Despite numerous obstacles, Saints pull together for eye-opening victory
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Coming off their first losing season and needing to replace more than 15 starters the prospects did not look promising for Berks Catholic this season.
Things got worse in the offseason when at least five players, accounting for five to six starting positions — including all-league second-team defensive end Nafis Blythe — transferred to other programs.
The Saints went into their season opener with each of their offensive lineman and their tight end either making their first start or starting at a new position.
That made last week’s 19-14 comeback victory over state-ranked Executive Education Academy all the more surprising.
“Our kids know they can pretty much play with anybody,” said Rick Keeley, the only head coach the Saints have known in their 13 seasons. “That’s just a mindset that we come out with.”
The Saints nearly pulled off a Week 1 upset. They led 21-20 at Loyalsock after three quarters. The Lancers, who entered the season ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 3A, got a fourth-quarter TD to win 25-21.
“I felt pretty good about last week’s game,” Keeley said. “We gave a pretty good effort and we lost to a good team.”
He felt even better last week when Michael Bradley pulled in a short pass and raced 83 yards for the go-ahead TD with 2:57 remaining.
“Once he turned the corner . . . phew!” Keeley said. “He out-ran ’em all. I was surprised. He had an extra gear that I didn’t know he had. It was an amazing effort by him.”
The Raptors drove the field and had a chance to win on the final play of the game, snapped from the BC 10. The pass was broken up by Maxx Mace in the end zone.
“I think the kid had it caught,” Keeley said, “we just knocked it out of his hands.”
The Saints trailed 14-0 at halftime. They came back with a pair of touchdowns but still trailed 14-13 after a missed PAT following the second score.
“We know there’s going to be a time where things go their way, and we’ve got to hang together,” said Keeley, who’s all about faith, on and off the field. “Sooner or later that momentum’s going to change and come on our side. You’ve just got to keep hanging together, and that’s what we do.”
Keeley and his staff needed to have faith in their guys after seeing each of their starting guards leave the program late in summer workouts. The guard positions are vital in the Wing-T offense; they can make or break the running game.
Keeley has the youngest guard tandem he’s coached in his 38 seasons but sophomore Palmer Reber and freshman Eric Bennethum – each the younger brother of top BC lineman – are obviously doing the job.
With Luke Impellizzeri, who was injured during camp, now able to move to offensive tackle the Saints should be even better up front. They’ve got Owen Reber, an all-league guard, playing center and 270-pound senior Joey Polinsky, a tight end last season, at tackle.
Sophomore Jackson Kozik, who hadn’t played tight end before this summer, ended up providing a spark in Friday’s comeback win. He had a 54-yard catch-and-run that got the Saints on the board.
“He’s fast for a tight end,” Keeley said, “and he out-ran everybody into the end zone. He’s gonna be a very good tight end for us.”
Last week’s win earned some attention for the program: Berks Catholic is listed as a Team to Watch in this week’s PennLive.com Class 3A state rankings.
Things only get tougher for the Saints. They play Pope John Paul II Friday at Forino Sports Complex. The Golden Panthers, who went 10-2 last season, are ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 4A. In Week 4 the Saints head to Wyomissing, which is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A.
That’s four straight state-ranked teams to open the season. Even the great Saints teams of the recent past – teams that featured Division I talent such as Brandon George and Issac and Cooper Lutz — would not have breezed through that gauntlet.
“We have two tall orders coming at us,” Keeley said. “We had two tall orders to start with, and we played well in both of those games. We’re capable of winning the next two games; I know we can play very good ball the next two weeks and still lose to those teams.”
Pope John Paul II is 2-0 after beating Archbishop Ryan 45-7 and Chambersburg 22-0.
The Panthers return many of their top players from last season, including all-league quarterback Luke Terlesky, all-league wide receiver and defensive back Braden Reed and all-league running back and linebacker Body Skarbek.
Terlesky, who threw for 1,984 yards last season, completed 15-of-20 passes and threw three TDs last week.
Reed, who caught a league-leading 45 passes last season, had seven catches for 160 yards and two scores against Ryan.
Skarbek, who rushed for 1,142 yards and 21 TDs a year ago, rushed for 185 yards on 13 carries and found the end zone three times against Ryan.
Add to that mix 6-8, 310-pound lineman Kevin Heywood, a transfer Archbishop Wood who is committed to play at Wisconsin. He’s ranked among the top college prospects in the state.
The Saints played the same four teams last year and opened the season 0-4. In their first 11 seasons they had never lost more than two straight games.
Berks Catholic had a winning record in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 play, then beat Pine Grove to win an Eastern Conference Class 3A championship and finish 5-6.
