Berks Sports Report

Matt Flowers-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:13:41 +0000

Exeter put up 69 points in a 17-point win over Gov. Mifflin on Tuesday. The Eagles upset Berks Catholic last week at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Muhlenberg head coach Matt Flowers knew he was facing a hot team on Thursday night in Reiffton. The Muhls’ pressure defense forced 19 turnovers in a 59-50 victory. “Everything was triggered by our uptempo pace on the defensive end. We weren’t fouling. We were playing team defense which is what we preach,” explained Flowers. The Eagles committed 13 turnovers in the first half and trailed 27-17 at the break. Eli Hemmings provided a spark in the third quarter with nine points. The 6’3 sophomore finished with 13 points and was a key figure on defense. “He’s one of our go-to guys and he’s been trending in the right direction. His shot wasn’t going down in the beginning of the season, but he put in more work and more work and now it’s going down,” said Flowers. Exeter was within 37-32 in the third period, but Muhlenberg closed the quarter on a 9-to-2 run. A three-point play by Shermar Killen made it 51-38 with 4:07 left. The All-County guard scored a game-high 22 points including eight in the fourth quarter. “He utilizes his body very well. He’s a rebounding machine. He can get downhill. He can knock down the 3. He’s a really good all-around player…and he took pride in the weight room,” stated Flowers. A layup by 6’4 sophomore Braylon Reinert brought the Eagles within 53-48 with 1:45 remaining. That basket capped a 10-to-2 run by Exeter and got the crowd back into the game. Jayden Ware’s layup made it 55-50 with 53 seconds to go. After Jayden Kantner went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, Ware’s pull-up jumper rattled out. Killen sank a pair of foul shots with 27 seconds to play to increase the Muhls’ advantage to 58-50. The (7-8, 4-2) Eagles committed their final turnover on the ensuing possession. Aidan Dauble came alive in the second half. The 6’2 junior jammed eleven of his eighteen points into the third quarter. Dauble was 9-for-15 from the free throw stripe. He worked tirelessly on the glass to get second chance opportunities. Exeter ended up 16-of-25 from the line, while Muhlenberg was 10-of-13. Brady Murray, a 6’2 senior guard, added 14 points and Reinert provided eight for the Eagles. Michael Miller contributed ten points to the (11-4, 4-3) Muhls. “He’s been Mr. Consistent all season. He does things that need to get done,” noted Flowers. Muhlenberg committed 13 of its 18 turnovers in the second half, but went 7-of-9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to hold on. Jadin Perez came off the bench and hit two of the Muhls’ three triples in the first half. Murray drilled three of Exeter’s four 3-pointers. He has 46 treys this year. Carter Redding, who was averaging 10 ppg., batted foul trouble and was limited to one point. The Eagles remain atop the Division 2 standings. Muhlenberg is in a tight race in Division 1 with Wilson, Berks Catholic, and Gov. Mifflin. The Bulldogs are in first place with a (6-1) league record. “It’s wide open,” emphasized Flowers.

Matt Coldren-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:35:41 +0000

Central Dauphin and Wilson held the top two spots in the District 3-6A power rankings entering Monday. Their battle in West Lawn went down to the wire. The Bulldogs knocked off the Rams 59-53 in a potential playoff preview. “In my opinion, that’s the best starting five in our district…I think we proved ourselves a little bit tonight,” said Wilson coach Matt Coldren. All-County guard and All-State football player Madyx Gruber is comfortable playing in big games. The 5’11 senior poured in 27 points and knocked down six 3-pointers. “He was really fantastic. He was feeling it early. When he’s feeling it, we pretty much don’t run stuff. We let him do his thing,” noted Coldren. Gruber exploded for 19 points and hit five triples in the first half. He’s up to 958 career points. The (11-2) Rams trailed 25-15 in the second quarter. Standout sophomore Shakur Starling got his third foul midway through that period. The 6’2 guard finished with ten points and seven rebounds. A breakaway dunk by Wayne Fletcher II in the final seconds of the half tied it at 32-32. The 6’3 Navy commit ended up with a team-high 18 points and seven boards. “He’s a great player. He’s the best player that we have faced this year. He’s a tough matchup. He’s a 3-level scorer,” stated Coldren. Fletcher II has 1,046 career points. His father is in his seventh season as the head coach at Central Dauphin. Like Coldren, he also played basketball for Kutztown University. Gruber drilled a trey from the right wing to end the third quarter and expand the Bulldogs’ cushion to 50-42. That lead quickly evaporated as the Rams scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Gruber drove to the basket and found Luke Levan for a layup to make it 54-51. A putback by Jelani Easter got Central Dauphin within 55-53 with 52 seconds remaining. Easter, a 6’5 junior, provided 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Tommy McFadden sank a pair of free throws with 47 seconds left. After Khalil Roberts missed a layup, McFadden went 2-for-2 again at the foul line with 12 seconds to go. The Albany soccer commit played great defense and converted at the charity stripe when the rest of the team was struggling. Wilson was 9-of-18 from the free throw line, while the Rams went 8-of-9. The (13-2) Bulldogs did an outstanding job of taking care of the ball. They only committed four turnovers and had none in the second half. “To have four turnovers is pretty amazing so kudos to our guys. They stepped up to the occasion. I’m super proud of them,” said Coldren. Correll Akings added a dozen points and made two of Wilson’s eight 3-pointers. Levan, a 6’6 senior, chipped in with ten points. “It was a great team effort. Every guy that played for us contributed in big ways. That’s what you need to do when you play good teams,” emphasized Coldren.

BCIAA Wrestling Championships-Girls

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 04:22:54 +0000

85 girls competed in the BCIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament this year. The event was held at Reading’s Geigle Complex and came to a close on Saturday evening. The Red Knights finished atop the team standings. Here are the results of the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners!

100 pounds:

Shadel (Exeter) pinned Spencer (Wilson)

106 pounds:

Dodson (Exeter) pinned Spilker (Muhlenberg)

112 pounds:

Yerger (Gov. Mifflin) pinned Jones (Schuylkill Valley)

118 pounds:

Foscone (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Boyer (Kutztown)

124 pounds:

Becht (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Frederick (Kutztown)

130 pounds:

Lubenow (Exeter) pinned Foreman (Hamburg)

136 pounds:

Gonzalez (Reading) pinned Petrie (Hamburg)

142 pounds:

Nguyen (Wilson) pinned Rosario (Reading)

148 pounds:

Borreli (Tulpehocken) pinned Tillman (Wilson). Borreli was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

155 pounds:

Nemes (Hamburg) pinned Schaeffer (Hamburg)

170 pounds:

Rivera (Reading) pinned Crespo (Schuylkill Valley)

190 pounds:

Tellez (Reading) pinned Reyes (Reading)

235 pounds:

Strunk (Hamburg) pinned Morales (Berks Catholic)

BCIAA Wrestling Championships-Boys

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:39:50 +0000

The BCIAA Individual Wrestling Championships wrapped up Saturday evening at the Geigle Complex in Reading. About 250 boys participated in the event. Here are the results from the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners! Berks Catholic finished first in the team standings.

107 pounds:

Cruz (Muhlenberg) beat McHugh (Twin Valley) 12-6.

114 pounds:

Shuman (Berks Catholic) pinned Schaffer (Wilson) in the first period.

121 pounds:

Bitting (Berks Catholic) beat Eidle (Wilson) 6-0.

127 pounds:

Steuer (Gov. Mifflin) beat Eidle (Wilson) 7-1.

133 pounds:

Hartranft (Berks Catholic) pinned Bollinger (Brandywine Heights) in the first period.

139 pounds:

Maciejewski (Berks Catholic) beat Montegari (Gov. Mifflin) 8-7.

145 pounds:

Speece (Wilson) beat Brady (Hamburg) 19-4. Speece was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

152 pounds:

Vitalo (Schuylkill Valley) won by forfeit over Karpulk (Tulpehocken) who was ill.

160 pounds:

Acevedo (Berks Catholic) pinned Hohl (Gov. Mifflin) in the second period.

172 pounds:

Eidle (Wilson) beat Keppley (Conrad Weiser) 19-3.

189 pounds:

Lenzi (Berks Catholic) beat Niedrowski (Wyomissing) 16-2.

215 pounds:

Oswalt (Exeter) beat Brownback (Wilson) 1-0.

285 pounds:

Heckman (Tulpehocken) beat Britting (Conrad Weiser) 5-0.

Jeff VanGorder-Exeter

Paul Roberts — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:07:18 +0000

Exeter’s boys basketball team hasn’t enjoyed smooth sailing during the 2024-25 campaign. The Eagles’ game at Berks Catholic was a microcosm of the season. Exeter overcame adversity and shooting woes to beat the Saints 48-40. The (6-6, 3-1) Eagles outscored Berks Catholic 35-to-19 in the second half. “I told our guys stick with it, we’re gonna be fine. Guys are learning on the fly. This was a big growing up moment. I’m excited moving forward,” said head coach Jeff VanGorder. He had to replace three starters who each averaged double digits, including All-County selection Kevin Saenz. Exeter was scoreless for four and a-half minutes on Thursday evening at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. The (8-3, 3-2) Saints jumped out to a 9-0 advantage. The Eagles didn’t score for the first three minutes of the second quarter and found themselves in a 18-6 hole. Aidan Dauble provided a much-needed offensive spark when he banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer. Berks Catholic was on top 21-13 at the break. Kingston McKoy’s three-point play made it 30-25 with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter. McKoy, a 6’2 junior, had 16 points after 24 minutes. The All-State guard was limited to one point in the final period. Exeter used a 3-2 zone defense with Jayden Ware in the middle. “Our goal was to make him see black jerseys everywhere. We were gonna have to live with some other guys on their team making some shots…Jayden just blanketed him,” explained VanGorder. Brady Murray drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Eagles their first lead at 35-32 with 5:10 left. VanGorder mentioned that Murray had been fading away on his jumper because McKoy was guarding him. “He stepped into that one. Right when he stepped into it, I go ‘bang.’ It was a Jay Wright moment. I’m really proud of him for sticking with it,” added VanGorder. Carter Redding followed Murray with another triple to increase the margin to 38-32. Meanwhile, the Saints went scoreless for five minutes in the fourth quarter. A layup by Ware made it 40-37 with 1:31 to go. Gavin Welker’s trey from the right corner popped out on the ensuing possession. Dauble and Dylan Donate then went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Exeter had seized control at 44-37 with 44 seconds to play. Welker connected from beyond the arc with 14 seconds remaining, but Berks Catholic was still down 46-40. That was the Saints’ first field goal of the quarter. Welker, a 6’2 junior, provided eight points while Zach Suski was held to six. Suski had been averaging 14 ppg. Redding led a balanced Eagles’ attack with ten points. Murray contributed nine points and 6’4 sophomore Braylon Reinert chipped in with seven. Reinert provided a presence inside and helped on the glass. He’s one of a handful of football players in VanGorder’s rotation. Dauble and Ware had eight points apiece. They helped Exeter reach the District 3-5A football championship game during the fall. The Eagles sealed the victory by going 15-of-18 from the foul line. The Saints were 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Each team made three 3-pointers. Exeter got key contributions from everyone who stepped on the floor. “I told them at the start of the fourth quarter, no matter what happened, I was the most proud of a group that I’ve ever been based on circumstances,” said VanGorder.

Reading falls to Central York

Paul Roberts — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:37:53 +0000

The defending state champions in Class 6A paid a visit to the Geigle Complex on Wednesday night. Central York returned four starters from a (29-3) squad that captured the school’s first PIAA title in boys basketball. Reading had three sophomores in its starting lineup and just one senior. The Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 lead. They were on top 25-12 after the opening quarter. “Reading’s always a scrappy team. We know that we can’t play lackadaisical at all, especially with this environment,” said Ben Natal. The 6’3 senior guard scored ten of his twenty points in the first eight minutes. Natal has more than 1,400 points in his career. The Red Knights had to go to their bench early after Jostin DeCastro and Kahlil Samuel each picked up two fouls in the first period. DeCastro, who was averaging 12 ppg., finished with just six points. Reading outscored Central York 17-to-13 in the second quarter and trailed by nine points at halftime. The Red Knights were mistakenly awarded two extra points in the third quarter. They were within 50-42 entering the final period. Reading got the first bucket of the fourth quarter. However, the (8-1) Panthers erupted for 23 points and pulled away from the (3-9) Red Knights. Ben Rill, a 6’8 senior, provided 20 points. Albright commit Byron Pinkney added 19 points. The 6’4 senior hit two of Central York’s four 3-pointers. There were 48 combined turnovers including 25 by the Panthers. Both teams did a better job of taking care of the ball in the second half. Jeremiah Camara had a team-high 15 points. The 5’9 sophomore scored nine points in the fourth quarter. Samuel chipped in with nine points. Weshly Rosario, “Coco” Malave, and Xavier Beatty provided eight points apiece. Malave, a 5’10 sophomore, got the start as Beatty came off the bench. Reading went 7-of-10 from the free throw line, while the Panthers were 9-of-14. These schools squared off in the state semifinals a season ago. Central York took that matchup 79-65. The Red Knights are back in action tonight at Twin Valley.

Lauren Williams-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:36:57 +0000

Twin Valley sophomore Lauren Williams was missing most of her shots while warming up for a key Division 2 matchup at Conrad Weiser. When the game started, however, the 5’7 guard was on fire. Williams scored nine of her career-high 16 points in the opening quarter of a 55-50 victory at Robesonia. “It was exciting, our team brought energy. It was a really good game,” she said. Hailey Kilgore, who leads the Raiders at 14 ppg., picked up two fouls in the first five minutes. Williams stepped up and helped Twin Valley build a 17-12 advantage after eight minutes. The Raiders were on top 32-28 at halftime and 46-39 entering the fourth quarter. Williams banked in a jumper to make it 49-43 with four and a-half minutes remaining. Alex Trevena responded with the last of her four 3-pointers for the Scouts. Trevena, a 5’7 senior guard, ended up with 14 points. She’s committed to Kent State for softball. Lauren Grabosky finished off a fast break to get Conrad Weiser within 49-48. The 6’ senior center went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with two and a-half minutes left. It stayed 51-49 until Gisselle Feliciano was fouled with 47 seconds to go. The senior guard split a pair of free throws. Twin Valley junior guard Ellie Kaplan sank two clutch foul shots with 19 seconds to play. She then partially blocked Trevena’s tying 3-point attempt from the left wing. Kaplan, a Syracuse lacrosse commit, provided five points off the bench. Hailey Kilgore sealed the deal with two free throws with five seconds remaining. The 5’7 junior chipped in with eight points. The Raiders went 15-of-18 from the foul line, while the Scouts were 15-of-24. Conrad Weiser missed five free throws in the final quarter. Geniva Paul had a game-high 17 points. The talented 5’10 sophomore scored 13 points in the first half. Grabosky contributed eight points and sophomore guard Dylan Bossler had six off the bench. Twin Valley snapped Conrad Weiser’s five-game winning streak. The (11-3, 4-0) Raiders moved two games ahead of the (9-3, 2-2) Scouts in the division standings. “It was really important. We still have to stay focused. We have a tough schedule ahead, but it was a really good win,” noted Williams. She and junior Olivia Schmittinger entered the night averaging 6.5 points apiece. They combined for 28 points on Tuesday. Five of Schmittinger’s twelve points came in the third quarter. Freshman Olivia Kilgore, Hailey’s sister, had seven points. Twin Valley has turned things around after going (7-15, 4-7) a season ago. The Raiders are currently fourth in the District 3-5A power rankings in Matt Hahn’s first year as head coach. “I think we have more chemistry than we had last year,” explained Williams.

Madyx Gruber-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:34:07 +0000

Wilson’s first game of 2025 didn’t get off to a great start. Manheim Township jumped out to an 8-0 lead which prompted longtime head coach Matt Coldren to call a timeout. “He was livid,” said Madyx Gruber. The Bulldogs got Coldren’s message loud and clear. They responded with a 14-to-1 run and went on to win 55-48 in West Lawn. Gruber knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 19 points. The 5’11 senior guard also grabbed seven rebounds. Ty Gray led the (7-4) Blue Streaks with 22 points. The 6’ senior guard came into Friday averaging nearly 18 points per game. Manheim Township trailed 14-11 after eight minutes and 30-22 at halftime. Wilson expanded its cushion to double digits, but the Blue Streaks didn’t go down easily. They began the fourth quarter with a 7-to-2 run and pulled within 46-43. Gray provided all seven of those points. He ended up with nine in the quarter. Gruber answered with his fourth trey of the night from the top of the key. Manheim Township had a chance to get within one point late, but Ellis Vorhis Witmer missed a pair of free throws. Correll Akings sank a pair of foul shots to make it 53-48 with 1:10 remaining. The junior guard chipped in with a dozen points. Gruber split two free throws with 31 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 54-48 edge. He was pleased with how they executed in a tight spot. “At practice, we prepare for those moments. We were prepared well,” noted Gruber. Wilson only committed nine turnovers. The (9-2) Bulldogs held the Blue Streaks well below their season average of 62 ppg. Senior guards Jordan Pettigrew (12) and Rocky Mack (8) combined for 20 points. Manheim Township went 7-of-12 from the foul line, while Wilson was just 9-for-18. Luke Levan, a 6’6 senior, had ten points. “We need to feed him the ball. He has a mismatch. We need to give him the ball and let him do his thing,” emphasized Gruber. Tommy McFadden added eight points and seven rebounds. The 6’1 senior committed to Albany for soccer this week. Gruber was recently named to the PA Football Writers’ All-State team. He guided Wilson past Manheim Township 34-16 for the Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Gruber threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score. He was looking forward to facing the Blue Streaks on the court. “I knew it was gonna be a good game just because it was Manheim. I was really excited. I know my teammates were excited. It was fun,” said Gruber.

“Roberts Rankings”-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 16:21:03 +0000

As we get ready to turn the page to 2025, it’s a good time to look at where things stand in the Berks League. Twin Valley and Conrad Weiser enter my new rankings. The Raiders and Scouts have a combined record of (17-4). They took the place of Schuylkill Valley and Brandywine Heights. Oley Valley is a team to watch in Division 4. The Lynx are off to an (8-3) start.

Wyomissing remains on top of my poll. The Spartans are riding a six-game winning streak and are expected to get Audrey Hurleman back soon. The North Carolina lacrosse commit has been out with a knee injury. Amaya Stewart, the two-time Berks County Player of the Year, is averaging 18 points. Wyomissing hosts Twin Valley on Thursday.

Gov. Mifflin has moved up three spots in my rankings. The Mustangs are unbeaten in league play at (4-0). They cruised past Berks Catholic by 20 points and escaped Wilson with a 47-45 victory. Gov. Mifflin suffered setbacks to Central York and York Catholic over the weekend. Sophomore guard Bella Super is providing 18 ppg.

Wilson has played a brutal schedule that included Cardinal O’Hara, Emmaus, Parkland, Dallastown, and Cedar Crest. Things are looking up, however, as the Bulldogs have won four of their last five contests. Kailani Hardy has been as advertised. The sophomore is putting up 16 points a night.

Reading knocked off Berks Catholic 56-42 in mid-December, but then fell at home to Wilson by 18 points. The Red Knights have a big test coming up at Gov. Mifflin on January 7th. Senior guard Yamilex Rodriguez is averaging 14 points per game.

Berks Catholic dropped a couple of spots in my poll. It’s important to note that the Saints have had an extremely challenging schedule. They lost a hard-fought battle at rival Wyomissing 37-34 before Christmas. Berks Catholic took down Wilson by ten points three weeks ago. Those two contests showed that the Saints can play with anyone in the county. On Friday, senior point guard Madison Langdon reached 1,000 career points in a 40-32 win over Mount St. Joseph Academy at Wildwood.

Twin Valley is getting nearly 15 ppg. from junior Hailey Kilgore. The Raiders opened some eyes by defeating Exeter 52-37. Twin Valley’s only losses came against Cedar Crest and Trinity by a total of eleven points. The Raiders travel to Robesonia on January 7th for a key Division 2 matchup with Conrad Weiser.

Speaking of the Scouts, they’ve won eight out of ten under new head coach Chris Kline. Conrad Weiser beat Oley Valley, Exeter, and Schuylkill Valley during its current four-game winning streak. The victory over the Panthers was by 19 points. The Scouts did get tripped up by Wilson on December 13th by 20 points.

Exeter fell two spots in my rankings. The Eagles’ record won’t impress you, but they’ve won four of their last six games. Keep in mind that four of Exeter’s losses were by five points or less. The Eagles could easily be above the .500 mark with a few breaks.

Without further ado, here is my new poll for the Berks Girls Basketball League. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

“The Great 8”

1.Wyomissing (7-1)

2.Gov. Mifflin (6-3)

3.Wilson (6-5)

4.Reading (8-4)

5.Berks Catholic (5-5)

6.Twin Valley (9-2)

7.Conrad Weiser (8-2)

8.Exeter (4-7)

All-State Football Team

Paul Roberts — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:46:45 +0000

We’re past Christmas Day, but the high school football awards season is still going strong. The Pennsylvania Football Writers’ All-State teams were announced on Friday and Saturday. Eleven players from Berks County were chosen, including three from Schuylkill Valley. Congratulations to all of these selections.

Class 6A

Michael Glover-TE-Wilson

Madyx Gruber-Athlete-Wilson

Class 5A

Jayden Zandier-RB-Exeter

Logan Wegman-OL-Exeter

Cam Small-RB-Muhlenberg

Class 4A

Evan Myers-QB-Twin Valley

Carter Faubel-DL-Twin Valley

Justice Hardy-Athlete-Wyomissing

Class 3A

Logan Nawrocki-QB-Schuylkill Valley

Luke Spotts-TE-Schuylkill Valley

Logan Cammauf-LB-Schuylkill Valley