Jack Riffle-Fleetwood

Jack Riffle is so excited for the start of football season that he’s been having trouble sleeping for months. “I’ve been waiting for Friday night since about April or May. Kutztown’s a great team. I don’t care what anyone says about their past. We have to take them as serious as possible,” he said. The 6’1, 175-pound junior has big shoes to fill at quarterback with Tanner Maddocks now at Villanova. Maddocks threw for 1,520 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 624 rushing yards and seven more scores. If that wasn’t enough, Maddocks made the Class 5A all-state team as a defensive back with five interceptions. He led Fleetwood to a (7-4) campaign and a Class 5A/6A Eastern Conference championship. First-year head coach Steve Pangburn has high hopes for Riffle who was named one of the captains. Riffle told me that was a tremendous honor. The new quarterback doesn’t need to be introduced to the Tigers’ #1 wide receiver. Riffle and Mason Musitano live very close to each other. Riffle replied, “We’ve been throwing since we were about seven or eight years old. I know what he’s doing. He knows where I’m throwing it. It’s awesome.” Musitano finished with a team-high 29 catches for 488 yards and five touchdowns a season ago. The 6’2, 185-pound junior was a second team selection at WR in Section 2 of the Berks Football League. Riffle mentioned that Ty Wamsher could have a breakout season. Pangburn, who served as Fleetwood’s offensive coordinator for the previous two seasons, plans on getting Wamsher the ball in a variety of ways. The 5’10 senior has gone from 155 pounds to 180. “He’s been a great target for me since the 7-on-7 season. He’s a great leader, hard worker, [and] really hard hitter too. He’s the guy you want on your team,” said Riffle. They connected on a TD pass in the Tigers’ scrimmage. David Ramsey, Trey Killian, and the speedy Czion Brickle will also get carries. Ramsey had 99 yards and a score on just 16 touches in 2021. Fleetwood must replace all-section running backs Gavin Morris and Gage Moyer. Morris rumbled for 975 yards and 14 TD. Moyer chipped in with 648 yards on the ground and 9 TD. He averaged an incredible 10.5 yards per carry. Hunter Leister (G/DT), Noah Yourkawitch (C/DT). and Hunter Svoboda (OT) are back on in the trenches. Riffle noted that the 265-pound Yourkawitch is one of the strongest players on the squad. Svoboda is a towering figure at 6’7 and 240 pounds. Leister was a second team guard in Section 2 of the BFL as a sophomore. The Tigers will be part of Section 3 in the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. They’re joined by Daniel Boone, Twin Valley, Elizabethtown, Solanco, Ephrata, and Garden Spot. Riffle believes the section title is up for grabs. I learned that Riffle is an Eagles fan, and Carson Wentz is still his favorite QB. I asked what he wants to happen when Washington faces Philadelphia. Riffle joked, “I hope Wentz throws for 600 yards, but the Eagles win.”