Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Coaches often say that most football games are won at the line of scrimmage. If that’s true, Berks Catholic should be in good shape. The Saints return several key players up front including Eric Bennethum, Palmer Reber, Damoni Daglis, Anthony Zatorski, and Faith Zudie. Reber was voted the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last season. The 6’2, 260-pound senior was also third on the team with 64 tackles. He was named a first team defensive lineman in the section. Reber and Bennethum are part of the Saints’ wrestling team which reached the PIAA-2A semifinals. Reber, who can squat 465 pounds, will be moving from guard to tackle this fall. Bennethum and Daglis are both coming off impressive sophomore campaigns. Bennethum was selected to the first team in Section 5 on offense and defense. Daglis tied for the team lead with 70 tackles and three sacks. Zudie is a junior defensive end with a lot of potential. “He’s starting to put it all together. He’s really strong, really fast. If he can harness all the tools he has, he’s gonna be really good,” noted Reber. Johnny Sauppee and Ryan Spatz give Berks Catholic a pair of solid linebackers.
Owen Schalk, Cole Harter, and Aidan Curley helped the Saints capture the District 3-3A baseball championship this spring. They’re going to be key pieces on the gridiron. Schalk, who hit .416 with 39 RBI, will be getting a lot of carries. Schalk and Curley each ran the ball just 31 times in 2024. They were more of a factor on defense with 86 combined tackles. Meanwhile, Harter takes over for Zach Suski at quarterback. Senior Xavier Gerald made the most of his touches last year. He ran for 334 yards and four touchdowns on only 27 carries. “He’s got so much speed. He’s like the Flash back there and he’s got some muscle on him too,” replied Reber. Gio DiSabatino will be at wide receiver, along with Josiah Turman and sophomore Logan Gonzalez.
Berks Catholic will be missing some familiar faces. Nate Rose is at Germantown Academy, Jackson Kozik transferred to Exeter, and Gavin Welker opted not to play. Rose ran for a team-high 1,066 yards and 11 TD a season ago. Kozik led the Saints with 24 catches and 70 tackles. Welker, a 6’3 senior, turned 17 receptions into five scores at wide receiver. In addition, defensive coordinator Pat Sisk has gone from Berks Catholic to Gov. Mifflin. Eric Hancock is the Saints’ new DC. The Holy Name graduate was a former head coach at Twin Valley. Hancock was an assistant at Schuylkill Valley last season.
Speaking of the Panthers, they won the Section 5 title outright in 2024. Berks Catholic and Lancaster Catholic finished two games behind at (5-2) in league play. Hamburg was in fourth place with a (4-3) mark. The Saints ended up (7-5) overall and got back to the District 3 playoffs after a two-year absence. They fell to eventual champion Bermudian Springs 42-25 in the District 3-3A semifinals.
Dave Stahler, a Holy Name and Kutztown University graduate, enters his second year as head coach at Berks Catholic. The Saints have an intriguing opener at Twin Valley next Friday night. The Raiders have reached the District 3 semifinals in three straight seasons. Berks Catholic hosts Lancaster Catholic on September 19th. The Saints travel to Leesport the following week to face Schuylkill Valley. We will learn a lot about Berks Catholic in the first month of the season. We already know that they have some heavy hitters in the trenches.