Berks vs. Lancaster format promises to add sizzle to expanded Tri-County game

For nearly two decades Berks’ top senior football players met each spring in an annual All-Star game.

The teams were divided geographically: Players from Exeter, Muhlenberg, Reading High and others on that side of the county formed the East squad; players from Wilson, Gov. Mifflin, Wyomissing and others on that end of the county formed the West.

There were many big names involved – Gov. Mifflin’s Jan Johnson in 2015, Wilson’s Pete Gilmore in 2000, Reading High’s Elly Salamo in the initial Senior Class in 1999 – but frankly the game lacked sizzle.

That likely won’t be the case Friday night when Berks seniors participate in an all-star football game for the first time in seven years.

When 13 Berks teams joined the Lancaster-Lebanon League for the 2022 season their players were invited to participate in the league’s annual Tri-County Game.

The game, which kicks off at 7 at Manheim Central’s Rettew Field, will pit Lancaster County’s top seniors against those from Berks and Lebanon counties – but mostly Berks. (Just five of the 37 players hail from Lebanon schools.)

The format – county vs. county — should automatically create a little added heat.

“There’s an air of excitement,” said Exeter coach Matt Bauer, the head coach of the Berks-Lebanon squad.

Berks teams compete with Lancaster teams in each of the league’s five sections during the fall so why not on a Friday night in May?

Despite all that’s going on at this time of year – playoffs in other sports, the PIAA Track and Field championships, other all-star football games, and graduation prep – Bauer said participation and cooperation from the Berks and Lebanon players has been strong.

Players have made practices and want to participate if at all possible. Muhlenberg’s Gio Cavanna, for instance, will play in a District 3 baseball game Thursday afternoon, then line up in the Berks-Lebanon backfield 24 hours later.

“The kids have kept up their end of the bargain,” Bauer said. “They picked up (the offensive and defensive schemes) pretty quickly. I’m very pleased with how cohesive the unit has been.

“These kids have really, really, really worked well together. There’s been no egos. All the kids have been very unselfish. They’re just happy to be part of it.”

The Berks Senior Classic lost its sponsorship following the 2016 games, and the 2017 game and those that followed were cancelled.

The Berks County Football Coaches Association was in talks in 2020 to send a team to the Valor Bowl in Chester County but the game was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Each team in this year’s Tri-County Game presents a strong roster, though a number of top players are not eligible to play.

Wyomissing’s Jven Williams and Exeter’s Joey Schlaffer, All-State picks and the league’s two most highly recruited players, have been at Penn State for months after enrolling in January and taking part in spring drills.

Wilson’s Cam Jones and Exeter’s Anthony Caccese will participate in Sunday’s Big 33 Classic, so they’re unavailable.

Same goes with those who participated in the East/West games last weekend: Josiah Jordan of Berks Catholic, Xander Menapace, Charles Sheppard and Pierce Mason of Hamburg, Ian Levering and Brock Kistler of Wyomissing and Andrew Kurtas of Berks Catholic.

The Berks-Lebanon squad figures to be strong up front, with Exeter All-State linemen Lucas Palange – named Section 2’s Outstanding Lineman – and Kyle Lash – the Section 2 Defensive Lineman of the Year.

They’ll try to clear space for Annville-Cleona’s Phoenix Music – a 2,000-yard rusher – and Cavanna, a 1,000-yard rusher.

Ben Zechman of District 3 Class 3A champ Wyomissing and Mason Rotelli of District 3 Class 5A finalist Exeter will split time at quarterback.

All-State picks Drew Eisenhower and Matt Kramer – the Section 4 Linebacker of the Year – and Reading High’s Amier Burdine figure to be standouts on the Berks-Lebanon defense.

They’ll have their hands full trying to stop strong-armed quarterbacks Josh Rudy of Elizabethtown and Jack Reed of Warwick. That duo combined to throw for nearly 5,000 yards last season.

They’ll have excellent targets in Hunter Hillenbrand of Lampeter-Strasburg, the Section 4 Wide Receiver of the Year, and Jaevon Parker of Lancaster Catholic, the Section 5 Receiver of the Year (as well as the Defensive Back of the Year).

Tyler Hurst of Garden Spot, the Outstanding Lineman in Section 3, and Weston Nolt of Ephrata, the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 3, will set the tone up front.

How the game plays out is anyone’s guess but the competition figures to be spirited, given the inter-county set-up.

“We just want to give them the best opportunity and the best experience possible,” Bauer said of the players involved. “That’s what it’ all about. We want to have a good competitive game and put our best foot forward.”