Extra Points: Joey Svoboda loving football again, Spartans hoping for Southern rematch, and other football notes

Joey Svoboda has played football since he was in fifth grade. Loved it. Lived for it. Then one day he decided he didn’t want to play any longer.

“I just really wasn’t liking it,” said the Fleetwood senior tackle. “There wasn’t a reason why, I just fell out of love with it.”

One week into practice in August he left the team. He thought he was done with football for good.

“I don’t really know what happened, something just switched,” he said of leaving. “I really wasn’t enjoying practices, I wasn’t enjoying playing the game in general.

“I couldn’t even sit down to watch a college game or an NFL game. I knew something was up. I took time off to think about it.”

After two weeks away from the game the 6-4, 235-pound offensive tackle returned. And he’s glad he did.

He was especially pleased about it Saturday after being in the middle of the Tigers’ 24-9 win over Twin Valley. He played a big role at left tackle, helping pave the way for two touchdown runs by Gavin Morris and another by Tanner Maddocks.

The Tigers won that game up front, and Svoboda was a factor each side of the line. He earned the highest blocking grade and was credited with three pancake blocks. He also played a strong game at defensive end.

“We’re only 3-3, but we wouldn’t be where we’re at, or (get to) where we think we’re going without Joey Svoboda,” said Fleetwood coach Steve Beatty. “He’s one of our best football players; I think he’s one of the best linemen in the county. He’s done a lot for us.”

Beatty was always hopeful Svoboda would have a change of heart and return. He thinks that when Svoboda attended the preseason scrimmage against Pottstown to watch his brother, sophomore lineman Hunter, he realized how much he missed the game.

He was back at practice a few days later.

“I always felt he would be back,” said Beatty. “Why? Because he’s a football player. He’s a helluva football player.”

As he soaked in the Homecoming atmosphere following Saturday’s win Svoboda was thankful of making a U-turn and returning to the game.

“I don’t know how I even thought about leaving, to be honest,” he said. “I took a break. I realized how much the game means to me, so I had to come back and finish what I started. I definitely made the right choice to come back.”

Thank you, Spartans

Outside of Wyomissing no one enjoyed seeing the Spartans take down Southern Columbia more than the folks at Clairton, who are able to hold on to their share of Pennsylvania football history after that 41-21 win.

Clairton set the state record with 66 consecutive victories from 2009-13. Southern could’ve tied that mark by beating Wyomissing.

“I might get with the AD (at Wyomissing) and see if we can send them something,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade told Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Southern’s 65-game win streak was the longest in the nation. Caledonia (Minn.) had the longest streak, at 71, before losing its season-opener Sept. 7.

Now the longest streak in the nation belongs to the Fyffe Red Devils, of Fyfee, Ala., at 51 games.

Central Valley on the clock

Central Valley now owns Pennsylvania’s longest football winning streak at 18.

The Warriors followed up last year’s 12-0 run to the PIAA Class 3A championship with a 6-0 start this season. They beat Wyomissing last year for the title.

Central Valley’s last loss came in the 2019 PIAA Class 3A championship game to Wyoming Area.

The second-longest streak in the state belongs to reigning PIAA Class 1A champ Steel-High, at 15. North Schuylkill has won 14 in a row (it opted out of the PIAA Tournament in 2020).

Three of last year’s PIAA champs — St. Joseph’s Prep, Pine-Richland and Southern Columbia — have lost this season.

Thomas Jefferson, the 2020 champ in Class 4A, lost once last season.

Did someone say rematch?

Bob Wolfrum has always loved to challenge his Wyomissing teams, and he’d like nothing better than to add Southern Columbia to the Spartans’ 2022 schedule.

“I hope we get to do it again,” he said. “It would be tough to fit it in (next season) but I’d love to do it again at some point.”

The only opening the Spartans have for next season is in Week 3.

Wyomissing athletic director Frank Ferrandino said he has not approached Southern about continuing the series but is open to it.

“It would be really great to keep playing them,” he said. “We were hoping to have them here last year (before the game was canceled due to COVID). We would pack our place if they came here. It would be cool to see.”