Central – Berks Sports Report

Brian Kopetsky-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Sat, 18 May 2024 15:23:00 +0000

Muhlenberg and Manheim Central are very familiar with each other. They’ve met in the District 3 playoffs three times in the past four years. They also squared off in the 2024 season opener with the Barons winning 4-3. Brian Kopetsky, who’s in his 25th year as the Muhls’ head coach, expected a tight game and that’s exactly what he got. Eli Keller sprinted home with the winning run on a wild pitch in the 9th for a 6-5 victory. “Keller is one of our best baserunners, he’s aggressive. There was no hesitation, there was no flinch. He was gone as soon as he saw the ball hit the dirt,” noted Kopetsky. Muhlenberg advanced to the District 3-5A quarterfinals at second-seeded Mechanicsburg on Monday at 4:30pm. Manheim Central finished (13-9). The seventh-seeded Muhls scored three runs on three hits and an error in the second frame. Sophomore Gavin Moody hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Lincoln High and Cam Burr followed with RBI singles. Burr, a two-time All-County selection, got the start on the mound. The Kutztown University commit allowed a three-run homer to left by Mount St. Mary’s commit Nolan Book in the 3rd. Muhlenberg responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Aaden Lopez crushed a RBI double to center. He stole third base and scored on a bunt by Josh Smeltzer with two outs. The tenth-seeded Barons got one run back on a two-out error by High at third base. A sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Carter Kyle tied it at 5-5 in the 6th. Smeltzer tossed three scoreless innings of relief. The senior southpaw gave up just one hit with two strikeouts. “His fastball has a lot of tail on it…You get a lot of fly balls out of Smeltzer,” said Kopetsky. Book walked Keller and Shane Rosenberry to begin the bottom of the 9th. Those were the only free passes issued by Manheim Central’s four pitchers. Kevin Rodriguez hit a bloop single to load the bases with nobody out. Keller then raced home to end the tense first round matchup. Rodriguez, who missed about two weeks with a broken hand, had four of the Muhls’ twelve hits. Smeltzer and High contributed two hits apiece. Barons’ starter Chase Travitz was charged with five runs, three earned, on six hits over three innings. Kyle Mylin fired 2.1 innings of shutout relief and Trevor Lowe got two key outs in the 6th. Book took over on the hill in the seventh frame. Muhlenberg got the leadoff hitter on base in the 7th and 8th innings, but couldn’t score. Book struck out three. Burr allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits over six innings. The Muhls’ seniors may have arrived at prom a little late on Friday, but they kept their season alive. “It does show a lot about their character that they’re willing to fight and battle all the way to the end,” stated Kopetsky.

Reading’s Season Ends in Final 4

Paul Roberts — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 04:14:08 +0000

Most high school teams are fortunate to have one 1,000-point scorer in their lineup. Central York has three of them. The Panthers showed off their offensive firepower in a 79-65 win over Reading in the PIAA-6A semifinals. The Red Knights held McDowell to 47 points in the second round and Coatesville to 44 in the quarterfinals. Central York demonstrated why its averaging 72 points per game. The (28-3) Panthers can beat you inside or outside. They splashed six 3-pointers in the first half. Greg Guidinger, the school’s all-time leading scorer, sank three treys in the first quarter. The 6’6 senior jammed eleven points into the first eight minutes. He finished with 22. Ben Rill, a 6’8 junior, had a game-high 26 points. He was 10-for-15 from the free throw line. Ben Natal, who’s also in the 1,000-point club, exploded for ten points in the second period. The 6’2 junior guard drained a triple from the right corner to end the third quarter. Natal provided 13 points. Reading led 11-to-6 early. Central York was in front 20-19 after a quarter and 37-31 at the break. There was confusion at the scorer’s table in the third quarter. Central York was mistakenly awarded two extra points. The Red Knights trailed 57-43 entering the final period. They never threatened the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Yadiel Cruz contributed a team-high 21 points. The 6’2 senior racked up 1,010 points in just two seasons at Reading. Cruz was 9-of-9 from the foul line. He averaged 22 ppg. and was named the Berks County Player of the Year. Nick Chapman, a scrappy 5’10 senior, scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Sophomore Weshly Rosario added 13 points. The game included 56 free throw attempts in front of a packed house at Warwick. Central York was 20-of-30 from the stripe, while the Red Knights were 22-of-26. Reading began its quest for back-to-back state titles with a 90-73 loss at Central York on December 5th. The Panthers ended the Red Knights’ season three and a-half months later. Central York will make its first appearance in the PIAA Finals on Saturday night. The Panthers face Parkland at 8pm at the Giant Center. After a (7-6) start, Reading finished with a mark of (22-11). First-year head coach Francis Camara was extremely grateful for the six seniors on the team. “They trusted me, believed in me, and stood by my side through all the adversity. They helped me grow as a coach through my mistakes and held me accountable. They are the definition of what it means to be a Red Knight,” he remarked.

Dave Hahn-Manheim Central

Paul Roberts — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 11:02:00 +0000

Manheim Central came into the District 3-4A semifinals averaging 44 points. Twin Valley wasn’t far behind at 41 ppg. There were plenty of offensive fireworks in Elverson on Friday night. The third-seeded Barons (589) and second-seeded Raiders (449) combined for 1,038 yards! Manheim Central pulled away in the second half for a 65-28 victory. The first seven possessions of the game ended with touchdowns. Zac Hahn hit Aaron Enterline for a 39-yard score just over two minutes into the contest. Sophomore Drew Engle responded by taking a screen pass 47 yards on Twin Valley’s opening drive. Ean Winchester, a 260-pound George Mason wrestling commit, polished off the 80-yard march with a 1-yard run. Brycen Armold broke free for a 68-yard sprint down the left sideline. The All-State running back scored from three yards out for a 14-7 advantage. The 5’6, 175-pound senior was just getting started after missing the previous three games. “It gave us an added dimension. Brycen looked like he was refreshed. He’s healthy and it showed,” said head coach Dave Hahn. Armold finished with a school record 366 yards and 6 TD on 24 carries. He had 339 yards last year against York Suburban. On fourth-and-six, Evan Myers lofted a 31-yard touchdown pass to Engle who made a terrific diving grab. The score was 14-14 seven seconds into the second quarter. Hahn ended an 80-yard drive with a quarterback sneak to put the (11-1) Barons up 21-14. Myers answered with an 11-yard TD run to even things up with 3:50 remaining in the first half. Just thirty seconds later, Armold took an inside handoff and bounced it outside for a 40-yard score. Enterline came up big on defense with an interception at the goal line with 27 seconds to go before halftime. The 6’3 senior added three receptions for 54 yards. He has 25 TD catches and 1,469 yards this season. Enterline established a new school record for career receiving yards. The (10-2) Raiders went three-and-out to begin the second half. Enterline took a punt 41 yards to set up the offense. Hahn rolled to his left and found a wide open Bode Sipel for a 27-yard touchdown. Winchester came right back with a 2-yard rumble into the end zone to get Twin Valley within 35-28. Fourteen seconds later, however, Armold raced 80 yards down the left sideline for another touchdown. Manheim Central was in front 42-28 with 6:40 left in the third quarter. Armold would tack on a pair of 1-yard TD runs for a 57-28 lead. The Barons went 74 yards for their final score. The drive ended with a 9-yard run by Armold with 6:20 remaining. Twin Valley was limited to seven points in the second half. “Coach [Jared] Shearer made a couple adjustments, got us right. Most of it was just playing with intensity, playing with that determination, that effort, that attitude that we need,” explained Hahn. The Raiders committed eleven penalties for 102 yards in their second straight trip to the semifinals. Myers piled up 157 yards through the air and 133 more on 21 carries. Engle provided 163 rushing yards and four receptions for 93 yards. Hahn went 9-of-13 for 152 yards and 2 TD. He ran for a score, and now holds the single-season school record with 2,816 passing yards. The 6’, 190-pound senior is over 5,000 yards for his career. Hahn has 39 TD tosses and 3 INT this year. Manheim Central will meet top-seeded Bishop McDevitt for the District 3-4A championship. “Let’s face it, it’s gonna be a hell of a team that we’re playing…It’s gonna take a great effort, but I think we’re up for the challenge,” replied Hahn. The Crusaders defeated the Barons 40-0 in last year’s final. “We’re not happy to be there. We want to win,” said Hahn.

Exeter-Manheim Central Preview

Paul Roberts — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:16:00 +0000

We’ve reached the final week of the regular season and the Section 2 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League is still up for grabs. Exeter visits Manheim Central in a heavyweight bout on Friday night. The bell rings at 7pm. Both teams enter with records of (9-0, 5-0). The Eagles are ranked second in the state by PennLive in Class 5A. The Barons are #6 in 4A.

You could probably fill a library with all of the historical notes about Manheim Central. This is the football program’s 75th season. The Barons have won 592 games. On Friday, they’ll be looking for their 28th Section 2 championship. Manheim Central has earned a record 18 District 3 titles including an astounding 10-peat from 1992-2001 in Class 3A. The Barons have made 33 appearances in the District 3 tournament with a total of 59 victories. Those are both records among District 3 schools. In 2003, Manheim Central made it to the top of the mountain by capturing a state championship. The Barons have been a state runner-up three times, most recently in 2018 under the direction of Dave Hahn.

This is Hahn’s 8th season as the skipper at Manheim Central. He was an assistant for twenty years under the legendary Mike Williams who won 348 games over 34 seasons. Williams guided the Barons to 16 District 3 titles and a state championship. Hahn played his college football at East Stroudsburg. He was the center when a guy by the name of James Franklin was the quarterback. I think you recognize that name.

Hahn’s son, Zac, is now running the offense at Manheim Central. The 5’11, 192-pound junior has thrown for 1,774 yards and 24 touchdowns with just two interceptions. 6’2 junior Aaron Enterline is a big play wide receiver. He’s averaging 29 yards per catch with ten scores. Bode Sipel, another junior, has a team-high 30 receptions and 6TD. The Barons can hurt you on the ground as well. Brycen Armold is second in the L-L League this year with 1,620 rushing yards. The 5’8, 172-pound junior has reached the end zone 26 times. Manheim Central is averaging 465 total yards and 56 points per game, both tops in the L-L League. Senior defensive end Jaden Weit leads the squad with 69 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Senior linebackers Nick Haas and Rocco Daugherty have combined for 129 tackles.

The Eagles can play some “D” as well. Only Wyomissing is allowing fewer points than Exeter in the L-L League. Opponents have been limited to 10.7 ppg. by the Eagles. Delaware commit Anthony Caccese has a team-high 17 tackles for loss and six sacks. Lucas Palange, a 235-pound senior LB, leads Exeter with 54 tackles. Kyle Lash has contributed 10TFL and 3.5 sacks. Caccese, Palange, and Lash also start on the offensive line. They’re joined by twins Matt and Ryan McConnell. For the first time in four weeks, that OL will be at full strength which is good news for Richie Karstien. The 215-pound senior is four yards shy of 1,000 this season. He has hit pay dirt 16 times. PSU commit Joey Schlaffer is a matchup nightmare. The 6’6, 215-pound senior has 29 catches for 646 yards and 9TD. He can line up all over the field including quarterback. The Eagles are putting up 42.6 points a night. Mason Rotelli has passed for 1,195 yards and 16TD with only three picks. The 6’1, 170-pound senior has also ran for seven scores. In addition to Schlaffer, Rotelli has another big target in 6’5 junior TE Zach Zandier.

Recent history is in the corner of the Eagles. They beat the Barons 43-26 a season ago in the District 3-5A quarterfinals. The game wasn’t even that close. Exeter led 36-0 at halftime. The seventh-seeded Eagles went on to win their first District 3 championship. Matt Bauer is in his 14th season as the head coach in Reiffton. The Muhlenberg graduate reached 100 career victories just a few weeks ago.

We’ll find out which team will remain undefeated and add a Section 2 crown to its trophy case. I’ll see you in Manheim on Friday!

Wyomissing-Central Valley Preview

Paul Roberts — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 08:06:00 +0000

Some Wyomissing fans are simply calling it “The Rematch.” For the second year in a row, the Spartans are taking on Central Valley for the Class 3A state championship. Kickoff is at noon on Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. The Warriors beat Wyomissing 35-21 in last year’s state final. The Spartans led 14-7 at halftime. It was the first state championship for Central Valley. Wyomissing knows the feeling. Alex Anzalone, now a linebacker with the Detroit Lions, and the Spartans captured state gold in 2012. The Warriors are (14-0) and riding a 26-game winning streak. Wyomissing is (15-0). Both teams are allowing just eight points per game. Central Valley is averaging 47.6 points. The Spartans aren’t far behind at 45 points per game.

The defensive numbers are staggering for the Warriors; 183TFL, 66 sacks, and 21INT. Pittsburgh commit Sean FitzSimmons is a game wrecker on the defensive line. The 6’3, 275-pound senior leads Central Valley with 21 sacks and 114 tackles. He has also collected 47TFL. Matt Merritt is a force at linebacker. The 6’3, 215-pound senior returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown in the state semifinals. Army, Navy, and Air Force are among the schools interested in Merritt. Jayvin Thompson’s stock is rising. The 6’2 junior is a ball hawk with 11INT. He’s also a deep threat at wide receiver with 28 catches (26.8) and 9TD. Thompson had three receptions for 107 yards and a score last week in a 35-21 win vs. Central Martinsburg. But make no mistake, the Warriors offense goes through all-state running back Landon Alexander who has piled up 2,166 yards and 28TD this season. The 180-pound senior has gone over 200 yards in three consecutive games. He went 98 yards to the house late in last week’s game. Alexander is Central Valley’s all-time leading rusher with 3,930 yards. He broke Jordan Whitehead’s record of 3,525 yards. Whitehead is now a safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Junior quarterback Antwon Johnson has thrown for 1,242 yards with 19TD and 6INT. Head coach Mark Lyons has his program running on all cylinders. This is Central Valley’s third straight trip to the state championship game. The Warriors fell to Wyoming Area 21-14 in 2019 before knocking off Wyomissing last season. Lyons added a very nice win to his resume in September when the Warriors took down Class 4A state champ Aliquippa 21-12. That was the only close game this season for Central Valley until the state semifinal against Central Martinsburg.

The Spartans have certainly had their share of blowouts this year as well. They earned their tenth District 3 title with a 55-14 rout of Boiling Springs. They dismantled Scranton Prep 35-14 in the state quarterfinals and then pummeled Neumann-Goretti 42-6 last week with James Franklin in attendance. The Penn State head coach was checking out 6’4, 310-pound junior OL Jven Williams. He has helped Bob Wolfrum’s Wing-T offense average 311 yards per game on the ground (7.7/carry). Wyomissing rumbled for 348 yards vs. Neumann-Goretti. Fullback Tommy Grabowski does his damage between the tackles, while halfbacks Amory Thompson and Drew Eisenhower hurt you on the edge. Grabowski has 1,362 yards and 26TD. Gov. Mifflin star Nick Singleton is the only player to reach the end zone more this season in Berks County. Thompson and Eisenhower have combined for 36 touchdowns. They’re both over 850 rushing yards this year. The speedy Thompson finished with 115 yards on just six carries last week. 6’3 junior quarterback Ben Zechman is coming off one of his best performances. He went 5-7 for 62 yards and 2TD against Neumann-Goretti. Zechman is completing 63% of his passes with 11TD and only two picks. Richmond commit Aiden Mack has a team-high ten catches in the run-heavy offense. The 6’4, 220-pound tight end is an excellent blocker. He’s also an impact player on the defensive line. Southern Columbia is the only team to score more than 14 points this season on the Spartans’ defense. Wyomissing won that October 1st matchup 42-21. Southern Columbia is the Class 2A state champion. Bob Wolfrum is wrapping up his 35th year as the Spartans’ head coach. He has 337 career victories, second-most among active coaches in Pennsylvania. This is Wyomissing’s third appearance in the state finals.

I’ll have live updates from Hersheypark Stadium! Follow me on Twitter at @PaulRobertsCuse