Top Players to Watch in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League for 2025
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
There should be plenty of familar names around Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League this season.
Returning are Offensive Back of the Year Brandon Way of Lancaster Catholic, Offensive Lineman of the Year Palmer Reber of Berks Catholic, and Linebacker of the Year Logan Cammauf of Schuylkill Valley.
They are among 16 first-team all-league picks returning.
Berks Catholic returns five first-team picks, and eight all-league picks overall. Lancaster Catholic and Schuylkill Valley each return four first-team picks.
Gone are Receiver of the Year Ty Werley of Hamburg, Defensive Back of the Year Cooper Hohenadel of Schuylkill Valley and Defensive Lineman of the Year Jon Shay of Annville-Cleona, but there are plenty of new players ready to step into their places.
Here’s your first look at the top players in Section 5 for the 2025 season. Later this week we’ll take a look at the top players in Section 4.
(This is part one of a five-part series and a collaboration between LNP/Lancaster On-Line and MikeDragoSports.com. Jeff Reinhart of LNP contributed player capsules.)
Eric Bennethum, Berks Catholic
G/DL
The 6-2, 230-pound rising junior is a physical player who seeks contact, a key reason he earned Section 5 first-team honors on both offense and defense last season.
As a sophomore Bennethum was adept at both pulling from his guard spot and kicking out on the trap and down blocks. That’s a big reason the Saints were able to go 7-5 and average over 222 rushing yards per game last season.
Bennethum was dominant on the defensive side as well, recording 52 tackles, with four stops for loss and a pair of sacks.
Wrestling at 215 and 285, he won 19 bouts, with five falls, for the Berks champion Saints. In lacrosse, he received honorable mention recognition after helping the Saints reach the league and district playoffs.
Logan Cammauf, Schuylkill Valley
RB/LB/KR
Cammauf earned All-State recognition and was tabbed Linebacker of the Year in Section 5 after recording a program-record and Berks-leading 193 tackles over 12 games.
He earned second-team all-league status on offense by averaging 6.3 yards per carry and leading the team in rushing.
It all added up to the Panthers’ first outright football championship, a 9-3 record that matched the school for victories, and the program’s first trip to the District 3 Class 3A championship game.
The 6-foot, 180-pound inside linebacker averaged of 16.1 tackles per game, had three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.
Cammauf was selected to the Lancaster-Lebanon League Big 37 team.
He’s also a starter on the basketball team and was an All-Berks pick in track and field after earning three medals at the Firing Meet.
(Andy Blackburn/LNP photos)
Corde Douglas, Lancaster Catholic
RB/DB
Crusaders’ slick multi-purpose threat was a key contributor for a team that reached the District 3 Class 2A championship game.
The rising junior is a cool customer in the secondary, where he earned first-team all-league defensive honors last fall. He’ll also get some touches out of the backfield behind All-State RB Brandon Way, giving the Crusaders a pair of shifty breakaway backs.
Because of his on-field flexibility, Douglas earned honorable mention honors at Athlete last year.
College recruiters have taken notice; Douglas spent his summer making the rounds at camps all over the region.
(LNP photo)
Colton Hegener, Lancaster Catholic
WR/DB/KR
A three-way section all-star last fall, Hegener is the ultimate playmaker and glue-kid for the Crusaders. The possession receiver hauled in 42 catches for 492 yards with six TDs in his junior season, when Catholic was the District 3 Class 2A runner-up. He picked up section first-team honors at wideout for his pass-catching abilities.
Hegener also joined Corde Douglas and Brandon Way to give the Crusaders a lock-down secondary. He had a Pick-6 last season and was a section honorable mention pick.
He’ll also be a key part of the return game; he returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns last season.
(LNP photo)
Cameron McClair, Columbia
QB/DB/K/P
The jack-of-all-trades had a breakout freshman season two years ago, when he passed for 1,700-plus yards.
Without the same weapons around him and with a young O-line in front of him last fall McClair went 64-for-180 for 641 yards with five TD tosses and 10 picks as the Crusaders went winless.
With two full seasons behind center he’ll look for his passing numbers to bounce back this time around.
McClair picked up section honorable mention honors at QB.
He was a first-team punter and second-team pick at defensive back.
Trenton Moore, Lancaster Catholic
DE
The Crusaders were stingy on the defensive side last fall, when they made another spirited run in Section 5 on the way to the District 3 Class 2A title game.
Moore, a rising senior with a big motor, was one of the ringleaders from his spot at defensive end and earned a section first-team nod.
Expect the punishing tackler and backfield crasher to chase plenty of unsuspecting quarterbacks and ball-carries off the edge once again this time around; he’s a key reason the Crusaders are a section favorite heading into the preseason.
Jon Moran, Annville-Cleona
WR/DB
Dual-threat weapon is poised for a big senior season for the Dutchmen, who should be plenty motivated after missing the District 3 playoffs last fall.
The Dutchmen don’t throw the ball much, but when they went to the air last season the speedy, sure-handed Moran was there to snare 15 balls for 448 yards — a nifty 29.9 yards per snag — with five TD grabs. Talk about a home-run hitter.
He also chipped in with 182 rushing yards and a TD run.
Moran also excelled in the secondary, picking up section first-team honors after registering 45 tackles with five pass breakups.
A-C fans should hear his name called often this season.
Nick Moyer, Schuylkill Valley
T/DT
Moyer made a big step up as a junior, becoming a key run-stopper from his spot at defensive tackle to help the Panthers earn their first outright football championship and reach the District 3 Class 3A championship game for the first time.
The 6-2, 295-pounder didn’t record a lot of tackles but he ate up space, occupied blockers, often required double-team attention, and allowed linebackers Logan Cammauf and Luke Spotts to clean up ballcarriers. Opposing coaches noticed his effect and named him to the Section 5 first-team.
He’ll be a two-way starter this season and, as a guard, a key component in an offense that will be more ground-oriented after the graduation of all-league quarterback Logan Nawrocki and his top receivers.
Moyer is getting looks from college programs seeking a run-stuffer.
Palmer Reber, Berks Catholic
T/DT
Reber was named Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League after anchoring a line that helped the Saints produce a 1,000-yard rusher and average nearly 7 yards per carry as a team.
Reber also earned first-team honors on defense where he made 64 tackles, third on the team, from his spot at tackle.
Even at 6-3, 260 pounds – up some 20 pounds from last season – the two-way tackle moves well enough to play any spot on either the offensive or defensive line. That’s a big reason he’s getting looks from Patriot League and PSAC schools.
Palmer earned his spot as a team captain last because of his tireless work ethic and leadership abilities.
Earlier this year he received an invitation to play in the Hawaii Tiki Bowl in December.
As a heavyweight wrestler, Reber earned all-division honors after winning 21 matches, recording 11 pins and helping the Saints win the county championship.
Noah Sonon, Schuylkill Valley
T/ILB
The Panthers are expected to change their stripes on offense this season, moving to a ground-and-pound attack after leading the league in passing a year ago. Sonon is a big reason why.
The 6-1, 240-pound rising senior is expected to set the tone up front from his spot at tackle, where he effectively leads on sweeps and sets up the inside run game with his quickness off the ball. He was so good at it last year he ended up as a first-team all-league pick.
The Panthers, with all-league pick Logan Nawrocki in the pocket last season, passed a lot, giving Sonon plenty of opportunities to work on his blitz pick-up and pass-blocking techniques. College coaches have noticed.
Sonon is a three-year starter on offense. He’ll see more time this season on defense, where he’s sure to be one of the biggest inside ’backers in the section.
Drew Tibbins, Pequea Valley
RB/LB/P
You might know Tibbins as the point guard for Linville Hill Christian’s state championship basketball team. Turns out Tibbins also plays a mean game of football for the Braves, who have a co-op with Linville Hill.
Tibbins had a breakout junior season last fall, leading the Braves to the Eastern Conference Class 3A playoff game — the first postseason trip in Braves’ history.
Tibbins was a two-way force, rushing for 800-plus yards as the bullish feature back. He was a second-team all-league selection.
The heavy-hitting ’backer also picked up section honorable mention honors on defense, as well as at punter.
Brandon Way, Lancaster Catholic
RB/DB/KR
Way had a whopper of a junior campaign.
The cat-quick, tackle-breaking back zoomed for 1,816 rushing yards with 26 TDs, averaging a cool 8.4 yards per carry; he rushed for 200 yards three times. He made one electrifying run after another, with nine TDs of 50 yards or more and three covering 70-plus yards.
Way, who has made a verbal commitment to Bryant University, also had a league-best 96-yard TD sprint last year and returned a punt for a TD.
That earned him Outstanding Back and Offensive Back of the Year nods in Section 5 and spots on the Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State team and the LNP/MikeDragoSports Big 37 team.
Others to watch
| Faud Abdullateef | DE | Schuylkill Valley |
| Ian Bahr | FB/LB | Kutztown |
| Chris Baumler | TE/LB | Lancaster Catholic |
| Andrew Blank | G | Pequea Valley |
| Tyler Brommer | RB/LB/KR | Columbia |
| Damoni Daglis | DT | Berks Catholic |
| Blaise Ernst | RB | Hamburg |
| Sterling Furches | DL | Pequea Valley |
| Xavier Gerald | RB/DB | Berks Catholic |
| Kadavin Gintig | DL | Annville-Cleona |
| Nate Kier | OT/DL | Schuylkill Valley |
| Isaac McFadden | QB | Hamburg |
| Lane Peters | QB/DB | Annville-Cleona |
| Brandon Pyle | RB/LB | Schuylkill Valley |
| Astian Reppert | OT | Hamburg |
| Owen Schalk | APB/LB | Berks Catholic |
| Hudson Sellers | RB/LB | Annville-Cleona |
| Mason Sherry | RB/LB | Kutztown |
| Wyatt Stoess | QB | Kutztown |
| Ryan Walters | RB/FS | Kutztown |
| Reese Wamsher | PK | Schuylkill Valley |
| Gavin Welker | WR/DB | Berks Catholic |
| LeBran Woods | KR | Pequea Valley |
| Anthony Zatorski | OL/DB | Berks Catholic |
