Lucas Myers-Twin Valley

Twin Valley landed some early haymakers in a dominant Week 1 performance against Berks Catholic. The Raiders led 20-0 after the first quarter and 39-3 at halftime in Elverson. “Our whole team was playing aggressive. Our coaches were making aggressive calls, trusting that we’re gonna make the plays,” said Lucas Myers. The 6’1, 215-pound junior was a force on both sides of the ball in the 45-19 victory. Myers ran for 58 yards and three touchdowns on six carries. He also had four tackles and a sack from his linebacker position. Drew Engle was injured in last year’s opener with the Saints and missed the rest of the regular season. Engle finished with 152 yards and a score on Friday night. The Army lacrosse commit did all of his damage on eight carries in the first half. Engle added an interception and had an electrifying 98-yard touchdown run called back.

The Saints were missing Owen Schalk, their top running back, and 285-pound defensive tackle Damoni Daglis. Schalk returns next week and Daglis will be back in Week 3. Berks Catholic went three and out on the opening drive. Grant Moser then blocked a punt to set up Twin Valley at the 33-yard line. Engle’s 29-yard TD run made it 7-0 three and a-half minutes into the game. Sophomore quarterback Maverik Foster, who made his first career start, hit Ben Grundy for a 27-yard gain on the Raiders’ second series. Ryan Rementer capped it off with an 8-yard run up the middle. The 6’1, 200-pound senior had 41 yards on five carries, as well as a team-high seven tackles. “He’s definitely gonna make plays. He’s been working hard all offseason. He’s one of those guys that has been at every lift, always working hard,” noted Myers. With 1:46 remaining in the first quarter, Myers ripped off a 27-yard touchdown run for a 20-0 advantage.

Berks Catholic sophomore Coy Koller recovered a fumble which gave the Saints the ball at Twin Valley’s 17-yard line midway through the second quarter. Berks Catholic settled for a 31-yard field goal from Jay Tripathi. Grundy, a track standout, took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards up the middle for a touchdown. The Saints then lost a fumble at their 23-yard line while returning a kickoff. Myers rumbled nine yards for another score and a 32-3 lead with four minutes to go before halftime. After Engle’s interception, Foster found Dominic Summers on the right side of the end zone for a 12-yard score. Foster was 6-of-8 for 80 yards. “He’s comfortable, he’s making plays, and he’s communicating. He looks like he’s not a sophomore. He looks like he’s a vet that’s been here for years,” remarked Myers. Foster took over for Myers’ older brother, Evan, who’s at Kutztown University. Evan was a four-year starter under center and the school’s all-time passing leader with more than 5,000 yards. A 7-yard touchdown run by Lucas Myers put the Raiders in front 45-3 with 6:49 left in the third quarter. Koller and backup quarterback Braden Pennington had touchdown runs for Berks Catholic in the fourth quarter.

Twin Valley ended up with 362 total yards, including 282 on the ground. The Raiders had 236 rushing yards in the first half. They went (9-3, 5-2) a season ago and reached the District 3-4A semifinals. This is Brett Myers’ fourth year as head coach. “It’s awesome playing for my dad. We can go home and talk about the game…It’s always football, even in the offseason, it’s always football. It’s a football household,” said Lucas Myers.