Matt Kramer provides spark as Wyomissing closes in on perfect season
The Wyomissing Spartans are loaded.
They’ve got Division I prospects. Big linemen. Fast backs who know how to read blocks and get the most out of their offensive system.
They’ve got more than that, though. They’ve got that “want-to.” You know, they want to make plays. They want to be good. They want to be the best.
Matt Kramer showed that when Schuylkill Valley put the ball on the ground early in the second quarter Saturday afternoon at the A-Field. The junior linebacker hustled to the ball, knocked a Panthers back off it, and grabbed it, giving his team possession deep in the red zone.
“I saw it go over his head and said, ‘I’m gonna get the ball,’ ” Kramer said after the Spartans’ 49-0 Berks Football League Section 2 rout of the over-matched Panthers. “I saw him try to pick it up, so I tried to shield him and grab it, and I got it.”
It was one small play among many; it didn’t really affect the outcome all that much (although it did set up a touchdown toss from Ben Zechman to Amory Thompson on the next play).
It was more of a tone-setter, an example of how driven this Wyomissing (5-0, 9-0) team is as it prepares to make its bid for a third straight District 3 Class 3A championship and another deep run in the state playoffs.
The Spartans are ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A and are in line to nail down the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District 3 Class 3A playoffs. If they do they’ll play all their district playoff games at home, including the championship, should they reach it.
First, they’ll try to wrap up their third consecutive perfect season when they complete their regular season with a Berks Football League Section 2 game vs. Conrad Weiser next Saturday. The Scouts can force a tie for first place with a win, otherwise it’s the Spartans again, for the third straight season.
Spartans head coach Bob Wolfrum appreciated Kramer’s effort on the fumble recovery; he just wishes he would’ve seen a few more plays like it in the early going.
“We need to play that way (all the time),” he said.
His team was sluggish at the outset and even turned the ball over on their second offensive snap — just their second turnover of the season. They didn’t reach the end zone for the first time until the 10-minute mark. They led just 7-0 after one quarter, against a Schuylkill Valley team that had lost three straight and entered with a 2-6 record.
“(Assistant coach) Frank (Ferrandino) said we looked like we were in slow motion,” Wolfrum said. “We’ve had a few games where everybody played like (like we were excited to be out there): Southern Columbia, Pottsville. We need to do that all the time.
“I don’t think (we did that today). I think we executed as we had to, to be successful today. You can tell when our kids are excited: They run in and out of the huddle. We didn’t have that today.”
Even at less than 100 percent the Spartans were pretty good.
Drew Eisenhower rushed for 141 yards on four first-half carries. He opened the second half with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Tommy Grabowski and Charlie McIntyre had first-half touchdown runs. Zechman threw a pair of scoring passes, to Aiden Mack and Thompson.
They scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive snaps in the second quarter, the last of them, Thompson’s TD catch, making it 28-0.
The defense, as usual, was superb. The Panthers (1-4, 2-7) managed 49 first-half yards and 71 overall, even with Wyo’s second unit playing the final 15 minutes.
Schuylkill Valley switched some things up, moved quarterback Drew Campbell to fullback on about half the plays, had Michael Goad running a lot of option. Didn’t matter. The Spartans had it all covered.
“We expected them to run a little option, but not quite as much as they did,” said Kramer. “It’s about discipline. Everyone does their job and we’ll be successful. (It’s) just playing our spot and working 11 (guys) together.”
The shutout was the first of the season for Berks’ top-rated defensive unit.
Kramer, like a lot of the front-line guys on the field Saturday, mostly sat and watched last season when the Spartans — stacked with six All-State players — overpowered just about anyone in a path headed to the PIAA championship game.
Kramer and the other first-year starters have picked it up quickly. He’s in his first season at outside linebacker after playing on the inside last season, but you’d never know. He’s all over the field, making all kinds of plays.
A few weeks back he had an even bigger play when he forced a fumble that Eisenhower picked up and took to the house in an historic win at Southern Columbia.
His fumble recovery Saturday was less dramatic — no one outside of the Berks League is going to hear about it — but it revealed a little more of what he and the Spartans are made of.
“I love playing outside ‘backer,” Kramer said. “Darren (Brunner, an All-State pick) played it last year, and I’m very similar. I can could drop in coverage, go sack the quarterback. I’m just glad I can help my team out.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Schuylkill Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyomissing | 7 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 49 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wyomissing | Grabowski, 2 run (Levering kick) | 2:13 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | Mack, 6 pass from Zechman (Levering kick) | 11:55 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | Eisenhower, 46 run (Levering kick) | 9:46 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | Thompson, 12 pass from Zechman (Levering kick) | 8:53 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | McIntyre, 37 run (Levering kick) | 3:31 |
| 3 | Wyomissing | Eisenhower, 84 kickoff return (Levering kick) | 11:48 |
| 3 | Wyomissing | A. Delp, 23 run (Levering kick) | 6:03 |
Team statistics
| Schuylkill Valley | Wyomissing | |
| First downs | 8 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 36-51 | 24-294 |
| Passing yards | 20 | 31 |
| Total yards | 71 | 325 |
| Passes | 6-16-1 | 3-3-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-1 | 3-2 |
| Punts-average | 6-24.8 | 1-35.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-10 | 2-20 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Schuylkill Valley: Campbell 18-29, Goad 9-13, Giuffre 8-0, Stelluti 1-0.
Wyomissing: Eisenhower 4-141, McIntyre 2-39, Grabowski 4-35, A. Delp 2-21, Jackson 2-16, Forrey 1-11, Thompson 2-10, Niedrowski 2-10, Jones 2-10, W. Delp 1-2, Ambarian 1-0, Zechman 1-(-1).
PASSING
Schuylkill Valley: Campbell 5-13-1–20, Goad 1-3-0–(-3).
Wyomissing: Zechman 3-3-0–31.
RECEIVING
Schuylkill Valley: Sports 2-13, Krishock 2-8, Aletras 1-2, Kemmerer 1-(3).
Wyomissing: W. Delp 1-13, Thompson 1-12, Mack 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wyomissing: Forrey.