Justice Hardy-Wyomissing

Twin Valley allowed just 40 points in its first seven games. The Raiders climbed to #1 in PennLive’s Class 4A state rankings. They had no answer, however, for Justice Hardy and Wyomissing’s Wing-T attack on Friday night in Elverson. Hardy finished with 200 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a 34-24 victory. The electric sophomore also caught a pair of passes from Teddy White for 85 yards. Hardy gave credit to the big guys up front. “They’re my brothers. I love them all. They’re the reason I have every touchdown,” he said. The Spartans’ offensive line consists of five seniors. On 4th-and-9 late in the opening quarter, longtime head coach Bob Wolfrum opted not to attempt a field goal. Hardy took a handoff 18 yards down to the 3-yard line. His 2-yard score made it 7-0 with 12 seconds left in the first period. After Nate Shaffer made a 25-yard field goal for Twin Valley, Chase Eisenhower capped an 80-yard drive with a 33-yard run up the middle. The 215-pound junior fullback put Wyomissing in front 14-3 with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter. “He’s huge, he doesn’t go down. He has wheels, no one really realizes it. He can move,” noted Hardy. The (7-1) Raiders responded with a 78-yard drive. On 3rd-and-12, senior quarterback Evan Myers scrambled for 55 yards. His younger brother, Lucas, plunged into the end zone from two yards out to get Twin Valley within 14-9 with one minute to go in the half. The extra point was no good. The (7-1) Spartans got a 34-yard field goal from Keegan Maher to begin the second half. Maher had hit the crossbar on a 48-yard attempt on Wyomissing’s opening possession. Hardy reeled in a beautiful 45-yard pass from White down the right sideline late in the third quarter. That completion set up a 1-yard touchdown run by junior fullback Tyler Niedrowski and gave the Spartans a 24-9 advantage. “We’re known as a run team, but we can pass the ball too. Coach Wolfrum dialed it up perfectly,” said Hardy. Wolfrum earned his 369th win over 38 years at the helm. Twin Valley didn’t go away. Myers found Ben Grundy open over the middle for an 18-yard TD. He then tossed a shovel pass to Lucas Myers for the 2-point conversion and the Raiders trailed 24-17 with 11:43 to play. Hardy replied quickly with a 56-yard touchdown on a jet sweep down the right sideline. Twin Valley came right back with a haymaker of its own. On 4th-and-15, Matt Knight got behind the secondary for an easy 22-yard touchdown catch. That score pulled the Raiders within 31-24 with 6:54 left. Myers went 12-of-19 for 133 yards. The four-year starter also ran a dozen times for 120 yards. Grundy had four receptions for 68 yards. Twin Valley’s defense, however, couldn’t get a stop in the second half. Maher’s 31-yard field goal gave Wyomissing a 34-24 cushion with 3:17 on the clock. A long touchdown pass by Myers was negated due to a holding penalty. He then got hit from behind by junior linebacker Andrew Bresnahan and fumbled with 2:23 to go. The Spartans recovered at the Raiders’ 29-yard line. Wyomissing extended its winning streak versus Twin Valley to eight. The Spartans held Evan Johnson to 52 yards on 21 carries. Johnson has more than 3,000 rushing yards. He also holds the school record for career touchdowns. Wyomissing has won six in a row since a Week 2 loss at the Haverford School by 17 points. “We never want to feel that feeling again,” emphasized Hardy.