Jordan, Menapace lead East All-Stars to victory in East-West Small School game
(Updated with score of Big School game.)
Berks Catholic’s Josiah Jordan caught a pair of touchdown passes and Hamburg’s Xander Menapace threw for a pair of scores as the East held off the West 41-34 Sunday in the PSFCA Small School East-West game at Bishop McDevitt’s Rocco Ortenzio Stadium.
West quarterback Jeff Hoenstine, Pennsylvania’s Class 3A Player of the Year, was stopped at the goal line on the game’s final play.
The quarterback from Central High led his team from its own 25 over the final two minutes to a fourth-and-goal at the 1 with eight seconds left. He was stopped on a sneak as time expired.
Jordan, committed to play at Wilkes University, was named East MVP after catching scoring passes of 47 and 6 yards, the second from Menapace for a 27-20 lead in the third quarter.
Jordan, a halfback in the Saints’ Wing-T, had 10 receptions for 138 yards and 13 yards on two carries.
Jordan’s 84-yard kickoff return set up Menapace’s 4-yard TD run, which gave the East a 21-13 lead with 2:59 left in the first half.
Menapace, committed to play at Columbia, completed 10-of-14 passes for 107 yards and ran seven times for 38 yards. His 16-yard TD pass to Izaiah Ramos capped a 68-yard opening drive and gave the East the lead in the opening quarter.
Redbank Valley’s Aiden Ortz returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD to pull the West within 34-27 with 9:48 remaining.
Hamburg’s Pierce Mason had five carries for 15 yards and caught one pass.
Wyomissing’s Ian Levering was good on 4-of-4 PAT attempts. Berks Catholic’s Andrew Kurtas handled the punting for the East and also kicked a PAT.
Eight Berks players were selected to play in the game, including Hamburg lineman Charles Sheppard and Wyomissing lineman Brock Kistler.
Hamburg head coach Matt Hoffert was an assistant coach on the East staff, which was led by Matt Gingrich of Annville-Cleona.
Jordan was a Class 3A All-State pick and Defensive Back of the Year in Section 4 of Lancaster-Lebanon League. He rushed for 1,225 yards and scored 22 TDs.
Menapace earned All-Berks honors as he passed for a Berks-leading 1,833 yards and led the Hawks to a 9-2 record and the District 3 Class 3A semifinals.
Mason was a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 all-league pick at running back after rushing for 1,367 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns.
Sheppard, named the Section 5 Outstanding Lineman and Defensive Lineman of the Year, anchored both lines as the Hawks won nine games, second-most in program history. He will play at Kutztown next season.
The Small School game includes players from Class 3A, 2A and 1A programs. Players from Class 6A, 5A and 4A schools compete in the Big School game, which the West won 24-16. There were no Berks players on the East squad.