Hempfield races past Reading High to clinch Section 1 title
By Matt Gaffney — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
When it comes to building a championship football team, a coach is a lot like a chef trying to make the perfect dish.
A chef needs different ingredients to come together to make an appetizing meal.
A coach needs special ingredients such as hard work, chemistry, grit, determination and teamwork, among other things, to have a chance for a satisfying and memorable season.
Coach George Eager and his Hempfield Black Knights have been cooking something special up all season as they chased down an ever-elusive Section 1 championship.
The chase is over.
| Section 1 | League | Overall |
| Hempfield | 6-0 | 8-2 |
| Wilson | 5-1 | 8-2 |
| Manheim Township | 4-2 | 7-3 |
| Penn Manor | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| Cedar Crest | 2-4 | 5-5 |
| Reading High | 1-5 | 3-7 |
| McCaskey | 0-6 | 1-9 |
Hempfield won its first outright section championship since 1994 Friday night with a 40-16 win over Reading High at Albright College’s Shirk Stadium.
Hempfield beat Wilson 20-16 and Manheim Township 17-14, both on the road.
For Eager and his team, the championship tasted sweet, and they were savoring every moment.
“It feels special,” he said. “There are really no words to describe it. You dream of these things when you come into a program like this as coaches, but what’s most special to me is doing it with this group of guys, with these players and this coaching staff.
“I love the kids like my sons and the staff cares as much as I do.”
Grant Hoover rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns while backfield mate Stephen Katch added two scores on the ground to lead the Black Knights (6-0, 8-2).
The senior running back echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“It means so much, all the hard work and dedication we put into it in the off season and in season, it feels so good,” said Hoover.
The Black Knights were all over the Red Knights (1-5, 3-7) from the start as they scored on all five first-half possessions to take a commanding 33-0 lead. Hoover’s two rushing touchdowns established a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
Hempfield’s first drive was an all-Hoover affair as he carried the load with five rushes for 46 yards and a reception for 8 yards to account for all of the Black Knights’ offense. He finished it off with a 19-yard touchdown run.
After a quick three-and-out by the Red Knights, the Black Knights took over in Reading territory. It took three plays for Hempfield to go 40 yards with Hoover scooting for his second touchdown of the game, this time from 5 yards out.
In the second quarter, Katch kept the party going, bulldozing his way into the end zone for his first touchdown, a 10-yard run. Cannon Biscoe’s third successful PAT attempt made the score 21-0 with 11:16 left in the half.
The Red Knights could not get out of their own way in the first half as their evening was marred by penalties throughout the game. They were flagged for eight offside penalties in the first half and 17 total penalties overall.
The Red Knights struggled to get anything going on offense with he Black Knights shutting them down to the tune of 14 total yards. Quarterback Amier Burdine was under constant pressure from Hempfield’s front seven.
Reading did not get a first down until Burdine scrambled 20 yards with 28 seconds left in the first half to finally move the chains.
Hempfield, on the other hand, could do little wrong.
Biscoe culminated an eight-play, 61-yard drive with a 22-yard field goal to increase Hempfield’s lead to 24-0 midway through the second quarter. A few moments later, a bad Reading punt snap in the end zone resulted in a safety to make it 26-0.
Following the free kick, Hempfield had great field position at the Reading 48-yard line. Six plays later, quarterback Jackson Landis hit Micah Gates for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 33-0 at the half.
One special ingredient that has been a constant for Eager and his Black Knights is grit.
“It starts with grit and the idea that we’re never out of it, playing hard-nosed football, and executing, and putting in the work in the weight room in the offseason,” he said. “Our guys were in the weight room most of the winter, spring and summer. They’ve dedicated themselves to the hard work and you’re seeing that now.”
The Black Knights’ grit was on display all night but they took their foot off the gas pedal a bit in the second half.
After Gates returned a punt 39 yards deep into Reading territory in the third quarter, Katch cashed in with a 5-yard run, his second touchdown of the night, to make it 40-0. At that point, it was time for Hempfield’s reserves to get some playing time and for the starters to begin planning their celebration.
Reading finally got on the board in the third quarter, courtesy of an 80-yard catch-and-run from Burdine to Ruben Rodriguez. A Cameron Small rushing conversion made it 40-8.
The Red Knights liked that play so much, they dialed it up again in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-28 from their own 29-yard line, Burdine hit Rodriguez, this time for a 71-yard score. Alexis Alvarado’s rushing conversion made it 40-16.
First-year Reading coach Troy Godinet can take solace in the fact that his team went from one win to three wins.
He knows there’s work to be done but he likes what he’s seeing from his team as they are looking to cook up something special of their own.
“We knew this was a process and it wasn’t going to happen overnight,” said Godinet. “Our kids laid a foundation of hard work, love, respect and family. And that’s what’s important in building a culture.
“It’s easy to talk about culture, but you have to live it and then culture starts to form. And from the culture comes wins. So we are just looking to continue to build and allow our kids to be themselves and grow.”
Rodriguez finished the night with three receptions for 157 yards and the two scores. Burdine was 7-for-10 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes for the Red Knights.
But the night belonged to the Black Knights as they ended their championship drought.
Eager and his battle-tested team are looking to continue their success in the postseason.
“We’ve played playoff football teams and they were all toss-ups,” said Eager. “We know we’re going to get a very, very good team so we talk about playing Hempfield football – tackling, executing, not turning the ball over and limiting penalties. If we do those things, it could be a fun ride.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hempfield | 14 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 40 |
| Reading High | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Hempfield | Hoover, 19 run (Biscoe kick) | 6:47 |
| Hempfield | Hoover, 5 run (Biscoe kick) | 3:28 | |
| 2 | Hempfield | S. Katch 12 run (Biscoe kick) | 11:16 |
| Hempfield | Biscoe, 22 FG | 5:01 | |
| Hempfield | Safety, ball snapped through end zone | 3:26 | |
| Hempfield | Gates, 6 pass from Landis (Biscoe kick) | 1:04 | |
| 3 | Hempfield | S. Katch 5 run (Biscoe kick) | 5:26 |
| Reading High | Rodriguez, 80 pass from Burdine (C. Small run) | 5:13 | |
| 4 | Reading High | Rodriguez, 71 pass from Burdine (Alvarado run) | 5:09 |
Team statistics
| Hempfield | Reading High | |
| First downs | 17 | 4 |
| Rushes-yards | 36-182 | 24-(-15) |
| Passing yards | 67 | 180 |
| Total yards | 249 | 165 |
| Passes | 6-10-0 | 7-10-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-46.5 | 5-32.2 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-35 | 17-125 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Hempfield: Hoover, 13-88, S. Katch 8-42, Landis 5-43, Walls 8-14, McCain-Murray 2-(-5).
Reading High: Alvarado 4-7, C. Small 1-1, Hernandez 1-0, Valle 3-(-11), Team 3-(-7), Burdine 12-(-5).
PASSING
Hempfield: Landis 5-9-0-70. D. Katch 1-1-0-(-3).
Reading High: Burdine 7-10-0-180.
RECEIVING
Hempfield: Gates 2-27, Garcia 1-30, Hoover 1-8, Benjamin 1-5, Doyle 1-(-3).
Reading High: Rodriguez 3-157,Samuel 2-2, Philistin 1-11, Laws 1-10.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Hempfield: Biscoe 44.
