Season preview: Berks Catholic Saints
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Top Players To Watch in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
What to expect in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
(Chris Knight/LNP photo)
Classification: Class 3A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 5-2 Section 5, 7-5 overall
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2024.
Head coach: Dave Stahler, second season, 7-5.
Key losses: QB Zach Suski, all-league RB/DB Bryce Gumby, RB Nate Rose, WR/LB Devyn Sutton, WR/S Scott Duffy, all-league TE/DE Jackson Kozik,
Top offensive players: QB Cole Harter, FB Xavier Gerald, FB Coy Koller, RB Owen Schalk, RB Wyatt Burkman, RB Aidan Curley, second-team all-league WR Gavin Welker, WR Giovanni DiSabatino, TE Jake Schmehl, C Alex Hernandez, all-league G Eric Bennethum, G Peter Schmel, Section 5 Lineman of the Year and T Palmer Reber, T Anthony Zatorski, PK Alex Reali, PK Jay Tripathi.
Top defensive players: All-League E Eric Bennethum, E Faith Zudie, all-league T Damoni Daglis, all-league T Palmer Reber, ILB Johnny Sauppee, ILB Ryan Spatz, second-team all-league OLB Owen Schalk, SS Aidan Curley, SS Gavin Welker, CB Gio DiSabatino, CB Josiah Turman, CB Xavier Gerald, second-team all-league P Alex Reali.
Did you know? The Saints set the Berks scoring record in 2017, averaging 45.3 points per game. That was eclipsed three years later by Nick Singleton-led Gov. Mifflin, which averaged 54.5 points per game.
For the record: Zach Suski set a Berks County record last season by completing 69.4 percent of his passes. It was his only season as a full-time starter.
On schedule: The Saints have a winning series record against every team on their schedule with the exception of Bethlehem Catholic, which beat them 28-10 last year in the first meeting of the programs.
Quotable: “I want our get-back from Lancaster Catholic. We fumbled late in the game in the (red) zone, down two points (in a 30-28 loss). We could’ve easily won that game. Schuylkill Valley? I don’t like how that game ended (a 20-14 loss after allowing a last-minute score). I want to get those wins back (this year).” – senior tackle Palmer Reber
Outlook: It’s been tough to run a smooth practice at Berks Catholic in the early days of training camp. The Saints’ starting defensive front has been so dominant that the young backs on the scout team can’t make any forward progress.
“They just put the entire offensive line 4 yards in the backfield,” said Saints coach Dave Stahler, who doesn’t really mind the disruptions caused by his D-line. “We’ve got about six guys on defense who are certainly not contact-shy. Having guys like that, that (can be) a little bit contagious.”
With all-league linemen Damoni Daglis, Eric Bennethum, and Palmer Reber setting the tone up front the Saints have the makings of an imposing defensive unit. They have nine full- or part-time starters back on that side of the ball, several of them with a nasty streak.
“(Linebacker) Johnny Sauppee and (safety) Owen Schalk really like to be physical,” Stahler said. “We have a lot of kids that like to be physical, a lot of kids who have played a lot on defense.”
In a section filled with small rosters and known more for its high-scoring offenses, a physical, defense-first team might stand out, and the Saints could.
Most of those same big guys form a potentially dominant offensive line. Reber, a 6-3, 260-pound senior tackle, was the Section 5 Offensive Lineman of the Year. He should be even more of a force this season. He’s gained 30 pounds, increased his bench press by 50 pounds, and trimmed two-tenths of a second off his 40-yard time over the last year.
Bennethum was an all-league pick at guard. Senior Anthony Zatorski goes 6-2, 255, and lines up at the other tackle.
“Having those three guys back to anchor the offensive line is really good,” Stahler said.
That front wall needs to be strong in order to give the inexperienced backfield time to grow and room to move.
Schalk saw some time at one of the wing spots last year; speedy Xavier Gerald was impressive in limited reps at fullback; Aidan Curley got some time at halfback. Most of the other backs will be making their debut under the lights.
Junior Cole Harter takes over at quarterback for record-setting Zach Suski. Soph Coy Koller will see lots of time at fullback. Soph Wyatt Burkman, a top sprinter, brings a speed element to one of the halfback spots.
The Saints have had a string of dominant fullbacks and halfbacks over the years but it might take them a little longer to get the Wing-T cranked up this time around with so many new faces in the backfield.
Limiting turnovers will be a major focus. In their seven wins last year the Saints turned the ball over six times. In their five losses they turned it over 11 times. Miscues were the deciding factor in their two league losses, to Lancaster Catholic and Section 5 champ Schuylkill Valley.
“In the games we lost, we turned the ball over way too many times,” Stahler said. “You can’t win turning the ball over three or four times a game.”
Stahler made significant changes to his coaching staff following his first season, adding five new coaches. He has turned play-calling over to new Offensive Coordinator Dan Skalski, a former head coach at South Philadelphia. Eric Hancock, an assistant coach at Holy Name and a head coach at Twin Valley, takes over as Defensive Coordinator.
The Saints’ special teams took a step up with the addition of Alex Reali, a second-team all-league punter at Schuylkill Valley last year; he’s competing with Jay Tripathi for the field goal and kickoff jobs.
The Saints’ Section 5 title hopes were dinged in the offseason by the loss of 1,000-yard rusher Nate Rose, who transferred to Germantown Academy, and two-way all-league pick Jackson Kozik, a tight end and defensive end who’s now playing at Exeter.
With those two, each starting both ways, Berks Catholic would have been a strong favorite to win the section; now that pursuit will be more challenging, though still a possibility.
At the wire: Battling Lancaster Catholic and Schuylkill Valley for the top spot in Section 5; District 3 Class 3A contender.
