Week 8: Fearless Friday Football Forecast (updated with results)
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Manheim Central is a football titan. The Barons have won more District 3 championships than any other program.
Fleetwood? The Tigers have never won a district playoff game.
Nearly three-fourths of the way through the regular season Fleetwood has more wins than Manheim and several Fearless Forecasters — five of the 12 — are picking the Tigers to extend Manheim’s misery in Friday’s meeting at Ray Buss Field. Heresey — at until recently.
The Barons have lost three straight; one more loss will clinch a losing record over a full season for the first time since 1971. Heresey, indeed.
There are several bigger games on the Week 8 card but most of the Forecasters are in unison about them, making Conrad Weiser, Twin Valley, and Schuylkill Valley heavy — though not unanimous — favorites in their Section 3, 4, and 5 showdowns.
The place to keep an eye for upset might be Ephrata, where Muhlenberg plays after showing some encouraging signs last week against Exeter. Two Forecasters picked the Muhls; several others were leaning in that direction.
Each week, MikeDragoSports.com staff writers, photographers, and contributors, along with Mike Gross and Jeff Reinhart of football partner LNP/Lancasteronline, will pick all the Berks games, along with other selected other Lancaster-Lebanon League games.
We’ll keep standings and the Forecaster with the most points at the end of the season will get a (relatively) big prize!
Each correct pick earns one point; if a Forecaster “doubles down” on a Berks team and is correct he gets two points. Each Fearless Forecaster can “down double” on a team only once during the regular season (and once again during the postseason)
This week’s games
- Berks Catholic at Columbia
- Manheim Township at Reading
- Wilson at Penn Manor
- Hempfield at Exeter
- Lebanon at Gov. Mifflin
- Ephrata at Muhlenberg
- Warwick at Conrad Weiser
- Manheim Central at Fleetwood
- Wyomissing at Twin Valley
- Donegal at Daniel Boone
- Schuylkill Valley at Hamburg
- Lancaster Catholic at Kutztown
- Solanco at Cocalico
| Berks Cath. Columbia | Man. Twp. Reading | Wilson P. Manor | Hemp. Exeter | Lebanon Mifflin | Ephrata Muhl. | Warwick Weiser | |
| Mike Drago | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Jeff Reinhart | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Joe Mays | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Sean McBryan | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Matt Hagy | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Logan Moyer | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson (DD) | Exeter | Mifflin | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Sam Cavalieri | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Muhl. | Warwick |
| Bruce Badgley | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Mike Gross | Berks Cath.(DD) | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Phil Marabella | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin (DD) | Muhl. | Weiser |
| Chris Deantonio | Berks Cath. (DD) | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Clay Oberholtzer | Berks Cath. | Man. Twp. | Wilson | Exeter | Mifflin | Ephrata | Weiser |
| Staff composite | Berks Cath. 12-0 | Man. Twp. 12-0 | Wilson 12-0 | Exeter 12-0 | Mifflin 12-0 | Ephrata 10-2 | Weiser 11-1 |
| Manheim Fleet. | Wyom. TV | Donegal Boone | Sch. Valley Hamburg | LC Kutz. | Solanco Cocalico | This week | Season total | |
| Mike Drago | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 92-20 |
| Jeff Reinhart | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 92-20 |
| Joe Mays | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 91-21 |
| Sean McBryan | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 91-21 |
| Matt Hagy | Fleet. | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 12-2 | 90-22 |
| Logan Moyer | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 90-22 |
| Sam Cavalieri | Manheim | TV | Boone | Hamburg | LC | Cocalico | 10-4 | 85-27 |
| Bruce Badgley | Fleet. | TV | Boone (DD) | Hamburg | LC | Cocalico | 11-3 | 85-26 |
| Mike Gross | Manheim | TV | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 84-28 |
| Phil Marabella | Fleet. | Wyom. | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 12-2 | 83-29 |
| Chris Deantonio | Fleet. | Wyom. | Boone | Sch. Valley | LC | Cocalico | 13-1 | 81-31 |
| Clay Oberholtzer | Fleet. | TV | Donegal | Sch. Valley (DD) | LC | Cocalico | 11-3 | 76-36 |
| Staff composite | Manheim 7-5 | TV 10-2 | Boone 11-1 | Sch. Valley 10-2 | LC 12-0 | Cocalico 12-0 | 12-1 |