Gumby – Berks Sports Report

Bryce Gumby-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:09:08 +0000

Bryce Gumby didn’t play basketball for Berks Catholic a season ago. He wanted to focus on football. Gumby opted to return to the court this year and that decision helped the Saints reach the state championship game. “I’m ecstatic. I was second-guessing myself at the end of football season. I’m very happy I did,” said Gumby with a smile from ear to ear. The 5’11 senior erupted for a career-high 19 points off the bench on Friday night. Berks Catholic defeated North Catholic 67-59 in the PIAA-4A semifinals at James Buchanan High School. The (25-5) Saints will face Devon Prep on Thursday, March 27 at 8pm at the Giant Center. Berks Catholic reached the state finals for the first time, but it wasn’t easy. The (22-7) Trojans led 51-46 with six and a-half minutes left. Gumby, who’s averaging 3.7 points per game, drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 51-50 with just over six minutes remaining. Carmelo Harper hit a triple from the left wing to put the Saints on top 55-53 with 4:40 to go. The 5’10 freshman provided 13 points after entering early in the first quarter. Berks Catholic coach Snip Esterly went with a smaller lineup to match North Catholic which starts five guards. Harper had six points in the fourth quarter when the Saints outscored the Trojans 23-to-12. “He has a very bright future. He’s gonna be great. He played a big role in this game,” noted Gumby. Harper also came up big in the state quarterfinals with 17 points against Sharon. Kingston McKoy sank a pair of free throws to give Berks Catholic a 59-57 edge with 1:47 to play. The 6’2 junior guard poured in a game-high 24 points. Zach Suski fed Gumby for a fast break layup to make it 61-57 with 40 seconds left. Jude Rottman, who scored 28 points in the quarterfinals, missed a 3-pointer from the left wing on the ensuing possession. Gumby then converted two foul shots for a 63-57 advantage with 28 seconds remaining. He jammed eleven points into the fourth quarter while going 6-for-8 from the stripe. “My mind just clears. I just focus and hit the shots,” replied Gumby about his free throw shooting. He also made half of the Saints’ six treys. Berks Catholic was 15-for-20 from the foul line. The District 3 champions were 11-of-14 over the last eight minutes. The Trojans went 10-for-13 from the stripe and connected five times from beyond the arc. Jason Fredericks finished with a team-high 20 points. The 6’ junior came out on fire with a dozen points in the opening quarter. Fredericks scored 49 combined points in the first two rounds of the PIAA playoffs. Owen Maddalon added 17 points. The 6’4 senior is committed to Allegheny College. All of Joe Waskiewicz’s twelve points came in the second half. His triple from the top of the key put North Catholic in front 40-38 with two and a-half minutes to go in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Rottmann made it 44-39 one minute later. That capped a 19-to-6 run by the Trojans. They were down 33-25 early in the third period following a three-point play by Suski. The 6’ senior forward chipped in with nine points despite being in foul trouble. Suski got his third foul with nearly seven minutes left in the second quarter. The Saints were up 16-11 before North Catholic ended the first quarter with seven straight points. Berks Catholic outscored the Trojans 12-to-4 in the second period. The Saints went to halftime with a 28-22 lead. McKoy had seven points in the second quarter, but the All-State guard was called for an offensive foul with 32 seconds before the break. It was his third foul of the game. Brady Altimar concluded the third quarter with a layup at the buzzer. The 5’9 junior pulled Berks Catholic within 47-44. Gumby gave credit to North Catholic for battling for all 32 minutes. “They fought the entire game. I gotta tip my hat to them,” he said. The Trojans made their 27th appearance in the PIAA playoffs since 1975. The Saints, however, dominated in bench points. They outscored North Catholic 32-to-2 in that department, thanks largely to a football player who decided to give basketball another shot.

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.

Bryce Gumby-West Reading All-Stars

Paul Roberts — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 14:52:00 +0000

The West Reading All-Star team was assembled just a few days ago, but they looked like they had been playing together for years. They faced Franklin High School from Sacramento on Saturday morning at Berks Catholic. The game was part of the West Reading-Sacramento Cultural Exchange program which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The West Reading squad was comprised of eight players from five Berks County high schools. Former Holy Name boys basketball coach Tony Balistrere served as the head coach. His team jumped out to a quick 7-0 advantage. Bryce Gumby, a rising sophomore at Berks Catholic, said they did a great job of sharing the basketball and getting quality shots. The Wildcats evened the score at 14 and trailed 20-18 after the first quarter. West Reading limited Franklin to twelve points in the second period for a 37-30 halftime lead. Gumby took over in the third quarter. He drilled three 3-pointers and jammed eleven points into those eight minutes. West Reading outscored the Wildcats 24-15 in the third period and never looked back. Despite struggling offensively in the final quarter, they pulled out a 72-64 victory. Gumby, who also plays football for the Saints, finished with a game-high 19 points. He sank five of his team’s ten shots from beyond the arc. Gumby told me that playing in his high school’s gym made him feel very comfortable. He thought that Mark Rajnath and Andrew Galentuomo stood out. Rajnath, a rising senior at Schuylkill Valley, added 13 points including ten in the first half. He also played well on the defensive end of the floor. Rajnath averaged 7.6 points in 14 games for the Panthers this year. Galantuomo is a rising sophomore from Gov. Mifflin. The 5-4 guard chipped in with seven points and some nifty assists. Keith Neal helped to set the tone early. The rising senior at Oley Valley had nine points in the first half. He ended up with a dozen. Neal averaged 6.1 points for the Lynx this season. Aiden Schippers of Wyomissing pulled down a team-high five rebounds to go along with six points. Jaden Kelly and Ethan Gallardo of Oley Valley combined for 13 points off the bench. Franklin outscored West Reading 19-11 over the last eight minutes. Aydan Claro came alive in the fourth quarter with eleven points. The rising senior finished with a team-high 14 points. Treyson Manfredi, a rising junior, contributed twelve points and seven boards. He’s the son of Wildcats’ head coach Ken Manfredi who played for the Sacramento All-Star team in 1990. He went up against an extremely talented West Reading unit that featured Reading High legend Donyell Marshall and Pottstown star Del Savage. The Franklin players visited Washington, D.C. this week. They’ll get a chance to see New York City on Sunday before flying out of Philadelphia on Monday morning.