Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
#5 Wilson at #1 Central York in the Class 6A semifinals. The Bulldogs have won six straight after a (2-3) start. They’re pounding the rock on offense. Wilson ran the ball 48 times for 356 yards in a 50-32 win at York High last week. The Bulldogs only attempted six passes. Jadyn Jones and Brad Hoffman combined for 39 carries, 333 yards and 5TD. Central York is the defending 6A champ. The unbeaten Panthers replaced nine starters on each side of the ball, but returned 6’2 senior quarterback Beau Pribula. The PSU commit is completing 76% of his passes with 30TD and 5INT. He’s thrown for 2,100 yards and ran for nearly 400 more. The Bulldogs will have to be aware of 230-pound DE/TE Trenton Dunnick. Wilson is (41-21) all-time in the District 3 playoffs.
#8 Warwick at #1 Gov. Mifflin in the Class 5A quarterfinals. This was the matchup we were expecting to see in last year’s championship game, but the Warriors had to forfeit due to Covid-19 issues. Warwick is a much different team. Nolan Rucci, Caleb Schmitz, Colton Miller, and Joey McCracken all graduated. The Warriors were undefeated going into last season’s final. This year’s squad is (7-4). Warwick did hand Manheim Central its only loss of the season 35-28. The (8-0) Mustangs are the top-ranked 5A team in the state. They’re averaging 49.5 points. PSU commit Nick Singleton is Berks County’s career leader in rushing yards (5,769) and touchdowns (104). As head coach Jeff Lang told me this week, “Never poke a lion.” The Mustangs are making their 16th consecutive appearance in the District 3 tournament.
#7 Exeter at #1 Manheim Central in the Class 5A quarterfinals. The (7-3) Eagles are coming off a 38-21 victory over #10 South Western. Exeter has a lot more talent than a typical seventh-seeded team. Joey Schlaffer (PSU commit), J.R. Strauss (Villanova commit), Ty Yocum, Eric Nangle, Colin Payne, Anthony Caccese, Lucas Palange, Kyle Lash and company make the Eagles a dangerous group. They took Central York down to the wire in their season opener. The Barons are an experienced bunch with eight starters back on offense and seven on defense. They’ve gone from (3-5) to (9-1). Quite a turnaround. 5’11, 165-pound senior Judd Novak is a clever quarterback. If you’re looking for playoff pedigree, Manheim Central has won a record 18 District 3 titles including ten straight from 1992-2001!
#5 Cocalico at #4 Berks Catholic in the Class 4A quarterfinals. I’ll have live updates of this one. It should be over quickly because both teams love to keep the ball on the ground. The (6-4) Eagles average 45 runs and four pass attempts per game in their flexbone offense. The Saints’ run-pass ratio is 40-6 out of their Wing-T formation. Cocalico averages 299 rushing yards per game. Berks Catholic isn’t far behind at 245. Anthony Bourassa has had a huge senior season. He’s rushed for 1,863 yards and 23TD. The 5’8, 180-pound senior comes in with 217 carries this year. The Saints have a sweet trio in the backfield with halfbacks Christian Cacchione (1,076 rushing yards) and JayJay Jordan (679). Plus, 225-pound fullback Luke Hughes (465). Jordan leads Berks Catholic with 3INT and 12 catches (seven have gone for TD’s). The Saints are (18-4) all-time in the District 3 playoffs with four championships.
#3 Hamburg at #2 Boiling Springs in the Class 3A semifinals. This is uncharted territory for the (7-3) Hawks. They had never won a District 3 playoff game until last week when they held off Bermudian Springs 31-27. Longtime Schuylkill Valley head coach Jeff Chillot has already made his mark on Hawk Hill. Hamburg has a promising 6’4, 195-pound junior quarterback in Xander Menapace and an electric RB/KR in senior Diohnny Ruiz. Boiling Springs is riding a seven-game winning streak. The (10-1) Bubblers blew out Lancaster Catholic 56-10 in the quarterfinals. Mechanicsburg handed Boiling Springs its only loss 39-34.
#5 Middletown at #1 Wyomissing in the Class 3A semifinals on Saturday at 1pm. The Spartans and Blue Raiders are meeting for the sixth consecutive year in the District 3 playoffs! Middletown got the better of Wyomissing from 2016-‘18. The Spartans have taken the last two matchups including a 38-16 victory last year in the final. Wyomissing will be focused on 6’3, 240-pound fullback Tajae Broadie. He had a career-high 174 yards and 3TD last week at West Perry. Broadie, who also plays DE, has numerous Division I offers including Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Syracuse and Minnesota. The Blue Raiders are (6-4), while the Spartans are unblemished at (11-0). They destroyed Northern Lebanon 65-3 in the quarterfinals. Wyomissing has depth in the backfield with Tommy Grabowski, Amory Thompson, Drew Eisenhower and Charlie McIntyre. Plus two Division I talents up front in 310-pound junior Jven Williams and 6’4 senior TE/DL Aiden Mack (Richmond commit). Head coach Bob Wolfrum has 333 wins and nine District 3 titles over 35 seasons with the Spartans. Wyomissing has a record of (36-18) in the District 3 tournament.