Spartans take away more than just a win after close call against Danville

By Mitch Rupert — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

DANVILLE — The relief was palpable following Wyomissing’s 21-19 win over Danville Friday in a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal. The players and coaches didn’t hide from the discomfort of the final minutes of the win-or-go-home matchup between the top-ranked 3A teams in the state.

They collectively talked about how they knew they hadn’t played their best, about how they made a glut of mistakes and walked the tight-rope in the season’s toughest contest to date.

When Aaron Johnson’s last-second 32-yard field goal sailed wide it allowed the Spartans to escape with a two-point win.

The Spartans advance to the state semifinals for the third consecutive season. They’ll face Neumann-Goretti Saturday at 1 at the Germantown Super Site in Philadelphia.

It was a win unlike any Wyomissing has experienced over the last three years. This was the first time since Nov. 15, 2019 that the Spartans won a one-possession game, when they beat Middletown 24-21 for the District 3 championship.

Truth be told, Wyomissing just hasn’t been in this position much as it has romped to the state final each of the last two seasons.

Prior to Friday the Spartans had won their 12 games by an average margin of 36.9 points. In last season’s 15 victories they won by an average of 36.3 points. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season Wyo’s eight wins were by an average of 41.3 points. 

“It’s great to be part of this,” Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum said. “No matter how many games you coach, very few come down to the wire like that. Last week (against West Perry) we were happy we had some adversity early. This week we had some adversity late. We know our kids aren’t going to quit.”

Friday’s win could end up being beneficial heading into the final two weeks of the high school football season. A year ago, before Wyomissing lost 7-0 in the state final to Central Valley, it hadn’t trailed all season; its their closest win was by 14 points over Middletown in the District 3 Tournament.

Even last year’s win over eventual Class 2A state champion Southern Columbia, which snapped the Tigers’ 65-game winning streak, came by 20 points.

Friday’s victory wasn’t just a step along the state tournament ladder, it was a learning experience for a football program which hasn’t faced much adversity over the last three seasons. Even though it was the kind of win which can take a few years off your life it was also very telling of the heart and determination of a team with its back to the wall.

“I think we’re 100 percent a better team for playing in this game,” senior lineman Jack Gartner said. “This is a lesson for us. Not only did we learn a lot tonight about what high school football is all about, we learned that we have to keep working this week to try and get to that next level.”

The mistakes of the second half were evident. Fullback Matt Kramer pointed out he likely should have tried to leap over the pile on a fourth-and-goal run from the Danville 1, which could have conceivably put the game away. Instead, he was stopped.

The secondary lost track of a receiver which got behind them as Danville quarterback Zach Gordon scrambled; the 53-yard completion set up a touchdown early in the fourth quarter which got the Ironmen within two points of the lead.

A fumbled snap on third-and-6 at midfield forced Wyomissing to punt instead of icing the game with a first down.

No one hid from those mistakes when the game was over. Kramer’s first words in a postgame interview mentioned how he nearly cost the team the game; he also lauded his teammates for picking him up.

“We made a lot of mistakes, the most we’ve made all year, and that happens when you play a good football team,” said Kramer, who ran for a game-high 157 yards to surpass 1,000 for the season. “We turned it over and made so many mistakes. But we still won the game. It shows we have heart.”

For all the mistakes the Spartans also came up with big plays defensively over the final 11 minutes to make their two-point lead stand tall. After Kramer’s fumble Pacen Ziegler came up with a sack and then a tackle for no gain which forced Danville to kick the ball back to Wyomissing with 4:42 to go.

After Ryker Jones’ punt was partially blocked with 1:32 to play, setting up Danville at its own 46, Jones dropped Gordon for a 2-yard loss on second down, forcing the Ironmen to spike the ball to stop the clock and set up a field goal.

Those extra 2 yards proved crucial as Johnson’s kick from the right hash went wide of the left upright by no more than a couple feet.

“I learned that these guys are my brothers and we’re all going to fight together and not lay down for anybody,” Jones said. “That was a big scare, and we’re glad our season isn’t over, but we know we have to fix some things for the next one.”

“Mistakes were made, but the heart, the drive and the effort was there,” Gartner said. “Stuff happens in a football game, but I feel like we handled it well.”

“They’re not going to quit,” Wolfrum said. “That’s one thing we know. hese kids will play from first whistle to the last, and that’s all you can ask.”