Catholic – Berks Sports Report

Bryce Gumby-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:15:35 +0000

Berks Catholic’s streak of eleven consecutive winning seasons ended in 2022. The Saints finished (5-6) that year and had the same record last fall. They were hoping to get back on track this season, but things weren’t looking good in late September. First, there was a gut-wrenching 30-28 loss at Lancaster Catholic. The following week was just as frustrating. Berks Catholic returned home and fell to Schuylkill Valley 20-14 on a 68-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds remaining. The Saints were sitting at (2-4) and on the verge of missing the District 3 playoffs for the third straight year. “We kept our energy high through those losses and that really helped us,” said senior Bryce Gumby. Berks Catholic has turned things around under first-year head coach and longtime assistant Dave Stahler. The Saints have won five in a row to reach the District 3-3A semifinals. “We can’t focus on the bad things. When we focus on the good, good things come,” replied Gumby. He’s averaging a staggering 10.6 yards per carry. The 6’, 175-pound RB/CB has rushed for 834 yards and a team-high 13 TD. Gumby also has three touchdown catches and a pair of interceptions. Nate Rose, a 190-pound junior fullback, leads Berks Catholic with 913 yards and eleven scores. Zach Suski has been extremely efficient at quarterback. The first-year starter is completing 72% of his passes with 18 TD and just 3 INT. Suski has thrown for 1,543 yards. The 6’, 170-pound senior has distributed the ball evenly. Jackson Kozik, Gavin Welker, Scott Duffy, and Gumby each have between 14 and 20 receptions. Kozik has a team-high 20 catches. The 210-pound junior TE/DE has also made 64 tackles. Duffy leads the (7-4) Saints with four interceptions. The 6’1 senior WR/S has six touchdowns on just 14 receptions. Welker gives Suski a tall target. The 6’3 junior has pulled down 5 TD passes. Berks Catholic blew out fourth-seeded Biglerville 48-7 last week. The fifth-seeded Saints travel to top-seeded Bermudian Springs on Friday. The Eagles have won nine straight since losing their opener to New Oxford 28-13. Berks Catholic is (20-5) all-time in the District 3 playoffs. Gumby is happy to be back in the tournament. “It feels great. As a senior, that’s what you strive for,” he said.

Evan Myers-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 12:18:20 +0000

On the first play from scrimmage, Evan Myers rolled to his right and found Matthew Knight over the middle for a 49-yard gain. All of Twin Valley’s offensive weapons were on display in a 42-16 victory at Berks Catholic. The Raiders, who are coming off a 10-win season, piled up 512 total yards. Twin Valley came out with an uptempo attack. “It’s great to see some teams panting and gasping for air,” said Myers. The four-year starter was 9-of-14 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He added 112 yards and another score on the ground on just five carries. “We’re only as good as our linemen will be and they had a good day. They’ve proven that their hard work has been paying off,” replied Myers. The front five for the Raiders average 278 pounds. Left tackle Aris Drake (6’5, 295) is committed to Navy. Carter Faubel, a 270-pound transfer from Delaware Valley, is a physical presence at left guard and defensive tackle. Center Noah DiGiacomo (5’11, 235) and right guard Greyson Miller (6’1, 255) both started as sophomores a season ago. Junior Zach Troutman (6’2, 335) has stepped in at right tackle. Myers raced untouched down the right sideline for a 45-yard TD midway through the opening quarter. He then rolled left and went deep to Knight for a 44-yard TD pass with 33 seconds remaining in the first period. Berks Catholic punter Devyn Sutton fumbled a snap early in the second quarter which was returned seven yards for a score by Ryan Rementer. After a 29-yard field goal by Tyler Osorio got the Saints on the board, sophomore Lucas Myers capped a 72-yard drive with a 2-yard run that came 28 seconds before halftime. Drew Engle bounced a handoff down the right sideline for a 42-yard TD three minutes into the second half. Engle, who had 77 yards on seven carries, made it 35-3. After Lucas Myers recovered a Berks Catholic fumble, Evan Myers lofted a 47-yard TD pass to Ben Grundy with 7:32 to go in the third quarter. That score put the mercy rule into effect. Grundy, a 6’1 junior, had four receptions for 91 yards. Evan Johnson chipped in with ten carries for 82 yards. The Saints scored twice in the final six minutes. Zach Suski tossed a 3-yard TD pass to junior fullback Nate Rose. Three minutes later, Faith Zudie blocked a Twin Valley punt and recovered it in the end zone. Berks Catholic ended up with 195 total yards in Dave Stahler’s debut as head coach. Rose finished with 55 yards on a dozen carries. Suski went 12-of-16 for 138 yards. The Saints lost Bryce Gumby and Gavin Welker to injuries in the first half. Meanwhile, Evan Myers got his senior campaign off to a terrific start. “High school football is a great atmosphere…While I’m enjoying my senior year already, it’s sad that we only have nine guaranteed games left,” he said.

Return of the King(ston)

Paul Roberts — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 20:40:00 +0000

The Berks Catholic boys basketball team received some good news over the weekend. Kingston McKoy was cleared to return to action at the “Bash at the Beach” tournament. McKoy played limited minutes for the Saints. The standout guard suffered a fractured tibia against Reading on January 23rd. Berks Catholic won the game, but lost McKoy for the rest of the season. He averaged 15 points in 14 games as a sophomore. The defensive guru was a third team All-State selection in Class 4A.

The “Bash at the Beach” event was moved indoors this year due to the extreme heat. The Saints defeated Whitehall, the host school, in the semifinals on Sunday evening. McKoy didn’t play in that matchup. He saw just two minutes of action in the championship game versus Parkland. Berks Catholic came up short in the final 40-33 on Sunday night.

Tim Mertz-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 24 May 2024 12:35:00 +0000

Denver Ostrum’s pitching statistics didn’t jump off the page this season. The Delone Catholic senior had a 4.28 ERA entering the District 3-2A championship at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg. Kutztown wasn’t able to figure out the right-hander on Thursday night. Ostrum hurled a complete game four-hitter in a 7-1 victory over the fourth-seeded Cougars. “We were hitting a lot of fly balls. We didn’t hit line drives. We didn’t hit hard ground balls,” said longtime coach Tim Mertz. Ostrum struck out five and only walked one. The second-seeded Squires got a pair of runs in the 2nd on consecutive RBI doubles by Ethan Little and J.D. Sieg. Delone Catholic tacked on three more runs in the third frame. Chris Cole hit a bloop single to center to make it 3-1. Kole Schuler replaced Colten Mathias with bases loaded and two outs. Schuler walked Little and then threw a wild pitch to give the Squires a 5-1 edge. Nicolas Pierce provided a two-run single down the right field line for a 7-1 advantage in the 5th. Mathias suffered a lower back injury in early April. “He wasn’t as dominant as he had been prior to that,” noted Mertz. The junior righty was charged with five runs on five hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Schuler allowed two runs on four hits over two frames. Ashton Dunn, a junior southpaw, tossed 1.1 hitless innings for Kutztown. The bottom of the order did a lot of damage for Delone Catholic. Little, Sieg, and Pierce combined for five hits and 5 RBI. “We did not expect that and my scouting report did not show that at all,” said Mertz. Little and Sieg each went 2-for-2. Aidan Wittmer contributed two hits and a walk. The senior shortstop began the day with a team-high .383 batting average. The (14-7) Squires claimed their third District 3 title and second in the past three years. The Cougars finished (12-11). Their only run came in the 3rd on an infield single by Chase Sleboda. Chase Schuler came around to score on the play due to a throwing error by Wittmer. Mertz, who wrapped up his 24th season as head coach with 362 career wins, is optimistic about the future. He only had two seniors in the starting lineup. Mathias, Dunn, and Chris Bergstrom will all return on the mound next year. Kutztown will compete in Class 3A in 2025. “We should be a really solid pitching staff and team next year,” stated Mertz. The Cougars will be hunting their seventh District 3 championship next spring.

All-State Team-Boys Basketball

Paul Roberts — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:09:00 +0000

Two high school basketball players from Berks County were selected to the PA Sports Writers’ All-State team. Reading’s Yadiel Cruz is a first team pick in Class 6A. Kingston McKoy of Berks Catholic was named to the third team in Class 4A.

After averaging 8.5 points as a junior, Cruz led the Berks Conference in scoring at 22 ppg. in the 2023-24 season. The 6’2 guard hit a team-high 48 triples for the Red Knights. He finished with 729 points as a senior, including a career-high 40 in a 71-62 victory over Harrisburg on January 13th. Cruz shot 54% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc, while averaging 7.2 rebounds. In just two years at Reading, he accumulated 1,010 points. Cruz was voted the Berks County Player of the Year in 2024. He also received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award from the Reading Berks Basketball Association. The Red Knights won 22 games and reached the state semifinals this season.

McKoy made the All-State squad despite playing in only 14 games. Unfortunately, his season came to an end on January 23rd when he suffered a fractured tibia against Reading. Berks Catholic rallied to win that game 61-59 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. McKoy poured in a career-high 29 points in a thrilling 77-73 overtime victory at Trinity in late December. The 6’2 sophomore guard averaged 15 points this year. He also provided elite defense. McKoy was voted to the All-County team as well. The (23-5) Saints advanced to the second round of the PIAA-4A playoffs.

Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:15:00 +0000

Berks Catholic got production up and down its batting order in a 12-8 win over Kutztown. The Saints piled up 15 hits in a battle of division leaders on Monday. Head coach Brandon Shurr likes the depth in his lineup. “I think it’s one of our strengths as a team. We don’t have a big drop off,” he emphasized. Outfielders Michael Bradley and Mikey Fidler combined for six hits, four runs, and 3RBI. They hit seventh and ninth respectively. The Cougars scored twice in the opening frame thanks to a sacrifice fly and a passed ball. Berks Catholic responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Third baseman Aidan Curley stroked a line drive single to center to get the Saints on the board. Bradley then walked with the bases loaded. He’s hitting .455 with a team-high 13 runs this season. Berks Catholic exploded for seven runs in the 3rd inning. Curley, Maxx Mace, Fidler, and Dillon Walls provided RBI singles. Dennys Rodriguez drew a walk with the bases full to make it 7-2. Parker Nein followed with a grounder to shortstop. Kutztown got one out, but couldn’t turn the double play. Walls came around from second base to give the Saints two runs on the play. “He really bothers teams when he’s on the bases. He runs the bases really well,” noted Shurr. Walls went 2-for-5 and knocked in two runs. The sophomore middle infielder leads the club with a .500 batting average. Nein added three hits and drove in a couple of runs. The Penn State Harrisburg commit is hitting .483 with a team-high 13RBI. “He’s really our emotional leader. When he has a good game, the other guys attach to him and go with him,” said Shurr. The (7-7, 5-2) Cougars got a run in the 4th when Ashton Dunn stole third and scored on a throwing error. Dunn’s RBI single to right field in the 5th pulled Kutztown within 9-4. Nein hit a double down the third base line in the bottom of that inning to put Berks Catholic on top 10-4. Fidler and Walls gave the Saints some insurance runs in the 6th with RBI singles. Trey Stricker improved to (3-0, 3.71). The junior righty allowed six runs, five earned, on ten hits over six innings. Stricker struck out nine and walked only one. He has 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. Colten Mathias took the loss. The junior was charged with five runs, four earned, in just two innings. Mathias gave up five hits and walked three. Sophomore Chris Bergstrom allowed three runs on three hits without getting an out. Kole Schuler then took over on the mound. The senior limited Berks Catholic to two runs over three innings. Colin Hamm finished with four of the Cougars’ twelve hits. He had a two-run single off Mace in the 7th. Leadoff hitter Colin Diehl was 3-for-3 with a walk. Kutztown had won seven of its previous ten games. The Cougars remain atop the Division 4 standings. They captured their sixth District 3 championship and reached the PIAA-2A semifinals last year. Meanwhile, the (8-2, 6-1) Saints are trying to win the Division 3 crown and qualify for the BCIAA playoffs for the first time since 2018. “It means a lot to be one of our initial goals,” said Shurr.

Berks Catholic falls to Neumann-Goretti

Paul Roberts — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 05:56:48 +0000

A lot of the talk prior to Berks Catholic’s state playoff game against Neumann-Goretti was about who wasn’t on the court. Berks Catholic has been without talented guard Kingston McKoy since January 23rd. The 6’2 sophomore, who was averaging 15 points, suffered a fractured tibia during a win over Reading. Meanwhile, Neumann-Goretti was missing a pair of Division I commits. Khaafiq Myers (St. Joseph’s) and Amir Williams (Hofstra) are out with injuries. Myers was putting up 17 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds a night through eleven games. Williams, a 6’5 senior, aggravated his injury during the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs. The good news for longtime head coach Carl Arrigale is that he has a trio of promising sophomore guards. Stephon Ashley-Wright, Torrey Brooks, and DeShawn Yates combined for 58 points in a 72-51 triumph over Berks Catholic at Coatesville. Ashley-Wright was on fire in the first half. He sank four 3-pointers and jammed 14 points into the opening quarter. Ashley-Wright hit a triple along the right sideline as time expired. Berks Catholic was down 16-7 after eight minutes. Ashley-Wright didn’t slow down in the second period. He scored eight more points to give him 22 at halftime. Brooks connected three times from beyond the arc in the second quarter to give Neumann-Goretti a 37-19 cushion. The perennial power from the Philadelphia Catholic League made seven of its eight treys in the first half. Berks Catholic still trailed by 18 points after three quarters. The District 3 representative got within 55-41 with 5:45 remaining. Josh McKoy, a 6’3 senior, provided a team-high 13 points. Parker Nein added eleven points, all in the second half. He was one of four seniors in the starting lineup for Snip Esterly. While this PIAA-4A second round contest ended up being lopsided, the coaching matchup was compelling. Esterly has won 815 games including 201 in the postseason. His teams at Berks Catholic and Reading Central Catholic have claimed eight BCIAA championships, 14 District III titles, and the Class A state crown in 2007. Arrigale has guided his Saints to 601 victories over 26 years. He’s won nine PIAA championships and a record 12 Catholic League titles. Ashley-Wright poured in 28 points on Tuesday night. Brooks dropped 17 points and Yates had 13. Larenzo Jerkins contributed eleven points including nine in the second half. The 6’5 senior is headed to West Chester University. Neumann-Goretti committed just four turnovers while improving to (24-3). The Saints will meet District 2 champ Scranton Prep in the quarterfinals on Friday. Berks Catholic’s season comes to a close at (23-5).

Elijah Komoro-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 00:14:00 +0000

Elijah Komoro had a conversation with longtime head coach Snip Esterly before the season. “Coach told me I have a role, play defense and you’re gonna be on the court,” said Komoro. The 6’ senior forward took those words to heart. Berks Catholic bottled up Blue Mountain 43-32 in the first round of the PIAA-4A playoffs at Orwigsburg. The (23-5) Eagles entered the night averaging 64 points. The District 11 runner-up had just five points after the opening quarter. Komoro helped to limit sophomore guard Tyeirre Meade to seven points. Meade was scoreless in the first half when the Saints took a 21-15 advantage to the locker room. “He’s a really crafty guard. He can get to the basket. Coach said he had 49 3s so I tried to get a hand out there,” explained Komoro. Berks Catholic ended the second period on an 8-to-2 run. Josh McKoy, who averages 17 ppg., didn’t score in the first half. The 6’3 senior took control of the game in the third quarter with seven points. Berks Catholic built a 28-17 cushion. Blue Mountain responded well and pulled within 30-25 entering the final period. Komoro finished two layups to give the (23-4) Saints some breathing room. They were on top 40-32 with 1:45 remaining. Komoro provided a career-high nine points. He had scored just 36 points all season before Friday. Komoro gave credit to McKoy for some sweet assists. “A lot of people underrate his vision, but he knows how to get to the basket and get it to us,” replied Komoro. Parker Nein had a game-high 13 points including eleven in the first half. The 6’2 senior made half of Berks Catholic’s six 3-pointers. McKoy added nine points and Altimar chipped in with five. Isaac Thomas led the Eagles with a dozen points. The 6’5 Wilkes commit connected twice from long range. Blue Mountain hit five triples and only committed six turnovers. The Eagles were 1-of-2 from the foul line while the Saints went 5-for-8. Blue Mountain fell in the first round of the state tournament for the second straight year. Berks Catholic advanced to play Neumann-Goretti on Tuesday. The Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse has claimed nine PIAA championships. If the Saints want to pull off the upset, they’ll need another stellar effort on the defensive end.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 08:42:00 +0000

Over Snip Esterly’s 35 years as a head coach, defense has always been the driving force. Berks Catholic allowed just 47 points per game a season ago when the Saints won 23 games and their second straight District 3 championship. Entering Friday’s contest with ninth-seeded Middletown, Berks Catholic was giving up 48 points a night. The top-seeded Saints put the clamps on the Blue Raiders in a 44-37 victory at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Berks Catholic advanced to the District 3-4A semifinals and clinched a berth in the state tournament. Mason Blazer is a tough matchup at 6’5. The senior guard has scored more than 1,000 points at Middletown. Berks Catholic 6’3 senior Josh McKoy got the assignment of covering Blazer. When he picked up his third foul, senior forward Elijah Komoro took over the difficult task. Blazer managed only five points in the first half as the Saints built a 23-16 advantage. “I was really happy with both Josh and Elijah. They played him great,” stated Esterly. Blazer, who’s headed to St. Petersburg College in Florida, worked hard for his 17 points. Komoro is a defensive specialist. He’s one of several Berks Catholic players who understands his role. “We stress it every day and they do buy into it…Everybody has a role on this team and a role player is not a bad thing to say,” emphasized Esterly. The (21-3) Saints hadn’t played since last Wednesday’s loss to Wilson in the BCIAA semifinals. They struggled early offensively and went 14-of-26 from the free throw line. Berks Catholic trailed 7-3 after eight minutes. The Saints outscored the (16-8) Blue Raiders 20-to-9 in the second quarter. Seven of Parker Nein’s 12 points came in that period. McKoy finished with a team-high 16 points. Berks Catholic committed just eight turnovers. Blazer was called for his fourth foul with 5:17 remaining and Middletown down 30-25. He returned to the court a short time later and had five points in the fourth quarter. A reverse layup by McKoy gave the Saints a 35-27 edge with two minutes left. Timmy Moore’s 3-pointer from the left wing got the Blue Raiders within 36-30 with 1:15 to go. McKoy then went 2-for-2 from the stripe. Berks Catholic made enough free throws to keep Middletown at bay. The Saints were 11-of-20 in the final period. Aleel Batts, a 5’10 junior, provided a dozen points off the Blue Raiders’ bench. He made two of their four treys. Middletown ended up 9-for-11 from the foul line. Esterly stressed that playing at home was very significant. “These kids worked hard all season to get that No. 1 [seed] and they deserved it. It is a huge advantage,” he replied. Esterly improved his all-time record to (813-220). He has won 14 District 3 titles including five with the Saints. They host fifth-seeded Eastern York on Tuesday at 7pm in the semifinals. Middletown travels to Octorara on Tuesday for an elimination game.

Bulldogs Beat B.C.-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:47:00 +0000

Wilson extended its winning streak to 16 games with a 41-24 victory over Berks Catholic in the BCIAA semifinals at Santander Arena. The top-seeded Bulldogs allowed just one point in the second quarter and seven in the first half. They led the fourth-seeded Saints 20-7 at the break. Wilson entered the night giving up a mere 32 points per game. All-County guard Laila Jones finished with a team-high twelve points. The 5’7 sophomore banked in a runner from the free throw line as time expired in the first half. Freshman Kailani Hardy provided ten points off the bench as the Bulldogs beat the Saints for the third time this season. Junior guard Madison Langdon had a dozen points for Berks Catholic including seven in the third period. The (12-11) Saints trailed 28-17 after 24 minutes. They committed 14 turnovers in the first half. Sophomores Violet Houck and Janai Tisdale scored six points apiece for the (23-1) Bulldogs. Wilson went 5-of-7 from the free throw line, while Berks Catholic was 4-for-11. The Saints had won five of their previous six games. The Bulldogs are looking for their first Berks League title since 2014. They’ll take on undefeated Wyomissing in Friday’s championship at 6pm.