Catholic – Berks Sports Report

Zach Suski-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 05:44:50 +0000

Zach Suski was disappointed with how he played last week. The 6’ senior at Berks Catholic has bounced back in a big way. Suski scored 20 points in a 73-52 win at Reading on Tuesday. He topped that performance by pouring in a career-high 34 points against Muhlenberg on Friday night. The Saints held off the Muhls 65-61 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. “I don’t really know what to say. I’m just happy how I played,” replied Suski. He knocked down two of Berks Catholic’s six 3-pointers and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Suski, who’s the quarterback of the Saints’ football team, came into the night averaging 10 points per game. He had 18 in the first half versus Muhlenberg. Berks Catholic raced out to a 14-4 advantage. Brady Altimar drilled a 40-foot shot at the buzzer to make it 19-7 after the opening quarter. Suski provided seven points in the first eight minutes. The (6-1) Saints expanded their cushion to 28-11 in the second period. They didn’t commit a single turnover over the first ten minutes and were in front 32-22 at halftime. The Muhls didn’t go down quietly. Senior guards Jayden Kantner and Shermar Killen combined for 15 points in the third quarter. Killen picked up two fouls in the first six minutes and then got his third foul with 1:09 remaining in the second quarter. The All-County pick was limited to two points in the first half, but finished with 14. Kantner ended up with a team-high 26 points. He attacked the basket repeatedly and was 10-of-11 from the foul line. Muhlenberg, which has played just one home game this season, trailed 49-42 after the third quarter. Kingston McKoy started the final period with a trey. The highly-touted 6’2 junior guard provided Berks Catholic with 16 points. Altimar chipped in with eight points. A fast break layup by Killen pulled the (6-3) Muhls within 56-53 with 3:45 left. Suski responded with a three-point play after getting a pass from McKoy in transition. McKoy was a third team All-State selection in Class 4A a season ago. “Everyone focuses on him, sometimes double-team him. I’m just right there for the layup,” explained Suski. Kantner sank a pair of free throws with two minutes to play, but Suski converted another layup for a 61-57 edge. An inside basket by junior forward Michael Miller made it 63-61 in the final minute. On the ensuing possession, McKoy broke Muhlenberg’s press and fired a diagonal pass from half-court to Suski for a layup. That shot came with 30 seconds left and ended the scoring. The Saints were 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, while the Muhls went 12-of-14. “It’s tough. Every game is gonna be a good game. Every game you gotta play like a playoff game,” said Suski about moving up from Division 2 to Division 1 of the Berks Conference. He added, “The atmosphere is way better than last year. The season has been fun so far.” Scoring 54 total points in back-to-back games is also fun.

Kingston McKoy-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 05:51:30 +0000

Kingston McKoy has scored 62 points in the first three games of the season, but it was his assist that helped Berks Catholic hold off Wilson on Monday night. McKoy was trapped in the corner with 30 seconds left when he threw a pass over the top of the Bulldogs’ defense. Zach Suski grabbed the ball just past half-court and went in for a twisting layup. Suski made the shot and drew a foul. His three-point play gave the Saints a 53-49 edge. They went on to beat Wilson 54-49 in West Lawn. “That closed the game for us in my opinion. I got buried down too deep in the corner. That one was on me. I should’ve stayed up a little higher…Thankfully, he converted. That was a great layup on his part,” said McKoy. After Suski’s bucket, Jon Etim missed a 3-pointer. Freshman Carmelo Harper then sank 1-of-2 from the foul line with 21 seconds remaining. Harper provided eleven points off the bench. “He’s gonna be great. I love his game. He’s got the pullup, the 3 down, and he can finish. He’s crafty. He can get a bucket whenever he wants,” emphasized McKoy. Gavin Welker, a transfer from Daniel Boone, got Berks Catholic off to an incredible start. The 6’2 junior forward scored all eight of his points in the first five and a-half minutes. “Gavin is a great addition. He does everything on the court. His rebounding is great and he can shoot the ball,” noted McKoy. The (3-0) Saints raced out to a 14-0 advantage. Correll Akings’ putback before the buzzer accounted for the Bulldogs only points in the opening period. Harper started the second quarter with a trey and Berks Catholic went on to build a 19-2 cushion. The Bulldogs trailed 29-16 at halftime. Wilson looked like a different team in the third quarter. The Bulldogs went on a 22-to-6 run. Correll Akings hit three straight triples to put Wilson in front for the first time at 38-35 with two and a-half minutes to go in the third period. The Saints bounced back and led 42-40 entering the fourth quarter. A layup by Luke Levan pulled the Bulldogs within 50-49. The 6’5 senior ended up with eight points. Suski’s breakaway bucket made it a two possession game. He had eight points. McKoy and Akings finished with 18 points apiece. McKoy was responsible for four of Berks Catholic’s seven 3-pointers. All five of Wilson’s long range field goals came in the third quarter. Madyx Gruber, an All-County selection, had 14 points. Wilson went just 8-of-15 from the free throw line, while the Saints were 5-of-9. The (2-1) Bulldogs were limited to nine points over the last eight minutes. Wilson senior guard Tommy McFadden and Berks Catholic junior guard Brady Altimar were back in action. McFadden had been out with an illness and Altimar was dealing with an ankle injury. McKoy, a third team All-State pick last season, loves facing tough competition. “Playing those games is what I live for. Those games are really fun. Moving up to Division 1, we’re gonna have a lot of those games. That’s what really makes a good basketball team,” replied McKoy.

B.C. rolls over PJP II

Paul Roberts — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 16:50:31 +0000

Zach Suski helped the Berks Catholic football team get back to the District 3 playoffs this fall. On Saturday afternoon, the Saints’ quarterback showed that he’s an important piece to the puzzle on the court as well. Suski tied his career-high with 18 points as Berks Catholic blew out Pope John Paul II 56-37 in the CoBL Winter Classic at Exeter. The 6’ senior jammed 16 points into the second half as the (2-0) Saints pulled away from the (3-1) Golden Panthers. Suski had nine points in the fourth quarter. Kingston McKoy set the tone with 13 points in the first half. The 6’2 junior finished with a game-high 19. Freshman guard Carmelo Harper added nine points and Jackson Kozik chipped in with seven points. Berks Catholic committed just one turnover after the opening quarter. The Saints turned it over six times in the first eight minutes, but still led 11-5. PJP II trailed 24-13 at halftime and 41-28 after the third period. Senior Jake Robinson scored a team-high twelve points. He hit two of the Golden Panthers’ four 3-pointers. Zahaid Edwards-Boone provided eight points. Junior point guard Ayden Wise was limited to three points. He poured in 18 on Friday in a 52-40 victory over Sankofa Freedom Academy from Philadelphia. PJP II won the District 1-4A championship a season ago. Berks Catholic gets right back to work on Monday night. The Saints visit defending BCIAA champion Wilson.

B.C. beats Cumberland Valley in Opener

Paul Roberts — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 05:47:42 +0000

Berks Catholic kicked off its 2024-25 season with a bang. The Saints defeated Cumberland Valley 60-57 in the CoBL Winter Classic at Exeter. The Eagles are the defending District 3 champion in Class 6A. They returned four starters from that (25-4) squad. “We have a lot of things to improve on, but to beat a seasoned team like them, I’m very happy for our ball club,” said longtime head coach Snip Esterly. All-State guard Kingston McKoy struggled in the first half. The 6’2 junior managed just two points as the Saints trailed 26-19. McKoy, however, erupted in the second half. He jammed 15 points into the third quarter and finished with a game-high 25. “That was the Kingston that we see every day,” replied Esterly. Cumberland Valley didn’t have an answer for McKoy who scored at all three levels. Berks Catholic opened the second half on a 14-0 run and a dozen of those points came from McKoy. The Saints outscored the Eagles 24-10 in the third period. Zach Suski, the quarterback of Berks Catholic’s football team, drilled a 3-pointer from in front of his bench midway through the fourth quarter. That shot made it 52-44, but Cumberland Valley didn’t go away quietly. McKoy missed a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left. A layup by physical 6’3 senior Nolan Buzalka trimmed the Eagles’ deficit to 58-56 with 18 seconds remaining. After a Saints’ turnover in the backcourt, Sam Parsons was fouled on a putback attempt. The 6’3 junior went 1-for-2 from the foul line. Bryce Gumby, who didn’t play basketball a season ago, converted two clutch free throws with eight seconds to go. Gumby provided twelve points off the bench. The 5’11 senior gave Berks Catholic a 60-57 cushion. JJ Lebo, a 6’3 senior guard, didn’t hit the rim on a 3-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer. Creston Austin led Cumberland Valley with 15 points. Sophomore Jared Dolimpio chipped in with 13 points and Buzalka added ten. The Eagles were 9-of-14 from the foul line, while the Saints went 8-of-14. McKoy hit two of Berks Catholic’s four treys. Cumberland Valley only connected twice from long range. Freshman guard Carmelo Harper gave the Saints a boost with ten points. Esterly earned his 816th victory over 36 years as a head coach. “It was a nice win over a very nice team,” he said.

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.