Julian – Berks Sports Report

Julian O’Brien-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 19:12:00 +0000

A career-high 33 points in a victory at Antietam followed by a game-winning shot against Oley Valley; not a bad 24 hours for Julian O’Brien. The Wyomissing senior guard came up big for the Spartans in the second half of a 42-41 win on Saturday. O’Brien had just five points at halftime. He finished with 24 including ten in the final quarter. O’Brien told me that he was forcing things early on. Wyomissing committed nine turnovers in the first quarter. The (8-6, 5-2) Spartans trailed 15-8 after the first period. They were down 22-10 midway through the second quarter after a three-point play by Danny Turchi. The 6’2 senior poured in 22 points for the Lynx, but only three in the second half. Turchi is averaging 17 points. O’Brien isn’t far behind him at 16.5 per game. We discussed the final possession and his go-ahead shot with five seconds remaining. We also talked about Nevin Carter’s clutch 3-pointer from the right corner with 1:31 to go. Carter’s fourth trey of the season pulled Wyomissing within one point. After an Oley Valley turnover, O’Brien sank a floater with 50 seconds left to put the Spartans in front 40-39. However, Turchi responded moments later with a reverse layup. That set the stage for O’Brien’s heroics in the closing seconds. The (11-4, 5-3) Lynx missed a half-court shot at the buzzer and their 7-game winning streak came to a sudden halt. Oley Valley was held to 14 points in the second half. Chase Reifsnyder chipped in with eight points. He splashed a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Lynx a 34-29 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Jaden Kelly connected from beyond the arc with four minutes left for a 39-33 edge. Wyomissing ended it with a 9-2 run. O’Brien stressed that being able to practice recently has really helped. The Spartans got a late start to the season due to a long postseason for the football team. They were also shut down twice for Covid-19 related issues. Carter, Amory Thompson, Ben Zechman, and Drew Eisenhower helped Wyomissing reach the Class 3A state championship football game. All four of them start on the basketball team. Thompson and Carter were all-state selections on the gridiron. They’re both committed to California University of Pennsylvania. Thompson had eight points vs. Oley Valley. The Spartans were a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line, while the Lynx went 9-13. Oley Valley made six triples; twice as many as Wyomissing. The Spartans are just a-half game behind first place Fleetwood in Division 3. The Lynx are one game in back of Antietam and Tulpehocken in Division 4. Wyomissing came into the weekend #10 in the District 3-4A power rankings. The top ten squads will qualify for the playoffs. O’Brien knows this was a very significant victory. He mentioned his expectations for his team, and the hard work that he put in during the offseason. O’Brien has nearly doubled his scoring output from last year when the Spartans won their first District 3 playoff game since 2012. They eventually fell to Littlestown 50-46 in the District 3 semifinals. The top three scorers from that group graduated. O’Brien is now providing the scoring punch. Finally, I learned that he’s a 76ers fan, but LeBron James is his favorite player.

Julian DiMaio-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 17:35:00 +0000

The Class 3A state championship turned out to be a defensive battle. Central Valley held off Wyomissing 7-0 at Hersheypark Stadium. The Warriors extended their winning streak to 27 games, and defeated the Spartans for the second straight year in the state final. The only score came on Landon Alexander’s 28-yard run with just under ten minutes remaining. Wyomissing NG/C Julian DiMaio talked about trying to slow down Alexander. The 190-pound senior is Central Valley’s all-time leading rusher with 4,161 yards. Alexander finished with 231 yards on 35 carries against the (15-1) Spartans. 157 of those yards came in the second half. Wyomissing had a chance to tie it with 6:30 left, but Pittsburgh commit Sean FitzSimmons blew up the play in the backfield. The Spartans were trying to run a sprint out pass to the right on 4th & goal from the 3-yard line. The 6’3, 280-pound FitzSimmons forced Ben Zechman to fumble. The Warriors then used a quarterback sneak to convert on 4th & 1 at their own 18-yard line. They were able to take all but 21 seconds off the clock. DiMaio said FitzSimmons is an incredible athlete. Wyomissing managed just 115 total yards. The Spartans were held to 2.9 yards per carry. Tommy Grabowski ended up with a team-high 55 yards on 15 carries. The senior fullback went over 1,400 yards this season. Grabowski also made an amazing one-handed interception at the goal line late in the third quarter. DiMaio had high praise for the Wyomissing coaching staff. Bob Wolfrum has 337 victories over 35 years. DiMaio also took time to thank the fans for their support all season. The 200-pound senior believes the future is very bright for the Spartans. DiMaio told me that Wyomissing has the talent to get back to the state championship game in 2022. His leadership will certainly be missed.

Julian DiMaio-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 18:00:00 +0000

On a sunny Saturday afternoon at the A-Field, the Spartans showed why they’re ranked #2 in the state in Class 3A. Wyomissing rolled over eighth-seeded Northern Lebanon 65-3 in the District 3 quarterfinals. The Vikings fumbled the opening kickoff and committed four turnovers in the first quarter. Drew Eisenhower and Nevin Carter each returned interceptions for touchdowns! The (11-0) Spartans led 38-0 after the first quarter and 58-0 at halftime. Tommy Grabowski ran for 95 yards and 2TD on just four carries. Amory Thompson added 59 yards and two scores on three carries. Sophomore Collin Niedrowski made the most of his extended playing time with 93 yards and a TD on seven carries. Wyomissing piled up 446 rushing yards. Senior Julian DiMaio was in the middle of all the action. The 5’10, 200-pound center has a lot of responsibilities as the leader of the offensive line. DiMaio talked about the athleticism of 6’4, 310-pound junior OT Jven Williams. I asked DiMaio where he would like to see Williams play college football. His answer probably won’t surprise you. DiMaio also starts at nose guard. He told me why he prefers playing defense. DiMaio is really looking forward to taking on #5 seed Middletown next Saturday in the semifinals at the “Hornet’s Nest.” He believes the Spartans can win their third consecutive District 3 championship. Plus, you’ll find out about his favorite classes at Wyomissing.