Twin Valley quarterback Evan Myers loves being around football 24/7
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(Updated to correct statistical inaccuracy.)
By Logan Moyer — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
As a youngster Evan Myers would find his way onto Middletown’s War Memorial Field to toss a football around after games with his dad Brett, the Blue Raiders’ head coach.
Years later, Evan finds himself as the starting quarterback for the Twin Valley Raiders, playing for his dad.
“I would say that some of my favorite memories are being on the sideline at Middletown games,” said Evan, now a junior and three-year starter for the Raiders. “There’s (thousands) of people in the stands, and they’re playing a rival. The place is packed. Then after the game being able to throw on the field with my dad.”
Brett Myers coach his alma mater for eight seasons, from 2013-2020. During that time he took the Blue Raiders to a 73-22 record, with three District 3 championships and three appearances in the PIAA Class 3A championship game.
Following the pandemic-ridden 2020 season Brett resigned at Middletown with Evan, his oldest son, about to reach high school and Lucas, now a freshman linebacker, on the horizon.
“It was just time,” Brett said. “For me to be able to watch my kids play, it just wasn’t gonna play out that way (if I had stayed at Middletown).”
Myers made it clear that his coaching career wasn’t over, telling Eric Epler of Pennlive.com: “I love being a football coach and I still want to coach. I’m not done coaching.”
One year later the job at Twin Valley opened. Myers – by that time a vice principal at Twin Valley Middle School – was hired, less than two months before the start of the 2022 season.
“I live in the community and I wanted to be able to give back,” he said. ‘I’m just lucky enough that my kids play there.”
In Brett Myers’ first season as coach the Raiders went 7-5 and won their first district playoff game, defeating Milton Hershey 43-29 in the Class 4A quarterfinals; a week later they lost to eventual champ Bishop McDevitt.
In Twin Valley’s final regular season game last year Evan tossed three touchdown passes in a 55-20 over Hatboro-Horsham. The win was Brett’s 100th as a head coach.
Playing under his father, Evan also took a step forward as a sophomore. After tossing 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions as a freshman he limited his interception total to three while throwing for 1,204 yards. Evan also became a threat taking off out of the pocket, rushing for 502 yards and 10 TDs.
Evan, who also plays defensive back, is one of the key players for a Twin Vally squad picked to win the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Evan said. “I’m excited to see how everyone’s grown and how we can all come together.”
Both Elizabethtown and reigning champion Solanco graduated quality talent on both sides of the ball; the Raiders, meanwhile, return 17 starters.
“I don’t expect anything to be handed to us,” Evan said. “We need to continue to grow. We can’t expect things to come easy.”
For Evan the major difference between playing for his father compared to former Twin Valley coach Kris Olsen is his constant interaction with the game.
“I’m just around (it) so much more than before,” he said. “I would say my freshman year, I’m leaving (practice) and I’m thinking about football. But I’m not talking about football until the next day.
“(Now) I go home and talk about football. Then come back the next day at five in the morning for camp football. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. You never miss football.”
Evan, listed at 5-10, isn’t as tall as most starting quarterbacks at this level. He doesn’t have the strongest arm but he has superb football instincts and leadership qualities which make him invaluable.
“I think if you ask most of his teammates, he has something that kids follow,” Brett said. “He has a knack for fighting his way through stuff.”
Evan shared a similar sentiment, though he said it reflected his team more than himself.
“If someone’s down, they’re picking each other up,” he said. “We all help each other.”
Off the field Brett said that his son is the same.
“He’s a very laid-back kid with a really good head on his shoulders,” he said. “Takes out the trash, does his chores and all that. He’s a great kid.”
