Berks seniors relish connections made in Tri-County All-Star Game
MANHEIM — The senior standouts selected to play in the Tri-County All-Star Game don’t get much practice time leading up to the game; Wilson’s Mason Young and Exeter’s Jayden Ware were able to form a connection prior to the game.
The bond they developed as 7-on-7 teammates surfaced Friday night when they connected for a touchdown pass that gave the Berks/Lebanon all-stars a lead late in the first half.
“It was great to play with Mason,” said Ware, an All-State defensive back and the Eagles’ leading receiver last season. “We always talked about playing with each other and had just never been able to.”
Ware flashed open on a post corner and Young, a record-setting passer for the Bulldogs, hit him in stride for an 18-yard touchdown with 1:57 left in the opening half.
“I ran as fast as I possibly could, Mason put it in the right spot, and it was just a perfect ball,” Ware said. “It felt great. I felt like we had control of the game (at that point), I felt we were doing pretty well. I thought we were going to carry it into the rest of the game.”
The outmanned Berks/Lebanon squad couldn’t hold the lead. The Lancaster stars struck with a long scoring pass seconds after Ware’s score, then got a game-changing defensive score on the opening play of the second half to secure a 23-7 victory in the 24th annual game at Rettew Stadium.
It was the fourth straight win for Lancaster County since the game format was switched in 2022, after the Berks teams joined the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
“I just loved the way the kids came out and fought,” said Conrad Weiser’s Alan Moyer, the Berks/Lebanon head coach. “I’m very pleased with the way they came out and worked for us. It just didn’t work out on the scoreboard.”
The Berks/Lebanon defense came up with some key stops in the first half to keep the Lancaster stars at bay.
It forced a short field goal after Lancaster had a first down at the 11 on the game’s opening drive, then stopped them at the 15 early in the second quarter. All-State placekicker Peter Fiorello, who ended the first drive with 24-yard field goal, was wide left on a 32-yard attempt and the score remained 3-0.
Young made his first appearance on Berks/Lebanon’s third possession and took his team right down the field, a 35-yard strike to Ware along the left sideline setting up the score. Eight plays later Young found Ware to give Berks/Lebanon the lead.
“It was a great play call, and it was blocked perfectly,” Young said. “It felt great throwing it to Jayden. He’s a great route runner and I mean, I just wanted to give it to him so he could make a play. He’s a play-maker.”
The lead was short-lived. Solanco’s Kris Burgos broke open deep down the middle and Garden Spot’s Gabe Martin hit him with a 61-yard strike for a 10-7 lead with 1:39 left in the half.
The game changed for good seconds into the second half when Berks/Lebanon quarterback Bryan Mitzel of Northern Lebanon was hit in the backfield and lost control of the ball. Zach Bomberger of Manheim Township scooped it up on a bounce and returned it 22 yards for a score and 17-7 lead.
Lancaster put the game away early in the fourth quarter when Marcos Fernandez of Manheim Township finished off an 11-play, 80-yard drive – mostly on the ground – with an 8-yard run to complete the scoring.
Despite the outcome Muhlenberg’s Freddy Lacey enjoyed the experience, especially the chance to play with high school teammates Cameron Small, Michael Miller Jr. and Zavier Otero one final time.
“I knew I was going to have fun,” Lacey said. “I did want to win, but at least I got to create a new bond with teammates I don’t know, or that I played with. It was a great experience, and I would want to do it again but I can’t. It was a great way to end my senior year.”
For Ware it was a final chance to play with four Exeter teammates: Aidan Dauble, Jackson Kozik, Andre Osborne, and Joel Ummarino. He appreciated the opportunity.
“It was just a great feeling to share the field with them, and the other guys in Berks County I played with and against,” he said. “We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted, but it was just a great feeling all the way around.”
