Pflomm beat the (10-8, 8-4) Spartans for the second time this spring. The sidearm righty allowed just one earned run on four hits over 6.2 innings in their first meeting. The Saints prevailed 10-2 on April 8th. Pflomm wasn’t as sharp this time around. He gave up six runs, four earned, on eight hits in a complete game effort. The senior hit four batters, but didn’t issue any walks. Pflomm has a 2.46 ERA this year. He’s also batting .419 and is tied for the team lead with 17 RBI.

Noah Rauenzahn was charged with six runs on five hits and four walks. The Alvernia commit hit a pair of batters over three innings. Ryan Graham took over on the mound and allowed five runs, two earned, in 1.2 innings. The senior southpaw gave up three hits and four walks. He’s headed to Alvernia as well. Curran Cirulli was the third pitcher used by Wyomissing. The sophomore permitted five runs, three earned, on four hits over 1.1 innings. Cirulli handed out three walks. Berks Catholic first baseman Cole Harter reached base five times without a hit. He drew four walks and was hit by a pitch.

The Spartans got on the board first with two runs on three hits and an error in the first frame. Rauenzahn helped himself with a line drive single to center for a 1-0 lead. Cirulli then hit a high chopper over third base to bring in another run. The Saints responded with three runs in the second, including a two-run double down the left field line by sophomore Henry Lago. A sacrifice fly by Teddy White in the bottom half of the inning tied it at 3-3. Mejia put Berks Catholic back on top with a RBI single to left in the third. Mace followed with a two-run single down the third base line for a 6-3 advantage. Zander Westwood hammered a two-run triple to right in the bottom of the third. He scored on a groundout by Caleb Goodhead. It was knotted at 6-6 going to the fourth.

A two-run single to center by Mace quickly put the Saints in front 8-6. They tacked on three runs in the fifth, including a two-run double to left-center by Owen Schalk. He walked three times and scored three runs. Berks Catholic added five more runs in the top of the sixth. Pflomm delivered a three-run double to right-center. Mace made it 16-6 with a RBI single.

The Saints reached the BCIAA Championship Game a season ago before falling to Gov. Mifflin 11-1. The Berks County playoffs begin next Thursday. “It’s a very wide open county. I think we’re gonna have a good shot. I think we can make a really good run,” remarked Mace.

Reading upset Exeter 5-2 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Eagles had won six of their previous seven contests.

Muhlenberg blanked Conrad Weiser 9-0. Cooper Burr fired five hitless innings with nine strikeouts. Six players had at least one hit for the Muhls.

Daniel Boone defeated Twin Valley 9-1 in Birdsboro. Sophomore Greyson Bell gave up one unearned run on one hit over 5.2 innings. The southpaw racked up eleven strikeouts. Chase Yenser finished with three hits. He scored a pair of runs and knocked in two more.

Wyomissing used a four-run second inning to top Hamburg 5-1 on “Hawk Hill.” Chase Bailey held Hamburg to one unearned run on three hits in 5.2 innings. Teddy White provided two hits and two runs.

Berks Catholic hammered Brandywine Heights 16-1 in four innings. Henry Pflomm went 2-for-3 and drove in five runs.

Oley Valley cruised past Antietam 8-0. Nick DeBalko limited the Mounts to one hit in 4.2 innings. He struck out nine batters. The Lynx host Kutztown on Wednesday in a battle for first place in Division 4.

Schuylkill Valley beat Tulpehocken 15-5 in six innings. The Panthers took the lead with nine runs in the fourth inning. The Trojans committed eleven errors.

Kutztown held off Executive Education Academy 12-9. The Cougars built a 10-0 cushion in the top of the fourth. Ryan Walters was 2-for-2 with two walks. He scored three times and knocked in a couple of runs. Domanic Nolt added two hits and 2 RBI.

McKoy, a two-time All-State selection, drilled a pair of 3-pointers and made a layup to put Bishop McDevitt in an early 18-8 hole. The two-time BCIAA Player of the Year squeezed nine points into the opening quarter. Berks Catholic led 18-10 after eight minutes. The Crusaders went on a 9-0 run to pull within 22-21 with 1:21 left in the first half. The action heated up before the break with Kenyon Portee throwing down a breakaway dunk. The 6’2 junior guard entered the night averaging 16 ppg. Portee, a transfer from Trinity, had 20 points in Bishop McDevitt’s 64-46 rout of Big Spring in the semifinals. Brady Altimar answered with a trey from the right wing in the final seconds to even the score at 25-25.

Portee began the third quarter by hitting a triple, the first of the game for the Crusaders. He then found Ethan Hammer for a layup and a 30-25 edge. Hammer, a 6’ senior, finished with a team-high 16 points. Portee and Pat Denisco added ten points apiece. McKoy splashed another 3-pointer with 3:35 remaining in the period to put the Saints on top 34-32. Berks Catholic connected eight times from beyond the arc, while Bishop McDevitt was limited to three shots from long range. The Saints had a slim 37-33 cushion after the third quarter.

Portee started the final period with a three-point play. Denisco, a 5’10 senior, came alive in the fourth quarter. He hit a triple from the right wing and then dished the ball to Hammer for a layup on a 2-on-1 break. Denisco then drained a pull-up jumper to give the Crusaders a 45-44 lead with 2:42 to go. After McKoy dropped off a pass to Johnny Giesa for a bucket, Denisco delivered another 3-pointer from the right wing. Bishop McDevitt was up 48-46 with 1:36 to play, but a layup by McKoy knotted things up. Dom Baker grabbed an offensive rebound and put it home with 46 seconds on the clock. The 6’3 freshman chipped in with nine points off the bench. McKoy drove to the basket and was fouled with 25 seconds left. He went 2-for-2 to tie it at 50-50. Portee’s off-balance scoop shot rimmed out with one second remaining. This instant classic would be decided in overtime.

McKoy started the extra session with a floater in the middle of the lane. He powered his way to the basket and scored again with 1:32 to go. After Portee was called for traveling, Gavin Welker made a pair of free throws for a 56-50 advantage with 56 seconds to play. Baker knocked down two foul shots to get the Crusaders within 56-52. Those would be their only points in overtime. Following two missed free throws by Giesa, Baker was unable to finish a drive down the right side of the lane. McKoy sealed the deal with two more foul shots with 14 seconds left. He ended up 15-of-18 from the stripe. “He should’ve got there 30 times,” stated Esterly. Berks Catholic was 18-of-25 from the foul line, while Bishop McDevitt went 9-of-11.

Altimar had eight points, including a couple of 3-pointers. Carmelo Harper helped the cause with seven points and Welker provided five. The Saints are (37-9) all-time in the District 3 playoffs. Esterly picked up his 16th District 3 championship over 37 years. Berks Catholic will head to the state tournament riding a 19-game winning streak. “I think it builds so much confidence in these guys. We never think we’re out of it. There was a time it looked dim when they took a lead, but we came storming back,” said Esterly.

Berks Catholic raced out to a 15-5 advantage over Exeter after the first quarter. The Saints led 8-0 before Dauble splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The 6’3, 215-pound senior is committed to Shippensburg for football. He’s averaging 15 ppg. this season. Dauble reached 1,000 career points last month. The (15-9) Eagles trailed 29-15 at halftime.

Carmelo Harper and Altimar hit back-to-back triples in the third quarter. Berks Catholic’s cushion extended to 32-15 with 3:15 left in the period. The Saints were in control 43-27 entering the fourth quarter. McKoy drained a trey from the right wing with six minutes remaining to make it 48-29. The 6’4 Colgate commit finished with a game-high 24 points, including nine in the final period. Harper added 16 points. The 6’1 sophomore guard was responsible for two of Berks Catholic’s five 3-pointers. Johnny Giesa chipped in with seven points and Altimar had six on a pair of shots from beyond the arc. The Saints were without Gavin Welker due to a school-related issue. The 6’3 senior forward had 16 points in a 58-42 win over Schuylkill Valley in the quarterfinals on Monday.

Berks Catholic went 4-of-9 from the foul line, while the Eagles ended up 7-for-11. After Dauble’s early 3-pointer, they didn’t make another attempt from long range until the fourth quarter. Dauble, Jayden Ware, and Braylon Reinert had eight points apiece. “Overall defensively, I thought we did a great job,” said Esterly. The Saints are searching for their first BCIAA title since 2018. They split a pair of games with Reading during the regular season. Berks Catholic prevailed in the most recent matchup 68-47 on January 31st at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium.

Class 6A:

Mike Glover-TE (Wilson)

Jaiden Carpenter-DB (Wilson)

Class 5A:

Leo Brown-RB (Exeter)

Joel Ummarino-OL (Exeter)

Jayden Ware-DB (Exeter)

Cam Small-RB (Muhlenberg)

Class 4A:

Drew Engle-RB (Twin Valley)

Greyson Miller-OL (Twin Valley)

Ben Grundy-Athlete (Twin Valley)

Lucas Myers-LB (Twin Valley)

Ryan Rementer-LB (Twin Valley)

Justice Hardy-DB (Wyomissing)

Class 3A:

Logan Cammauf-LB (Schuylkill Valley)

Faith Zudie-DL (Berks Catholic)

The (10-3) Shamrocks went up 3-0 on Logan Amatucci’s 30-yard field goal with 8:30 left in the second quarter. After struggling early, senior quarterback Mason Boyer came alive late in the first half. He engineered a 90-yard drive in just two minutes. Boyer connected with Jarzynski for 18 and 23 yard gains. They hooked up again for a 15-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline with 24 seconds on the clock. Boyer was 6-for-7 on that series. He finished 17-of-30 for 177 yards and 2 TD. Boyer has thrown for just over 1,900 yards with 23 touchdowns this season.

The Saints trailed 10-0 at halftime. Berks Catholic had some momentum in the third quarter after a 16-yard run by Jeremiah Camara. On third-and-21, Johnny Sauppee scrambled and took a late hit. That personal foul set up a fourth-and-2 at Trinity’s 26-yard line. Sophomore Coy Koller went up the middle for four yards to move the chains. However, the drive stalled from there and ended with no points when Alex Reali barely missed a 40-yard field goal with 1:09 remaining in the quarter. The Shamrocks responded by marching 80 yards over seven minutes and twenty seconds. Harris ripped off a 24-yard run and Boyer found Yeager for 24 more yards. Jarzynski sealed it with a 8-yard touchdown grab in the left corner of the end zone. He and Yeager entered the night with 101 combined receptions for 1,361 yards. “They’re big, strong kids. I thought we had people on them all night. I don’t think it was a scheme flaw. I thought our kids did everything they could and there were just physical mismatches we couldn’t quite overcome…Even when they were covered, they could make the play,” replied Stahler. Gavin Mann intercepted Sauppee with 2:27 to go at Trinity’s 45-yard line. It was the Saints’ second turnover of the game. They fumbled on their opening possession which was recovered by Caleb Klepeiss. Berks Catholic ended up with just 65 rushing yards. Camara had a dozen carries for 40 yards. Sauppee was 3-of-5 for (-3) yards.

The (9-3) Saints saw their eight-game winning streak come to a close, but Stahler remained positive. “I’m so proud of this group of kids. They heard from everybody how bad they were gonna be and they worked their tails off all year. I love those kids. I wish we had more time together; that’s my only disappointment tonight,” he said. Berks Catholic was denied its fifth District 3 championship, but the Saints did capture the Section 5 title in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Faith Zudie and Eric Bennethum played very well at defensive end against the Shamrocks, and Josiah Turman came up with an interception. They will all be returning along with Camara, Koller, Damoni Daglis, Ryan Spatz, Mason Mace, Wyatt Burkman, and others. “I think this is a motivated group. I think these kids really care about each other. I think they like being at Berks Catholic. We have a good thing going for next year,” emphasized Stahler.

Holy Name graduate Eric Hancock joined Stahler’s coaching staff this season as the defensive coordinator. The former Twin Valley head coach was an assistant at Schuylkill Valley last fall. “Eric is very knowledgeable. He coaches with passion. He’s great at breaking down opponents,” noted Stahler. Berks Catholic only allowed 6.6 points per game in league play. Faith Zudie leads the Saints with 78 tackles including 18 tackles for loss. Annville-Cleona had no answer for the 6’, 180-pound junior defensive end. Zudie racked up 14 tackles and 5 TFL. If that wasn’t enough, he also blocked a field goal. “The best thing about Faith is that he has a positive attitude about everything he attacks. In class, in the weight room, on the football field, he’s an awesome kid. He plays with great effort all the time. He practices hard all the time. That’s what makes him a great football player,” emphasized Stahler. Eric Bennethum and Damoni Daglis, both juniors, have also played well on the defensive line. Sophomore safety Mason Mace is second on the team in tackles with 63. Junior linebacker Ryan Spatz isn’t far behind with 59 stops.

The Saints’ offense has done most of its work on the ground. They’re averaging 35.6 points and 338 rushing yards per contest. Four players have between 60-80 carries in the Wing-T attack. Xavier Gerald has a team-high 738 yards and seven touchdowns. Reading transfer Jeremiah Camara has provided 701 yards and 7 TD in seven games. “It’s been a great addition. It’s been nice to have Jeremiah and what he brings to the table,” replied Stahler. Aidan Curley and sophomore Coy Koller have combined for 1,021 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Owen Schalk put Berks Catholic on top in overtime last Friday with a 10-yard touchdown run. He missed the season opener after having his wisdom teeth removed and then was out three more games due to a shoulder injury. “Owen is a dynamic athlete. He’s physical, he’s fast, and he runs through tackles. He’s awesome as a ball carrier so it’s nice to have him back,” said Stahler. Schalk is averaging a staggering 13.2 yards per carry on 38 touches.

The Saints have a bye this week which will allow Stahler to spend Halloween with his three young children. Bermudian Springs hosts Big Spring on Friday. Berks Catholic will meet the winner of that District 3-3A quarterfinal. Bermudian Springs knocked out the Saints 42-25 in the semifinals a season ago. “We’d like to play them again. I don’t think we played our best game that night, but both programs are good. They’re both physical teams,” stated Stahler.