Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
It’s easy to understand why Twin Valley’s offense gets so much attention. The (13-0) Raiders are averaging an eye-popping 52.4 points. They scored 141 points in their three District 3-4A playoff games and earned their first District title. Twin Valley’s defense, however, shouldn’t be overlooked. The Raiders are allowing just 162 total yards per contest and 10 ppg. They blanked top-seeded Susquehanna Township in the second half of last Friday’s District 3-4A Championship. “That’s our goal every single game, be the more physically dominant team,” said linebacker Ryan Rementer. The 6’1, 200-pound senior had nine tackles in the 41-21 victory over the (12-1) Indians. Lucas Myers, a 215-pound junior linebacker, finished with a team-high ten tackles. “He’s probably one of the hardest workers I know. He was at every single lift through the offseason. He’s a three-sport athlete. I’m really happy to be teammates with him,” remarked Rementer. Andrew Cabigas and Keenan Munn added seven tackles apiece against Susquehanna Township. Grant Moser and James Alexy came down with interceptions in what was a total team effort on the defensive side of the ball.
Twin Valley limited perennial powerhouse Wyomissing to only six points in a highly anticipated Week 8 matchup at Bob Wolfrum Field. The Raiders prevailed 28-6 for their first win over the Spartans since 2009. The following week, Twin Valley held Lampeter-Strasburg to just seven points and 91 total yards. Second-seeded West York could only muster 14 points versus the Raiders in the District 3 semifinals. Rementer and Myers have been quite a one-two punch all season. They each have more than 110 tackles. Rementer was an honorable mention pick at linebacker in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last year. “People say that it’s a very physical position and it is, but it’s not all about that. It’s really mental and I like having that challenge,” he explained. Rementer is also a standout in the classroom. He carries a 4.0 GPA.
The Raiders will face Aliquippa in the PIAA-4A semifinals on Friday at 7pm at Mifflin County High School. The (10-3) Quips are riding a 5-game winning streak. Two of their three losses came back in September when they fell to undefeated Avonworth and New Castle. Aliquippa features a stingy defense as well. The Quips are giving up 12.8 ppg. They got a 100-yard pick-6 from senior safety Qalil Goode in last week’s 28-6 victory over Oil City. Aliquippa knocked off McKeesport 21-12 for its record 21st WPIAL crown. This is familiar territory for the Quips. They’ve won five state titles, most recently in 2023. The program from north of Pittsburgh has 801 wins in its illustrious history.
Rementer knows that stopping the run will be a big key on Friday. “They’re very physical. We need to match and exceed that physicality…We’ve gone up against a lot of running teams that are also very physical so we’re very familiar with that,” he noted. Twin Valley loves to run the rock too. Drew Engle racked up 281 yards and 3 TD on 31 carries a week ago. The Army lacrosse commit has established school records with 3,971 career rushing yards and 60 career touchdowns. Engle broke his own single-season record with 1,855 rushing yards this year. The Raiders are ranked #1 in the state in Class 4A by PennLive. Aliquippa sits at #3 in this week’s poll. Although Twin Valley made history by capturing its first District 3 championship, the Raiders aren’t satisfied yet. “It feels great, but we’re gonna keep going one game at a time, one rep at a time, and one day at a time,” said Rementer.