Ryan Koch-Berks Catholic

Size vs. shooting. That was the matchup Thursday night at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. The shooters from Berks Catholic were too much for #8 seed ELCO. The (21-4) Saints won 55-40 and clinched a berth in the state playoffs. Ryan Koch knows that the 3-point shot is a big reason for their success. The 6’3 junior connected four times from beyond the arc on his way to a game-high 19 points. The trio of Koch, Jack Miller, and Aidan Sands has knocked down 133 treys this season. Koch (56-3’s) and Sands were both all-division selections in a very competitive Division 1 of the Berks Conference which includes Reading, Wilson, Exeter, and Gov. Mifflin. Miller had the hot hand early. The 5’10 junior hit three of his four triples in the first half. He finished with twelve points. Sands added nine. Berks Catholic led 12-11 after the opening quarter. The Saints went on an 11-4 run over the first two and a-half minutes of the second period. Miller sank a pair of 3-pointers and Aron Reinhart came off the bench to provide five points. Only two more points were scored the rest of the quarter. Berks Catholic took a 25-15 advantage to the locker room. The Berks County runner-up outscored ELCO 13-4 in the second period. Koch had eight points in the third quarter including two shots from long range. His 3-pointer late in the period gave the Saints a 40-24 edge. He made another one from the left corner with 3:45 remaining for a 48-34 lead. Berks Catholic ended up with nine triples compared to three for the (14-11) Raiders. The Section 4 champions from the Lancaster-Lebanon League feature 6’7 senior Corey Attivo and 6’3, 210-pound senior Luke Williams. I talked with Koch about going up against the size of ELCO. Attivo had a team-high 14 points. He scored their first five points of the game. His dad, Scott, helped Steel-High win two state championships. Corey is getting a lot of Division III interest. Williams is headed to Bloomsburg to play linebacker. He piled up more than 400 tackles in his high school career. Williams averages a dozen points, but was held to four by the top-seeded Saints. Sophomore guard Dallas George chipped in with nine points for the Raiders. They got eight from 6’2 senior Rheece Shuey. ELCO went 5-7 from the free throw line, while Berks Catholic was 10-14. Each team only committed six turnovers. Koch was happy to be playing at home. We discussed longtime coach Snip Esterly. Koch admitted that he was intimidated by Esterly early in his career, but he realizes that Snip wants the best for him. Esterly is (767-211) over 33 years as a head coach. He has won 225 games in eleven seasons at Berks Catholic. Esterly’s postseason record is a remarkable (191-70). He’s looking for his 13th District 3 title. The Saints will host #4 Littlestown in the semifinals on Monday at 7pm. Koch loves to golf. I asked him about his favorite golfers, and would he rather play in the NBA or on the PGA Tour. His answers may surprise you. You will also learn who his favorite teacher is at Berks Catholic. Plus, Koch explained why he doesn’t play football.