Season Preview: Conrad Weiser Scouts
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Classification: Class 4A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 4.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 2-5 league, 3-7 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2021
Head coach: Alan Moyer, 21st season, 136-87.
Key losses: All-League PK & P Adam Noll, all-league WR Trey Dianna, all-league DT Nate Casiano, OL Ethan Rex, LB Dillon Britting.
Top offensive players: QB Donovan Gingrich, RB Sevon Parham, RB Ousmane Conde, Jonathan McQuillen, WR Evan Rittle, WR Josh Miller, WR Davis Keppley, TE Evan Miller, C Aiden Fitzgerald, G Isiah Solario, T Kaleb Britting, T Adam Williams, OL Kaleb Moll.
Top defensive players: Second-team all-league E Evan Miller, E Adam Williams, T Charlie Shimp, T Kaleb Britting, LB Sevon Parham, LB Davis Keppley, second-team all-league S Evan Rittle, CB Ousmane Conde, CB Josh Miller, P Donovan Gingrich.
Did you know? Luke Stopper recorded the longest scoring play in program history with a 98-yard punt return in a 46-22 win over Kutztown in 1996. He also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD that same season.
For the record: Alex MacKenzie owns the program record with 19 career interceptions. Three times he intercepted three passes in a single game.
On schedule: The Scouts face Fleetwood in Week 2 at Tigers Stadium. Weiser owns a 13-1 lead in the series after winning 28-21 last season.
Quotable: “After every game (last year) I told the kids: ‘I hope you have a good memory. You come off the field getting the daylights beat out of you – remember this, because next year you can do something about it.’ ” — Weiser coach Alan Moyer, following the Scouts’ worst season in 20 years.
Outlook: Frustration, anger, disappointment, depression . . . those were just some of the emotions the Scouts felt after winning just three games last year and missing the postseason.
“It was a rough offseason for us,” said Weiser coach Alan Moyer. “It was the first time in 15 years we didn’t play in Week 11.”
The Scouts were consistently contenders during their Berks Football League days but their move to the Lancaster-Lebanon League coincided with a young roster and that spelled trouble, with a capital ‘T.’
After winning their first two Section 4 games they ran into some heavyweight competition. They ended the season with a five-game losing streak and were mercy-ruled in three of them.
“Hopefully we can do something about it this year,” said Moyer.
With 16 starters back, including promising junior QB Donovan Gingrich, the Scouts will have a chance to get back to .500, though their schedule remains demanding. In addition to the regular Section 4 gauntlet they’ve got Section 3 favorite Twin Valley in Week 3 and an improved Fleetwood team in Week 2.
Gingrich didn’t have a great sophomore season – he completed less than half his passes and had as many INTs as TD passes – but that was due in part to an offensive line that give him little time to throw. He was often scrambling just to get throws off.
He’s expected to take a big step forward this season. His accuracy and decision-making have improved and Moyer plans to let him use his athleticism more in the run game. Gingrich is coming off a big sophomore basketball campaign – he’ll be one of Berks’ top players next season – and should be able to equal that on the football field.
He’s got a cache of small but reliable possession receivers in Josh Miller, Evan Rittle and Davis Keppley, as well as a big target at TE in Evan Miller. He’ll have good backs in Sevon Parham, Osumane Conde and Jonathan McQuillen and more importantly an experienced line in front of him.
“It’s kind of tough (to throw) when you’re going backwards all the time,” Moyer said of Gingrich. “It all starts up front.”
Defense will be the key to any potential turnaround. The Scouts yielded more total yards than any team in Berks and more points than all but one team in Section 4. They allowed an average of 44 points over the second half of the season and a program-high 33.0 points over the course of the season.
“That’s a major priority,” Moyer said of shoring up the defense.
Eight starters return to that side of the ball, including Rittle, an all-league safety, and Evan Miller, an all-league dend who led the team in tackles.
At the wire: Moving up to the middle of the pack.