Season Preview: Schuylkill Valley Panthers
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Classification: Class 3A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 5-2 league, 6-5 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2022.
Head coach: Bruce Harbach, third season, 7-14 (146-59 in 18 seasons overall).
Key losses: All-League QB Michael Goad, two-way all-league T/DT Christian Davila, all-league C Sabier Mateo, all-league DE Ethan Swoyer, all-league PK Noah Wamsher.
Top offensive players: QB Logan Nawrocki, all-league RB Dominic Giuffre, RB Cooper Hohenadel, RB and second-team all-league KR Logan Cammauf, WR Colby Crills, WR Dillon Lackner, WR Kowen Gerner, all-league TE Luke Spotts, TE Dimitri Aletras, C Alex Rider, G Theo Wysocki, G Nate Searfross, T Nate Kier, T Jaden Gulley.
Top defensive players: E Jaden Gulley, E Nathan Searfoss, T Theo Wysocki, T Alex Rider, LB Luke Spotts, LB Logan Cammauf, LB Dimitri Aletras, LB Kowen Germer, S Cooper Hohenadel, S Logan Nawrocki, CB Colby Crills, CB Dillon Lackner.
Did you know? The Panthers’ midseason six-game winning streak last year, capped with a Week 8 win at Hamburg, was the longest in program history. The streak was snapped with a Week 9 loss to Annville-Cleona. The previous longest streak, five games, came in 2012.
For the record: Darin Tranquillo’s 57-yard field goal, in 1998 vs. Daniel Boone, remains the longest in Berks history. It is one of just five field goals of 50 or more yards in Berks history. It was Tranquillo’s only field goal of over 40 yards.
On schedule: A win by the Panthers over Hamburg in Week 8 will tie the series 24-24-1. However, the Hawks hold a 24-17-1 lead in the Frost Bowl, which officially began in 1976.
Quotable: “They’ve got a taste of it now. We came this close to beating (Lancaster) Catholic for the section championship. They want to be the first team to put a banner up in the gym, that’s their goal. That’s all they talk about.” — Panthers coach Bruce Harbach.
Outlook: The Panthers made a huge leap last season, going from 2-9 to one play away from sharing the Section 5 championship. They had a 14-0 lead over unbeaten Lancaster Catholic in the season finale but couldn’t hold on, losing 44-41 on a field goal with 22 seconds remaining.
A win would’ve seen the Panthers finish 6-1 in the league and given them a share of the Section 5 title with the Crusaders; it would’ve been the first championship of any kind for Schuylkill Valley.
The Panthers are in even better position to win a title this season: They return 18 starters, more than any team in the section. The top contenders, Lancaster Catholic, Annville-Cleona and Hamburg, each took much bigger graduation hits and each lost their No. 1 QB.
Among the key returning guys is RB Dominic Giuffre, who rushed for 1,548 yards as a junior and should be the premier back in the section. He scored 30 TDs last season – including six against Lancaster Catholic – and is stronger and faster after a productive offseason.
Junior QB Logan Nawrocki saw starter’s minutes in all the key league games last season and should help open the offense with his passing ability. He had a 7-to-1 touchdowns-to-interceptions rate last year.
He’ll have good targets to throw to in WRs Colby Crills, Dillon Lackner and Cooper Hohenadel, all-league TE Luke Spotts and Giuffre. They were the top five receivers last season.
“Our receivers are outstanding,” said Schuylkill Valley coach Bruce Harbach. “They have great hands, run great routes, have good speed. They’re ready to go.”
The big concern – on both offense and defense – is line play. The Panthers graduated several key guys there and some of the return starters are switching to new positions; line depth is also a concern.
The question mark, as it was last year, will be defense. The Panthers return eight starters on that side but they’ve all got to get better after allowing 313 yards per game, more than any of the other top contenders.
They weren’t able to slow down any of the district-bound teams on their schedule, allowing 39 points to Twin Valley, 34 to Hamburg, 42 to Annville-Cleona, 44 to Lancaster Catholic and 45 to West Perry.
Harbach has effectively changed the program culture in his two-plus season. The roster is up to 55 players, probably the biggest in the section and up considerably from a year ago. There’s a lot of momentum after reaching the district playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“We’re at a good spot,” Giuffre said. “(Coach Harbach) thinks we’re capable of winning the section. He knows we’ve got the skills, we’ve got the talent; we’ve got everything. We (just) can’t let things throw us off; we’ve gotta stay locked in 24-7.”
At the wire: Battling it out with Lancaster Catholic, Annville-Cleona and Hamburg for the top spot.
