GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week: Wyomissing vs. Southern Columbia
GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week
Wyomissing (5-0) vs. Southern Columbia (5-0)
Wyomising (5-0) vs. Southern Columbia (5-0)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Tiger Stadium, Catawissa.
Broadcast: PCN-TV, tape-delay, Saturday, 7.
Series: First meeting.
About the Tigers: Have won a record 11 PIAA championships, including four straight in Class AA. Head coach Jim Roth is the winningest coach in state history, with 461 wins over 38 seasons.
Return 12 starters, including nine on offense, from team that went 12-0 and beat Wilmington 42-14 for state title last season.
Gavin Garcia, Pennsylvania’s Class 2A Player of the Year, returns after rushing for 1,921 yards, scoring 32 TDs and averaging 17.0 yards per carry. He is committed to Kent State. He is bidding to become the program’s only four-year starter never to lose a game.
A balanced running game is the Tigers’ strength and includes powerful fullback Wes Barnes and PIAA Class 2A 100 meter champ Braeden Wisloski. Barnes rushed for 785 yards last season. Wisloski scored 13 TDs. Liam Klebon is a converted WR who took over at QB last season.
Derek Berlitz is a 6-2, 245 DE who anchors the defense and is drawing Division I looks. Soph Garrett Garcia, younger brother of Gavin, had over 100 tackles last season and is outstanding at LB. 6-2, 245-pound Carson Savitski is a strong two-way tackle. Jake Roser is sprint and hurdles champ who brings speed at WR.
Escaped with a 37-30 victory in Week 4 against Wyoming Area by driving 99 yards in the final minutes for the go-ahead TD and two-point conversion after a fourth-down goal-line stop. Gavin Garcia rushed for 258 yards and scored his fifth TD in the final minute. Trailed 24-7 at the half.
Averaging 42.4 points and winning by an average of 30.6; opened the season with shutouts of Berwick and Bloomsburg.
Have been ranked No. 1 in Class 2A since the preseason.
About the Spartans: Ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A. Have won 20 straight regular-season games. Four mercy-rule victories in five weeks. Have not allowed a first-quarter score, and have allowed just three first-half TDs in five games. Averaging 42.6 points; allowing Berks-low 9.8 points per game.
QB Ben Zechman has completed 64.5 percent of his passes and hasn’t thrown an INT. Tommy Grabowski leads team with 422 rushing yards, and 10 TDs. Amory Thompson is averaging 9.5 yards per carry, and has scored five TDs. TE Aiden Mack has averaged 36.3 yards on three catches.
Grabowski, an ILB, lead team with 28 tackles; ILB Jack Miller has 23. NG Julian DiMao leads team with three sacks.
Fast fact: Southern Columbia has won 65 consecutive games and 93 straight regular season games, dating to 2011. A win over Wyomissing will allow the Tigers to match the state record of 66 straight wins, set by Clairton from 2009-2013. The Tigers have had the longest winning streak in the nation for three weeks, since Caledonia (Minn.) saw its 71-game streak snapped.
Did you know? Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum moved into ninth place among Pennsylvania’s winningest football coaches with last week’s win over Fleetwood. He has 327 victories.
