Season preview: Conrad Weiser Scouts
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Classification: Class 5A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 3.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 2-5 league Section 4, 2-8 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2021
Head coach: Alan Moyer, 22nd season, 138-95.
Key losses: Second-team all-league RB and LB Sevon Parham, RB Ousmane Conde, C Aiden Fitzgerald, WR Josh Miller.
Top offensive players: All-League second-team QB Donovan Gingrich (963 yards, 10 TDs), RB Jonathan McQuillen, RB Javien Rivera, Wide Receiver of the Year Evan Rittle (38 receptions, 7 TDs), WR Davis Keppley, WR Dylan Parr, TE Evan Miller, TE Mason Gechter, H-B Ashton Kiebach, C Charlie Shimp, all-league second-team G Kaleb Holl, G Jack Heckman, T Kaleb Britting, T Josh Colella, PK Alex Malone.
Top defensive players: E Evan Miller, E Mason Gechter, E Adam Williams, T Ashton Kiebach, T Eugene Booth III, T Kaleb Britting, LB Brody Morgan, LB Na’Air Robinson, LB Brayden Sweitzer, all-league S and LS Evan Rittle, DB Kaiden Leonard, DB Jordan Leed, DB Owen Kerns, all-league P Donovan Gingrich
Did you know? Conrad Weiser is coming off back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since Jimmy Carter was in the White House (1979-80).
For the record: Logan Klitsch set most of the Scouts’ passing records in 2021, throwing for 2,470 yards and 24 TDs and finishing his career with 5,177 passing yards and 51 TDs. He threw for a program-record 409 yards in his final game.
On schedule: The Scouts play five programs for the first time: Abington, Lebanon, Solanco, Warwick and Unionville.
Quotable: “I have a chip on my shoulder. I mean, the last two years has been awful. That should be motivation (for the seniors). It’s our last year.” – Senior quarterback Donovan Gingrich.
Outlook: Bitter and angry.
That’s how Weiser coach Alan Moyer described the mood of his team after going 5-15 the past two seasons – the worst two-year mark in Robesonia in nearly 50 years.
It’s payback time and the Scouts might have the clout to do something about it. They return a dozen starters, including three-year starting QB Donovan Gingrich and three-way all-league pick Evan Rittle, easily one of the most versatile and valuable players in the league.
Those play-makers will benefit from the Scouts’ biggest strength which comes up front: They’re experienced, deep and have little heft along both lines. Kaleb Britting, Charlie Shimp, and Josh Colella, each of whom go 270 pounds, return to the O-Line, as does Jack Heckman, who’s coming off a big sophomore season.
The best news might be at TE where Evan Miller returns after missing last season with a shoulder injury and Mason Gechter is set to make an impact. The 6-1 Miller had a strong showing at DE as a sophomore and was expected to be a key pass-catcher at TE last year; his season lasted only a few plays before he was injured. Gechter hasn’t seen much varsity time but he’s 6-5, 225, and getting college looks at the FCS level because of his frame. He could be a breakout player.
Gingrich is one of the county’s most talented basketball players but hasn’t been able to put up big numbers his first two seasons behind center. He’s expected to make a big leap forward this season after tacking 20 pounds onto his 6-1 frame and spending the offseason being tutored by former NFL QB Chad Henne; they concentrated on improving his footwork and on the mental side of quarterback play.
That should help Gingrich’s decision-making and make him more effective in the passing game. The extra bulk will give him confidence to tuck it under and make some yards with his feet if his targets are covered. That’s been a missing element in the Scouts’ attack but should make them more difficult to defend.
Rittle is a jack-of-all-trades and good at all of them. He was the Section 4 Receiver of the Year after making a team-high 38 receptions, seven of them for TDs. He was a first-team all-league DB and also Section’s 3 best long-snapper on punts – something the Scouts hope he does a little less of this year.
The key to turning around their record comes on the defensive side, where they allowed more rushing yards and total yards than any team in Section 3. They couldn’t get off the field because they couldn’t stop the run.
Moyer believes they’ll be better at that this year. 255-pound T Eugene Booth III made an impact up front as a sophomore. Miller returns at DE and Gechter will see much more time up front. There’s depth up front and experience on the back line, with Rittle and Kaiden Leonard.
At the wire: Moving from Section 4 to Section 3, where the Scouts run headlong into Manheim Central, Garden Spot, and Cocalico, is like going from the frying pan to the fire. Still, there’s enough talent back; they could surprise people and make a run at a winning finish.
