Red Knights off to a rough start in loss to Phantoms
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Ferris Berlin — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
PHOENIXVILLE — Reading High’s football season didn’t start off the way the Red Knights might’ve liked Friday night against Phoenixville.
| Final | |
| Phoenixville | 28 |
| Reading | 6 |
Only a late touchdown by senior Idris Weaver prevented a shutout in a 28-6 loss to the Phantoms.
The Red Knights could not keep up with the Panthers’ early offensive avalanche, which threw them into a 21-0 hole at halftime.
The Red Knights had trouble slowing down the Phantoms’ running backs and ultimately got burned on a couple of key passes by quarterback Mike Venezia.
Reading trailed just 14-0 in the final minute of the first half before Venezia connected with tight end Shane Callen on a 68-yard touchdown pass.
“We’re just very young,” said Red Knights coach Troy Godinet. “We’ve gotta continue to put our faith in each other and continue to build the way we know how to; be positive, lean on each other, lean on our brotherhood, and hold each other to a standard where we know we can be better.”
There were few highlights on either offense or defense for Reading. It struggled to consistently run the ball, netting just 68 yards on 25 carries. Most of that came on Weaver’s 42-yard scoring run in the final minutes.
The lack of a running game affected the passing game. Jason Plylaharn completed only 3-of-11 passes for 44 yards.
The Red Knights have their work cut out as they try to replace several all-league contributors from last season. They’re also playing without Jeremiah Camara, who was expected to be one of their top players before his sudden transfer last week to Berks Catholic.
“We went out there and did some really good things today, but we shot ourselves in the foot as well,” Godinet said. “The one thing I loved out there was that our guys played with respect and dignity, and they represented their community in a very good way.”
The lone bright spot for the Red Knights was Weaver. He’s a dynamic “do-it-all” athlete with the ball in his hands. He showed Friday he will be a headache for defensive coordinators throughout the season. He accounted for 89 of Reading’s 112 total yards and also intercepted a pass.
Still, he couldn’t prevent another rough start. Reading lost to Phoenixville 41-16 last year.
“We’re taking steps in the right direction as far as our culture and I think we could see it on the football field,” Godinet said. “We’re just very young and have to make sure we stay together.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Reading | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Phoenixville | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Phoenixville | Jacobson, 29 pass from Venezia (Mull kick) | 9:31 |
| 2 | Phoenixville | Watson, 1 run (Mull kick) | 3:58 |
| 2 | Phoenixville | Callen, 68 pass from Venezia (Mull kick) | 0:10 |
| 4 | Phoenixville | Howard, 23 run (Mull kick) | 4:46 |
| 4 | Reading | Weaver, 42 run (kick failed) | 3:15 |
Team statistics
| READING | PHOENIXVILLE | |
| First downs | 3 | 7 |
| Rushes-yards | 25-68 | 32-145 |
| Passing yards | 44 | 103 |
| Total yards | 112 | 248 |
| Passes | 3-11-0 | 4-9-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 3-0 |
| Punts-average | 8-32.5 | 4-32 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-35 | 4-20 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Reading: Weaver 10-49, Linsinbigler 2-12, Bradley 2-7, Plylaharn 5-5, Munoz 1-3, Wilkins 1-(-1), Nunn 3-(-7).
Phoenixville: Watson 8-70, Howard 20-41, Venezia 3-29, Sofia 1-(-4).
PASSING
Reading: Plylaharm 3-11-0–44.
Phoenixville: Venezia 4-9-1–103.
RECEIVING
Reading: Weaver 1-40, Wampole 1-6, Wilkins 1-(-2).
Phoenixville: Callen 1-68, Jacobson 1-29, Romance 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Reading: Weaver.
