Cougars – Berks Sports Report

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 01:29:31 +0000

Football coaches often say that speed kills. Harrisburg’s speed was on full display on Saturday afternoon at Don Thomas Stadium. The fourth-seeded Cougars beat second-seeded Wilson 42-14 in the District 3-6A Championship. “Their skill kids are off the charts and they’ve got speed everywhere. Their linebackers are fast, their linemen are fast. They’re an athletic group,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Doug Dahms. Harrisburg claimed its fourth straight District 3 title and seventh overall. The (11-2) Cougars outgained Wilson 306-to-155, including 150-to-26 on the ground. Penn State commit Messiah Mickens had two short touchdown runs to put Harrisburg in front 14-0 early in the second quarter. The 6’, 200-pound junior sacked Madyx Gruber three times from his defensive end position. Nehemiah Ewell broke off a 52-yard TD run down the left sideline with 4:22 left before halftime. The (11-2) Bulldogs responded with a 58-yard drive. Gruber’s 1-yard sneak made it 21-6 with 15 seconds remaining in the first half. The extra point was no good. Jayion Lewis hit Elias Coke over the middle for a 37-yard score on the Cougars’ opening possession of the third quarter. Coke had three catches for 110 yards before leaving with an injury. The 6’3, 200-pound junior was on crutches after the game. Coke has more than twenty Division I offers, including Penn State and Michigan. Lewis was 6-of-8 for 156 yards. D’Antae Sheffey, a Syracuse commit, increased the margin to 35-6 with a 10-yard TD run midway through the third period. Quincy Brannon then took a pop pass from Lewis and raced 30 yards down the right sideline with four minutes left in the third quarter. Brannon, a senior defensive back, added a team-high six tackles. Wilson got within 42-14 on Gruber’s 22-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Mike Glover. That score came one minute into the final quarter. Gruber ended up 12-of-20 for 133 yards and two interceptions. He was under pressure most of the afternoon. Gruber threw for 2,018 yards and 25 TD this year after making the switch from wide receiver. “He’s the reason we were what we were. He was our offense, no doubt about it. Who knew he was gonna be that good,” said Dahms with a smile. Despite returning just two starters on defense and four on offense, the Bulldogs won their 29th Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. They also completed their 49th consecutive winning season, a state record. “I think we grew a lot from the beginning of the year. Our underclassmen grew a lot and the senior leadership was there,” noted Dahms. He’s (196-44) over 19 seasons in West Lawn. Dahms, who started as an assistant at Wilson in 1976, owns the highest winning percentage in Berks County history.

Chris Bergstrom-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:37:57 +0000

Kutztown and Reading combined for 16 runs when they met in the winner’s bracket final of the Berks County Legion playoffs on Saturday. The second-seeded Cougars and top-seeded Groundhogs squared off again on Monday for the championship, but this time runs were at a premium. Chris Bergstrom’s two-out, RBI single in the 8th gave Kutztown a dramatic 1-0 victory over Reading. “Something I haven’t felt before, it was awesome. It was a great feeling to bring the [championship] home to Kutztown,” said Bergstrom. Colin Hamm was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 8th inning. A sacrifice bunt by Ashton Dunn moved courtesy runner Corey Gilbert to second. After a pop out to second base, the Groundhogs opted to intentionally walk Colin Diehl. The leadoff hitter was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Bergstrom was grateful for the opportunity. “That motivated me. I was smiling. I was ready,” he said. The rising junior hit a ground ball between shortstop and third base. Gilbert scored easily from second to kickoff a celebration on the infield. Bergstrom was mobbed by his teammates. He mentioned that he was sitting on a fastball and that’s what he got. The Cougars went (5-0) in the double-elimination tournament. Southpaw Ashton Dunn and Reading’s Joelian Zapata both went the distance. Zapata allowed four hits and walked three. He struck out six. Dunn tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks. “Ashton Dunn pitched a hell of a game…they didn’t know what he was throwing. He was mixing in all of his pitches,” noted Bergstrom. The Groundhogs left the bases loaded in the top of the 2nd frame. Nestor Rosario hit a line drive to center that was caught by Kaden Kerecz and turned into a double play. Reading had another chance to get on the board in the 5th inning, but Zapata flew out with a runner on third to end the threat. Franllis Santos’ single in the 5th was the lone hit for the Groundhogs. Kutztown committed three errors. The Cougars still managed to hoist the trophy in their first season back in the Berks League. Kutztown and Reading qualified for the Region 2 tournament which begins on Saturday at Lower Macungie.

Connor Maryniak-DIII Player of the Year

Paul Roberts — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 14:30:22 +0000

What a spring it’s been for Connor Maryniak. The former Gov. Mifflin standout helped Misericordia win the Division III Baseball Championship. Maryniak started all 55 games for the Cougars and hit .345 with a .631 slugging percentage. The shortstop set a single-season school record with 70 RBI. He also got the job done on the mound. His eleven victories were the second-most in Misericordia history. On Monday, Maryniak was named the ABCA/Rawlings Division III National Player of the Year. He tied the school record with 13 homers. Maryniak added five triples and ten doubles.

In 2021, Maryniak was named the Berks County Player of the Year. He led the Mustangs to a BCIAA Championship that season. Gov. Mifflin beat rival Wilson 5-4 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

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.

Brenden Ackley-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:12:00 +0000

Last fall was Brenden Ackley’s first season with the Kutztown football team. He previously attended St. Marys Memorial High School in Ohio. Ackley made a great first impression in Kutztown. The 5’8, 195-pound fullback rumbled for a team-high 963 yards and eight touchdowns. Ackley averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The rising junior enjoyed running behind Tyler Hallock, the Section 5 Offensive Lineman of the Year. Hallock, a rising senior, is 6’1 and 300 pounds. “It’s a wonderful experience. It’s easy for me to hide behind him. He can collapse holes pretty well,” said Ackley. The (3-7, 2-5) Cougars averaged 5.6 yards a pop as a team. They finished tied for fifth place in a competitive new section that includes Lancaster Catholic, Hamburg, Schuylkill Valley, and Annville-Cleona. All four of those squads reached the District 3 playoffs. Kutztown split its last four games with victories over Northern Lebanon and Columbia. Ackley likes the chemistry among the returning players. He replied, “We’re coming pretty close together. Everyone is starting to know each other and even the young guys feel comfortable approaching the older guys, and think of us like family.” The Cougars currently have about 50 players on the roster. In 2022, that number was just 36 with only two seniors. Ackley expects running backs Jayden Swoyer and Jayce Gruber to be bigger factors in the Cougars’ run-heavy offense this year. Swoyer had 40 carries a season ago as a sophomore and Gruber got 36 touches. Gruber is a player to watch on the other side of the ball at linebacker. Ackley is expecting big things from senior defensive end Noah Ferrizzi. Ackley also enjoyed talking about his favorite bands and the team’s recent trip to Shady Maple.

Kutztown falls to Mount Union

Paul Roberts — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:07:00 +0000

Kutztown’s postseason ride came to an end on Tuesday at Big Spring High School. Perennial power Mount Union beat the Cougars 5-2 in the PIAA-2A semifinals. The (25-2) Trojans entered the game with a lofty team batting average of .371. Eight players in their lineup had at least one hit. Cameron Donaldson and Braylan Knable homered off of Bryce Schafer. Donaldson also doubled and knocked in two runs. Knable launched his seventh homer of the season. He’s hitting .424 with a dozen extra-base hits. Landon Chrisemer was 2-for-3. He scored a run and drove in another. Schafer, who was brilliant in the District 3-2A championship, allowed five runs, four earned, on eleven hits. He struck out seven over 5.1 innings. Mount Union got a pair of runs in the first frame, one in the 5th, and two in the 6th inning. Kutztown was limited to three hits. Both of the runs for the (19-7) Cougars came in the bottom of the 6th. Sophomore Colin Diehl went 1-for-1 with two walks and a RBI. Bryce Danish tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He walked three and threw 104 pitches. Danish (10-1, 0.92) has 101 punch outs in 60.2 innings this year. The Trojans’ ace has given up just 33 hits. Cainen Atherton replaced Danish and was charged with two runs, one earned, in one inning of work. Mount Union overcame four errors. Sophomore Colten Mathias fired 1.2 hitless innings in relief of Schafer. The Trojans will face District 6 champ Bald Eagle Area on Friday at 10:30am at Penn State. Mount Union is looking for its fifth state championship and first since 2019. Riverside is the only baseball program in Pennsylvania with as many state titles as the Trojans. Meanwhile, seniors Dalton Furst, Matt Remick, Nick Hugo, Dom Pizzelanti, and Schafer played their final game in a Cougars’ uniform. That special group led Kutztown to its sixth District 3 championship.

Schafer Throws Another Gem-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 09:40:00 +0000

Bryce Schafer tossed a complete game 5-hitter in Kutztown’s win over Halifax in the District 3-2A championship. The senior right-hander was back at work in the state quarterfinals on Thursday night at Pine Grove. Schafer threw six scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory over District 4 runner-up South Williamsport. The Kutztown University commit allowed just three hits and struck out five. 60 of his 88 pitches were strikes. Schafer also went 1-for-4 and drove in three runs. The (19-6) Cougars scored twice in the first inning which included a double by all-division catcher Nick Hugo. Kutztown blew it open with six runs in the 5th to go up 9-0. Dalton Furst provided three of the Cougars’ nine hits. The all-county selection scored a pair of runs. No. 9 hitter Ashton Dunn went 2-for-3. The sophomore outfielder had 2 RBI. Shortstop Matt Remick was 1-for-3 with a walk and three runs out of the leadoff spot. Noah Turner took the loss for the (15-6) Mountaineers. The junior entered the day with a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 59 innings. He gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits over 4.1 innings. Turner ends the season with a record of (8-2). Senior Alex Neidig came into the contest hitting .423. He was 1-for-2 with a walk. Neidig replaced Turner on the mound and was charged with three runs, one earned. He allowed a hit and two walks while getting just one out. The Mounties committed two errors. South Williamsport head coach Casey Waller has ties to Berks County. He was an 11th round draft pick by the Phillies in 1989. Waller played for AA Reading from 1990-93. He got as high as AAA in the Phillies’ minor league system. Waller led Loyalsock to a state championship and also coached at Hughesville. Meanwhile, Kutztown is headed to the Class 2A state semifinals. The Cougars will take on District 6 runner-up Mount Union on Monday.

Nick Hugo-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 May 2023 10:17:00 +0000

Nick Hugo had the best seat at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg to see Bryce Schafer toss a complete game gem in the District 3-2A championship. Hugo is a two-time all-division catcher for the Cougars. Schafer is also his best friend. “He left it all out there. He’s been fighting through arm injuries all year. To see him go do that in the District championship was awesome, so proud of him,” said Hugo. Second-seeded Kutztown defeated top-seeded Halifax 5-1 for its sixth District 3 title. Only Chambersburg (11) and Oley Valley (9) have claimed more District 3 gold than the Cougars. Hugo is one of five seniors on this year’s club and all five are starters. “We’ve been best friends for 3-4 years. I don’t think we could have the success we’ve had if we weren’t this tight-knit. We’re gonna be brothers for life,” emphasized Hugo. Dom Pizzelanti got Kutztown on the board in the top of the 2nd on a double steal. The (17-6) Cougars got a pair of runs in the third frame. Kole Schuler had a RBI infield single and Schafer launched a solo homer that barely stayed fair down the right field line. The ball just got over the fence which is 320 feet away. The (20-3-1) Wildcats didn’t have a hit until Briar Campbell’s bloop single in the 4th inning. Kutztown made it 5-0 in the 6th on a RBI single by designated hitter Colin Hamm and a bases loaded walk to Matt Remick. Halifax finally got on the board in the 7th thanks to triples by Brandon Schell and Ben Kline. Schafer struck out Will Steinhauer to end the Wildcats’ 12-game winning streak. The Kutztown University commit threw 99 pitches and 70 were strikes. Schafer allowed five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He contained a lineup that was hitting .341 as a team. Schell went 5+ innings. The sophomore gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits. He hit two batters and walked one. Bloomsburg commit Judah Miller wasn’t available after pitching in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Delone Catholic on Monday. Miller was (9-1, 1.48) this season with 86 strikeouts and twelve walks in 66 innings. Schafer, Schuler, and Hamm each had two hits. The Cougars didn’t make an error while Halifax had two. “We pride ourselves on our defense…defense wins championships,” stated Hugo. He was 1-for-4 with a run. Remick, a two-time all-division selection, played a flawless game at shortstop. Hugo joked that he became a catcher when he was seven or eight years old because he was one of the only kids who wasn’t scared of the ball. He’s going to Saint Joseph’s University to study finance. But first, Hugo and the Cougars are headed to the state playoffs.