Fearless Friday Football Forecast for Week 5 (updated with results)
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
It’s not often a winless team is made a favorite in Week 5.
Then again, it’s not often Conrad Weiser is winless a month into the season. It hasn’t happened in 23 years, and it’s happened just three times previously in the Scouts’ first 54 seasons.
The Fearless Forecasters expect the Scouts to remedy that situation Friday night in Robesonia when they play Octorara, which is a surprising 2-2 after beating Muhlenberg in overtime and shutting out Pequea Valley. The Braves won just once last season.
The Scouts aren’t a overwhelming favorite by any means; five of the 12 Forecasters are picking against them.
The biggest split on the board comes in the Section 1 match-up between Reading High (1-3) and Penn Manor (0-4). The Comets were shut out in their first three games and didn’t score last week against Cedar Crest until they trailed by 38. That’s why most of the Forecasters are leaning toward the Red Knights.
Not everyone’s buying into Cedar Crest’s unbeaten start: Our Forecasters give Wilson the nod, 9-4.
Other than that, there’s not a lot of disagreement: The Forecasters are in total agreement in eight of the 12 games.
Each week, MikeDragoSports.com staff writers and photographers, along with Jeff Reinhart of football partner LNP/Lancasteronline, and Daryn Zeiner of Jerry Geleff Media will pick the games. We’ll keep standings and the Forecaster with the most points at the end of the season will get a big prize!
Each correct pick earns one point; if a Forecaster “doubles down” on a Berks team and is correct he gets two points. Each Fearless Forecaster can “down double” on a team only once during the regular season (and once again during the postseason).
| Wilson C. Crest | P. Manor Reading | Lebanon Exeter | Muhl Mifflin | Garden Spot Fleetwood | Boone Ephrata | Twin Valley E-Town | |
| Matt Gaffney | C. Crest | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Joe Mays | Wilson | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Jeff Reinhart | Wilson | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Chris DeAntonio | Wilson | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin | Fleetwood | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Matt Hagy | Wilson | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Sean McBryan | Wilson | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Mike Drago | Wilson | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Logan Moyer | C. Crest | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Sam Cavalieri | C. Crest | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Andrew Clauser | Wilson | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Daryn Zeiner | Wilson | Reading | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Phil Marabella | C. Crest | P. Manor | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Mike Mitchell | Wilson | Reading | Exeter (DD) | Mifflin | Garden Spot | Ephrata | Twin Valley |
| Staff composite | Wilson 9-4 | Reading 7-6 | Exeter 13-0 | Mifflin 13-0 | Garden Spot 13-0 | Ephrata 13-0 | Twin Valley 13-0 |
| Berks Cath. Donegal | Octorara Weiser | Hamburg Kutztown | Pequea Sch. Valley | Elco Wyo | Week 5 | Season total | |
| Matt Gaffney | Donegal | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 8-5 | 51-13 |
| Joe Mays | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 12-1 | 54-10 |
| Jeff Reinhart | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 53-11 |
| Chris DeAntonio | Berks Cath. (DD) | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 10-3 | 51-13 |
| Matt Hagy | Berks Cath. | Weiser (DD) | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 52-12 |
| Sean McBryan | Berks Cath. | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 52-12 |
| Mike Drago | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 51-13 |
| Logan Moyer | Berks Cath. | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 9-4 | 49-15 |
| Sam Cavalieri | Berks Cath. | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 10-3 | 49-15 |
| Andrew Clauser | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 12-1 | 50-14 |
| Daryn Zeiner | Donegal | Octorara | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 9-4 | 47-17 |
| Phil Marabella | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 47-17 |
| Mike Mitchell | Berks Cath. | Weiser | Hamburg | Sch. Valley | Wyo | 11-2 | 47-17 |
| Staff composite | Berks Cath. 11-2 | Weiser 8-5 | Hamburg 13-0 | Sch. Valley 13-0 | Wyo 13-0 |
