Lang – Berks Sports Report

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 19:42:00 +0000

Stepping down as the head football coach at Gov. Mifflin was a difficult decision for Jeff Lang, but one that he had to make. “I’ve been doing this since I’m ten years old. All I’ve ever known for the last 44 years is football,” he said. Lang is putting his family ahead of the sport. He plans on retiring as a science teacher and Dean of Students after the school year and moving to Lehighton. His wife’s family business is there. Lang will help to maintain and manage an 80-unit campground on a very large piece of land. The Shaler High School graduate has been part of the Mustangs’ coaching staff for 32 years. He started 41 consecutive games at guard for Slippery Rock. As a senior, Lang was named a second team All-American. After spending one season as an assistant at Shaler, he made the trip across the state to Shillington. Lang formed a tight bond with Mick Vecchio who won a school record 181 games over 26 years. Vecchio and Lang are both members of the Berks County Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Lang guided Gov. Mifflin to its first District 3 championship in 2020. The Mustangs set a county record that season by averaging 54.5 points per game. They got tripped up by Pine-Richland 48-44 in the state semifinals. In 2021, Gov. Mifflin went (10-1) and finished as the runner-up to Exeter in the District 3-5A playoffs. Mustangs’ star running back Nick Singleton was selected as the Gatorade National Offensive Player of the Year. Lang knew that Singleton was a special talent at an early age. “Kids would be out playing games or screwing around, he was working out and running hills. He trained for where he’s at right now,” emphasized Lang. Before heading to Penn State, Singleton established Berks County career records with 6,326 rushing yards and 116 touchdowns. Lang saw another special talent and future Nittany Lions’ standout in 2017. Gov. Mifflin upset Micah Parsons and the Harrisburg Cougars 26-14 in the District 3-5A semifinals. Harrisburg was (11-0) with nine victories by mercy rule entering that memorable matchup. The Cougars were averaging 50 points and ranked #1 in the state at the time. Lang was the offensive line coach for Vecchio that season. In seven years as the Mustangs’ head coach, Lang was (51-26). They went (5-6) this fall and lost to Pleasant Valley 28-19 in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A championship. Lang hopes the next head coach will continue to pound the rock on offense. “Our mentality is to grind it out, move the sticks, control the line of scrimmage, and control the game clock. I still think that’s what high school football is about,” he said.

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 20:44:00 +0000

Gov. Mifflin head coach Jeff Lang still isn’t sure who all of his starters will be for this Friday’s season opener against Spring-Ford. It’s understandable considering that the Mustangs only return three starters from last year’s (10-1) squad that averaged 48 points. Star running back Nick Singleton is at Penn State after being named the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. Singleton smashed the Berks County career records with 6,326 rushing yards and 116 touchdowns. He reached the end zone 44 times a season ago when Gov. Mifflin won the Section 1 championship in the Berks Football League. The Mustangs will rely on another Division I commit in 2022. Senior Ayden Martin is headed to Monmouth. The 5’11, 185-pound RB/S made over 40 tackles last year with 5 TFL, 2 INT, and 14 pass breakups. Lang believes there are some definite similarities between Martin and Singleton. “Both very strong, athletic kids that have put their work ethic above everything else. They’re the strongest kids I’ve ever coached,” he said. Martin ran for 119 yards and two scores on just 14 carries last season. He’ll be getting a lot more touches because Gov. Mifflin lost its top four rushers to graduation. Aiden Gallen and Trey Rock combined for 1,053 yards out of the fullback position. Brayden Reis, Brandon Jones, and promising sophomore Grady Garner will see snaps at that spot. Delsin McNeil is the full-time starter at quarterback. “Last year I wouldn’t blink an eye to put him in to give Eden Johnson a break. He would’ve started any other year, but Eden was just a man amongst boys out there,” said Lang. McNeil went 6-for-7 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 188 yards on 26 carries. Clay Reynolds is the only returning starter on the offensive line. The 5’9, 210-pound guard helped the Mustangs average 9.3 yards per carry. They ran the ball 40 times a night. Mykell Ford, Devin Johnson, and Aden Krause will be counted on to control the line of scrimmage. Ford, who started as a freshman, can bench press more than 400 pounds. Johnson is a 6’3, 255-pound junior. Reynolds and Jones are expected to rack up the tackles at linebacker. Gov. Mifflin is going back to the Lancaster-Lebanon League this year. The Mustangs competed in the L-L League from 1975-2003. They’ll be part of Section 2 which will be hotly contested. “It’s good for football. Every week is going to be a dog fight now. I think that’s in all the divisions. I think you’ve got a lot of parity now. It needed to happen,” Lang replied. Gov. Mifflin will be joined by Exeter, Muhlenberg, Manheim Central, Warwick, Lebanon, and Conestoga Valley. The Mustangs fell to Exeter 31-28 in the District 3-5A final last season. Lang is entering his sixth year as head coach with a mark of (43-13). This will be his 31st season on the Gov. Mifflin coaching staff. “It’s my life. Mick Vecchio and I poured everything we’ve had into it. You know, brought it from the cellar up to where we’re at now being a very competitive football team,” he said. Vecchio won 181 games over his 26 years as the head coach in Shillington. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame this summer. Lang thanked the administration and the community for supporting their program.

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 00:11:00 +0000

Spring Grove was trailing 24-13 in the third quarter and forced the Mustangs into a 4th & 10 at the Rockets’ 37-yard line. Head coach Jeff Lang never even considered punting. Eden Johnson and Braylon Stewart made their coach look like a genius. They hooked up on a TD pass over the middle to give top-seeded Gov. Mifflin a 31-13 advantage with three minutes left in the third quarter. The (10-2) Rockets never threatened again in a 38-13 loss at Shillington. Lang explained to me why he decided to go for it on that critical 4th down. He has confidence that both Johnson and Delsin McNeil can be effective when the Mustangs opt to go to the air. Johnson was 4-for-7 for 101 yards including that 37-yard strike to Stewart. Lang talked about the job Nick Singleton and Aiden Gallen did running the football. Singleton had 190 yards and 3TD on 20 carries. Gallen got more touches than the PSU commit. The 185-pound fullback ran for 164 yards and a score on 25 carries. Lang was proud of his offensive line, but he knows that they need to cut down on penalties. The fifth-year head coach said Jackson Schools has been a reliable kicker all season. Schools made a 28-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half to send the Mustangs to the locker room with a 17-7 lead. Lang loves playing at home in front of the Gov. Mifflin student section. The (10-0) Mustangs will square off with (9-3) Exeter in the District 3-5A championship next Friday. Lang thinks that matchup is great for Berks County football fans. Gov. Mifflin is the defending champion. The Eagles have reached the District 3 final for the first time.

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 21:56:00 +0000

The Mustangs are making their 16th straight appearance in the District 3 playoffs and 17th overall. Gov. Mifflin has gone from a struggling program to a perennial powerhouse. Head coach Jeff Lang has been on the Mustangs’ coaching staff for three decades. He talked about how they changed the football culture in Shillington. Gov. Mifflin is (8-0) and the top-ranked team in the state in Class 5A. The Mustangs have only played one game since mid-October. Lang is definitely concerned about being rusty on Friday in the District 3 quarterfinals. Although #8 seed Warwick lost some extremely talented players to graduation including Nolan Rucci, Caleb Schmitz, and Colton Miller, Lang knows that the Warriors still have some very good skill position players. They blew out #9 seed Gettysburg 44-14 in the first round. Warwick is (7-4) with a victory over Manheim Central on its resume. Lang was named the Section 1 Coach of the Year in the Berks Football League. He’s (41-12) over five seasons at Gov. Mifflin. Plus, we discussed a recent post on social media that pictured some Warwick players and mentioned shutting down PSU commit Nick Singleton. Lang replied, “You never poke a lion.” Singleton is the leading rusher in Berks County history with 5,769 yards. He’s averaging 12 yards per carry this year!

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 00:45:00 +0000

The Mustangs continue to be the king of the hill in Section 1 of the Berks Football League. They led 30-0 early in the second quarter at Exeter and prevailed 54-21. Gov. Mifflin has won 64 of its last 66 league games! The Mustangs have come out on top in 15 of their last 16 meetings with the Eagles. Head coach Jeff Lang says they spend a lot of time working on special teams at practice. Tyler Minick returned the opening kickoff 75 yards for a TD at Exeter. Gov. Mifflin also recovered an onside kick to start the second half. Lang told me how technology helped the coaching staff decide to run the onside kick. The Mustangs are the top-ranked team in the state in Class 5A and they show no signs of slowing up. Gov. Mifflin ran for 383 yards and had five sacks against Exeter.

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:26:00 +0000

The Mustangs dominated the 64th meeting with Wilson. It was 28-0 early in the second quarter and ended up 42-14. Gov. Mifflin got 14 points off turnovers and had a 302-182 advantage in total yards. The Bulldogs were just 2-of-13 on third down. They were held to 2.6 yards per carry. Mustangs’ head coach Jeff Lang talked about the tremendous size that his team has up front. Lang was a standout OL in high school and college in western Pennsylvania. I asked him if he could block the DT’s on his team this year, haha. Lang said PSU commit Nick Singleton is extremely humble, hardworking and focused. He also discussed the football IQ of his senior QB Eden Johnson. Gov. Mifflin is ranked #2 in the state in Class 5A!

Jeff Lang-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 22:10:00 +0000

Jeff Lang is entering his 30th season on the football staff at Gov. Mifflin and his 5th as head coach. Lang has a record of (33-12). He guided the Mustangs to their first District 3 title last year. Gov. Mifflin has put together 17 consecutive winning seasons, along with 12 Section 1 championships in the last 15 years. Lang loves the Mustangs’ “ground and pound” attack on offense. He says York High will be a tough test in the season opener. Lang elaborated on his QB situation with Eden Johnson and Delsin McNeil. He also talked about Nick Singleton as both an athlete and a student. Plus, a scouting report on Mick Vecchio as a pickleball player!