Clay Reynolds-Gov. Mifflin

How good will the Mustangs be now that the Nick Singleton era is over? That’s a question that a lot of people across Berks County are asking. Clay Reynolds is well aware that Singleton was a unique talent. Reynolds helped pave the way for Singleton as Gov. Mifflin’s left guard. Singleton earned the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award after rumbling for 2,059 yards and scoring 44 touchdowns in 2021. The Penn State freshman holds Berks County records with 6,326 career rushing yards and 116 TDs. Reynolds fully understands that Singleton’s departure is a significant loss, but he remains optimistic. “We’re not ready to just throw in the towel. We think that we still have the makings of a team that can go somewhere and we’re not gonna just lay down,” he said. Monmouth commit Ayden Martin is one of just three returning starters for the Mustangs. They went (10-1) a season ago while averaging 48 points and an eye-popping 9.3 yards per carry. “I definitely think we’ll see a lot of good things out of Ayden. He’s going to be an electric player. Ayden is definitely one of the best talents that you’re going to see,” said Reynolds. The 5’11, 185-pound senior made over 40 tackles last season with 14 pass breakups and two interceptions. He averaged 8.5 yards in limited duty at halfback. Martin made 2 TD grabs against Harrisburg in a 49-13 victory. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Brandon Jones, Brayden Reis, and sophomore Grady Garner. That trio will share time at fullback which is a coveted role at Gov. Mifflin. Senior Delsin McNeil is a dual-threat quarterback who knows the offense very well. He takes over for Eden Johnson who ran for 457 yards (7.4/carry). Johnson was named second team all-county QB and first team DB. Reynolds told me that the offensive line is coming together well despite having four new starters. The 5’9, 210-pound senior will step in at linebacker this year. Reynolds is one of the smartest players on the team with a 3.95 GPA. “Academics are probably the most important thing because you want to be able to go to a good college first and foremost. When you’re out of college and done with sports, you want to be able to have a good life [and] make the living that you’re looking for, and obviously a good university sets that up,” he said. We talked about his favorite teacher at Gov. Mifflin. Reynolds enjoys skiing in his spare time. He joked that he doesn’t have much of that because the courses he takes tend to have a lot of homework. He’s looking forward to the home opener this Friday versus Spring-Ford. “I’m stoked. It’s just amazing the way that the community supports us, and how our fellow classmates come out and really give us everything we could ever ask for,” he replied. Jeff Lang is preparing for his sixth season as the Mustangs’ head coach and 31st year on their coaching staff. Gov. Mifflin claimed 13 of the past 16 Section 1 championships in the Berks Football League. The Mustangs have made 16 consecutive appearances in the District 3 playoffs. They won their first District 3 title in 2020. Last year, they lost to seventh-seeded Exeter 31-28 in the District 3-5A final. Lang is (43-13) since taking over for longtime head coach and good friend Mick Vecchio. “He’s always getting us fired up and making sure that we’re ready to go out there and play hard. He’s never afraid to tell us when we make a mistake,” Reynolds said with a smile. Gov. Mifflin is ranked #8 in the state in Class 5A by PennLive.