Red Knights rush past Tornado for first league win
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Xavier Beatty’s 81-yard yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown did not count on the scoreboard
due to a holding penalty, but it set the tone for a game that Reading High had been looking
forward to all season.
The Red Knights used a fast start and overpowering rushing attack to earn a 38-14 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 win over McCaskey Friday night at Shirk Stadium. The win snapped Reading’s four-game losing streak; it was the fourth straight loss for McCaskey.
| Section 1 | ||
| Manheim Twp. | 3-0 | 7-0 |
| Wilson | 3-0 | 6-1 |
| Cedar Crest | 2-2 | 4-3 |
| Hempfield | 2-2 | 3-4 |
| Penn Manor | 1-2 | 1-5 |
| Reading | 1-3 | 2-5 |
| McCaskey | 0-3 | 2-5 |
“Xavier is a big-time player, and we count on him to make big plays,” Reading head coach Troy Godinet said. “It was also a learning experience there as well because we cannot also be selfish in those spots.
“We have to continue to work on those things if we want to be the program that we want to be.”
Reading (1-3, 2-5) started at the McCaskey 30-yard line after the early penalty and went straight to the ground and to Gabriel Laws, who scored from the 5 on fourth down for a 7-0 lead at the 10:01 mark of the first quarter.
“The guys worked hard, and they have been staying together as a team,” Godinet said. “They have been resilient in fighting adversity this season, so it was great to see us come away with the win tonight.”
Beatty finally got his touchdown on the ensuing Red Knights drive with a 51-yard touchdown pass from
quarterback Kayson Fritz that extended the lead to 14-0. Kicker Jondre Guzman booted a 35-
yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the first quarter to cap off Reading third straight scoring
drive.
Reading continued to control both lines of scrimmage in the first half and Laws added his second
touchdown on the ground with 2:26 left in the first half to up the lead to 24-0.
Laws, who scored twice against McCaskey last season, rushed for a career-high three touchdowns.
“We have guys back there we can rotate, and we had a feeling we could run the ball successfully against
these guys,” Godinet said. “Everyone did a great job, and we just want to become an aggressive football
team and a physical football team. That is what we want Reading football to be.”
The Red Knights rushed for 357 yards off 58 carries and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Fritz ran for a team-high 128 yards on 13 carries while throwing for 112 yards and a score. Alvarado added 106 yards on 19
carries with a touchdown; Laws had 63 yards on 11 carries.
The Red Tornado (0-3, 2-5) got on the board in the third quarter when Haneef Porter snatched a pass
off a deflection from teammate Deandre Jones and raced the final 30 yards for a touchdown. Reading
stopped the two-point conversion and Alvarado countered with a 1-yard touchdown that put Reading
up 31-6 late in the third quarter.
Laws added his third touchdown in the fourth quarter, from 4 yards out.
While Reading was running at will the Red Knights limited McCaskey to just 14 yards rushing on 16 carries. McCaskey quarterback Jalen Cintron was able to move the ball through the air with 271 yards on 17-of-33 passing and two touchdowns.
The lack of a running game prevented the Red Tornado from sustaining drives.
“Our defense just keeps getting better each week,” Godinet said. “We have a lot of young guys out there
and we are depending on them to make plays. We are continuing to grow as a defense, and they are
playing together.”
Reading shifts its attention to unbeaten Manheim Township Friday night on the road.
“I want to see us continue to be the best us in all aspects,” Godinet said. “That is the only way we are
going to build this culture. I am not just talking about the football field, but I am talking about every
aspect. In school, in the community, in the weight room, and we just have to be the best us at all times.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| McCaskey | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Reading | 17 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Reading High | Laws, 5 run (Guzman kick) | 10:01 |
| 1 | Reading High | Beatty, 51 pass from Fritz (Guzman kick) | 6:57 |
| 1 | Reading High | Guzman, 35 FG | 0:18 |
| 2 | Reading High | Laws, 4 run (Guzman kick) | 2:26 |
| 3 | McCaskey | Porter 45 pass from Cintron (Pass Failed) | 10:58 |
| 3 | Reading High | Alvarado, 1 run (Guzman kick) | 3:01 |
| 4 | Reading High | Laws, 4 run (Guzman kick) | 8:46 |
| 4 | McCaskey | Jones-Hawkins, 19 pass from Cintron (Jones-Hawkins pass from Cintron) | 6:52 |
Team statistics
| McCaskey | Reading | |
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Rushes-yards | 16-14 | 58-357 |
| Passing yards | 275 | 112 |
| Total yards | 289 | 469 |
| Passes | 18-34-1 | 6-9-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 6-32.0 | 3-28.3 |
| Penalties-yards | 15-155 | 21-183 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
McCaskey: Cintron 4-16, Jones 1-12, Jamison 1-5, Johnson 1-(-2), Rivera 1-(-3), Paula 2-(-6), Washington 6-(-8).
Reading: Fritz 13-128, Alvarado 19-106, Laws 11-63, Boston 5-28, Reyes 2-17, Webb 5-6, Santos 1-4, Team 1-3, Weaver 1-2.
PASSING
McCaskey: Cintron 17-33-1– 271, Jones 1-1-0–4.
Reading: Fritz 6-8-0–112, Reyes 0–1-0–0.
RECEIVING
McCaskey: Jones 5-69, Ramos 4-100, Washington 4-15, Jones-Hawkins 3-42, Porter 1-45, Rivera 1-4.
Reading: Weaver 2-14, Beatty 1-51, Samuel 1-32, Laws 1-15, Alvarado 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS
Reading: Samuel
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Reading: Guzman 45.
