Berks Catholic should get a lift with addition of Jeremiah Camara
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A tumultuous situation revolving around Reading High’s basketball program could have an impact on the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 football race.
Days after his father Francis learned that he won’t be back as the Red Knights’ basketball coach Jeremiah Camara transferred to Berks Catholic.
He was at football practice with the Saints Monday and could appear in a game in time for the league opener Sept. 12 against Pequea Valley, pending approval by the PIAA.
Because the transfer occurred after the start of fall practice, Camara must sit out 21 days, according to PIAA transfer rules. Had the transfer taken place prior to Aug. 11 he would have been eligible for Friday’s season-opener, again pending a sign-off by the District 3 Committee.
The 5-8, 175-pound junior appears on an amended Berks Catholic football roster, which was released today. He’s listed as a running back and defensive back, spots he was expected to play for Reading High this season.
He was the leading scorer on the Red Knights’ basketball team last season and a starter as a freshman in 2023-24, his father’s first year as Reading’s head coach. That team went 22-11 and reached the PIAA Class 6A semifinals.
The Red Knights struggled last season and, despite reaching the Berks Conference final, failed to make the district playoffs. Last week Francis Camara learned his coaching position was being opened by the school.
Jeremiah Camara was a two-way football starter at Reading as a sophomore. He had four receptions and eight carries. He was expected to take a much larger role on offense this season.
How he’ll impact Berks Catholic’s football team remains to be seen but he’s a potential three-way contributor for a team in a pitched battle for the section title. Lancaster Catholic, defending champ Schuylkill Valley, and Berks Catholic are seen as the top three contenders in the race, and not much separates them.
An athlete of Camara’s caliber could help them out of the backfield, at receiver, in the defensive secondary or in the kick-return game.
Berks Catholic would’ve been the clear preseason favorite in Section 5 had it not been for a pair of offseason transfers: 1,000-yard rusher Nate Rose went to Germantown Academy and two-way all-league pick Jackson Kozik went to Exeter.
Jeremiah Camara shouldn’t have difficulty fitting in with his new teammates. He attended St. Catherine of Siena School in Reading from fifth through eighth grades and played football and basketball on the school teams.
Unless he receives a waiver from the PIAA he would not be able to participate in district or state playoffs in football. He could be eligible for postseason basketball with the Saints, again pending PIAA approval.
With the return of All-State pick Kingston McKoy and most of its starting lineup Berks Catholic figures to be playing a lot of postseason games. It won the District 3 Class 4A championship and reached the PIAA Class 4A championship game last year.
