusher ran for 314 yards on 25 carries and four scores, including the back-breaker with 2:12 remaining, to lead the Raiders to a 34-21 Section 4 victory at Forino Sports Complex.
Keeley was impressed with his team’s effort early in the game but soon saw the impact of Elco’s star running back.
“I liked what we were doing on the opening scoring drive but then Williams got the ball and was a difference-maker the rest of the game,” said Keeley. “He makes people miss. Hats off to him.”
Keeley was far from disappointed with the effort from his team, especially in the second half, but just needed to see a little more of it.
“We played a great team and we gave it our best shot,” he said. “Michael (Bradley) was giving us some nice runs and our offensive line was opening some nice holes for him. It just wasn’t consistent enough to keep (Williams) off the field and give us a win.”
The Saints (3-4, 4-6) concluded their roller coaster regular season in similar fashion to most of their games this year which included several games decided in the fourth quarter.
For Keeley it’s all about effort; that’s what makes for a rewarding coaching experience.
“I enjoy it when you see the kids playing hard and not giving up and coming back; that’s what I like to see as a coach,” he said.
Despite the loss the season is not over for the Saints; they are expected to qualify for the Eastern Conference championship game and face Hamburg. For Keeley, it is not a consolation prize but an opportunity for his program to progress.
“Not only is it a chance to win a championship for the seniors playing their last game but also an opportunity for our young guys to practice for another week,” he said. “We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores start this year so it is a great opportunity for them to gain experience.”
Berks Catholic beat Pine Grove last year to win an Eastern Conference trophy.
The matchup against Hamburg stands out in a special way for Keeley as one of his former players is now head coach at Hamburg.
“Matt (Hoffert) was my center during the years I coached Hamburg in the early 2000’s so I am proud of the work he has done this year for his program,” Keeley said. “We will have our hands full against them, but it will make for a fun matchup to conclude the season.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Elco | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Berks Catholic | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Berks Catholic | Garcia, 2 run(Osorio kick) | 7:51 |
| 1 | Elco | Williams, 35 run(Gensamer kick) | 2:37 |
| 2 | Elco | Williams, 4 run(kick failed) | 10:39 |
| 2 | Elco | Rosado, 1 run(Gensamer kick) | 0.18.7 |
| 3 | Elco | Williams, 78 run(Gensamer kick) | 9:19 |
| 3 | Berks Catholic | Garcia, 12 run(Osorio kick) | 5:14 |
| 4 | Berks Catholic | Garcia, 4 run(Osorio kick) | 5:55 |
| 4 | Elco | Williams, 10 run(Gensamer kick) | 2:12 |
Team statistics
| Elco | Berks Catholic | |
| First downs | 15 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 42-370 | 47-274 |
| Passing yards | 31 | 10 |
| Total yards | 401 | 284 |
| Passes | 3-3-0 | 2-11-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-2 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-51 | 2-22 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-35 | 3-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Elco: Williams 25-314, Frederick 9-35, Rosado 3-15, Kreider 4-7, Bircher 1-(-1).
Berks Catholic: Bradley 23-155, Garcia 11-60, Hess 3-27, Gumby 3-21, Rose 4-7, Pennington 3-4.
PASSING
Elco: Rosado 3-3-0-31.
Berks Catholic: Hess 2-11-1-10.
RECEIVING
Elco: Smucker 1-11, Prosser 1-10, Frederick 1-10.
Berks Catholic: Mace 2-10.
INTERCEPTIONS
Elco: Kreider.
