Selfless Wyomissing QB Ben Zechman is concerned about execution, not stats

Ben Zechman doesn’t get a chance to throw the ball enough to be ranked among the league’s top passers. Top-ranked Wyomissing runs the ball so efficiently it rarely needs to throw.

Saturday against Cocalico it needed to. The Spartans found themselve facing a string of long-yardage situations: third-and-9, third-and-10, third-and-12, third-and-goal from the 11. They came through nearly every time.

Early in the second quarter they faced second-and-15 at the Eagles’ 29. They went away from their usually safe set of passes and went for it all, Zechman firing a deep post right on the money to Ethan Brower in the end zone. Wyomissing’s lead grew to 28 en route to a 38-7 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 win.

“Our line has done such a good job on our pass plays this year,” Zechman said when asked about the throw. “They give me plenty of time to let guys get down the field. It’s really cool to be able to throw to some guys that are able to make plays and allow me to look better than I am.”

Zechman, a senior and two-year starter, may not lead the league in passing attempts or yards, but he does in selflessness.

He gets overlooked on a team overflowing with hulking linemen and talented play-makers. Dig a little deeper into the Spartans’ 7-0 start and you’ll see a quarterback executing flawlessly and on pace for some astounding numbers.

He is completing 72.7 percent of his passes with an efficiency rating of 237.0 — both of which would be program records. (Only Exeter’s Mason Rotelli has produced better passing efficiency numbers among Lancaster-Lebanon League quarerbacks.)

Zechman and the Spartans were perfect on third-down passes against Cocalico, going 5-for-5 for 90 yards and a TD. They weren’t easy conversions, either. Each went for 7 yards or more. One, on a third-and-21, netted 26 on a tight end screen to rumbling Caleb Brewer. On another, third-and-goal from the 11, William Delp used an edge block from Pacen Ziegler to get to the end zone with ease.

The Spartans’ first unit was an amazing 10-of-11 on third-down conversions. They converted on fourth down after their only third-down miss.

“I can feel for the coach on the other sideline,” Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum afterward. “That’s not gonna happen every week.”

Zechman is quietly helping make it happen week after week. Saturday he completed 8-of-10 passes with one drop — and one missed target. He had fullback Matt Kramer open and in position for a touchdown late in the first half but overthrew him on a short swing pass.

“He could’ve easily been 10-for-10,” Wolfrum said. “The easiest pass, he overthrew it.”

Zechman hasn’t missed much. The Spartans are averaging 42.1 points per game despite the fact that he and the other front-line players are usually off the field midway through the third quarter.

Wolfrum is not looking for a quarerback who can throw 60-yard rainbows and lead the league in passing yards. He’s looking for a game-manager who executes the intricacies of the Wing-T offense and he’s got one in Zechman.

“He understands our offense and he manages the game well,” Wolfrum said. “Both he and Zach (his older brother, who preceded him at quarterback) have total command of the offense. In our quarerback position, the toughest part is the footwork. We’re not just dropping back (and throwing).

“It takes a lot of (proper) footwork (and fakes) to perform in our running game. Both he and Zach had total command of that right from the get-go.”

Zach Zechman cast a large shadow on his little brother. He was a two-way, two-year starter (though his junior season ended after a knee injury in the season opener). As a senior in 2019 he was a first-team all-league defensive back, a second-team all-league quarterback and led the Spartans to a district championship and to the PIAA Class 3A championship game.

Ben was looked at as the little brother and merely a game-manager when he took over last season, but he got the job done. He had an 11-to-2 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio, a passer efficiency rating that rivaled the top quarterbacks in the league and helped Wyomissing win a third straight district title and go 15-1.

Ben knew people would compare him to his older brother but he didn’t mind. He sees Zach as a role model, an inspiration and a valuable source of information, which he draws upon regularly.

“It’s really cool to come right after him and play the position that he played, and hopefully play it as well as he did,” Ben said.

Even though Zach’s now studying at Richmond he’s never far away from his brother or the Spartans.

“We text constantly,” Ben said. “He continues to speak to me about leading the team and talks about ways that I can push the team to become better, and it’s really helped me.”

Wolfrum says Ben Zechman is getting rid of the ball quicker this season than last; he’s making better decisions and has cut down on his negative plays, all the things you expect of a senior and returning starter.

The best thing, Wolfrum says of his quarterback, is that he’s a team-first guy. Ben won’t tell you about his stats but he’s proud to mention that he was named a team captain by his peers.

“They know that he cares about everybody on the team,” Wolfrum said, explaining why Zechman was chosen, along with Drew Eisenhower and Kramer. “It’s not all about Benny. He’s not worried about his stats. He’s that guy that’s always propping everybody else up.”