District 3 playoff preview: Schuylkill Valley vs. Wyomissing
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District 3 Class 3A semifinal
No. 4 Schuylkill Valley (9-2) vs. No. 1 Wyomissing (9-1)
Kick: Saturday, 1, at Bob Wolfrum Field.
Common opponents: None.
Series: Spartans lead 42-7.
Last meeting: Wyomissing won 49-0 in 2021.
Coaches: Schuylkill Valley – Bruce Harbach, third season, 17-16 (156-71 overall, including 16 years at Lancaster Catholic). Wyomissing – Bob Wolfrum, 37th season, 359-88-1.
Panthers update: Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 tri-champs set program records with 9 wins and 8 straight wins. . . Opened playoffs with 45-21 win over Littlestown, ending the game with 24 unanswered points. . . All-State RB Dominic Giuffre was back in top form, rushing for 225 yards and 3 TDs on 12 carries. . . QB Logan Nawrocki clicked on 18-of-26 passes for 246 yards, 7 of them to Kowen Gerner. . . Nawrocki has thrown for 1,987 yards and 21 TDs, a program-record 11 of them to Gerner. . . Gerner’s 943 receiving yards are second-most in the league and No. 2 in program history for a single season. . . Guiffre has rushed for 773 yards in 7 games, with a team-leading 12 TDs, including one on a Pick-Six. . . He has scored 43 TDs, second-most in program history. . . Soph LB Logan Cammauf leads team with 113 tackles. . . Giuffre and Cooper Hohenadel each have 3 of team’s Berks-leading 17 INTs. . . Gerner, Luke Spotts, Colby Crills and Dillon Lackner each have 2 picks. . . Hohenadel was lost for the season in Week 10 with an elbow injury. . . Had just 1 district playoff win, in 2012, before last week.
Did you know? Wyomissing has been the No. 1 district seed 7 previous times during the 2000’s and has won the tournament each time.
Spartans update: Enter district tournament as the No. 1 seed for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons. . . Have won 10 straight district playoff games. . . Last loss came to Middletown in a 2018 semifinal. . . Are 12-0 in district playoffs at Wolfrum Field and 15-0 in postseason games, including two Eastern Conference games and one PIAA Tournament game. . . Overall, have won 30 consecutive games at home; last loss was in 2018. . . Lone loss came in Week 7 at Cocalico, 35-14, snapping Berks-record 41-game regular season winning streak. . . Ended regular season ranked No. 4 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in rushing at 297 yards per game, No. 9 in total offense and No. 10 in scoring (35.2). . . Ranked No. 3 in the league in total defense, No. 2 in pass defense and No. 5 in scoring defense (13.6). . . Soph FB Chase Eisenhower averages 7.6 yards per carry. . . Freshman HB Justice Hardy averages 8.9 yards per carry. . . Hardy also leads team with 8 receptions and 4 INTs. . . Ranked No. 2 in state in Class 3A since the preseason.
Fast fact: Schuylkill Valley’s last win the series came in 2013, 34-14. Wyomissing came back to beat the Panthers 41-35 in a district quarterfinal.
Quotable: “To (be able to) play in Week 12? You did something good. Win, lose or draw, this program’s on the rise because of the talent coming up, the talent we have coming back, the excitement by the community and the school. The backing by the community’s been unbelievable. When they get the firetrucks out and they bring us down (Route) 61 after a loss at Catholic, that tells you something about how much they care about this team.” – Panthers coach Bruce Harbach.
Up next: Winner plays No. 2 Lancaster Catholic (9-1) or No. 3 West Perry (10-1) at the site of the highest-seeded team.
