Berks Catholic’s Tyler Givens: Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week

By Mike Drago Last updated Feb 6, 2023

Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week

Tall defensive ends such as Tyler Givens usually just stick out a hand and bat passes down at the line of scrimmage. Special ones do more than that.

The 6-3 senior came up with a game-changing play Friday when he leaped and snared a pass with both hands, igniting a big turnaround that carried Berks Catholic to a 21-7 win over Cocalico in a District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal.

“I’ve never seen a defensive end jump up in the air and catch it (like that),” said teammate Jacob Collazo. “Seeing him go up and catch it, it was crazy. We were down 7-0, then he got that interception and all of a sudden we rallied and got in the end zone.”

Givens said he’s been working on such a play in practice all season but was never able to pull it off. Friday he did, and at a critical moment.

“It just changed the pace of the game,” Givens said. “When I picked it off, everybody just came ready to play (after that). Christian took it to the house the next play.”

“You could just feel the momentum pick up there,” said Saints coach Rick Keeley.

That play was only part of a big night for Givens, who earned Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors. He also had 10 tackles and a sack, part of a defensive effort that kept the Eagles off the scoreboard over the final 40 minutes of the game.

Keeley was impressed with Givens’ athleticism on the interception.

“That’s only the second time in 46 years of coaching that I saw a defensive end go up and catch the ball like that,” said Keeley. “Luke Painton (a 6-7 defensive end for the Saints) was the other. Normally they knock it down. For a defensive end to go up and catch it like that is amazing.”

Givens also plays tight end and punts for the Saints.

“Tyler has great hands, and he’s athletic,” Keeley said. “He’s on the basketball team and he can really move with the ball. He has really come around defensively for us; he might be our most improved player at any position all the way around.”

This is Givens’ first selection as Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week. He is the second Berks Catholic player selected for a MikeDragoSports.com weekly award this season. Josiah Jordan was selected Defensive Player of the Week in Week 3 for his performance against Chichester.

Players considered for Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.

Also nominated this week:

Luke Hughes, LB, Berks Catholic
J.R. Strauss, LB, Exeter
Kyle Yocum, LB, Exeter
Daxsen Washington, T, Gov. Mifflin
Cameron Harris, DB, Hamburg
Gavin Lenart, LB, Wilson
TJ Flite, LB, Wilson
Nevin Carter, CB, Wyomissing
Rory Filoon, LB, Wyomissing
Jack Miller, LB, Wyomissing

Selected earlier this season as Defensive Player of the Week:

Week 1: Brett Organtini, LB, Conrad Weiser
Week 2: Eden Johnson, S, Gov. Mifflin
Week 3: Josiah Jordan, CB, Berks Catholic
Week 4: Matt Kramer, LB, Wyomissing
Week 5: Ryan Souder, LB, Daniel Boone
Week 6: Nevin Carter, CB, Wyomissing
Week 7: Nate Goodman, DE, Gov. Mifflin
Week 8: Sam Orzolek, T, Exeter
Week 9: Cam Jones, CB, Wilson
Week 10: Aaron Shuker, LB, Muhlenberg
Week 11: Mitchell Watt, DE, Hamburg