Davis – Berks Sports Report

Davis Keppley-Conrad Weiser

Paul Roberts — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 16:02:27 +0000

What a difference a year makes. In 2023, Conrad Weiser finished with just two wins. The Scouts head into their final regular season game of 2024 with a perfect (9-0) record. They rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat Cocalico 24-21 last Friday for the Section 3 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. “It’s the same guys just a year better, more experienced, and we want to play,” said Davis Keppley. The 5’10, 175-pound senior had six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the thrilling victory at Cocalico. His 11-yard TD grab put Conrad Weiser in front with nine minutes remaining. “I just ran my route and I knew Donovan would give me a good ball,” replied Keppley. Donovan Gingrich was 16-of-28 for 179 yards and 3 TD. The 6’1, 200-pound senior is a three-year starter for the Scouts. “He knows where to put the ball. He’s a great quarterback, runs if he has to. He’s done a great job of that this season,” noted Keppley. Defensive end Ashton Kiebach made a critical tackle on fourth down to stop Cocalico’s final drive. Kiebach is one of twenty seniors on the roster. Conrad Weiser returned six starters on each side of the ball. Keppley has been focusing more on his role at linebacker this year. The touchdown receptions last week were the first of his career. The Scouts are without three of their top skill position players due to injuries. Running backs Javien Rivera and Jonathon McQuillen, as well as wide receiver Evan Rittle, didn’t play against the (6-3) Eagles. Rittle was the WR of the Year in Section 4 a season ago. Alan Moyer’s squad still found a way to get the job done. “The coaching is outstanding. They keep everybody in the loop. We’re always working to keep everybody caught up with what we’re doing,” explained Keppley. Moyer is in his 22nd year at the helm in Robesonia. His 147 wins are a school record. The Scouts shifted Evan Miller, a 220-pound tight end, to running back last week. He rumbled for 97 yards on 13 carries. Conrad Weiser hosts Unionville this Friday. The Scouts haven’t started a season (10-0) since 1996. After going (5-15) over the previous two years, Conrad Weiser is back on the right path.

Xavier Davis-Reading

Paul Roberts — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 20:15:00 +0000

The winningest high school basketball program in Pennsylvania can be found on North 13th Street in Reading. The Red Knights have amassed 2,214 victories. If you’re looking for trophies, Reading has plenty of those as well. The Red Knights have captured 20 Central Penn League championships and 24 Berks Conference titles. They brought home District III gold 23 times. Plus, state championships in 2017 and 2021. When you’re part of a distinguished program like the one that calls the Geigle Complex home, it’s not easy to get playing time as a freshman. Yet, Xavier Davis did just that. It wasn’t because he possessed a sweet jump shot or tremendous leaping ability. If you were only focused on the highlight videos, you probably didn’t see much of Davis. However, head coach Rick Perez and his staff saw something far more valuable in the undersized 6’2 forward. They saw a leader. Davis has elite communication skills. He’s the glue that holds a team together. He’s steady and reliable. Someone you can always count on to do the things that don’t show up in the box score. That’s why Davis was a four-year varsity player for the Red Knights. He put the Reading jersey on for the 81st and final time on Sunday afternoon at Easton Middle School. The Red Knights fell to Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood 64-58 in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs. Reading trailed 40-15 early in the third quarter, but refused to quit. The Red Knights used a 16-0 run in the third period and a 13-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to pull within two points twice. The Vikings’ cushion had dwindled to 57-55 after a layup by Joey Chapman with 37 seconds remaining. Davis told me that they played much more carefree in the second half. He praised the fans for being a great support system. Davis said, “We love them just like they love us.” We discussed the team’s mindset knowing that they were without all-county forward Daniel Alcantara. The 6’5 senior broke his left hand against Wilson in the District III quarterfinals on February 25th. Alcantara was averaging 16 points per game for the highest-scoring team in Berks County. We talked about the senior class which produced 92 wins over the past four years. Davis believes that they’ll stay connected as they go their separate ways. He’ll be studying business at the University of Tampa. Davis averaged seven points this season. The all-division pick reached double digits on eight occasions including a career-high 15 points in an 87-70 victory at Berks Catholic on January 31st. Davis finished his career with 360 points. The numbers don’t come close to telling the true story of his value to one of the premier programs in Pennsylvania. The man known simply as “X” will be missed by many at the Castle on the Hill.

Xavier Davis-Reading

Paul Roberts — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:22:00 +0000

Berks Catholic came into Monday riding a seven-game winning streak. Reading had won five in a row. Both teams are #1 in the District 3 power rankings in their respective classes. Something had to give at a sold out Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. The Saints committed eleven turnovers in the first quarter. The Red Knights took advantage and went up by ten in the second quarter. Ryan Koch brought Berks Catholic back with eight straight points including two treys. The 6’3 junior finished with a team-high 22 points and five 3-pointers. Koch leads the Saints with 44 on the season. Christian Cacchione came off the bench to knock down a triple and Berks Catholic went in front 35-32 with one minute remaining in the first half. It was 36-all at the break as the Saints put up 24 points in the second period. Xavier Davis told me the Red Knights were lazy in the first half and needed to pick up their energy level. The 6’2 senior forward jammed nine points into the third quarter and ended up with a career-high 15. Davis converted a three-point play to give Reading a 51-47 edge with 4:45 left in the third period. I asked him about playing with all-state guard and 1,000-point scorer Ruben Rodriguez. Davis replied, “He can score at will and we all know that.” That’s precisely what Rodriguez did in the second half. The 6’1 junior had 15 points in the third quarter and ten more in the fourth. His 35 points guided Reading over Berks Catholic 87-70. Rodriguez is averaging 20 points a night. Davis stressed that Rodriguez loves the game and works very hard at practice. We joked about what would happen if Davis had to guard Rodriguez. Davis believes that he’s the best defender on the team because he can guard multiple positions. Speaking of defense, the (17-2, 9-0) Red Knights forced 25 turnovers. Davis thinks their defense is the key to their offense. They exploded for 51 points in the last 16 minutes. The (15-3, 7-3) Saints had been allowing 50 points per game. 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara provided 24 points including nine in the fourth quarter. The all-state forward made four of Reading’s five shots from behind the arc. Berks Catholic splashed twelve 3-pointers. Junior point guard JayJay Jordan had 20 points and Aidan Sands chipped in with 14. Jordan went to the bench midway through the first quarter after picking up his second foul. The Saints were 8-17 from the free throw line, while the Red Knights went 8-10. Davis and I talked about Reading’s ball movement, as well as the crowd. We also discussed his love of sneakers and fashion. He would like to own his own business in the future.