“Roberts Rankings”-Football

Say goodbye to the summer. Football season is back! The action kicks off on Friday across Pennsylvania. The Lancaster-Lebanon League is coming off a banner year. Wyomissing and Cocalico brought home District 3 gold. Manheim Township, Ephrata, and Manheim Central reached the District 3 championship game in their respective classifications. Twin Valley and Schuylkill Valley set school records for wins. More than 20 players from the L-L League were selected to the PA Football Writers’ All-State teams. It’s going to be very difficult to repeat that level of success in 2024.

Without further ado, here are my preseason Berks County high school football rankings. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow! The records listed below are from last year.

Exeter continues to produce Division I talent. Logan Wegman is the latest. The 6’4, 275-pound OL/DL is headed to Navy. The Eagles have 94 wins over the last eleven seasons. All-State running back Jayden Zandier returns after averaging 10.7 yards per carry in 2023!

Wilson enters its 80th season with 600 all-time victories. The Bulldogs haven’t had a losing campaign since 1963! There will be new faces at QB, WR, OL, and only two starters return on defense. However, the beat goes on in West Lawn. Wilson has a very good group of tight ends so you may see a lot of 3 TE sets. The Bulldogs visit Manheim Township on October 25th. Circle that date on your calendar.

This could be a big year in Elverson. The Raiders won ten games last fall and this year’s squad might be even better. Evan Myers, Evan Johnson, Drew Engle, and Lucas Myers are back. Plus, Carter Faubel joins Navy commit Aris Drake on the offensive line. Faubel was a key figure on Delaware Valley’s District 2-5A championship team in 2023.

Wyomissing travels to Twin Valley on October 11th. Don’t be surprised if the Section 4 title is on the line that night. First things first-the Spartans entertain Southern Columbia this Saturday afternoon. The Tigers have rattled off seven consecutive state championships under the legendary Jim Roth. He’s one win shy of 500. Bob Wolfrum is preparing for his 38th season with a mark of (362-89-1). Wyomissing lost 16 seniors to graduation, but the cupboard isn’t bare.

Gov. Mifflin looks to get back on track. Nick Morrissey takes over for Jeff Lang as head coach, but the mentality remains the same. Ground and pound. Mick Vecchio returns to the coaching staff. He won 181 games over 26 years in Shillington. The Mustangs bring back seven starters on offense and six on defense.

Schuylkill Valley had to share the Section 5 championship last fall. That didn’t sit well with Bruce Harbach and the Panthers. Logan Nawrocki returns after throwing for 2,048 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has plenty of targets including tight end Luke Spotts and wide receiver Kowen Gerner. If Schuylkill Valley gets solid play in the trenches, the fans in Leesport will have a lot to cheer about.

Berks Catholic joins the Panthers in Section 5 after going (3-4) and finishing fifth in Section 4 a season ago. Longtime assistant Dave Stahler became the head coach following Rick Keeley’s retirement. He won 280 games over 38 years. Keeley was (118-41) with the Saints including four District 3 titles. Expect Berks Catholic to put the ball in the air a little more frequently. The Saints should be a contender in the Section 5 race.

It’s been a rough couple of years in Robesonia. The Scouts were decimated by injuries in 2023. The good news is they have a three-year starter at quarterback in Donovan Gingrich. Plus, a-half dozen starters are back on each side of the ball. Conrad Weiser moves up to Section 3 with Manheim Central, Cocalico, Garden Spot, Warwick, Solanco, and Fleetwood. Alan Moyer will begin his 22nd season as head coach with a school record 138 victories.

“The Great 8”

1.Exeter (8-3)

2.Wilson (7-4)

3.Twin Valley (10-2)

4.Wyomissing (12-2)

5.Gov. Mifflin (5-6)

6.Schuylkill Valley (9-3)

7.Berks Catholic (5-6)

8.Conrad Weiser (2-8)