Schuylkill Valley ahead of schedule in its rise to Section 5 prominence
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When Bruce Harbach arrived at Schuylkill Valley in 2021 he looked at the football team he had inherited and claimed the talent level was as high as it was at Lancaster Catholic when he took over that program in 2002.
It sounded like so much hyperbole, given the fact that Harbach’s Crusaders won a pair of state championships, four district titles and averaged more than 11 wins over his first decade.
As it turns out Harbach’s assessment was right on the money; if anything Schuylkill Valley has outperformed Lancaster Catholic in its first three seasons under the veteran coach.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” Harbach said after the Panthers (6-0, 8-1) claimed a share of the Lancaster Lebanon League Section 5 title by winning 14-13 at Annville-Cleona last week.
The Panthers can claim the section title outright and complete a perfect run through the league by winning Friday at Lancaster Catholic (5-1, 8-1).
“(I thought) if we could contend this year and slip into the playoffs again, that would great,” Harbach said. “(I thought) next year would probably be our year: Our offensive line will be better (next year) and we’ve got all our skill kids back except for Dom (Giuffre) and Colby (Crills).”
Harbach’s teams at Catholic went 17-15 his first three years, with losing records the first two seasons and no championship hardware.
(Photo by Jeremy Drey)
Schuylkill Valley has gone 16-15 under him. It finished with a winning record and made the district playoffs in Year 2.
It has set the program record with eight straight wins and matched the program record for victories in Year 3.
It is assured of at least two more games and, with a win Friday, has a chance to end up as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District 3 Class 3A Tournament.
That would be a stunner considering the Panthers are competing with a pair of state-ranked teams – 8-1 Wyomissing and unbeaten West Perry – for that distinction.
No one, including Harbach, saw that coming.
And no one is predicting, or assuming, state championships are headed to Leesport, either. Still, the turnaround has been remarkable – and remarkably fast.
The Panthers went 1-6 the year before Harbach arrived. They had missed the district playoffs seven straight years. They returned in his second season.
He’s done it th is year with a small senior class — and facing measure of adversity. There are only seven seniors on the roster; teams usually don’t win championships of any kind with so few upperclassmen.
One of those seniors, Giuffre, missed nearly half the season after breaking two bones in his right arm in Week 4 against Kutztown.
The Panthers won with their All-State running back on the sidelines. They’ve been getting great production from quarterback Logan Nawrocki and wide receiver Kowen Gerner, each juniors, and lights-out play from their defense, a unit whose top four tackles are underclassmen: sophomore Logan Cammauf and juniors Luke Spotts, Cooper Hohenadel and Gerner.
“I knew this junior group would be the ones that could take us to the top,” Harbach said, “and they have.”
To own the top spot all by themselves they’ll have to knock off the defending champion Crusaders, who have been more dominant this season than they were last season, when they beat their top contenders – Hamburg, Schuylkill Valley and Annville-Cleona – by a total of eight points. They kicked last-minute field goals to break ties against both the Hawks and Panthers.
Unlike last year the Crusaders had a major hiccup: a 35-21 loss to Annville-Cleona in Week 7. The Dutchmen played their ball-control game, clicked off a whopping 70 running plays and piled up 388 rushing yards.
“They had a great scheme against us,” said Catholic coach Chris Maiorino, who coached on Harbach’s Catholic staff for two seasons. “We couldn’t find a way to get first downs. When you make mistakes, they’re a tough team to beat.
“Our section is very competitive. Any of those games last year could’ve gone any way. This year the section got a little bit closer. Every week’s a battle, and that’s good. That prepares you for moments like Friday night, when you’re playing a really good team like Schuylkill Valley.”
The Crusaders could be without their top player, Elijah Cunningham, who has rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 25 TDs. He came out of last week’s win over Pequea Valley with a knee injury and wasn’t practicing early in the week.
The Panthers will be at full strength. Giuffre made a triumphant return last week when he caught four passes, rushed for a game-high 132 yards, and broke off a game-changing 60-yard TD run early in the second half – all with a cast covering his lower right arm and the heel of his hand.
“They do all the things that really good football teams do,” Maiorino said of Schuylkill Valley. “They play really good defense, and they have a strong running game. They got through a good portion of the year without having their big gun out there all the time. They stuck to their plan.
“We knew they were gonna be good. We know we’re gonna get their best (Friday). Coach Harbach does a great job of getting them ready and putting them in good situations. We expect a battle.”
