Mustangs excited to be ranked No. 1 but remain focused on ultimate prize
Nate Goodman saw it first thing Tuesday morning when he looked at his phone.
Like the rest of his Gov. Mifflin teammates the senior tackle was pretty excited to see the Mustangs ranked No. 1 in the state for the first time.
“I think it’s crazy that we made history already,” he said.
The Mustangs made history last season when they won their first District 3 championship.
They made history last week when Nick Singleton became Berks’ all-time rushing leader, and when they recorded their 400th win.
This, though — to be ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 5A by PennLive.com — it’s a big deal.
It’s a first for a program that’s been very good over the last 15 years but has never won at the state level.
The ranking won’t put any points on the scoreboard and it won’t clinch a playoff spot but it does make the players in the program take pride in their 3-0 start and realize the work they’ve put in has been noticed outside their locker room.
“We were already playing with confidence at an all-time level,” said senior quarterback Eden Johnson. “I guess it’ll boost it a little bit more, just to know that you’re No. 1 and somebody else sees it other than us.”
The Mustangs began the season ranked No. 2, behind Imhotep Charter. They reached No. 2 last season, then ran into top-ranked and eventual PIAA champ Pine-Richland, which beat them 48-44 in a classic state semifinal.
With Penn State recruit Nick Singleton and nine other starters returning people knew the Mustangs would be very good.
They’ve been more than that the first three weeks, outscoring their opponents 153-20 and recording three straight mercy-rule victories.
“We deserve it,” Johnson bluntly said of the ranking. “We’ve been working hard.”
Mifflin moved into the No. 1 spot when Imhotep lost to La Salle College 13-8 last week.
“I had a feeling we had a chance to go up to No. 1 at some point, as long as we kept winning, as long as we kept doing our thing,” said Goodman.
So, what’s this mean going forward?
Not all that much, really. The Mustangs came into the season favored to repeat as district champs and they’ve had their eye on a state title since early last year. Being No. 1 won’t change what was already a high ceiling.
“It’s just a bigger target on our back, that’s all it is,” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang. “We preach (that) every week’s a championship week, I don’t care who you’re playing. If you don’t take care of business (each week) you’re risking home field in the playoffs.”
Like every coach Lang is wary of outside distractions, and state rankings can be one. He’s not overly concerned about this, though. He has a senior-laden roster, led by a stoic, ultra-focused player such as Singleton. They’re not likely to be swayed much by a surge of state-wide attention.
“We’ve got some seniors here who have been through it,” Lang said. “They know what it takes to get the job done. Between Eden and Trey (Rock) and Nick and Nate, we’ve got the people that are taking care of business.”
Count junior defensive back Ayden Martin among those who remain focused on the end game: The postseason. He barely reacted Tuesday morning when he learned the Mustangs had ascended to the top.
“We don’t have time to keep messing around with (this) stuff,” he said, “we’ve gotta keep doing what we’ve been doing, keep practicing how we always practice.”
And that’s what the Mustangs did Tuesday afternoon. They went out and worked on the same drills as always getting ready for Friday’s non-league game vs. Cedar Crest.
| CLASS 5A (with district) | Record |
| 1. Gov. Mifflin (3) | 3-0 |
| 2. Imhotep Charter (12) | 2-1 |
| 3. Cathedral Prep (10) | 3-0 |
| 4. Upper Dublin (1) | 3-0 |
| 5. Whitehall (11) | 3-0 |
| 6. Gateway (7) | 2-1 |
| 7. Academy Park (1) | 3-0 |
| 8. Moon (7) | 3-0 |
| 9. Manheim Central (3) | 3-0 |
| 10. Penn-Trafford (7) | 2-1 |
“It’s the same no matter what,” said Goodman, “we’re still gonna go out there play our game the way we normally would. (The ranking) is just a pride thing.
“It puts a target on your back, but I think we’ll handle it well and do our thing like we always do, especially coming off last season and doing what we did.”
The Mustangs went 8-1 and set a Berks record for scoring by averaging a staggering 54.5 points per game. Their margin-of-victory was 39.9 points, second-highest in Berks history.
So far this season they’re averaging 51.0 points and are winning by an average of 44.3 points. That’s been accomplished against one of the more demanding parts of their schedule. York High, Wilson and Cocalico are each perennial playoff teams.
Once they get into league play the Mustangs will have games against Muhlenberg, Reading High and Daniel Boone, each of which have struggled in recent seasons. Friday they play a Cedar Crest team coming off a 45-0 loss to Carlisle.
Last season’s team, led by All-State picks and seniors Cam’Ron Stewart and Brandon Strausser, is generally regarded as the best in program history. Had the schedule not been truncated by COVID the Mustangs likely would have won six more games and finished 14-1, setting the school record for victories.
The record for wins in a season is 12, first accomplished in 2006 and matched in 2007. They reached the PIAA quarterfinals each season.
Last year was their first trip to the state semifinals. After losing to Pine-Richland they have been determined to get back — and go a step further.
“The kids are pretty hungry,” Lang said. “They’re focused on the prize.”
The prize isn’t being ranked No. 1 in September; it’s playing into mid-December.