Season preview: Conrad Weiser Scouts
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Top Players To Watch in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
What to expect in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
Classification: Class 5A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 3.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 6-0 league, 10-1 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2024.
Head coach: Alan Moyer, 23rd season, 148-96.
Key losses: Section 3 Outstanding Back (QB) and all-league P Donovan Gingrich, RB Jon McQuillen, Section 3 Receiver of the Year and all-league DB Evan Rittle, all-league TE Evan Miller, all-league second-team C Charlie Shimp, all-league G Kaleb Holl, G Jack Heckman, all-league second-team T Kaleb Britting, T Josh Collela, all-league DE Ashton Kiebach, all-league second-team DE Adam Williams, all-league second-team LB Davis Keppley, LB Justin McGarrigle, all-league PK Alex Malone.
Top offensive players: QB Connor Sellars, RB Javien Rivera, RB Brayden Sweitzer, WR Dylan Parr, WR Owen Kerns, WR Kaiden Leonard, TE Robbie Giffing, C Ryan Kase, G Cody Sayers, G Lincoln Harting, T Nate Gilfert, T Westin Ulrich, PK Owen Spang.
Top defensive players: E Chase Colon, all-league T Eugene Booth, ILB Luke Walter, OLB Owen Kerns, ILB Ethan Reinhard, OLB Brayden Sweitzer, S Kole Kupper, all-league CB Dylan Parr, CB Brayden Sweitzer.
Did you know? The Scouts completed the greatest turnaround in Berks football history last year, improving from two wins to 10. They went 10-0 in the regular season for the first time in 24 years.
For the record: Donovan Gingrich completed 66.6 percent of his passes last season, just short of the program single-season record of 67.6 percent, set by Logan Klitsch in 2021.
On schedule: The Scouts have played Week 2 opponent Elco 36 times; that’s more than they’ve faced their other nine opponents combined. Weiser leads the series 25-11, with four wins in the last five years.
Outlook: The glow of the program’s first Section 3 championship season didn’t last long.
The reality of replacing 20 seniors, among them 12 all-league picks, hit hard and any positive vibes the Scouts had going after their unbeaten season quickly dissipated.
Often turnaround seasons such as that – they improved from two to 10 wins – generate momentum in the program and new players are motivated to jump on board. It seems the opposite happened in Robesonia. Three expected starters opted not to return to the team and long-time head coach Alan Moyer opened camp with just 46 players, down considerably from recent seasons.
Only a handful of starters return, chief among them all-league defense tackle Eugene Booth and all-league cornerback Dylan Parr.
If the Scouts are to remain competitive it’ll be because of their defense and overall team speed.
“We’re athletic, and we’ve got kids who can fly around,” said Moyer.
He’ll be counting on linebackers Luke Walter and Ethan Reinard to step up and expects the secondary to be solid with the return of Parr – who led the team with four interceptions – sophomore Kole Kupper, and senior Brayden Sweitzer.
Sweitzer should be a key on offense, too. He hadn’t played much football before transferring from Tulpehocken before last season. He opened eyes at the Berks Combine where he was one of the top performers, showing off speed and agility. He could become a key figure out of the backfield.
“We want to get the ball to him in space,” Moyer said. “He does have speed and he’s elusive. We’re hoping to see something early in the season from him.”
There are other offensive weapons. Parr was a second-team all-league pick at wide receiver after catching 23 passes. Javien Rivera averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a junior and was the top rusher behind QB Donovan Gingrich. Joe DePrince had 12 receptions and flashed speed in the return game.
The key to getting them involved will be the development of junior quarterback Conner Sellars, who saw little time last year because of Gingrich, Section 3’s Outstanding Back. Sellars attempted just two passes last year; his lone completion went for a TD.
“He’s a smart kid who knows our offense inside and out,” Moyer said. “He’s going to have to grow up real quick.”
Though the numbers are down, Moyer was happy with the work ethic heading into camp.
“We’re all being downgraded right now,” said Booth, a three-year starter on the D-line. “Everybody thinks we’re not going to do good things this year. I really believe in this team and think we’re going to do great things.”
At the wire: Not enough firepower to hang with the top teams in Section 3.
