Eisenhower brothers, Spartans forge one last indelible playoff moment in home finale
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
Chase Eisenhower has probably caught thousands of passes from his younger brother Brady; he never imagined he’d catch one as big as he did Saturday in Wyomissing’s District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal against rival Lampeter-Strasburg.
Chase has carved an unforgettable legacy in Wyomissing football as a hard-hitting linebacker and bullish fullback.
| Final | |
| Wyomissing | 23 |
| Lampeter | 6 |
No one ever expected to see him lined up as a split end or racing to the end zone to pull down a touchdown pass. He certainly never envisioned it.
“That’s the first (deep) route I’ve gotten thrown to,” he said of a 33-yard touchdown strike that started the Spartans on the way to a 23-6 victory at Bob Wolfrum Field. “I didn’t think we were ever gonna run it. I’m glad we did.”
The fact that the pass came from his brother – their first scoring connection – made it an indelible moment and one of the biggest plays in a game full of them. It helped send the fourth-seeded Spartans (10-1) to within one win of playing in their seventh straight district championship game.
Wyomissing will play at top-seeded Susquehanna Township (11-0) Friday in a district semifinal.
The Spartans won Saturday on the strength of their defense, including several big plays from all-league defensive back Justice Hardy, who had a sack, blocked a field goal, and forced a fumble in the red zone to stop the fifth-seeded Pioneers (7-4) from scoring just before halftime.
Wyomissing also got a blocked field goal from Marcus Armistead and an interception from Zander Westwood that set up a short-field touchdown as they held Lampeter to a season-low point total.
The Spartans enjoyed a measure of redemption after losing twice to the Pioneers last season and seeing their season end against them with a 30-27 overtime loss in the district championship game. That snapped Wyomissing’s streak of five straight district championships.
A year earlier the Pioneers ended the Spartans’ record home winning streak at 36.
“They ended our season last year, so we said we were going to return the favor,” Hardy said. “They’re a really good team; it felt really good to get that back.”
Just two weeks ago, in the regular season finale, the Spartans put it to the Pioneers, beating them 49-7 while piling up 526 total yards.
Lampeter-Strasburg made it much tougher this time. It played much sounder defensively and totally revamped its offense, switching from a Spread attack to a split-back power game. The Pioneers tried to use their huge offensive line to control the game, and it worked.
Quarterback Asher Jones, usually one of their main threats running out of the Shotgun, was under center the whole way and had just two rushing attempts (he was also sacked three times).
The Pioneers were 5-for-5 on fourth-down conversions, ran 51 plays to Wyomissing’s 36, had more first downs than the Spartans and enjoyed a hefty advantage in time of possession. They advanced into Wyomissing territory five times but scored just once. They were hurt by a pair of turnovers and the two blocked kicks.
“We didn’t finish,” lamented Pioneers coach Victory Ridenour.
“That’s a great program and they’ve got a lot of pride and it’s always going to be a game,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “We always know it’s never going to be easy against them. They’re gonna hit ya’ and they’re gonna play hard but it’s gonna be good, clean football.”
Hardy, an All-State pick as a sophomore, set the tone with three key defensive plays in the first half. He came free on a blitz and sacked Jones on a third-and-7 from the Wyomissing 18, forcing the Pioneers to settle for a 41-yard field goal attempt from All-State kicker Peter Fiorello. Hardy streaked in off the left edge to block the kick, maintaining Wyo’s 7-0 lead.
Later in the half, with the lead still just seven points, Hardy stopped a Lampeter drive in the red zone when he stripped the ball from Andre Flaud at the 15, forcing a turnover.
“If we get three (points) out of that, we get a little more momentum going in (to halftime),” Ridenour said.
Wyomissing used Andrew DiFabrizio’s 57-yard catch off a pass deflected by a defender to set up Tyler Maher’s 38-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead 1:18 before halftime.
Westwood’s third-quarter interception and 20-yard return to the 33 set up Chase Eisenhower’s second score, a 3-yard TD smash that made it 17-0. He carried all six times on the short drive.
The Pioneers controlled the ball for 13 plays late in the third quarter and early into the fourth before settling for a 38-yard field goal. It was blocked by Armistead. Fiorello had been 9-of-14 on field goals entering the game.
Hardy returned the blocked kick 90 yards for a touchdown but the score was nullified by a penalty. He later broke a 53-yard scoring run that was also called back by penalty.
Tyler Niedrowski clinched the win for Wyomissing with a 94-yard TD run that made it 23-0 with 9:56 left.
Chase Eisenhower, a rare four-year starter, won’t soon forget his final home game. He helped the Spartans win a pair of district championships at home, as a freshman and sophomore. He said the touchdown catch will remain one of his fondest memories playing on the field where he grew up.
“That’s going to be one to remember,” he said.
It will be for Brady, too.
“That’s not one you see very often,” he said of a long pass to a 200-pound Wing-T fullback. “When we put (that play) in this week I was really surprised that he was out there (as a receiver). He’s put in a lot of work and he’s gotten faster; I saw him ahead of the guy and I put it out there for him.”
“I’ve been playing on this field since I was in second grade, maybe first,” Chase said. “Everything came together today and I’m just happy we got to win here.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Lampeter-Strasburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Wyomissing | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wyomissing | C. Eisenhower, 33 pass from B. Eisenhower (Maher kick) | 7:16 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | Maher, 38 FG | 1:18 |
| 3 | Wyomissing | C. Eisenhower, 3 run (Maher kick) | 5:33 |
| 4 | Wyomissing | Niedrowski, 94 run (kick failed) | 9:56 |
| 4 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Cunningham, 3 pass from Jones (run failed) | 6:27 |
Team statistics
| LAMPETER | WYOMISSING | |
| First downs | 12 | 8 |
| Rushes-yards | 42-121 | 31-255 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 100 |
| Total yards | 223 | 355 |
| Passes | 5-9-1 | 3-5-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-41.0 | 3-36.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-30 | 6-61 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Lampeter-Strasburg: DeJessa 20-78, Swarr 16-51, Flawed 1-0, Jones 5-(-8).
Wyomissing: Niedrowski 1-94, C. Eisenhower 15-84, Hardy 6-30, B. Eisenhower 3-26, Fleischood 4-15, Westwood 2-6.
PASSING
Lampeter-Strasburg: Jones 5-9-1-102.
Wyomissing: B. Eisenhower 3-5-0–100.
RECEIVING
Lampeter-Strasburg: Cunningham 2-50, Swarr 2-7, Lopez 1-45.
Wyomissing: DiFabrizio 1-57, C. Eisenhower 1-33, Strong 1-10.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wyomissing: Westwood.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Lampeter-Strasburg: Fiorello 41, 38.
