Week 13 Preview-Football

Three Berks County football teams are still alive in the District 3 playoffs.  Exeter and Twin Valley are in action on Friday at 7pm.  Wyomissing will take the field on Saturday at 1pm.  Here’s a preview of their matchups.  I’ll be covering the Eagles and the Spartans this week.

#11 Northern York at #2 Exeter-District 3-5A Semifinals:

The (11-0) Eagles are flying high.  They’re averaging 40.5 points per game while allowing just 11.  Exeter hammered #7 Dover 42-12 in the quarterfinals at Don Thomas Stadium.  Mason Rotelli is completing 69% of his passes with 21 TD and 6 INT.  His top target is Penn State commit Joey Schlaffer who has 33 receptions and 10 TD.  The 6’6, 215-pound senior is averaging 23 yards per catch.  Richie Karstien is a hammer at running back.  The 215-pound senior has rumbled for 1,366 yards and 18 TD.  Delaware-bound OL/DL Anthony Caccese leads the Eagles with 7 sacks and 20 TFL.  Lucas Palange is their top tackler with 65 stops.  Kyle Lash adds 4.5 sacks and 16 TFL.  Both Exeter and Northern York are making their 13 appearance in the District 3 playoffs.  The Eagles are the defending champs in Class 5A.  The (8-4) Polar Bears are trying to reach the District 3 Final for the first time.  Cole Bartram is a player to watch for Northern York.  The 180-pound junior has 1,554 rushing yards and 16 scores.  Bartram also leads the squad with 131 tackles.  Timmy Bonin has tossed 9 TD passes this season and six have gone to Mason Yohn.  The 6′, 175-pound senior is a factor on defense as well with 6 INT.  The Polar Bears have won four straight and six of their last seven contests.  They advanced to the semifinals with victories over #6 South Western and #3 New Oxford.

#4 Twin Valley at #1 Bishop McDevitt-District 3-4A Semifinals:

The (7-4) Raiders have reached the Final Four in the District 3 tournament for the first time in program history.  They knocked off #5 Milton Hershey 43-29 in the quarterfinals to earn their first victory in the District 3 playoffs.  This is just their second appearance in the field.  “Evan squared” has been a dynamic one-two punch in Elverson.  Sophomore running back Evan Johnson surpassed 1,000 yards last week.  He’s averaging 8 yards a pop with 15 TD.  Sophomore quarterback Evan Myers has 7 TD through the air and 11 on the ground.  The son of head coach Brett Myers has 1,642 combined yards this season.  The Raiders also have a power back in Jaydon Goebel.  The 6’2, 210-pound senior has provided 872 yards and 15 scores.  Twin Valley is allowing nearly 25 points per game.  The Raiders will be facing one of the most explosive offenses in the state.  Bishop McDevitt is putting up 52 points a night.  The (9-1) Crusaders were defeated by Imhotep Charter 19-14 in their season-opener.  They haven’t been challenged since.  Stone Saunders has thrown for 2,773 yards and 41 TD with just one INT.  He’s only a sophomore.  Saunders has several Division I offers including Georgia, Michigan, and Texas A&M.  His top targets are 6’1 junior Rico Scott and 6’3 senior TaShawn Russell.  They’ve combined for 87 receptions, 1,833 yards, and 28 TD.  Scott’s offers include Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, and Auburn.  Russell has been offered by South Carolina and Virginia Tech among others.  Bishop McDevitt is searching for its 16th District 3 title.  Only Manheim Central has captured more with 18 championships.

#3 West Perry at #1 Wyomissing-District 3-3A Championship:

The (11-0) Spartans have reached the District 3 Final for the 19th time.  Their overall record in the District 3 playoffs is (39-18) with ten titles.  Wyomissing is going for its fourth consecutive championship.  The Spartans are certainly part of District 3 royalty.  The (11-1) Mustangs, on the other hand, have never claimed District 3 gold.  West Perry’s only other appearance in a final was back in 1999 when they fell to Manheim Central 28-21.  The “Law Firm” of Eisenhower, Kramer, and McIntyre has kept Wyomissing’s ground attack running like a well-oiled machine.  Drew Eisenhower (650 yards/9 TD), Matt Kramer (754 yards/21 TD), and Charlie McIntyre (781 yards/10 TD) are accompanied by some massive offensive linemen including Penn State commit Jven Williams (6’5, 295).  College coaches have shown a lot of interest recently in Caleb Brewer.  The 6’5, 290-pound junior has picked up offers from numerous DI schools including Pittsburgh, Maryland, Illinois, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia, Boston College, Duke, and Princeton.  The Spartans don’t put the ball up often, but Ben Zechman has been extremely efficient with 10 TD and 1 INT.  If Wyomissing prevails on Saturday, Bob Wolfrum will become the winningest coach in District 3 history.  The “Wizard of the Wing-T” is currently tied with former Manheim Central skipper Mike Williams at 348 victories.  West Perry racked up a season-high 63 points in the semifinals at previously unbeaten Lancaster Catholic.  The Mustangs eliminated #6 Schuylkill Valley 45-21 in the quarterfinals.  This is West Perry’s seventh appearance in the District 3 tournament.  The Mustangs are averaging nearly 44 points while giving up 16.5 per game.  Their only loss came at the hands of Steel-High 53-34 in the regular season finale.  Quarterback Marcus Quaker does it all for West Perry.  The 5’11, 165-pound junior has passed for 1,838 yards and rushed for 1,171 this year.  Quaker has 44 combined touchdowns.  Ian Goodling is his go-to-guy.  The 6′, 170-pound junior has 61 grabs for 1,115 yards and 13 TD.  Goodling also leads the team with 72 tackles and 5 INT.  Trent Herrera needs 83 yards to reach 1,000 this season.  The 5’5, 145-pound senior is averaging 6.3 yards per carry with nine scores.  Brad Hockenberry is a young player to keep an eye on.  The 180-pound sophomore has 66 tackles, 16 TFL, and 3 picks.  Senior DL Derek Snook and Josh Trostle have combined for 28.5 TFL.