Red Knights headed back to Red Lion after long wait, early suspension
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Ryan Vandersloot — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
RED LION — There was no getting away from the storms in York County for the Reading High football team Friday.
Despite the kickoff time with Red Lion being moved up 90 minutes the two squads managed to play for under nine minutes before several lightning delays eventually forced the scoreless contest to be suspended with 3 minutes and 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
The two sides will resume play Monday at Red Lion with the home team owning possession with a first down at its own 31.
“We just have to rebound and get through this,” Reading coach Troy Godinet said moments after the contest was suspended. “We’ll be alright though. We’ll have to play the rest of the game another day.”
Godinet’s squad got off to just the kind of start he was looking for against the Lions (1-1).
Red Lion moved down the field after taking the opening kickoff but the Knights were able to force a turnover on downs at the 29.
Reading moved down the field with an eight-play drive that saw the Knights briefly get into Red Lion territory before back-to-back penalties short-circuited a promising opening possession.
After a punt pinned the Lions at their own 20 the home team was able to run three times to get a first down at the 31 before the first of many flashes of lightning halted the proceedings. Every flash set the resumption clock back to 30 minutes, the last of which happened around 7:20, prompting the eventual suspension of the contest.
The Knights spent nearly two hours in the visiting locker room before finally boarding their buses back home.
“We face adversity every single day at practice,” Godinet said. “There’s adversity Tuesday, Wednesday… and we faced adversity today, but we’ll push through it.”
The postponement will make for a short week for Godinet and his squad, who have a showdown with rival Wilson next Friday in their Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 opener. Wilson is scheduled to play Saturday vs. Cheltenham.
“The guys were ready to play,” Godinet said. “We know that we’ll have to take care of business and come out Monday with the same kind of energy that we played with tonight.”
Red Lion amassed 43 yards total (16 rushing and 27 passing) while the Knights accrued all 29 of their yards on the ground.
