Season preview: Twin Valley Raiders
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Top Players To Watch in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
What to expect in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
Classification: Class 4A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 4.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 5-2 Section 4, 9-3 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2024.
Head coach: Brett Myers, fourth season, 26-10 (120-80 overall in 18 seasons, including six at Pottstown and eight at Middletown).
Key losses: All-League second-team QB Evan Myers, all-league RB Evan Johnson, all-league WR Matt Knight, Section 4 Outstanding Lineman Carter Fauble, all-league T Aris Drake, CB Brendan Yagle.
Top offensive players: QB Maverik Foster, QB Grant Moser, RB Drew Engle, RB Lucas Myers, FB Mark Minardi, Section 4 Receiver of the Year Ben Grundy, WR Chase Reilly, TE Jayce Oliver, TE/FB Joey Buckley, C Noah DiGiacomo, second-team all-league G Greyson Miller, T Joey Buckley, PK Nate Shaffer.
Top defensive players: All-League DE Greyson Miller, E Joey Buckley, second-team all-league NG Mark Minardi, T Noah DiGiacomo, MLB Ryan Rementer, second-team all-league OLB Lucas Myers, second-team all-league OLB Grant Moser, SS Drew Engle, FS/P Ben Grundy, S Jayce Oliver, S Maverik Foster, CB Chase Reilly, CB James Alexy.
Did you know? This is Twin Valley’s 30th season. The Raiders debuted in 1996 and went 1-8. They earned their first winning record in 2004, their ninth season, and their first section title in 2007.
For the record: Drew Engle set a program record by rushing for 1,599 yards as a sophomore in 2023. He needs 1,568 yards to break the program career rushing mark of 3,684, set by Dominic Caruso.
Fast fact: The Raiders were ranked No. 1 in the state last season for the first time and remained atop the Class 4A rankings for three weeks. They spent eight weeks in the Top 10.
On schedule: The Raiders have upgraded their scheduled by adding Simon Gratz, a first-time opponent. Gratz finished 9-4 last season and reached the District 12 Class 3A championship game. The Bulldogs replace Olney Charter which lost at Twin Valley 69-0 last season.
Quotable: “Every day our teammates are getting better. Our coaching staff is doing a great job of bringing people up and making the players better. I’m excited to see what we can do this year. There could be a ton of guys making names for themselves.” – junior linebacker Lucas Myers.
Outlook: Gone is the program’s all-time passing leader . . . gone is the program’s all-time touchdowns leader . . . gone is the top lineman in Section 4 . . . gone are seven all-league picks.
Gone are the Raiders’ chances to challenge for a section title . . . no wait, wait, that’s not true. Not at all.
Yes, they lost a heap of talent, including All-State pick Evan Myers, their quarterback the last four seasons, and Aris Drake, a Division I lineman. But look closer and you’ll find another wave of strong linemen, fast backs, and talented football players stepping in to fill the gaps.
Could the Raiders be just as good as they were a year ago when their only losses came against state-ranked Wyomissing and Lampeter-Strasburg? Yes, they could.
Brett Myers elevated the program immediately when he took over as head coach four seasons ago and now has the program in an annual reloading phase. He and his staff have developed an excellent offseason plan to make players bigger, stronger, and faster, and his guys have obviously bought in.
“I’m excited about our guys coming back, and how hard they’ve been working and the effort they’ve been giving (in the offseason),” Myers said. “I’m excited to see how they grow as the season goes on and how they find their own identity.”
The biggest reason for excitement around Elverson is the return of Drew Engle, who set the program rushing record as a sophomore, then saw his junior season halted by a shoulder injury in the season-opener. He didn’t return until the district playoffs. When he did he showed that he can be one of the best players in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
“Think about it,” Myers said. “He was a 1,500-yard rusher (while) splitting time (in the backfield). Now he’s two years older, two years stronger, two years bigger, faster. He’s pretty excited (to get back on the field), and we’re excited to watch him.”
Engle averaged 10.5 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns in 2023; there’s no reason to think he can’t repeat that, then some.
He’ll again be splitting backfield reps, this time with Lucas Myers, who burst onto the scene in 2023 and earned all-league honors at linebacker as a freshman.
Myers will again be the key cog in the Raiders’ defensive unit but he’s also a terrific tailback. As a freshman, when Engle and Evan Johnson were dinged up, he pinch-hit and hit a grand slam: Four touchdowns (in seven carries) against Daniel Boone.
No doubt there will plenty of attention on the QB spot, where sophomore Maverik Foster and junior Grant Moser have been vying for the starting job. Both are top all-around athletes and well prepared to take over the role.
Whoever wins the job will be working behind a strong group of linemen and have plenty of good receivers at their disposal.
All-League pick Greyson Miller, center Noah DiGiacomo, and Joey Buckley will anchor a physical front wall.
Wide receiver Ben Grundy had 43 catches last season, more than double anyone else on the team. Multi-sport athlete Chase Reilly, who excelled as a running back last season, moves to receiver. Jayce Oliver, a 6-2 junior, will be an inviting target at tight end; Brett Myers says his hands are as good as anyone he’s coached.
Defense should be a strong suit. Eight starters return from a unit that ranked No. 2 in the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League in total defense, No. 2 against the rush, and No. 2 again the pass.
Relentless Ryan Rementer joins Myers and Moser to form a fierce linebacking crew. Miller, Buckley, DiGiacomo, and Mark Minardi could give the Raiders the strongest defensive line they’ve ever had. Engle, Grundy, and Reilly – all multi-sport athletes – will man an athletic secondary.
The Raiders have opened the past two seasons 7-0 and ended the last four with a winning record. There’s no reason they can’t extend each of those streaks.
At the wire: Top challenger to Wyomissing in both Section 4 and District 3 Class 4A.
