West Perry coach: ‘We know the district runs through Wyomissing’
West Perry’s Bob Boden tries not to get too far ahead of himself; he focuses on the opponent at hand. The rest can wait. That became difficult when Wyomissing popped up on an opponent tape.
“We watched one play where Jven Williams pulled and pancaked three guys on one play,” Boden said of the Penn State recruit.
Like driving past a collision on the other side of the highway it’s hard not to stare.
Boden and his third-seeded Mustangs no longer have to sneak peaks at the top-seeded Spartans: They’ll be on the A-Field with them Saturday at 1 in the District 3 Class 3A championship game.
Brace for impact.
“They’re big, they’re physical and they’re disciplined,” Boden said of the Spartans (11-0). “They’re really good at what they do.”
Boden and his staff got an in-person look at the Spartans early in the season. They came to Wyomissing to watch Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division rival Trinity, which they were to play the next week.
Again, it was hard not to notice the Spartans.
“You can tell they spend time in the weight room,” Boden said.
Everyone fulled expected Wyomissing to be back in the district championship game for the seventh time in eight years. It has won the last three titles and returned 10 starters focused on a fourth straight (as well as a return to the PIAA championship game).
West Perry (11-1) wasn’t exactly a lock to get this far.
It was picked to finish sixth in its seven-team division. It went 5-6 last season. Its roster includes just 11 seniors.
“We snuck under everybody’s radar, but we thought we were going to be pretty good,” Boden said. “We don’t have a lot of coverage or get a lot of respect around here.”
Boden and his players were confident. They had success at the youth level and are a close-knit bunch.
“This group of kids know how to win,” he said. “They know what to put in and what to do.”
They’ve got some talented players, for sure.
Junior quarterback Marcus Quaker is a rare talent who has both rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards; he’s averaging 10 yards per carry and has scored a team-high 23 touchdowns.
“He keeps me up at night,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum, concerned that Quaker has the speed to break contain. “He’s tough to make plays on.”
Quaker’s dad TJ is the Mustangs’ offensive coordinator; as you might suspect Marcus grew up around football and has a strong understanding of how to run the offense.
As a passer he’s thrown for 1,838 yards and 21 TDs, most of it directed toward do-it-all junior Ian Goodling. He has 61 receptions for 1,115 yards and 13 TDs.
Goodling’s also a top-notch specialist who averages 40 yards on punts, has nailed 7-of-9 field goals and put 16 kickoffs into the end zone.
He’s also the Mustangs’ leading tackler.
“He’s like our Swiss Army knife,” Boden said. “He’s a key cog for us.”
“They have a couple kids with really good speed,” Wolfrum said. “You can defend them well and if somebody just misses a tackle, they’re gone. I have no doubt we’ll defend what they do well (but) you’ve gotta make the play. With the speed that they have you can be in trouble.”
Until a month ago West Perry owned just two district playoff wins in its history; it has doubled that figure since, beating Schuylkill Valley 45-21 and ripping unbeaten Lancaster Catholic 63-20.
West Perry’s only loss, after a 9-0 start, came to Steel-High, which is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 1A.
Wyomissing, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3A, will be an even bigger challenge. It has shut out four opponents, mercy-ruled eight, has the top-rated defense in the Lancaster-Lebanon League and has allowed fewer points than any team in District 3.
Wyomissing’s seniors have never lost a home game. They’re looking to finish 26-0 there.
“We know the district runs through Wyomissing,” Boden said. “We knew at some point (we’d) have to face them because they’re good.”
