Team of the Day: Berks Catholic Saints
2025 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
After experiencing the first losing seasons in program history in 2022 and 2023 the Saints bounced back in a big way last season, winning seven games, including a victory over Biglerville in the opening round of the District 3 Class 3A Tournament.
It was a season of change for the the Saints, who had a new head coach in Dave Stahler as they moved from Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League to Section 5. Stahler, a long-time assistant in the program, took over for Hall-of-Famer Rick Keeley, who retired following the 2024 season.
The Saints were right in the thick of the Section 5 race, finishing 5-2; a last-minute, game-winning touchdown pass by Schuylkill Valley ultimately cost Berks Catholic a chance to share the section title.
The Saints were powered by the pinpoint passing of quarterback Zach Suski, who set a Berks record by completing 69.4 of his passes. They were also bolstered by all-league linemen Palmer Reber, Damoni Daglas, and Eric Bennethum and all-league running back Bryce Gumby.
The Saints, who made their debut in 2011, enjoyed arguably the strongest start in Berks football history. They won nine games in their second season and league and district championships in their third.
In 2015 they set a Berks scoring record, averaging 44.5 points per game.
Two years later they became the first Berks team to win three straight District 3 championships.
In 2019 they made their seventh straight appearance in a district championship game, yet another record for a Berks team.
From 2013-17 they went 63-7, recording the most wins ever by a Berks football team over a five-year stretch.
Keeley was the only head coach the Saints knew over their first 13 seasons. He stepped down after coaching his Berks-record 38th season and winning 280 games.
At their best the Saints were known for their explosive offense. They set the Berks scoring in 2015 and topped it two seasons later, averaging 45.3 points.
They set a Berks record in 2017 with a 41.3-point winning marging in the regular season and with a 34.3-point winning margin over the entire season.
Despite losing records in 2022 and 2023 Berks Catholic ended each season with a victory and an Eastern Conference championship.
To find more about Berks Catholic football history, including the newly updated team records page, click on the Saints Team Page.
You can find this season’s schedule, the Saints’ series record against all their 2025 opponent, results from the past several seasons, and team rushing, scoring and passing records you won’t find anywhere else.
Throughout the preseason, MikeDragoSports.com will feature each Berks County team.
Next up: Conrad Weiser.
