District playoff win another giant step for history-making Panthers
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
Theo Wysocki didn’t know what to say or how to react after Schuylkill Valley’s historic 45-21 District 3 playoff victory over Littlestown Friday.
The 300-pound senior refines his blocking and tackling skills each day at practice but wasn’t quite prepared for what the Panthers had accomplished: A program-record ninth win and the first home playoff win in program history.
He found it to be a mind-blowing experience.
“I don’t know how to celebrate right now,” he said after watching classmate Dominic Giuffre run for three early scores and the seeing Panthers pitch a second-half shutout after some rough defensive moments in the first half.
“I’m just at a loss for words,” Wysocki said. “We’re creating history for our school and creating a program that can have (success) in the future.”
The Panthers (9-2) won just one game when Wysocki and the other seniors were freshmen; they went 2-9 as sophomores. In the last few weeks they have earned a share of a league title for the first time in program history, saw their team earn mention in the state rankings, and now this.
“It’s crazy to think that we’re the first team (to do this),” Giuffre said. “We keep on making new history.”
“I thought we could eventually get to this point,” said third-year coach Bruce Harbach, “but (knew) it would take baby steps along the way. The second year everything started to jell. Now it’s the third year. Everything’s moving along at a quicker pace.”
Things get real for the fourth-seeded Panthers next week when they play top-seeded Wyomissing in a Class 3A semifinal at Bob Wolfrum Field. The Spartans (9-1) earned an opening-round bye.
The Panthers started fast Friday, with Giuffre going 87 yards for a touchdown on his second carry and 54 yards for a score on his third.
Schuylkill Valley led 21-7 late in the third quarter after Giuffre’s third score but couldn’t rest easily: The fifth-seeded Thunderbolts (8-3) were moving the ball just as effectively.
They tied it 21-21 midway through the second quarter when Dylan Herr ran for his third touchdown, then added a two-point conversion run.
Giuffre, an All-State running back, turned the game around late in the half on the defensive side. With the Bolts again driving deep into Schuylkill Valley territory he intercepted a pass in the red zone. It was just the second time in the half the Panthers managed to stop them.
“It was shocking,” Giuffre said of the first of his two interceptions. “I was nowhere near the (receiver), and they just threw it and luckily I turned around in time and intercepted it.”
The interception, with 1:28 left in the half, gave the Panthers a chance to tack on another score before intermission.
Kowen Gerner, one of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s best receivers, made a great read on an underthrown ball and out-jumped a defender for a 43-yard gain to the 17. A few plays later freshman Reece Wamsher trotted out for a 35-yard field goal that made it 31-21 at the half.
The Panthers pulled away after that, making some defensive adjustments and forcing two more turnovers to keep the Thunderbolts off the board.
“We couldn’t really stop the run (in the first half),” said Giuffre, a linebacker, “but we played as a team, we played well together and that’s what made the outcome.
“We weren’t worried at all (when it got close in the second quarter). At halftime, we knew that was time to lock in. We knew we were coming out with it.”
Giuffre, who missed four games at midseason with a broken arm, was at his best, waiting patiently for plays to develop, busting tackles, then breaking into the free. He finished with 225 yards on just 12 carries, his second-biggest game of the season. He ran for 232 yards against Susquenita in September. The 87-yard score was easily his longest of the season.
“That brings back memories,” he said. “It was (like that) almost every single time last year.”
Giuffre was part of a 500-yard offensive night for the Panthers. Logan Cammauf, taking the spot of injured Cooper Hohenadel, rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries and had a TD.
(Hohenadel, a key two-way player, is done for the season after an elbow injury last week at Lancaster Catholic.)
Quarterback Logan Nawrocki completed 18-of-26 passes for a season-high 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns, to Luke Martinez and Dimitrious Aletras. Gerner caught seven passes for 103 yards, giving him 986 receiving yards for the season.
Gerner also had an interception in the end zone in the third quarter to stop a Littlestown scoring bid after it had reached the 12. The Bolts drove into Schuylkill Valley territory three times in the second half but couldn’t break through.
Littlestown had just 96 total yards in the second half.
“We saw what they were doing and fixed some little things,” Wysocki said. “I wasn’t really concerned (when it was 21-21) because I know we have the talent on this team and knew that if we work as a brotherhood, then we’ll get it done.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Littlestown | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Schuylkill Valley | 21 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 87 run (Wamsher kick) | 10:08 |
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 54 run (Wamsher kick) | 7:52 |
| 1 | Littlestown | D. Herr, 19 run (Z. Herr kick) | 6:34 |
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 3 run (Wamsher kick) | 4:18 |
| 1 | Littlestown | D. Herr, 13 run (pass failed) | 1:14 |
| 2 | Littlestown | D. Herr, 5 run (D Herr run) | 6:00 |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Martinez, 3 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick) | 3:22 |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Wamsher, 35 FG | 0:15 |
| 3 | Schuylkill Valley | Cammauf, 1 run (Wamsher kick) | 2:11 |
| 4 | Schuylkill Valley | Aletras, 5 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick) | 11:52 |
Team statistics
| Littlestown | Schuylkill Valley | |
| First downs | 19 | 20 |
| Rushes-yards | 35-169 | 30-354 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 246 |
| Total yards | 283 | 500 |
| Passes | 13-21-3 | 18-26-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 2-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-40.5 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 1-15 | 3-15 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Littlestown: D. Herr 14-98, Hahn 16-62, Popoff 2-9, Conaway 1-3, Z. Herr 1-2, Lookingbill 1-(-5).
Schuylkill Valley: Giuffre 12-225, Cammauf 14-133, Nawrocki 2-(-2), Team 2-(-2).
PASSING
Littlestown: Popoff 13-21-3–114.
Schuylkill Valley: Nawrocki 18-26-0–246.
RECEIVING
Littlestown: Hahn 5-49, Z. Herr 3-31, Lookingbill 2-10, Albert 1-10, Smith 1-9, Conaway 1-5.
Schuylkill Valley: Gerner 7-103, Martinez 3-58, Giuffre 2-44, Aletras 2-16, Crills 2-16, Sports 2-9.
INTERCEPTIONS
Schuylkill Valley: Giuffre 2, Gerner.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Schuylkill Valley: Wamsher 27.
