Jacob Collazo-Berks Catholic

A pancake block is a lineman’s dream. Jacob Collazo said he dished out four or five in Friday’s 45-0 rout of Conrad Weiser. How much does the left tackle enjoy blocking in a Wing-T offense? He replied with a big smile, “I love it. I love it. Pancakes all day.” If you’re a foodie, Collazo prefers bananas on his pancakes. The 6’3, 265-pound senior helped the (2-4) Saints rush for 414 yards. Five different running backs reached the end zone. Berks Catholic averaged 9.6 yards per carry against the (3-3) Scouts. Conrad Weiser had won three of its previous four contests. The Saints’ offensive line returned four starters including 270-pound left guard Owen Reber. He was a second team selection in Section 1 of the Berks Football League as a sophomore a season ago. Senior center Ty Barreto is in better shape this year at 215 pounds. Jackson Haas starts at both right guard and defensive end. Luke Bennethum gives Berks Catholic a 265-pound right tackle. They paved the way for JayJay Jordan to set a career-high with 176 rushing yards on 13 carries. “He can run up the field and cut back and make all of those acrobatic plays. It’s insane to watch. It’s a great feeling to be blocking for a kid like that. He’s spectacular,” emphasized Collazo. Jordan broke off runs of 55 and 43 yards in the first half. He scored two touchdowns to increase his team-high total to a dozen. Jordan has gone over 100 yards on the ground in four consecutive games. The 6’0, 170-pound senior cornerback also made an interception along the sideline on the Scouts’ second possession. Jordan has three of the Saints’ four picks this season. Conrad Weiser managed just 83 total yards and 43 on the ground. Donovan Gingrich was under pressure all night. The sophomore quarterback was 3-of-15 for 40 yards. Trey Dianna and Josh Miller entered with 37 combined receptions and 6TD. Miller had one catch for four yards. Collazo was part of Berks Catholic’s dominant defensive effort at tackle. He was a second team pick in Section 1 of the BFL last year. He believes the Saints have their confidence back after a 4-game losing streak to open the season. Collazo mentioned candidly, “We had a lot of kinks in our system. We had a lot of stuff that we had to figure out, and we played really good teams.” One of those opponents was unbeaten Wyomissing. The Spartans pulled away late for a 41-24 victory at Berks Catholic in Week 4. “It helped us a lot. It was a great game for us to realize our potential. I expect to see them later in the race,” said Collazo. The Saints have qualified for the District 3 playoffs nine times in eleven years since the school was formed. They’ve earned four District 3 championships. Nafis Blythe, Devin Garcia, Marvin Armistead, and freshman Nate Rose each scored a touchdown versus the Scouts. Blythe ran for 79 yards on nine touches. The 6’2, 205-pound junior has also been thriving on defense since being moved to DE. He has a team-high four sacks. Garcia, a 190-pound FB/ILB, chipped in with 47 yards on six carries. Armistead made it 31-0 by taking a counter 29 yards up the middle on the first series of the third quarter. Berks Catholic ended up with 487 yards. Collazo told me that Aaron Donald and Quenton Nelson have inspired him. He thinks the Saints made a statement on Friday. “I think we showed everybody that we’re back. I think everybody is gonna be shocked when they see how we’re doing,” he said.