League – Berks Sports Report

L-L League Players of the Week

Paul Roberts — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:16:09 +0000

Here are the Lancaster-Lebanon Quarterback Club Players of the Week:

Manheim Township quarterback Carson Weisser was 12-of-13 for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against Penn Manor.

Sawyer Esbenshade of Conestoga Valley went 19-of-31 for 267 yards and 3 TD. The junior also ran for a score in a 28-27 win at Exeter.

Gabe Martin was all over the field for Garden Spot. He had 13 carries for 94 yards and 2 TD. Martin threw a touchdown pass while filling in at quarterback. He also had 13 tackles including three TFL.

Caileb Howse from Lampeter-Strasburg rumbled for 323 yards and 7 TD on 15 carries. He was 4-of-5 through the air for 55 yards and another score.

Berks Catholic’s Xavier Gerald finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.

Here are the Defensive Players/Linemen of the Week from the L-L League:

Cedar Crest offensive tackle Alex Kissinger racked up four pancake blocks. He received a blocking grade over 90%.

Tal Stoltzfus, a 250-pound senior, was a standout on both sides of the football for undefeated Conestoga Valley.

Ashton Kiebach of Conrad Weiser made five tackles including a pivotal stop on fourth down to end Cocalico’s final drive.

Lampeter-Strasburg center Carson Zook helped the Pioneers rush for 536 yards in a 62-14 victory over Twin Valley.

Damoni Daglis from Berks Catholic had eleven tackles and a sack. The sophomore defensive tackle also forced a fumble.

Big Games Coming Up!

Paul Roberts — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 18:44:14 +0000

Things are about to get very interesting in the Lancaster-Lebanon Football League. There are two weeks left in the regular season and all five Section races are extremely tight. Here’s a quick look at where things stand and the key matchups that are on the horizon.

Section 1:

Manheim Township and Wilson are both (4-0) in league play. The undefeated Blue Streaks will host the Bulldogs on October 25th.

Section 2:

Exeter and Conestoga Valley remain perfect at (8-0). The Eagles and Buckskins square off this Friday. I’ll be at Don Thomas Stadium to provide live updates.

Section 3:

Conrad Weiser (8-0, 5-0) and Cocalico (6-2, 4-0) have not lost a league contest all season. The banged up Scouts face the Eagles in Denver this Friday.

Section 4:

Wyomissing, Lampeter-Strasburg, and Twin Valley are separated by just one game. The Spartans and Pioneers are both (5-0) in league play. The Raiders sit one game behind. They travel to L-S this Friday. Wyomissing will then host the Pioneers on Saturday, October 26th at 1:30pm.

Section 5:

Schuylkill Valley is alone in first place with a (5-0) league mark. Lancaster Catholic trails the Panthers by one game. Bruce Harbach will see his former team in Week 10 at Leesport.

L-L League Players of the Week

Paul Roberts — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 13:48:23 +0000

Here are the Lancaster-Lebanon Quarterback Club offensive Players of the Week:

Isaiah Zimmerman of Cedar Crest ran for 217 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Ephrata’s Caleb Grant threw for 214 yards and 3TD. He also ran for 117 yards.

AJ Hurst from Garden Spot passed for an eye-popping 462 yards and six scores! He also returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown.

Evan Myers of Twin Valley racked up 236 yards through the air and 112 on the ground. He had three combined touchdowns.

Jon Shay from Annville-Cleona ran for 224 yards and a score. He also made ten tackles.

The defensive/linemen Players of the Week are Wilson’s Christo Hunsicker, Brennan Frymoyer of Ephrata, Ashton Kiebach from Conrad Weiser, Lampeter-Strasburg’s Emory Fluhr, and Eric Bennethum of Berks Catholic. Fluhr piled up 19 total tackles! Hunsicker had nine tackles and a pair of sacks. Kiebach finished with eight tackles and two sacks.

Correll Akings-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 02:45:35 +0000

The West Reading Summer Basketball League championship came down to the final second. Zach Suski got behind Wilson’s defense after a missed free throw. Suski missed an open layup and the Bulldogs held on for a 37-35 victory over Berks Catholic. “I thought it was gonna be a tie game and we were gonna have to fight through overtime. That game was very tough and it came down to the wire,” said Correll Akings. The Saints had won the previous three West Reading League titles. They battled back after trailing 8-0 and 15-4 on Thursday night. Kingston McKoy finished with a game-high 20 points, including four three-pointers. “He’s so good and crafty. He knows how to get a bucket whenever he needs one,” acknowledged Akings. Suski, who had 12 points, sank a triple from the right corner before the halftime buzzer. Berks Catholic was down 21-14 at the break. Wilson was on top 27-24 after the third quarter. A jump hook by Luke Levan gave the Bulldogs a 33-31 advantage with 1:45 remaining. McKoy’s putback tied the score. A tough floater by Madyx Gruber made it 35-33. A layup by Akings gave Wilson a 37-33 cushion with 36 seconds left. However, Akings missed five consecutive free throws down the stretch which gave the Saints a chance. The rising junior guard still ended up with a team-high 11 points. Levan provided eight points. “He’s developed so much and he’s become such a strong player for us,” emphasized Akings. Gruber received the Terry Brennan Most Outstanding Player award. The rising senior guard had 16 points in a 38-29 semifinal win against Warwick. The Bulldogs captured the West Reading League championship for the first time since 2019. Akings, Gruber, Levan, Tommy McFadden, Jon Etim, Cam Zullinger, and Christo Hunsicker are all back from the team that won the BCIAA title this year. “The chemistry is getting stronger and stronger day in and day out. I love the guys so much. They mean a lot to me,” said Akings.

West Reading League Playoffs

Paul Roberts — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:09:38 +0000

The West Reading Summer Basketball League playoffs got underway on Monday. It’s going to be a busy week for the league. The quarterfinals begin at 5:25pm on Tuesday. The semifinals are scheduled for 6pm and 7pm on Wednesday. The championship is on Thursday at 6pm and will be followed by the All-Star Game. If there’s rain this week, the games will be moved to Wyomissing’s old high school gym.

Here are the results from the first round of the playoffs:

Wilson beat Conrad Weiser 44-23.

Berks Catholic got by Daniel Boone 45-39.

Exeter fell to Warwick 29-27.

Gov. Mifflin defeated Ephrata 31-22.

Wyomissing knocked out Fleetwood 50-32.

Hamburg lost to Schuylkill Valley 40-33.

Antietam rolled over Kutztown 43-24.

High Point eliminated Oley Valley 47-38.

Berks Baseball Playoff Picture

Paul Roberts — Thu, 02 May 2024 13:39:00 +0000

The Berks County baseball playoffs begin one week from today. Here’s a look at the playoff picture as we head down the home stretch of the regular season.

Gov. Mifflin has a one game lead over Wilson for the top spot in Division 1. The Mustangs host the Bulldogs tomorrow afternoon. Wilson won their first matchup 6-5 in nine innings so the Bulldogs would have the tiebreaker if they win on Friday.

Twin Valley has wrapped up the Division 2 championship. The Raiders have only lost once in league play this season. Fleetwood is in second place in the division. The Tigers and Muhlenberg are in good shape to get the two at-large berths based on their power rankings.

Berks Catholic clinched the Division 3 crown with a 5-3 victory at Oley Valley on Wednesday. The Saints are marching on to the BCIAA playoffs for the first time since 2018. Meanwhile, the Lynx travel to Brandywine Heights this afternoon in a pivotal game. The winner of the crossover matchup between the second place teams in Division 3 and Division 4 automatically earns a spot in the county playoffs. The Bullets are one game behind Kutztown in Division 4.

Kutztown is on the road tomorrow versus Tulpehocken. The Cougars beat the Trojans 7-1 three weeks ago. Even if Kutztown and Brandywine Heights end up with identical league records, the Cougars would win the division based on a higher power rating.

The Berks League quarterfinals are scheduled for next Thursday at Owls Field in West Lawn and Muhlenberg. Those doubleheaders will begin at 4pm. The semifinals are on Saturday, May 11th at Owls Field. The championship is set for Monday, May 13th at FirstEnergy Stadium. First pitch is at 6:05pm.

Week 10 Scoreboard-Football

Paul Roberts — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000

Manheim Township racked up 458 yards in a 49-34 victory at Wilson. Hayden Johnson was 22-26 for 272 yards and 5TD. He ran for another score as the (10-0) Blue Streaks claimed the Section 1 championship. The Bulldogs’ 7-game winning streak ended.

Manheim Central left Don Thomas Stadium with a 42-14 win over Exeter and the Section 2 title. Zac Hahn threw 4TD passes, two went to Aaron Enterline. The Eagles dropped their second game in a row after an (8-0) start. The (9-1) Barons are ranked #8 in Class 4A by PennLive.

Schuylkill Valley fell at Lancaster Catholic 35-14. The Panthers’ 8-game winning streak was snapped. They share the Section 5 championship with Lancaster Catholic and Annville-Cleona. All three teams finish (6-1) in league play.

Wyomissing beat Lampeter-Strasburg 18-13. The (9-1) Spartans didn’t allow a point until the fourth quarter. They’re ranked #2 in Class 3A, according to PennLive. The Pioneers slip to (8-2).

Cocalico rallied for a 24-14 win in Robesonia. Conrad Weiser led the (9-1) Eagles 14-10 in the third quarter. Cocalico is #5 in the state in Class 5A. The Scouts end up (2-8).

Berks Catholic lost at home to ELCO 34-21. The (4-6) Saints entered the night 7th in the District 3-3A power rankings. The top six teams qualify for the playoffs.

Twin Valley rolled over Hatboro-Horsham 48-7 in Elverson. The (9-1, 5-1) Raiders share the Section 3 championship with Ephrata and Garden Spot.

Gov. Mifflin ran past Warwick 19-14 in Shillington. The Mustangs improve to (5-5). The Warriors won just three games this season.

Fleetwood shutout Daniel Boone 42-0 in Birdsboro. The Tigers got back to the .500 mark, while the short-handed Blazers slide to (1-9).

Reading and Muhlenberg both finish (1-9). The Red Knights were defeated by Hempfield 46-7. The Muhls were outscored 49-0 by Conestoga Valley in Laureldale.

Hamburg traveled to Columbia and came out on top 34-26. The Hawks soar to (6-4).

Kutztown got a 36-20 road win over Pequea Valley. The Cougars wind up (3-7).

Boyertown prevailed in its regular season finale. The (3-7) Bears took down Upper Merion 36-14.

Realignment in L-L Football League

Paul Roberts — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 09:42:00 +0000

I mentioned weeks ago that changes were coming to the Lancaster-Lebanon Football League for 2024 and 2025. The new sections were voted on and officially approved this morning. Ten schools will be moving to a new section for the next two seasons. There are no changes in Section 1. Berks Catholic is going from Section 4 to Section 5. That means the “Backyard Brawl” with Wyomissing will not be a mandatory league game for the next two years. Football schedules are expected to be finalized on or before Friday, November 3rd. There are 37 teams in the L-L Football League. The Berks Football League merged with the L-L League last year. Here are the new sections for 2024 and 2025.

Section 1: Manheim Township, Wilson, Hempfield, Penn Manor, Cedar Crest, Reading, and McCaskey.

Section 2: Exeter, Gov. Mifflin, Muhlenberg, Conestoga Valley, Lebanon, Ephrata, and Elizabethtown.

Section 3: Manheim Central, Cocalico, Warwick, Conrad Weiser, Fleetwood, Solanco, and Garden Spot.

Section 4: Wyomissing, Lampeter-Strasburg, ELCO, Twin Valley, Daniel Boone, Donegal, Octorara, and Northern Lebanon.

Section 5: Berks Catholic, Schuylkill Valley, Hamburg, Kutztown, Lancaster Catholic, Annville-Cleona, Pequea Valley, and Columbia.

West Reading League All-Stars

Paul Roberts — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 09:19:00 +0000

The West Reading Summer Basketball League wraps up this week. The championship and All-Star Game will take place on Thursday. Ed Kuhn started the league in 1965. Berks Catholic and Oley Valley each have three all-star selections this summer. Here’s a look at the all-star rosters:

Division 1

JayJay Jordan-Berks Catholic

Ryan Koch

Jaxon Geddio

Gerrell McNeil-Gov. Mifflin

Delsin McNeil

Anthony Caccese-Exeter

Reece Garvin

Cleveland Harding-Wilson

Aidan Melograna

Donovan Gingrich-Conrad Weiser

Carter Horst-Warwick

Division 2

Jaden Kelly-Oley Valley

Chase Rubendall

Ben DeBalko

Mark Rajnath-Schuylkill Valley

Eli Houser

Drew Eisenhower-Wyomissing

Drew Forry

Jovan Hollis-Antietam

Mason Saccarello-Daniel Boone

Dylan Mahlandt-Ephrata

Josh Phillips-Twin Valley