Top players to watch in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
The lineup of teams remain the same in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League following league realignment but the rosters have undergone major changes since last season.
Gone are most of the league’s most productive players, including Manheim Township quarterback Hayden Johnson, Section 1’s Offensive Back of the Year, and Wilson’s Jack Dendall, the league’s Outstanding Lineman and Offensive Lineman of the Year.
The only major award winner returning is Linebacker of the Year Declan Clancy, the leader of Manheim Township’s top-rated defensive unit.
The Blue Streaks lost 20 players from last year’s Section 1 championship roster, including 12 all-league players. Still, they have far more returning stars than any of the section’s other teams, among them first-team picks Tom Capizzi, Jack Pfitzenmaier, and Clancy.
Reading High returns five all-league picks, including first-teamers Alexis Alvarado, Xavier Beatty, and Romello Fuentes.
Wilson returns just three all-leaguers, each second-team picks: Wide receiver Madyx Gruber, linebacker Christo Hunsicker, and defensive end Cam Zullinger.
McCaskey’s DeAndre Jones is the only returning three-way all-league pick — wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner. Penn Manor’s Adrian Smith and Clancy are the only other returning two-way picks.
Here’s your first look at the top players in Section 1 for the 2024 season.
(This is last part of a five-part series and a collaboration between LNP/Lancaster On-Line and MikeDragoSports.com. Jeff Reinhart of LNP contributed player capsules.)
Correll Akings
RB/KR/CB
Wilson
To date Akings has scored more headlines, and more points, in basketball but he’s poised for a breakout season in football. He’s a physical player and one of the fastest on the team.
The 5-9, 165-pound tailback showed his offensive potential last season as a sophomore, leading the team with 30 receptions out of the backfield and leading Bulldogs running backs with 458 rushing yards. His 5.8 yards-per-carry average was tops on the team.
He had a pair of 100-yard performances and scored a personal-best three touchdowns in a win over McCaskey. Overall, he scored nine TDs, second on the team.
Akings saw limited time on defense but is expected to use his speed and athleticism to develop into a sold cover corner. He’ll also be a factor in the return game.
Akings earned all-division basketball honors as a sophomore, averaging a team-high 12.1 points and shooting 38 percent on his team-leading 37 3-pointers. He scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds in Wilson’s 54-53 win over Reading High in the Berks Conference championship game.
Xavier Beatty
WR/DB/KR
Reading High
Xavier Beatty is a clutch performer.
In basketball his blocked shot in the final seconds protected the Red Knights’ state tournament-opening win at Chester.
In track he posted a 23-1 ½ on one of his final attempts to ad a long jump silver medal at the PIAA Championships to his district gold in the event.
In football he returned kickoffs for touchdowns against Hempfield and Muhlenberg and had TD receptions of 70 and 81 yards, respectively, against Wilson and C.D. East.
The rising senior will be expected to make more big plays for the Red Knights in all three phases of the game.
Beatty’s best spot is at defensive back where his speed, jumping ability and tenacity helped him pick off two passes and earn first-team all-league honors. On offense, he averaged 25 yards on his 11 catches, with three TDs.
Tom Capizzi
OT/DT
Manheim Township
Blue Streaks trench vet returns to anchor the O-line, a unit that helped the Section 1 champion Blue Streaks’ runaway-train offense compile 2,088 yards on the ground and 386 total yards per game.
Capizzi, a first-team all-league pick at tackle, was a key cog for a Streaks’ team that averaged 44.9 points, won 12 games, and went back to the District 3 Class 6A finale for the second year in a row.
Capizzi chipped in with 16 tackles on defense for good measure. Leader. Wily vet. Youngsters will look up to him when the going gets rough.
He’s one of two all-league picks returning up front for the Streaks.
Jalen Cintron
QB
McCaskey
Earned the full-time signal-calling duties last fall and absolutely ran with it.
Cintron clicked on 111-of-202 passes for 1,309 yards with 17 TDs. He earned section honorable mention kudos for his breakout campaign.
His TD pass in overtime – his fifth of the game – gave the Red Tornado a 34-28 victory over Reading High.
Quick on his feet. Knows where his weapons are. And now Cintron has 10 varsity games and hundreds of pressure-packed snaps under his belt, so the expectations for him will rise in Tornado Alley.
Declan Clancy
RB/LB
Manheim Township
This jack-of-all-trades had a monster junior season, piling up crooked numbers galore on both sides of the ball to push the Blue Streaks toward another Section 1 championship.
He was a hammer on defense, where he made 82 tackles, five stops for losses, a pair of sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries from his spot at linebacker.
The Section 1 Linebacker of the Year led the way on a Township defense that ranked No. 1 overall in the league in total defense, allowing just 170 yards per game; the Streaks were also No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 2 in scoring defense (8.7 per game).
Clancy was a key piece on offense, too, with a team-best 1,162 rushing yards and 14 TD runs to go with 21 catches and four TD grabs. That earned first-team honors at running back.
Keyshawn Efese
T/DT
Reading High
The 6-5 Efese is a late-comer to football who worked himself into shape and pulled in more than half-a-dozen scholarship offers in the offseason, from Villanova, Bryant, and Maine, among others.
When Efese showed up as a 10th-grader he weighed 365 pounds, was out of shape, and had little real football experience. He played at 300 pounds last season, gained valuable game experience, and clocked a 5.1 in the 40 this spring at a college showcase.
Efese was a second-team all-league pick at offensive tackle as a junior, overpowering opposing linemen with his massive size and strength.
Brody Gebhard
LB
Hempfield
His baseball dominance may have made people forget what a good football player Gebhard is.
He earned first-team all-league status at linebacker after making 47 tackles, including 38 solo sticks, with a team-best 4.5 sacks for a Black Knights team that finished 3-7.
Gebhard enjoyed more team success in the spring when he tossed a no-hitter against Erie McDowell in the state quarterfinals and helped the Black Knights win PIAA Class 6A gold.
Tackle machine and an ace pitcher. That’s a pretty nice combo.
Madyx Gruber
WR/QB/DB/KR
Wilson
Many may think of the 5-11 Gruber as solely a basketball player but he showed some football chops and physicality during an impressive junior season that netted second-team all-league honors at wide receiver and caught the eye of college coaches.
He’s not a blazer but he’s quick, finds ways to get open, and gets valuable yards after the catch. He averaged 16.5 yards on his 28 receptions, with nine TDs, tied for third-most in Berks. Three of those TD catches came against Reading High, including an 80-yarder.
Gruber developed into an outstanding cover corner who picked off a team-high three passes, taking one back 50 yards for a TD against McCaskey – one of his team-high 10 touchdowns.
Gruber averaged a team-best 22.6 yards on kickoff returns and also fielded a couple punts; he could be doing more of that this year.
His only pass attempt last season went for a touchdown; he could get more chances to throw this season, either as part of a package or as the Bulldogs’ fulltime quarterback. That will be worked out next month when they put on the pads in West Lawn and really get down to work.
Christo Hunsicker
TE/LB
Wilson
The 6-2 linebacker was arguably the Bulldogs’ best all-around defensive player as a junior, using his size, athleticism, and instincts to lead the team in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, and fumble recoveries.
He earned second-team all-league honors.
Hunsicker played equally well on both the inside and outside on defense, making 64 tackles, nine for loss, with three sacks and two pass breakups. He came up with a blocked punt that was recovered for a TD in the district playoff opener against Cumberland Valley.
He saw little time on offense last year but will move into a key role there as a receiver, either at tight end or split wide. He had played quarterback coming up through the program.
The versatile three-sport athlete could also end up handling kicking and punting duties.
Hunsicker has the size and athleticism to play in college but likely will ending up playing baseball at the next level. He was a first baseman, pitcher, and cleanup hitter for the Berks League champion Bulldogs.
De’Andre Jones
WR/DB McCaskey
Talk about your triple threats: The Red Tornado’s sleek flank is the only returning player in Section 1 to have earned all-league status in each phase of the game.
Jones caught 34 passes for 588 yards, a solid 17.3 yards per snag, with seven TD receptions to pick up first-team honors at WR.
He also excelled in the secondary, and he was rewarded with another first-team nod at defensive back.
Jones, a playmaker in space, also picked up second-team honors for his kick-return prowess.
He and Cintron are poised to do more pitch-and-catch aerial damage this season.
(Chris Knight/LNP photo)
Tristan Long
OT/DT
Cedar Crest
Long had a breakout season toeing the Falcons’ defensive line, with 64 tackles, including an eye-popping 18 hits for losses. That’s a bunch and worthy of a first-team spot at tackle.
Long tacked on 5.5 sacks and bum-rushed plenty of backfields as Cedar Crest won eight games and went to the District 3 Class 6A playoffs.
He also showed off his blocking skills at offensive tackle.
Expect Long to be one of the last guys getting up from the pile, play after play this fall. His defense never rests.
Taylor Veilleux
DT
Manheim Township
There were a lot of familiar names on the Streaks’ roster last fall, so you might not have heard Veilleux’s name much. This season you will.
Dude is a monster in the middle of the defensive line; he had 40 tackles, including 14 sticks for losses, and three sacks for the best defense in the entire league. He earned second-team all-league status for his efforts.
Veilleux was a key piece as Manheim Township won a dozen games, section gold, and went back to the district finale.
He’ll chip in on offense this year, too. Mostly, he’s poised to wreak plenty of havoc in the trenches on D. Taylor Veilleux. Remember his name. You’ll hear it a lot at Streaks’ games this fall.
Others to watch
- Dom Acevedo, LB, Hempfield
- Alexis Alvarado, RB, Reading
- Jackson Custer, QB, Cedar Crest
- Romello Fuentes, G, Reading High
- Lex Haberbosch, WR, Manheim Township
- Brady Kline, TE/DE, Wilson
- Zach Jeffers, PK/P, Penn Manor
- Gabe Laws, FB/LB, Reading High
- Avery Manera, T/DT, Wilson
- Owen Marks, C, Manheim Township
- Cam Margeson, WR, Hempfield
- Spencer McClinton, T, Manheim Township
- Jamaal Millisock, C/DL, Penn Manor
- Matt Neumann, G/DL, Penn Manor
- Jason Osman, RB/LS, Penn Manor
- Derek Reiniger, G/DT, Wilson
- Donovan Rodriguez, DB, Manheim Township
- Nate Ruiz, WR/DB, Penn Manor
- Adrian Smith, KR/RB/DB, Penn Manor
- Malachi Victor, WR/LB, Cedar Crest
- Jack Waranavage, WR, Cedar Crest
- Cam Zullinger, TE/DE, Wilson
