Reading High struggles in loss to Oxford
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Rick Woelfel — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
OXFORD— Early struggles led to big problems for Reading High Friday night.
Oxford scored 20 first quarter-points and rolled to a 42-14 non-league win over the Red Knights.
Reading (2-7) has lost five of its last six, with Hempfield awaiting in the season finale next week.
Khalis Reyes was one of Reading’s few bright spots. The senior took over at quarterback on the Red Knights’ third possession and went 10-of-19 through the air for 149 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 44 yards.
But there wasn’t much else for the Reading faithful to smile about.
“We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror,” said Reading coach Troy Goodinet. “That’s it. Everybody has to look in the mirror and see who we want to be. That’s what it is, looking in the mirror and checking who you are as a man.”
The Hornets (6-3) put three scores on the board in a span of three minutes midway through the opening quarter.
Quarterback Aiden Kane started things off with a 34-yard burst up the middle, the first of his three scores.
A botched punt attempt on Reading’s next series gave the Hornets the ball at the Reading 3-yard line. Joel McClain scored on his team’s next snap and Kane made it 20-0 on a 58-yard sprint on the first play of his team’s next offensive series.
Gabriel Laws got Reading on the scoreboard on a 21-yard run off the right side midway through the second quarter.
But the Hornets put two more score on the board before halftime, one on Kane’s third touchdown, the other on an interception return to build a 35-6 advantage and triggered a running clock when McClain scored his second touchdown on his team’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Red Knights had better luck moving the ball in the late going and finally hit on a big play when Reyes found Jared Santos on a deep ball down the left sideline. Santos gathered it in and sprinted to the end zone to complete the 68-yard connection with 4:02 left in the game.
It was the senior’s third catch of the game, a bright spot in an evening that offered few.
“We didn’t come in here and be the best us,” Goodinet said. “We weren’t prepared. I look myself in the mirror for that. I put that on me.”
Reading all-league offensive lineman Romelio Fuentes was ejected from the game after a scuffle in the second quarter. Per PIAA rules he must sit out next week’s game.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Reading High | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Oxford | 20 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 42 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Oxford | Kane, 30 run (McPeak kick) | 8:07 |
| 1 | Oxford | Jo. McClain, 3 run (kick blocked) | 6:19 |
| 1 | Oxford | Kane, 58 run (McPeak kick) | 5:06 |
| 2 | Reading | Laws, 21 run (run failed) | |
| 2 | Oxford | Kane, 20 run (Kane run) | 2:40 |
| 2 | Oxford | Ja. McClain, 35 interception return (McPeak kick) | 1:20 |
| 3 | Oxford | Jo. McClain, 15 run (McPeak kick) | 8:33 |
| 4 | Reading | Santos, 68 pass from Reyes (Reyes run) | 4:02 |
Team statistics
| RAW | Reading | Oxford |
| First downs | 8 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 31-120 | 39-272 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 28 |
| Total yards | 269 | 300 |
| Passes | 10-21-1 | 2-4-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-29.0 | 2-34.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-30 | 3-30 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Reading: Reyes 10-48, Laws 6-41, Alvarado 11-37, Plyaharn 2-3, Small 1- (-2); Team 1- (-7).
Oxford: Kane 9-133, Joel McClain 14-103, K. Baumgardner 4-18, Schaible 3-10, Hunt 2-4, Deasey 3-2, Howell 1-1, Garcia 1-1, T. Baumgardner 1-0.
PASSING
Reading: Reyes 10-19-1—149, Plyaharn 0-2-0.
Oxford: Kane 2-4-0-28.
RECEIVING
Reading: Weaver 4-18, Santos 3-89, Beatty 2-41, Alvarado 1-1.
Oxford: Deasey 1-20, Patterson 1-8.
INTERCEPTIONS
Oxford: Jalen McClain
