Wyomissing kicker’s senior highlight comes after the season
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When Keegan Maher, who grew up playing soccer, kicked the game-deciding extra point in the final seconds of a 35-34 win against Trinity as a sophomore, he was hooked. He was a football player for good.
When he booted a pair of field goals last year at Twin Valley, including a game-clincher with a few minutes left, he was jacked about helping Wyomissing knock off the No. 1 team in the state.
He went through his senior season looking for a similar thrill . . . but it never came.
“I felt good about my season,” he said. “The only thing is, we were so good (on offense) I just didn’t get as many field goal opportunities (as I would have liked).”
Maher should take that up with Justice Hardy and Chase and Brady Eisenhower. They powered the offense so well that Maher’s scoring opportunities mostly were limited to PATs. He had only three field goal chances (and hit them each).
| Keegan Maher | Wyomissing | 73.3 |
| Owen Spang | Weiser | 68.6 |
| Alex Reali | Berks Cath. | 68.6 |
| Reese Wamsher | Sch. Valley | 68.3 |
| Preston Oxenreider | Wilson | 51.9 |
| Lance Koenig | Mifflin | 51.0 |
| Gryffin Cappellano | Fleetwood | 50.5 |
Turns out the highlight of his senior year came Wednesday, nearly two weeks after the Spartans’ season ended, when he was named the Berks County Specialist of the Year for the second time.
He shared the award last year with Conrad Weiser’s Alex Malone. This time he finished slightly ahead of a tightly packed field that included a number of outstanding kicking performances this season.
The annual award is sponsored by Kick-It founder John Zima, Berks’ long-time kicking guru and the kicking coach at Wyomissing. His formula takes into account accuracy and distance on placements and distance on kickoffs and punts.
Despite making only three field goals Maher checked all the boxes.
- He made 46-of-47 PATs during the regular season, his 98-percent success rate tying Berks Catholic’s Alex Reali for tops in the county.
- His punting average of 45.4 yards was well ahead of everyone else.
- His touchback percentage of 19.3 percent was strong and bettered his mark of a year ago.
Reali and Owen Spang of Conrad Weiser tied for second place. Reese Wamsher of Schuylkill Valley was awarded third place.
Reali displayed the strongest leg in the county, booming more than 52 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone. His 38.6 punting average was second-best, as were his five field goals. He had the season’s three longest field goals, twice hitting from 44 yards and once from 42.
Spang was consistent, making each of his four field goal attempts – with a long of 39 — and 21-of-24 PATs. His punting average of 35.9 was fourth-best among the contest leaders.
Wamsher had similar numbers, going 4-for-4 on field goal, 26-of-30 on PATs and punting at a 36.6-yard clip.
There were other strong performances.
Governor Mifflin’s Lance Koenig led Berks in field goals, making 8-of-9, including 41- and 40-yarders. He was 24-of-26 on PATs and second in the county with an impressive 43.9 touchback percentage. (It didn’t count in any of the scoring categories, but he also recovered one of his onside kicks.)
Wilson freshman Preston Oxenreider was good on 52-of-54 PATs, made his only field goal and sent 20 percent of kickoffs into the end zone.
Neither Koenig nor Oxenreider punted, which limited their scoring opportunities for the Specialist Award.
Maher didn’t make many field goals but those he made came at important times. He hit twice in the first half in a midseason battle of unbeatens against Twin Valley, and made a 38-yarder in a district win over Lampeter-Strasburg. His kicks against Twin Valley were big, as the Spartans went into halftime trailing just 7-6. Those turned out to be the only Wyomissing points in a game that ended up 28-6 – the most competitive the Raiders have faced all year.
That wasn’t his favorite game of the year, though. That had come earlier against The Haverford School, a 29-26 win in which he converted each of his three PATs. What he enjoyed more was being involved in a couple of tackles on kickoffs.
“I got roughed up a lot,” he said. “Those are always fun. I like having some contact, I can’t lie.”
Maher was a little more equipped for contact this season after tacking on 20 pounds during the offseason. He began the season at 195. He said the added weight helped him remain strong throughout the season.
“I’m really happy with the muscle I’ve gained and the weight I have right now,” he said. “Hopefully, it’ll help me into my college career.”
Maher said he’s been in contact with several PSAC programs and would love to get a chance to continue kicking at the next level.
Maher was 135 pounds as a freshman. He developed into one of the strongest players on team during the offseason, when he squatted 365 pounds. He also was named a captain, a rarity among kickers.
Maher has earned a four-star rating from Kohl’s Kicking in both punting and kicking. In June he won the punting and kickoff portions of the Chris Nunn Memorial Football Combine and took the overall kicking prize for the second straight year.
Maher started training for football with Zima after his freshman year and proved to be a quick study; he was the Spartans’ No. 1 placekicker as a sophomore and added punting duties as a junior. He attended Zima’s Kick-It camps and gives his mentor credit for his success.
He credits his teammates, too.
“I was really happy withmy holder Austin Lecher, my snapper Xander Westwood, and my line,” he said. “Austin’s an amazing holder. I couldn’t ask for anyone better. They all helped me. I made such a high percentage (on kicks) because of them.”
Berks kicking leaders
| PATs | Touchbacks | ||||
| Keegan Maher | Wyomissing | 98% | Alex Reali | Berks Catholic | 52.6% |
| Alex Reali | Berks Catholic | 98% | Lance Koenig | Gov. Mifflin | 43.9% |
| Nate Shaffer | Twin Valley | 97% | P. Oxenreider | Wilson | 20.0% |
| P. Oxenreider | Wilson | 96% | Keegan Maher | Wyomissing | 19.3% |
| Punting | Field goals | ||||
| Keegan Maher | Wyomissing | 45.5 | Lance Koenig | Gov. Mifflin | 8-of-9 |
| Alex Reali | Berks Catholic | 38.6 | Alex Reali | Berks Catholic | 5-of-10 |
| G. Cappellano | Fleetwood | 38.5 | Owen Spang | Conrad Weiser | 4-of-4 |
| Reese Wamsher | Sch. Valley | 36.6 | Reese Wamsher | Sch. Valley | 4-of-4 |
Past Specialists of the Year
| 2024 | Alex Malone | Conrad Weiser |
| Keegan Maher | Wyomissing | |
| 2023 | William Maurek | Fleetwood |
| 2022 | Adam Noll | Conrad Weiser |
| 2021 | Nate Millard | Daniel Boone |
| 2020 | Jack Wagner | Wilson |
| 2019 | Matt Noll | Conrad Weiser |
| 2018 | Matt Noll | Conrad Weiser |
