What’s next for the . . . Berks Catholic Saints?
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What’s next for the . . . Exeter Eagles?
What’s next for the . . . Wilson Bulldogs?
What’s next for the . . . Wyomissing Spartans?
What’s next for the . . . Twin Valley Raiders?
(This is the fifth of a series as MikeDragoSports.com takes an offseason dive into Berks’ top programs.)
Dave Stahler admits that putting a lot of younger players on the field last season, in order to build depth and experience, was not by design. His Berks Catholic football team was hit with a rash of early injuries that forced his hand.
“Playing with guys who are banged up makes you develop depth in a hurry,” the Saints’ second-year head coach said.
It worked out well. Underclassmen such as Faith Zudie, Ryan Spatz, and Mason Mace emerged and blended well with a veteran corps of linemen, helping Berks Catholic win its first Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 championship and reach the District 3 Class 3A title game.
Those same guys, along with many others, will be back to put the Saints in position to again battle for the section title and make another playoff run.
Berks Catholic has half-a-dozen or more guys returning on each side of the ball who were full or part-time starters on a team that went unbeaten in league play for the first time in seven years, played for a district championship for the first time in six seasons, and finished 9-3.
“We had to play (a lot of) younger kids,” Stahler said. “Towards the end of the year some of those kids were playing really well. (Now) we do have a lot of guys coming back who can play.”
That includes two-way lineman Eric Benethum, the Section 5 Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Zudie, who emerged as a play-wrecking defensive end and All-State selection.
The strength of last year’s team was the defensive line, and it will be again with the return of all-league picks Damoni Daglas at tackle and Zudie and Bennethum at end. Stahler and defensive coordinator Eric Hancock were able to rotate a lot of players into the defensive line mix last year, including freshman Jack McKeone, who should see full-time duty at tackle. Same goes for Jayden Wright, who saw a lot of time at end as a sophomore.
“That gives us a good place to start,” Stahler said. “If that’s not our strongest position, I’d be surprised.”
There is returning experience at every level of the defense. The top five tacklers and seven of top eight are back.
That includes inside linebackers Spatz, who was third on the team with 65 tackles, and Coy Koller.
Mason Mace had an outstanding sophomore season, with 68 tackles, and earned first-team all-league honors at safety. Another sophomore, Logan Gonzalez, and junior Josiah Turman flashed athletic skills in the defensive backfield that they’ll also use this season on offense, as receivers.
The key spot on defense will be finding outside linebackers to replace Aidan Curley and Johnny Sauppee. Mace or Gonzalez could be moved to the second level; rising sophomore Joe Lanza could end up there, too.
Cole Harter opened last season as the starting quarterback before being knocked out with a shoulder injury in Week 3 against Bethlehem Catholic. Sauppee took over and held that spot for the remainder of the season. Harter is expected to regain that job for 2026.
The backfield will have plenty of depth, as it did last year when five different players rushed for 500 or more yards. That spread-the-wealth display was due to injuries that limited the playing time of rushing leaders Xavier Gerald and Owen Schalk.
It was also because Jeremiah Camara wasn’t eligible until Week 4 after transferring from Reading High. Camara hit the ground running once league play opened and finished with 736 yards and seven TDs.
He’ll be among the top options this season, assuming he recovers fully from a knee injury suffered in Berks Catholic’s basketball opener in early December.
Wyatt Burkman, who started several games at halfback before an early injury, returns there. Mace could see time at one of the halfback spots.
The wild card could be Zudie, an explosive athlete who averaged over 10 yards per carry on limited late-game touches.
“He’s so dynamic, we’ve got to get the ball in his hands,” Stahler said. “But he’s so disruptive on defense that I don’t want to take away from that. We’ll figure out ways to use him on offense to exploit his speed and ability and to run into space.”
Koller averaged nearly 8 yards per carry at fullback. Spatz could see plenty of time there, too. Like Zudie, Stahler doesn’t want to overextend him.
“Ryan was playing so well on defense (as a junior) we didn’t want to mess up that (by giving him time at fullback),” Stahler said. “He’ll be a senior and be a leader. I think we can lean on him (at fullback).”
Whoever carries the ball should find running room, what with two starters and several others who saw plenty of time returning to the offensive line. The key piece, of course, will be the 6-2, 245-pound Bennethum, who is drawing PSAC looks.
He’ll likely stay at guard, a pivotal spot in the Wing-T. He graded out at over 90 percent there as a junior for a team that averaged 378 yards per game, third best in the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League. Bennethum didn’t wrestle this season, so he didn’t take off weight and could play bigger as a senior.
There are no concerns about the kicking game. Alex Reali was an all-league placekicker after booting three field goals of 40-plus yards and sending 30 kickoffs into the end zone as a sophomore. He also averaged nearly 37 yards as a punter.
After two rugged season-openers against powerhouse Twin Valley, the Raiders have been removed from schedule. However, they were replaced by another perennial playoff qualifier, Notre Dame of Green Pond, which wen 12-1 last season and has averaged nine wins over the last five seasons.
The Saints will again face Executive Education in Week 2 and Bethlehem Catholic in Week 3. That should prepare them for their Section 5 schedule and a return to districts, where they could well run into old rival Wyomissing, which will move down from Class 4A.
Six months out Stahler likes what he’s seen during winter workouts.
“I don’t think our kids are complacent at all,” he said. “They have committed themselves to getting stronger and working hard, so we’re excited about next year.”
