First trip to end zone an unforgettable moment for Wyo’s Eisenhower brothers
Drew Eisenhower remembers the feeling when he scored his first high school touchdown; he’ll never forget it.
“I walked in clean,” the Wyomissing senior recalled. “The line just blew everybody up. It was beautiful.”
His younger brother Chase is not about to forget it, either.
“I was in the stands cheering for him,” he said, looking back three seasons to Drew’s 10-yard run late in a lopsided win at Hamburg. “It was just a great moment to watch. I was really happy for him.”
Saturday Drew got to take in little brother’s first score. He was on the Wyomissing sideline, long since being removed from the game along with the other starters, when the freshman ran 4 yards for a score late in the Spartans’ season-opening 49-0 win against over-matched Kennard-Dale at the A-Field.
“He did great today,” Drew said. “I know he was a little nervous coming in but he did his job and he played great.”
Chase’s touchdown didn’t affect Saturday’s outcome; it’s unlikely he’ll decide a game for the Spartans this season. But the experience of being part of this squad — the only freshman on the roster, by the way — soaking in the atmosphere, learning from accomplished players, will be invaluable in the years to come.
It was for Drew. He was one of four freshman on a 2019 Wyomissing team that finally broke through with a District 3 championship after some tough playoff losses in the seasons before.
He, like Matt Kramer, Ben Zechman and Ian Levering — the other freshmen on that squad — watched and learned and were ready when they needed to perform in moments that really mattered.
“I loved just being part of the team, being around the atmosphere,” said Drew, a two-way starter who has played a big part in seeing the Spartans win district title the last two years and reach the PIAA championship game in back-to-back years. “I learned a whole bunch that year from guys like Max (Hurleman) and Jevin (Tranquillo). I think that helped me through my whole career.
“The biggest (impact) was their leadership. Max, Jevin, they really took control of that team. We had a couple down years before that and they basically turned this whole program around. We’ve been skyrocketing since.
“That year really changed the culture for us. We (realized) we can keep doing this. We don’t want to go out sad any more.”
The Spartans haven’t had many sad days the past few seasons. Saturday was their 26th straight regular season win. The only losses they’ve had over the last three seasons came in the state championship game, to Central Valley.
With veterans and top talents such as Kramer and Drew Eisenhower leading the way they’re expected to get back there again. That’s why they entered the season ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A by PennLive.com.
Last season they became the first Berks team to win three straight district titles; if Saturday’s wrinkle-free performance is any indication they’re on the way to a fourth straight.
Kennard-Dale, coming off the best season in program history, was no match. It couldn’t contain Kramer, who barrelled in for three first-quarter TDs, or much of anything else the Spartans did.
The Rams couldn’t move the ball, either. They managed just 67 total yards and didn’t get a first down in the second half — and that’s with Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum pulling his starters after Drew Eisenhower’s 39-yard touchdown reception finished off the opening drive of the half.
Even after that the Rams couldn’t contain Wyo’s offense. Chase Eisenhower finished off a short scoring drive with a 4-yard TD run. Sophomore Derek Macrina, who set up Chase’s score with a 35-yard run to the 10, got in the end zone himself on an 8-yard run on the next drive. Macrina also had a second-quarter interception in addition to his first varsity score.
One of the strengths of Wyomissing’s program is the coaching staff’s willingness to get younger players on the field as much as possible. That’s been the case for years.
Last season Ryker Jones, then a sophmore, was able to show off his star potential by busting off big runs late in games. That came in a back-up role but a lot of his carries came early in the second half of one-sided games against starting defensive units. Now he’s one of the top players in the county. He was all over the field Saturday on defense, from his linebacker spot, and on special teams.
“Those kids get to play a quarter, a quarter-and-a-half, and for the most part its against their No. 1’s,” said Wolfrum. “It’s good for them.”
Chase Eisenhower appreciates his chances.
“It’s a great opportunity to play with all these players like Jven (Williams), Drew, Matthew (Kramer), Ben. Just learning from these guys is good.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Kennard-Dale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyomissing | 21 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wyomissing | Kramer, 18 run (Levering kick) | 11:38 |
| 1 | Wyomissing | Kramer, 3 run (Levering kick) | 6:05 |
| 1 | Wyomissing | Kramer, 14 run | 2:18 |
| 2 | Wyomissing | McIntyre, 23 run (Levering kick) | 1:04 |
| 3 | Wyomissing | D. Eisenhower, 39 pass from Zechman (Levering kick) | 11:52 |
| 4 | Wyomissing | C. Eisenhower, 4 run (Levering kick) | 11:52 |
| 4 | Wyomissing | Macrina, 8 run (Levering kick) | 6:07 |
Team statistics
| Kennard-Dale | Wyomissing | |
| First downs | 3 | 17 |
| Rushes-yards | 30-46 | 31-276 |
| Passing yards | 21 | 144 |
| Total yards | 67 | 420 |
| Passes | 3-9-2 | 5-7-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 6-34.1 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-35 | 4-36 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Kennard-Dale: Sparks 6-25, J. Smith 3-18, McCleary 9-7, Loucks 3-2, Wolf 2-0, D. Smith 1-0, Neff 5-(-1).
Wyomissing: Kramer 7-69, Macrina 3-50, D. Eisenhower 3-42, McIntyre 4-41, C. Eisenhower 6-27, A. Delp 2-21, Jones 2-18, Forrey 1-6, Niedrowski 2-3.
PASSING
Kennard-Dale: McCleary 3-9-2–21.
Wyomissing: Zechman 5-7-0-144.
RECEIVING
Kennard-Dale: J. Smith 2-6, Morales 1-15.
Wyomissing: Eisenhower 2-57, Jones 1-30, McIntyre 1-23, Neff 1-17.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wyomissing: Hyde, Macrina.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Wyomissing: Levering 42.
