Starting Lineup: Wyomissing’s Chase Eisenhower ‘just does everything well’
To recognize the top players in Berks football MikeDragoSports.com has selected the “Starting Lineup,” a preseason All-Berks team that includes the top linemen, backs, receivers, linebackers, and specialists.
Players were selected based on past performance, expected performance this season and college potential. Two-way players were given special consideration.
A college coach’s evaluation is included in each story.
One player will be introduced each day, in random order (the players are not ranked). This is the third installment of the series.
Chase Eisenhower, Wyomissing
| 5-11 | 220 | Junior | FB/LB |
BACKSTORY: Running backs who can hit the hole quickly and blast through to the second level are generally in high demand. Not so in the Wing-T offensive system. The best Wing backs need patience, vision, and the discipline to wait for plays to develop.
It took time for Chase Eisenhower to develop that timing and feel for the Spartans’ running game.
“If our offense, your fullback has to have a little finesse,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum, “and he has that. And he’s physical, also.”
At 5-11, 220 pounds, Eisenhower may be the prototypical Spartans fullback. He’s got the size and power to convert those tough short-yardage plays, the know-how to wait for plays to develop, and the quick feet and instincts to turn his downfield blocks into touchdowns.
“I feel I understand the game pretty well,” said Eisenhower, a junior and three-year starter. “I’m able to make reads on defense, I’m able to see holes on offense. That helps me out. Early on I was more of a downhill runner. Over time, I’ve (learned to) look for cutbacks and open holes, and to be ready to take off when I see one.
“Knowing not just what I’m doing on plays but what other people are doing allows me to do more. I know where the cuts are going to be, where the blocks are going to be.”
Eisenhower keenly watched the way recent Wyomissing standouts Evan Niedrowski, Tommy Grabowski, and Matt Kramer went about playing fullback in this system; he has morphed into a combination of them.
“Evan was a big bruiser,” Eisenhower said of the converted lineman. “I wanted to hit as hard as he did. Tommy and Matthew, they were able to make those jump-cuts real quick, then take a big burst.”
Eisenhower doesn’t look fast but you don’t see him getting caught from behind in the open field, either. He put his knack for the game on full display in last year’s District 3 Class 3A championship game when he intercepted a pass, then weaved his way through a gang of West Perry jerseys on an 86-yard trip to the end zone.
“He has the power to move the pile, the quickness to make tacklers miss, and speed to go the distance,” said Wyomissing linebackers coach Dave Outland.
Eisenhower ran for 1,092 yards as a sophomore, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and scoring a team-high 18 touchdowns – four of them in a state playoff win over Danville. He became the first Wyomissing sophomore to rush for 1,000 yards.
Before he’s done he could become the Spartans all-time rushing and scoring leader and the only player in program history to record three 1,000-yard seasons.
Good as he is with the football tucked under his arm he might be even better – and more valuable to the Spartans – on the other side of the line. He was the leading tackler last season on a team that went 12-2, won its fifth straight District 3 championship, and reached the PIAA semifinals.
He’s a sideline-to-sideline tackler, can be used on the inside or outside, to blitz, or to drop back in pass coverage.
“He’s just a solid guy,” said Wolfrum. “Whatever you teach him, he’s gonna do. He doesn’t have outstanding speed or anything, he just does everything well. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes; he understands the game.”
Eisenhower was thrust into the starting lineup on defense a couple games into his freshman season because of an injury; he hasn’t left the field since.
“We brought him up as a ninth-grader because he was ready to play,” Wolfrum said. “It made no sense to keep him down.”
Eisenhower remembers being a little nervous at first, being thrust into the middle of such a good team. By the end of the season he was one of the best players on the defense.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking, knowing how good the team was, with Jven (Williams) and Pacen (Ziegler) on it. The senior class was loaded; they were expecting a big season. Eventually it started fading away and I was playing football again.”
He scored a touchdown late in the season-opener his freshman season; earlier in the game older brother Drew, then a senior, had scored. It was the first time they had played together and it was a thrill for each of them, not to mention their father Chad, a former standout back at Wyomissing.
Now Chase is the older brother; he’ll get a chance for the first time this season to be on the field with Brady, a freshman vying for time at quarterback.
Good as he was last year, earning second-team all-league honors at running back, Chase figures to be even better this season. He had a big offseason in the weight room, making significant gains in strength. He’s also coming in with a different mindset.
“I’m playing with more fire, more anger than I’ve had in the past years,” he said. “I’m more excited for the games. I’m just ready to play.”
ROLE: Fullback, linebacker.
COLLEGE PROSPECTS: No offers at this point; PSAC and MAC coaches will begin to take notice soon.
COACH’S TAKE: “Good vision, balance and feet as a running back. Great football instincts with a nose for the football as a linebacker. Physical on both sides of the ball.”
2024 Starting Lineup
| Chase Eisenhower | Wyomissing | FB/LB | Jr. |
| Evan Myers | Twin Valley | QB/DB | Sr. |
| Logan Wegman | Exeter | T/DT | Sr. |
