Starting Lineup: Raiders’ Drew Engle not resting on success, not for a second
To recognize the top players in Berks County football MikeDragoSports.com has selected the “Starting Lineup,” a preseason All-Berks team that includes the top linemen, backs, receivers, linebackers, and specialists.
Players are selected based on past performance, expected performance this season and college potential. Two-way players were given special consideration.
One player will be introduced each day throughout the preseason, in random order (the players are not ranked). This is the sixth installment of the series.
Drew Engle, Twin Valley
| 5-10 | 190 | Senior | RB/S/KR |
Drew Engle saw his junior season shattered almost before it began. He was playing defense in Twin Valley’s season-opener at Berks Catholic, went up to make a play on a pass, then came down directly on his shoulder.
He didn’t realize it at the time – he kept playing, of course – but he suffered a broken collarbone that would cause him to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Engle was coming off a sensational sophomore year. He was a first-team all-league pick as a running back and a second-team pick at defensive back. He averaged 10.2 yards per carry and set a program rushing record by going for nearly 1,600 yards. With a big line in front of him and a terrific team around him he was poised to get that much and more last year.
In the snap of a finger his season was pretty much over.
“It ended up being a weird break (in the bone),” he said. “I needed surgery, and they said I would be out 10-12 weeks. It was extremely disappointing because I love football; I’ve always played football.”
Engle, not surprisingly, returned on the short side of that medical prognosis. He was back for the Raiders’ playoff opener and as good as ever, scoring three touchdowns in a 47-19 win at Susquehanna Township.
So, after losing so much time to injury Engle plans to back off a little this season, not be as aggressive, right?
“Not at all,” he said. “I like being physical. That plays a huge part in my game, (running) downhill, taking on whoever.”
Twin Valley coach Brett Myers likes to joke that when Engle was a young running back he’d seek out contact; even after breaking past the line and into open space he’d run towards a defender, not away from him.
Discretion may be the better part of valor for most but Engle is ready to take on all comers whether he’s playing safety, running with the football or in the spring — in what may be his best sport — running with a lacrosse stick.
He was the Most Valuable Player in the Berks League as a junior when he set a program record with 61 goals, program career marks with 143 goals and 200 points, and led the Raiders to their first PIAA semifinal. He’s committed to play that sport for Army, which has one of the top programs in the nation.
“If you close your eyes and envision what a West Point commit is,” said Myers, “that’s Drew.”
Myers believes Engle is good enough to play football at the Division I level – he’s strong, fast and has an unmatched work ethic. It’s just that without much junior film to go on college football coaches were hesitant to offer him. The lax guys weren’t, and Engle couldn’t pass up the chance to attend the U.S. Military Academy.
His brother Anthony, a top distance runner for Twin Valley a few years back, now runs for the U.S. Naval Academy team.
“Seeing the opportunities my brother has caught my eye,” he said. “The reason I am who I am today has a lot to do with him. He’s been a great role model for me and there was just the (constant) competition (between us) growing up. We’ve never been easy on each other.”
Drew Engle doesn’t know what easy is. He’s not wearing out the couch cushions, that’s for sure. He always on the go, from one practice or conditioning session to the next. He worked out with the track team in the winter to improve his foot speed, then ended up running a leg of the 4×100 relay team in the spring that set the program record with a 43.10.
He clocked sizzling times of 4.41 and 4.48 at a Villanova camp earlier this month; that makes him one of the fastest players in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, if not the fastest.
“I always remember him being the best athlete on the team,” said Greyson Miller, who has played football with Engle since their Mite and Midgets days. “It’s kind of stayed the same throughout. He works hard for it, though. He’s always doing the right thing on the field and pushing himself as hard as he can every play.”
“He doesn’t mind working out (for football), then going to lacrosse, then going to another workout,” Myers said. “He doesn’t mind being uncomfortable, being sore. He has a mature way of understanding that (each) workout is going to make you better in the long run.”
Engle set a program record as a sophomore by rushing for 100 or more yards seven times in 11 games; he ran for 190 or more yards five times. And that was while splitting reps equally with Evan Johnson, the Raiders’ all-time touchdowns leader.
He’ll split backfield reps again this season, with Lucas Myers. They’ll alternate by series. It’s a system Brett Myers has employed for years. It worked at Middletown, where he produced All-State running backs and took his team to three straight PIAA championship games. It works at Twin Valley.
Like every running back Drew Engle would love to have the rock in his hands as much as possible. He averaged about 15 carries per game as a sophomore. If he could get 20, 25 pops a game he could end up with 2,000 yards, maybe more.
“That would be great,” he said, “but taking that many hits (could affect me). I’ll be a lot fresher throughout the season splitting it with Lucas. It’ll help out a ton at the end of the season. I think it works out really well.”
2025 Starting Lineup
| Logan Cammauf | Schuylkill Valley | RB/LB | Senior |
| Drew Engle | Twin Valley | RB/D/KR | Senior |
| Justice Hardy | Wyomissing | RB/WR/S/CB/KR | Junior |
| Chase Herb | Wilson | WR/S | Senior |
| Lebron Leaf | Governor Mifflin | QB/LB | Senior |
| Cameron Small | Muhlenberg | RB/S | Senior |
