Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
#5 Wilson at #2 Harrisburg in the District 3-6A championship at 1pm on Saturday. These teams are red hot. The (9-3) Bulldogs have won seven straight. The (11-1) Cougars are riding an eight-game winning streak. Their only loss was to Gov. Mifflin 49-13 on September 17. Wilson is (42-21) all-time in the District 3 playoffs with seven titles. Harrisburg is (20-16) with three championships. The Cougars ended the Bulldogs’ season in 2018 and 2019. Their last postseason matchup was a thriller in West Lawn. Wilson needs to limit the big plays from Kyle Williams and Mahkai Hopkins. Williams scored 4TD including a 78-yard punt return in the semifinals vs. Hempfield. Hopkins ran for 204 yards and a score on 17 carries in that 32-10 victory. The Cougars have a freshman QB in Shawn Lee. His father played at Penn State. The Bulldogs have relied on their ground attack with 1,000 yard rushers Jadyn Jones and quarterback Brad Hoffman.
#4 Spring Grove at #1 Gov. Mifflin in the District 3-5A semifinals. PSU commit Nick Singleton is just shy of 6,100 career rushing yards. He’s coming off an epic performance against Warwick in the quarterfinals when he rumbled for 325 yards and 7TD on 15 carries! Singleton holds the Berks County record with 111 career touchdowns. The Mustangs are (9-0). The Rockets head to Shillington with a (10-1) mark. They’re facing a Berks County opponent for the second time in three weeks. Spring Grove defeated #13 Twin Valley 33-6 in the first round. 5’7, 180-pound senior Zyree Brooks ran for 4TD including a 96-yarder against the Raiders. The Rockets only blemish this season came at the hands of Central York 48-17 in early October. Gov. Mifflin is the defending champion in Class 5A.
#7 Exeter at #6 Cedar Cliff in the District 3-5A semifinals at West Shore Stadium. The (8-3) Eagles are soaring after a 43-26 win at #2 Manheim Central. The game wasn’t that close. Exeter led 43-8 in the fourth quarter! Eric Nangle made the most of his 25 carries. The 175-pound senior finished with 230 yards and 3TD. Nangle went over 1,200 yards for the season. He’s averaging seven yards per carry with 15TD. The Eagles have other very talented skill position players in Joey Schlaffer, J.R. Strauss, and Ty Yocum alongside senior QB Colin Payne. Exeter will try to slow down Jontae Morris who needs two yards to reach 2,000 this year. The 160-pound senior is averaging 7 yards a pop with 22TD. Ethan Dorrell’s top target is senior WR Trenten Smith. He has 51 catches for 810 yards and 6TD. The (10-2) Colts lost by 13 points to CD East and 56-0 to Bishop McDevitt. Cedar Cliff has three District 3 titles on its resume.
#4 Berks Catholic at #1 Bishop McDevitt in the District 3-4A semifinals. These programs are very familiar with making deep runs in the postseason. The Crusaders have won 14 District 3 championships; only Manheim Central has more with 18. Bishop McDevitt dropped its opener 21-0 to La Salle College High School. The Crusaders outscored their next nine opponents 545-35 with five shutouts! Quarterback Stone Saunders has thrown for 2,366 yards with 38TD and one INT. The freshman already has an offer from Michigan. He has a trio of dynamic wide receivers in Mario Easterly (38 catches-11TD), Kamil Foster (25 catches-12TD), and sophomore Rico Scott (21 catches-8TD). The (7-4) Saints prefer to keep things on the ground with Christian Cacchione, JayJay Jordan, and fullback Luke Hughes. Berks Catholic is (19-4) all-time in the District 3 playoffs with four titles. The Saints rallied late to get by #5 seed Cocalico 21-7 in the quarterfinals. Taking on the Mid-Penn Keystone Division champ will be a much different challenge for Berks Catholic.
#2 Boiling Springs at #1 Wyomissing in the District 3-3A championship on Saturday at 1pm. If you’re a fan of the Wing-T offense, this is the game for you. Head coach Brad Zell brought the run-heavy approach to Boiling Springs and he has turned the Bubblers’ program around. 170-pound senior Joey Menke is over 1,100 yards this year. He had 135 yards and a touchdown in a 35-7 win over #3 seed Hamburg in the semifinals. Menke also caught a 38-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Colin Lunde. 175-pound fullback Aidan Metzger added 55 yards and 3TD against the Hawks. That one was tied at 7 at halftime. The (11-1) Bubblers finished on top of the Mid-Penn Capital Division. Their only loss was to Mechanicsburg 39-34 on September 17. The Spartans haven’t tasted defeat all season. Their closest contest came last week in the semifinals vs. #5 Middletown. Fullback Tommy Grabowski had 2TD runs in a 14-0 shutout. Wyomissing allowed just 48 total yards. The Spartans blew out the Bubblers 47-7 last year in the semifinals. Wyomissing outgained Boiling Springs 400-87 on the ground. Bob Wolfrum and the Spartans are seeking their tenth District 3 championship and third in a row. The Bubblers have never captured District gold.