No denying, this was the Year of the Bulldogs in Berks boys sports
Even by Wilson’s lofty standards this was a pretty productive year in West Lawn.
The Bulldogs’ boys team won county titles in seven boys sports and captured another District 3 championship in lacrosse.
That was more than enough to claim the mythical “Berks Cup,” which goes to the BCIAA’s most successful all-around program. Wilson scored 200 points, almost double any of the other 17 schools in the league.
| League champs | |
| Baseball | Wilson |
| Basketball | Wilson |
| Bowling | Wilson |
| Cross country | Exeter |
| Football | Twin Valley (LL 3) |
| Schuylkill Valley (LL 5) | |
| Golf | Tulpehocken |
| Lacrosse | Wilson |
| Soccer | Fleetwood |
| Swimming & diving | Wilson |
| Tennis | Wilson |
| Track & field | Exeter |
| Volleyball | Exeter |
| Wrestling | Wilson |
Wilson was the Berks champ in baseball, basketball, bowling, lacrosse, swimming and diving, tennis, and wrestling.
The Bulldogs scored points in 11-of-13 sports; they came up empty in only cross country and track and field.
Only five other schools won a league title.
Exeter was second overall with 105 points; it won three league titles. Wyomissing was next with 101 points, tops among Small Schools.
Fleetwood had an impressive showing, tying Wyomissing for the third spot with 101 points.
The Tigers got nearly half their points from a soccer team that won league and district titles.
They also won a county golf championship and division titles in baseball and basketball, with the baseball team taking an unprecedented trip to the PIAA semifinals.
Teams were awarded points for division championships, for qualifying and advancing in the Berks playoffs, and for reaching or winning a league championship game (five and 10 points, respectively).
For district competition the points were doubled: 10 for reaching a district final, 20 for winning a championship. Also, two points were awarded for each victory in district competition (not including play-back or consolation rounds).
For the PIAA Tournament the points were increased again: four for qualifying, four for each win. Fifteen points were awarded for reaching a state final, 30 for winning one.
Not every sport fits into a cookie-cutter style playoff system. In swimming, for example, there is no league tournament, just a regular season champ. In bowling there are no district or state team tournaments.
For track and field and cross country additional points were awarded for a Top 5 or Top 10 finish at the district and state meets.
Water polo was not included because only five Berks schools compete. Individual winners, in sports such as tennis, swimming and diving, wrestling, and track and field, were not factored in; only team events were used.
Finally, the schools were split into size classifications: The 10 largest Berks schools fall into the Big School category, the eight smallest into the Small School.
Gov. Mifflin baseball was the highest-scoring single team with 76 points. The Mustangs reached league and district finals and were the only Berks boys team to win a PIAA championship. (Oley Valley was the only girls state champ, in field hockey.)
Mifflin baseball was followed by Exeter volleyball (52), a league and district champ; Fleetwood soccer (49); Wilson lacrosse (45); and Wyomissing football (37), which won a fifth straight district title.
Overall, seven Berks boys teams won district titles; Wyomissing, in football and track and field, is the only program to win two.
Mifflin baseball was the only Berks team to play for a state title. Reading High in basketball, Fleetwood in baseball and Exeter in volleyball reached PIAA semifinals.
Tulpehocken, bolstered by a district championship in golf and division titles in wrestling, soccer and golf, finished second in the Small School division.
Schuylkill Valley made a big move up, finishing third in the Small School division after winning its first football title – by claiming a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 title – and making strong showings in district swimming and track. The Panthers scored in seven of 13 sports; only Wilson and Exeter scored in as many as eight.
Team point totals
| Big Schools | Small Schools | ||||
| Wilson | 200 | Wyomissing | 101 | ||
| Exeter | 105 | Tulpehocken | 66 | ||
| Fleetwood | 101 | Schuylkill Valley | 58 | ||
| Gov. Mifflin | 100 | Kutztown | 53 | ||
| Conrad Weiser | 88 | Oley Valley | 15 | ||
| Berks Catholic | 69 | Brandywine Hts. | 12 | ||
| Twin Valley | 47 | Antietam | 6 | ||
| Reading High | 32 | Hamburg | 5 | ||
| Muhlenberg | 23 | ||||
| Daniel Boone | 9 |
Berks’ District 3 champs
| SPORT | SCHOOL | CLASS |
| Football | Wyomissing | 3A |
| Golf | Tulpehocken | 2A |
| Soccer | Fleetwood | 2A |
| Kutztown | 1A | |
| Lacrosse | Wilson | 3A |
| Track and Field | Wyomissing | 2A |
| Volleyball | Exeter | 2A |
Berks’ PIAA champs, semifinalists
| Champion | Runner-up | Semifinalist | |
| BOYS | |||
| Basketball | Reading High (6A) | ||
| Baseball | Gov. Mifflin (5A) | Fleetwood (4A) | |
| Volleyball | Exeter (2A) |
