Bell also got the job done on the mound with nine strikeouts over five innings. The 6’2, 185-pound southpaw allowed three runs on three hits and a pair of walks. He has 26 strikeouts in 15 frames this season. The highly touted lefty has limited opponents to five hits. “It’s once in a generation, you pray for a guy like that on your team. He is everything you ask for and he is as advertised,” emphasized Reeser. Bell throws five pitchers and he’s working on a cutter. His fastball is 90-92 mph. Baseball America ranks him as the #4 overall prospect in the 2028 class. The (2-3) Raiders managed four hits, but just one after the second inning. Jay Oliver, another first-year head coach, is short-handed due to injuries. Juniors Nate DiRocco and Grant Moser are both out of action.

Twin Valley struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Tyler Rhode, a junior catcher, ripped a two-run single up the middle. Cole Devine stole third base and came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. The (2-4) Blazers responded immediately and in a big way. Ryan Kriebel got things started by drawing a leadoff walk from Kutztown University commit Nate Lord. An error on a bunt by Josh Banas was followed by a wild pitch to get Daniel Boone on the scoreboard. After a walk to Jacob Hasara, the No. 9 hitter, Owen Howells singled to right field. The ball was misplayed in the outfield which allowed another run to score and tied the game at 3-3. Bell put Daniel Boone in front with a two-run homer to right. Brody Majeski then took over on the hill for the Raiders. Lord was charged with six runs, five earned, on two hits and three walks. The All-County selection from a season ago had four strikeouts in two innings. Majeski walked Chase Yenser and gave up a single to Maddox Roy. A wild pitch with two outs put Twin Valley in a 6-3 hole. Jace Michener’s sacrifice fly to right field gave the Blazers a 7-3 cushion.

Bell hammered a solo homer to right-center in the fourth inning. The lights went out in the top of the fifth which resulted in a delay of 13 minutes. However, it didn’t slow down Daniel Boone. The Blazers tacked on four runs in the fifth to make it 12-3. Freshman Devon Lopez provided a pinch-hit, two-run single up the middle. Howells knocked in another run with a single to center. Majeski gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits in three innings. The junior righty struck out four and walked one. Sophomore Aidan Howells and Yenser each tossed a scoreless inning of relief for Daniel Boone. Yenser, who had three strikeouts in the seventh, is committed to Baylor for golf.

Bell, Kriebel, and Owen Howells finished with two hits apiece for the Blazers. They went (6-14) last spring, but returned seven starters. “I set the expectation back in October. You know (6-14), they can throw that out the window. With the talent we have on our team, we’re not gonna shy away from anything. We won’t fear anybody,” stated Reeser. The 2020 Gov. Mifflin graduate was the head coach at Tulpehocken a season ago. Reeser added, “The expectation is to get back into the postseason and make a deep run.”

Gilmore was named the Berks County Player of the Year in 1999 when he ran for 1,810 yards and scored a school-record 33 touchdowns at Wilson. The Big 33 Classic pick ended his career with 3,506 rushing yards and 61 TD.

Romig was the first player in Berks County history to run for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. After piling up 4,492 yards and 69 touchdowns at Daniel Boone, Romig went on to have a Hall of Fame career at Albright.

Adams was well known as a big hitter and physical force in Wilson’s secondary. He was voted the Section 1 Defensive Back of the Year in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in 1993. Adams went on to play at UConn.

Bodolus completely turned around the football program at Daniel Boone from 2003-2011. He led the Blazers to 79 wins and seven trips to the District 3 playoffs. They won or shared three section championships in the I-C League.

Brice was an All-County offensive tackle and linebacker at Holy Name. He helped the Blue Jays win I-C League titles in 1979 and 1980. Brice became a standout player at Delaware.

Yocum was a three-year starter and All-State linebacker at Schuylkill Valley. He was a longtime youth football coach at Exeter. Yocum also served Berks County as a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach.

Greyson Bell held Pottsville to one hit in four innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. The 6’2, 185-pound lefty is rated the #4 prospect in the Class of 2028 by Baseball America. Bell was on the USA U15 team last year and pitched in the Pan American Championships in Mexico. The highly-touted sophomore lived up to the hype. “He’s unbelievable. His work ethic and his pitches are phenomenal. He throws real hard for a high school kid and his spin on his off-speed [pitches] is above major league average which generates a lot of swing and misses,” explained head coach Kolbie Reeser. Bell’s fastball has been up to 92 mph this year. He said he reached 94 mph last September. Bell was limited to 53 pitches on Saturday and 40 were strikes.

Ian Jacob, a hard-throwing righty, took over on the mound in the fifth inning. The 6’5 junior can also crank it up to 92 mph. He walked Brody Hess to begin the frame. After a single by Andrew Allen, Harrison Ciavarella ripped a 2-run triple to center. Christian Alvarez, the lone senior in Pottsville’s starting lineup, got down a sacrifice bunt back to Jacob that made it 3-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Rynard worked out of a jam to keep Daniel Boone off the board. He got back-to-back strikeouts with a man on third and one out.

Hess tossed a 1-2-3 sixth inning for the Tide, but he ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. The Blazers came alive with three runs on three hits and a walk. “I’m proud of the way we fought,” replied Reeser. A single by Maddox Roy got the rally started with one out. After Jacob was hit by a pitch, Owen Howells lofted a bloop single. The throw from right field went out of play making it 3-1. A throwing error by Allen at shortstop got Daniel Boone within 3-2. Following an infield single by sophomore Jace Michener, freshman Logan Lester drew a bases loaded walk to even the score at 3-3. There was still only one out when Bell, the Blazers’ leadoff hitter, came to the plate. He hit a ground ball right back to Hess who threw home for a force out. Chase Yenser, who’s committed to Baylor for golf, then flew out to center to end the seventh inning.

Jacob walked with two outs in the eighth, but Howells grounded out to second base to end the game. Jacob allowed four runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out five over four innings and 74 pitches. Hess gave up three runs on three hits in two innings. He hit one batter and walked another. Trout picked up the win in relief. Pottsville finished with six hits and Daniel Boone had four. Hess, a junior second baseman, went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run.

Reeser is in his first year at the helm of the Blazers. The 2020 Gov. Mifflin graduate was the head coach at Tulpehocken last season. Reeser, who’s working with seven returning starters, has set the bar high. “We’re gonna respect every team we play, but we’ll fear nobody,” he stated. Reeser added, “I told them all the time to clear their calendars in June because that’s when the state title is at. It’s pasted in our locker room; county title, district title, and state title. The only way to get there is to believe in it.”

Fleetwood went (13-28) over the past four seasons with Pangburn at the helm. The Tigers beat Shamokin 42-41 in overtime for the Eastern Conference Class 4A Championship in 2023. They finished (3-7) the following year. In 2025, Fleetwood won just two games. The Tigers have gone (0-12) in Section 3 of the L-L League in the last two seasons.

J.D. Okuniewski stepped down at Daniel Boone in November. He was the head coach in Birdsboro for three years. The Blazers finished (1-9, 1-6) this past fall. They were outscored 463-to-110. Pangburn is shifting from Section 3 to Section 4 of the L-L League.