Bryan Strohl-Cocalico

Aaryn Longenecker’s evening turned out a lot more enjoyable than his afternoon. Cocalico’s standout running back and safety cut his right thumb while trying to eat an avocado on Friday. After a trip to urgent care and plenty of tape, Longenecker was ready for kickoff against Wyomissing. The 5’10, 175-pound senior scored four touchdowns in a 34-14 victory over the (6-1) Spartans. “They don’t come along like that every day. When you have them, you gotta make the most of them. He’s a competitor,” said head coach Bryan Strohl. Longenecker ran for 139 yards and 3 TD on twelve carries. He returned an interception 54 yards for another score with 2:19 remaining. It’s his second pick-six in as many weeks. Longenecker took a toss down the left sideline 28 yards for the game’s first touchdown midway through the second quarter. That 30-yard drive was set up by his first interception of the night on a tipped pass. He added a 15-yard TD run with 33 seconds left before halftime. The football was recovered in the end zone by Wyomissing, but the officials ruled that Longenecker crossed the goal line before the ball came out. Jeremiah Diaz returned the second half kickoff 73 yards to the Eagles’ 17-yard line. A 6-yard score by sophomore fullback Chase Eisenhower pulled the Spartans within 14-7. Cocalico responded eight minutes later with a 42-yard drive. All-State fullback Sam Steffey powered his way into the end zone on fourth-and-inches from the 2-yard line. The (6-1) Eagles then grinded out a six and a-half minute scoring drive that covered 82 yards. Longenecker took a toss and raced 30 yards down the right sideline for a 27-7 advantage. “The key to us is always control the line of scrimmage and, both sides of the ball, we were able to do that,” stated Strohl. Wyomissing entered the night averaging 343 rushing yards. The Spartans were held to 168 yards on the ground, and 57 of those came on Marvin Armistead’s touchdown run with 42 seconds to play. Cocalico, ranked #8 in the state in Class 5A by PennLive, allowed just six first downs. The Eagles ran for 267 yards. They’ve won six straight since dropping their opener to Warwick. Wyomissing’s 41-game regular season winning streak came to a halt. Senior quarterback Logan Hyde left the game in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to the ribs. He was replaced by freshman Teddy White. Meanwhile, Cocalico sits alone atop the Section 4 standings with a (4-0) league record. “I couldn’t be prouder of this group. They’re a team. It’s not one guy. They’re not asking for the ball,” emphasized Strohl.