Pacen Ziegler-Wyomissing

We’ve all heard the phrase “defense wins championships” countless times. Wyomissing proved it on Saturday afternoon against Lampeter-Strasburg. The (10-0, 7-0) Spartans held the (8-2, 6-1) Pioneers to 79 total yards and five first downs. Wyomissing claimed the Section 4 championship in the new expanded Lancaster-Lebanon League with a 21-0 victory. The drive chart for L-S looked like this: Punt, Punt, Punt, INT, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt. You get the picture. Drew Eisenhower came up with a pick at Wyomissing’s 35-yard line with 51 seconds left in the second quarter. The Pioneers were limited to 38 yards in the first half and trailed 14-0. The Spartans took 7 minutes and 41 seconds off the clock on their opening possession. They covered 82 yards on 14 plays without attempting a pass. The vintage Wing-T drive was capped by Matthew Kramer’s 4-yard touchdown. The 6’1, 215-pound fullback finished with a team-high 85 yards and 2TD on 18 carries. “He’s had a great year. He’s been my best friend my whole life. He’s just a great kid. He’s a hard worker,” said Pacen Ziegler. Kramer has reached the end zone on 19 occasions this season. Ziegler, a 275-pound OT/DT, called Kramer one of the strongest players on the team. He converted a fourth-and-two midway through the second period by picking up two yards. Ryker Jones polished off Wyomissing’s second series with a 4-yard score. The 190-pound junior went untouched on a sweep to the right. That 64-yard drive made it 14-0 with five minutes remaining in the half. Kramer added a 16-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Wyomissing churned out 259 yards on the ground against the Pioneers’ 3-3 Stack defense. L-S forced consecutive three-and-outs to start the second half. The Pioneers hung tough, but couldn’t get anything going on offense. The Spartans have allowed the fewest points in the L-L League (69). L-S entered Saturday averaging 370 yards and 40 points per game. They had won eight in a row. Carson Coleman managed 40 yards on 11 carries. The 165-pound junior has 926 rushing yards and 14TD this year. Junior quarterback Trent Wagner went 1-for-6 with an interception. His only completion lost two yards. The Pioneers turned to sophomore Caileb Howse in the second half. He connected on two of his four attempts for only six yards. Ziegler isn’t surprised that Wyomissing put together its 11th unbeaten regular season. He replied, “Obviously, our line is huge. Our backs are fast so I think we figured we’d be here.” He’s joined up front by Jven Williams (6’5, 300) and Caleb Brewer (6’5, 290). Williams is committed to Penn State and Brewer has received several Division I offers including Maryland, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Duke. I asked Ziegler about playing alongside Williams, the top-rated senior in the state. “It’s amazing knowing that he’s always got your back. If you miss a block, he’ll maybe block two of them. It’s just great,” he said with a smile. Ziegler has an offer from Davidson and preferred walk-on status at Penn State. The 6’4 senior has received interest from Cornell, Duquesne, and Fordham. Ziegler is an excellent student. We talked about his favorite teachers at Wyomissing. He also had fun clearing up a video game controversy involving Madden NFL and Jven Williams. The Spartans extended their regular season winning streak to 35. Ben Zechman was 4-of-6 for 68 yards. Charlie McIntyre chipped in with 62 yards on ten touches. They’re two of the 17 seniors who were recognized on Senior Day. “We all hang out outside of football. It’s great knowing you have a brotherhood around you,” noted Ziegler.