Scouts’ Donovan Gingrich ready to test college-readiness in East/West game
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The success Donovan Gingrich enjoyed last fall in setting program passing records and leading Conrad Weiser to a perfect regular season was the result of all the hard work he put in the previous offseason. He tacked 20-plus pounds onto his 6-1 frame and adopted a new mindset.
“I felt confident about my body,” he said. “I got faster, I got stronger. I (saw) myself as one of the best players out on that field.”
Gingrich showed it by passing for 1,545 yards and 17 touchdowns and by running for a team-high 561 yards and 10 scores.
He’ll get a chance to put his skills on display again Sunday as one of two quarterbacks for the East in the annual PSFCA Big School East/West game, at 5 at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.
He’ll be one of four Berks players on the East roster, along with Weiser teammate and placekicker Alex Malone, running back Jayden Zandier of Exeter, and lineman Aris Drake of Twin Valley.
(Reading High’s Keyshawn Efese was picked for the team but a hand injury has prevented him from taking part.)
Two Schuylkill Valley players, Luke Spotts and Cooper Hohenadel, will take part in the Small School game, which kicks off at noon at Chapman Field.
Gingrich, who will play for Bloomsburg University this season, looks at this all-star game as a chance to prepare for college ball. He knows facing a West roster than includes top players from PIAA finalist Pittsburgh Central Catholic, State College, and Pine-Richland will be one of the biggest challenges he has faced.
“It’s very different from (the usual high school competition),” Gingrich said after taking part in East practices. “It’s played a lot faster; they’re a lot bigger.
“There’s no real weak spots (on the defense). I can’t point out to the corner and say I’m going to attack him; he’s probably (going to play) Division I or Division II football, so it’s not like he’s a bad corner.”
Gingrich will be splitting time at quarterback with Demaj Jalloh of Central Dauphin East, who will play at Clarion after setting program records for passing yards in a season and career with the Panthers.
Gingrich left his mark at Weiser, too. He finished with 3,653 career yards and 39 career TD tosses, ranked among the top 25 passers in Berks history in each category. He became the only quarterback in Berks history to complete all 11 (or more) of his pass attempts in a game, in a 35-7 win over Fleetwood.
Passing accuracy was the key to Gingrich’s overall improved game. After completing less than half his passes as a sophomore and junior he connected on 66.67 percent of his throws, fifth-best in Berks history.
As a third-year starter he was more comfortable with the offense, and with the guys he was throwing to. Becoming more of a running threat helped loosen up defenses, too.
The biggest factor was being provided time to find open receivers and not having to throw on the run or off his back foot, which he often found himself doing the season before because his offensive line couldn’t protect him.
“The linemen definitely stepped up,” Gingrich said. “Their No. 1 priority was: Don’t let me get hit.”
Gingrich is one of nine Lancaster-Lebanon League players on the East roster, which is coached by Manheim Central’s Dave Hahn.
His teammates includes Cedar Crest wide receiver Jack Waranavage, Manheim Central linebacker Brodie Daugherty, Lampeter-Strasburg linebacker Emory Fluhr, and Manheim Township linemen Owen Mark and Spencer McClintock.
Malone, a converted soccer player, had a perfect season for Conrad Weiser, nailing 44-of-44 PATs and 4-of-4 field goals to earn a share of the Berks County Specialist of the Year award with Wyomissing’s Keegan Maher. Malone will play at Lycoming.
Zandier was named Berks Player of the Year and Offensive Back of the Year and earned All-State honors for the second straight season after rushing for program-record 2,093 yards with 34 TDs and an 11.4 yards-per-carry average. He will play at West Chester.
Drake, who is committed to the United States Naval Academy, earned Section 4 all-league honors as a tackle for an offense that averaged 234 rushing yards and 40.2 points per game.
The 6-5, 290-pounder was a four-year starter for the Raiders and earned a dozen Division I offers before choosing Navy.
Spotts and Hohenadel are the first players from Schuylkill Valley selected for the game. They are among five Lancaster-Lebanon League players on the East roster, along with defensive end Jonathan Shay of Annville-Cleona and wide receiver Charles Warren and linebacker Zach Dresch of Lancaster Catholic.
Spotts earned All-State honors after leading the Panthers to their first outright league title, the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 championship.
Spotts caught 60 passes as a senior, most ever by a tight end in Berks County. The previous Berks record for tight ends was 54, by Conrad Weiser’s Matt Weiser in 2010.
Spotts had had 975 receiving yards and 10 TD catches and led all Lancaster-Lebanon League receivers in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches
Hohenadel was Defensive Back of the Year in Section 5 and ranked fourth in Berks County with 9.1 tackles per game. He had team-leading three interceptions and team-best six pass breakups.
