Chase Eisenhower-Wyomissing

Wyomissing led District 4 champion Danville 27-19 at halftime of the PIAA-3A quarterfinals. The (12-1) Spartans pulled away for a 48-27 victory on a cold and windy night at Albright’s Shirk Stadium. “I think we came out with more momentum. The intensity was much higher. We just played Wyo football,” said Chase Eisenhower about the final 24 minutes. The Spartans’ potent Wing-T attack resulted in 465 rushing yards on 57 carries. Eisenhower reached the end zone four times. The 215-pound sophomore FB/LB rumbled for 93 yards on 17 carries. “Definitely the most fun [game], definitely the coldest too. It was all around a great win,” remarked Eisenhower. The (12-2) Ironmen struck first on a wide receiver screen to Aaron Johnson that turned into a 50-yard touchdown down the right sideline. Johnson set a new state record on that play with his 28th TD catch of the season. The 5’11, 170-pound senior had eleven receptions for 103 yards. Wyomissing responded with an 85-yard drive that included a 60-yard run by junior halfback Derek Macrina. He provided 92 yards on ten touches. Eisenhower powered in from two yards away to get the Spartans on the scoreboard. They went up 13-6 on Ryker Jones’ 79-yard sprint down the right sideline. The Princeton commit piled up 153 yards and two scores on nine carries. Danville answered with an 82-yard march that was capped by Bo Sheptock’s 2-yard run. It was even at 13-13 after the opening quarter. Wyomissing went in front 19-13 on Collin Niedrowski’s 7-yard touchdown run early in the second period. The Ironmen took over at the Spartans’ 6-yard line after a muffed punt. Sheptock, a transfer from Berwick, added another 2-yard TD to tie it at 19-19 with 8:10 remaining before halftime. Both teams caught the turnover bug late in the second quarter. There were two interceptions and two fumbles in the final three minutes, but only one giveaway led to points. Collin Niedrowski picked off Madden Patrick and returned it to the 5-yard line. A 5-yard run by Eisenhower made it 27-19 with 20 seconds to go after Eisenhower’s two-point conversion. The District 3 champs put together a 91-yard possession that lasted seven minutes and 27 seconds in the third quarter. It included a clutch fourth-and-seven pass from Logan Hyde to freshman Justice Hardy to the 18-yard line. Jones’ 4-yard TD gave Wyomissing a 34-19 edge with eleven seconds to play in the period. Eisenhower tacked on scoring runs of one and fifteen yards in the fourth quarter. He credited the offensive line which includes 6’5, 290-pound Penn State commit Caleb Brewer. “They were amazing. They always are…They all block great,” emphasized Eisenhower. He surpassed 1,000 yards for the season. Meanwhile, Patrick went 24-of-36 for 221 yards with 2TD. The 6’1, 180-pound junior ends the year with nearly 3,300 passing yards and a staggering 48 TD in 14 games. Johnson had 66 catches for just shy of 1,500 yards this season. Danville entered the night averaging 43 points. The Ironmen were limited to eight points in the second half. The Spartans will meet District 11 champ Northwestern Lehigh in the state semifinals. “We’re trying to make our own legacy. It’s exciting,” said Eisenhower.