Red Knights shut out for first time in loss to Falcons

By Matt Gaffney On Sep 30, 2023

2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Matt Gaffney — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

It’s very difficult to win football games without winning the field position battle.

Reading High found that out the hard way Friday night in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 game with Cedar Crest. The Falcons ran every one of their first-half plays in Red Knights territory, opening up an insurmountable 29-point halftime lead on the way to a 36-0 win at Albright College’s Shirk Stadium.

“Field position is big, but that was ridiculous,” said Cedar Crest coach Rob Wildasin. “But we’ll take it.”

Jackson Custer threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns and added another touchdown on the ground to lead a balanced offensive attack for Cedar Crest (2-1, 5-1). Junior receiver Jack Waranavage had three receptions for 103 yards and two scores.

It may not have been a masterpiece in the eyes of Wildasin, but it was enough to get the job done against a feisty Reading defense.

“Offensively, we sputtered here and there,” said Wildasin. “Reading has some really good defensive players over there and we just found some holes at times and were able to capitalize.

“Our line has been good all season. We were a little banged up coming in, but we moved some pieces around. It a took a little time to gel and click but it got better as the game went on.”

After forcing a three-and-out on Reading’s first possession, Cedar Crest took over at midfield and settled into what would become the theme of the night: controlling a short field in Reading territory.

The Falcons rode the hard running of senior running back Fernando Marquez, a 6-2 215-pound bruiser who looks to initiate contact every chance he gets. He brings the “thunder” to the Falcons’ ground attack while senior classmate Alex Abreu provides the “lightning.”

“I just try to come out here and do my best, running behind our line,” said Marquez. “I run hard and Abreu is shifty, so they call us ‘thunder and lightning.’ “

Not surprisingly, Maquez embraces the physical style.

“I like the contact – that’s what I’m here for,” he said.

Marquez ran the ball four times on Cedar Crest’s opening drive before Custer broke free for a 32-yard scamper down to the Reading 1. Abreu punched it in from there to give the Falcons a lead it would never relinquish.

Custer connected twice with fellow junior Waranavage – once from 22 yards out and then later on a 73-yarder as Waranavage got loose behind the Red Knights’ secondary. He sprinted down the sideline to paydirt on the second play of the third quarter for the Falcons final score of the game.

The junior quarterback and his Falcons offensive mates kept the Reading defense on the field with a balanced attack, as the team rushed for 135 yards to go along with 144 yards passing. Custer finished 6-for-10 passing on the night to go along with 46 rushing yards and a 13-yard touchdown run.

Reading (0-3, 1-5) was able to force just one punt and one turnover on the night, an interception by freshman Jeremiah Cabrera.

Despite coming up on the short end of the scoreboard, Reading coach Troy Godinet saw some good things out of his defensive unit.

“We saw a lot of positive things from our defense,” Godinet said. “We made some adjustments and corrected some things and then we got to where we needed to be a little bit. We just have to finish – in everything.”

Reading’s best chance at staying close with Cedar Crest and making a game of it came in the first quarter following the Falcons’ opening score. Red Knight junior Xavier Beatty took the ensuing kickoff to the house for a 98-yard return, only to see it called back due to penalty. That was the closest Reading came to scoring as they were unable to penetrate any further than the Falcons’ 35-yard line.

For Godinet and his Red Knight team, it’s all about staying focused and working on the little details that show up big on Friday nights.

“We have to make sure we are hammering down the little things and we have to coach every single thing that we can, every single day of practice, no matter what it is,” he said. “We have to take care of those little things in practice so it translates over into Friday night.”

Cedar Crest’s defense kept the Red Knight offense in check, holding them to 96 yards of total offense. It put Reading in third-and-long situations time and time again. The Red Knights could not find a consistent rhythm on offense, committing multiple, untimely penalties that backed them up deep in their own territory.

“I thought defensively, more than anything, our defense was great,” said Wildasin. “They’ve been good all season and they set the tone for us.”

	1	2	3	4	Final
Cedar Crest	13	16	7	0	36
Reading High	0	0	0	0	0

Scoring summary

1	Cedar Crest	Abreu, 1 run (kick failed	5:59
1	Cedar Crest	Custer, 13 run (Bowman kick)	3:32
2	Cedar Crest	Safety, intentional grounding	7:57
2	Cedar Crest	Waranavage, 22 pass from Custer (Boman kick)	6:06
2	Cedar Crest	Schomp, 4 pass from Custer (Bowman kick)	1:18
3	Cedar Crest	Waranavage, 73 pass from Custer (Bowman kick)	10:59

Team statistics

	Cedar Crest	Reading High
First downs	10	4
Rushes-yards	36-135	16-38
Passing yards	144	58
Total yards	279	96
Passes	6-11-1	7-19-1
Fumbles-lost	1-0	0-0
Punts-average	1-39	6-22.5
Penalties-yards	7-55	9-59

Individual statistics

RUSHING

Cedar Crest: Custer 4-46, Marquez 12-43, Kline 5-24, Oriel 1-7, Team 1-6, Beard 4-5, Trioche 3-2, Roth 1-3, Abreu 5-(-1).

Reading High: Alvarado 11-41, Small 1-4, Fritz 1-(-1), Plylaharn 3-(-6).

PASSING

Cedar Crest: Custer 6-10-1–144, Hansell 0-1-0–0.

Reading High: Plylaharn 6-14-1–54, Fritz 1-5-0–4.

RECEIVING

Cedar Crest: Waranavage 3-103, Chernich 2-37, Schomp 1-4.

Reading High: Small 2-37, Drayton 2-3, Beatty 1-7, Santos 1-7, Sheriff 1-4.

INTERCEPTIONS

Cedar Crest: Victor.

Reading High: Camara.