The (18-6) Red Knights opened the heavyweight contest with five straight points and built a 18-8 advantage on the scorecard. The (16-7) Muhls trailed 19-10 after eight minutes. A three-point play by Perez pulled Muhlenberg within 23-19 midway through the second quarter. Merriweather contributed five points in that period and Reading led 35-25 at halftime. The southpaw was playing in Santander Arena for the first time. “I liked it a lot. I always like big moments. I never get nervous,” he replied. Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones, a 6’ sophomore, chipped in with ten points. Rosario and Jamier Jacob finished with eight points apiece in a balanced attack. “Anybody on this team could score. Being unselfish, that’s how we play best. If we keep doing that, we’re a great team,” emphasized Merriweather.

The Muhls, as expected, didn’t go away quietly. They began the second half with a 12-to-4 run. The Red Knights responded by scoring ten of the next twelve points. Rosario converted a three-point play and Jones hit a triple. Muhlenberg was behind 49-41 entering the fourth quarter. A 11-to-3 run by the Muhls evened it up at 52-52 with 5:36 to go. Eli Hemmings squeezed twelve of his game-high 22 points into the final period. The lanky 6’4 junior guard put home an offensive rebound and was fouled with 4:34 on the clock. Hemmings sank the free throw to give Muhlenberg its first lead at 55-54. His scoop shot put the Muhls on top 57-56 with 1:47 to play. Rosario, the lone senior in Reading’s starting lineup, drove down the right side of the lane and scored with 1:26 left. Merriweather then found DeCastro for a layup with 52 seconds remaining. DeCastro opted to attack the basket with a 60-57 edge in the final seconds. He missed which gave Muhlenberg another opportunity to tie the game. Hemmings passed to Perez in the corner for a 3-pointer. Jones got his hand on the ball just before Perez released the shot. It came up short, grazing the right side of the rim.

The Red Knights were outstanding from the foul line. They went 12-for-14 and the Muhls ended up 12-for-16. Jones knocked down two of Reading’s four treys. Muhlenberg only connected three times from beyond the arc. Nelson “Coco” Malave had 15 points, including eleven in the first half. The junior guard played for the Red Knights last year. Perez provided eight points off the Muhls’ bench. They were trying to reach the Berks Conference Championship for the first time since 1974. Reading has claimed a record 25 BCIAA titles. “We don’t look ahead…We talk about what we’re gonna do the next day at practice. We don’t want to talk about championships,” explained Merriweather. They’ll get another chance to cut the nets down on Friday night at Santander Arena.

Reading knocked down all five of its 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Rosario hit a pair of triples and sophomore Javon Merriweather came off the bench to make two more treys. The (14-4, 7-2) Muhls found themselves in a 23-13 hole after eight minutes. Mike Miller Jr. jammed eight points into the first period, but he picked up his fourth foul with 6:53 left in the first half. The senior forward fouled out with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Red Knights were in front 40-24 at halftime and they got a bucket from DeCastro to begin the second half.

Jadin Perez, the son of Reading head coach Rick Perez, splashed a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. Eli Hemmings, a 6’4 junior guard, then made two free throws to pull Muhlenberg within 50-41. Hemmings was fouled on the Muhls’ next possession. He split a pair of foul shots, grabbed an offensive rebound after his second attempt, and was fouled again. Hemmings connected twice from the stripe and Reading’s lead had quickly dwindled to 50-44 with 1:45 to play in the third period. The Red Knights were outscored 21-12 in that quarter. They were on top 52-45 entering the last eight minutes.

Perez buried another triple from the left corner and then found sophomore Rhyon Hutchinson for a layup. The fans were going crazy as Muhlenberg made it 53-50 with 6:29 on the clock. However, Reading responded with a pivotal 8-0 run. DeCastro gave credit to Perez who earned his 294th career win. “The talent is there on our team. We can go up against anybody. Our only problem is our emotions. Coach P. does a lot of keeping us together and keeping our emotions in check,” noted DeCastro. Following a turnover by the Muhls, DeCastro finished a breakaway layup for a 69-57 edge with 1:18 left. He converted two important free throws with 36 seconds remaining. Perez sank his third 3-pointer from the left corner to get Muhlenberg within 71-66 with 24 seconds to go. Rosario answered with two clutch foul shots three seconds later. The Red Knights ended up 27-of-39 from the stripe. They were 18-of-24 in the fourth quarter. Rosario connected on 12 of his 17 attempts, while DeCastro was 8-for-10. Jamier Jacob chipped in with nine points and Merriweather added eight. Reading won for the fifth time in six games, despite committing 19 turnovers.

Hemmings had a team-high 23 points for the Muhls, including 21 in the second half. He scored a game-high 25 points when Muhlenberg defeated Reading last month. Nelson “Coco” Malave, a transfer from Reading, contributed ten points on Thursday. Perez, a 6’4 senior, was responsible for nine of the Muhls’ 17 bench points. Miller and junior point guard LJ Armstrong ended up with eight points apiece. Muhlenberg drained eight treys and went 16-for-24 from the foul line. Their five-game winning streak came to a halt.

Four teams in Division 1 of the Berks Conference are within two games. Berks Catholic is atop the standings with a (8-1) league mark. The Red Knights and Muhls are tied for second place at (7-2). Wilson, which won 55-51 at Exeter on Thursday, is still in the mix at (6-3). “Right now, it’s up in the air. There’s no guarantee who’s gonna win,” said DeCastro.

12pm-York High vs. Hazleton (Boys)

1:45pm-Exeter vs. State College (Boys)

3:30pm-Muhlenberg vs. Central Dauphin East (Boys)

5:15pm-Reading vs. West York (Girls)

7pm-Reading vs. Spring-Ford (Boys)

LJ Armstrong tied his career-high with 19 points. The junior guard made two free throws with 33 seconds to go in overtime to extend the Muhls’ cushion to 61-56. Eight of Armstrong’s points came in the third quarter when Muhlenberg took a brief 34-33 advantage. “I said you are the igniter to this car. When you’re moving, everyone is moving with you. He took the key, he drove the car, and he got everyone involved,” noted Flowers. Nelson “Coco” Malave added nine points and Mike Miller Jr. chipped in with six. The Muhls improved to (10-3, 4-1), but struggled mightily at the foul line. They missed ten free throws in the fourth quarter and ended up 15-of-33. “We practice for 90 minutes [Tuesday], probably gonna be 60 minutes of free throws,” said Flowers with a smile.

Wilson was in front 11-9 after the opening quarter and 29-24 at halftime. Mike Glover came alive in the second period with ten points. Muhlenberg had no answer for the 6’3, 223-pound junior. Glover, a two-time All-State tight end, contributed nine points in the third quarter. The (9-4, 3-2) Bulldogs held a 42-38 edge entering the final eight minutes. Glover piled up a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. He was 8-for-10 from the stripe. “I told him when the game was over, ‘You’re a nightmare.’ He played a hell of a game. That kid works out all the time. Kudos to him and his family,” emphasized Flowers. Glover was averaging 8.3 ppg. coming into the week. Correll Akings had 16 points, including three of Wilson’s five 3-pointers. The Bulldogs went 12-of-17 from the foul line. They lost four starters and eight seniors from last year’s (24-7) team which captured its second straight BCIAA championship. The inexperience showed in the second half when Wilson committed 12 of its 18 turnovers.

Malave split two free throws with 5:47 to play to even the score at 44-44. Sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado and Akings responded with 3-pointers and the Bulldogs went on top 50-46 with three minutes left in regulation. Two buckets by sophomore guard Conner Moreland off the bench made it 54-48. Armstrong hit a key triple from the left corner to pull the Muhls within 54-52 with 54 seconds on the clock. After Glover connected on two foul shots, Hemmings had an opportunity for a three-point play with 39 seconds remaining. He missed the free throw, however, Muhlenberg tracked down the offensive rebound. Hemmings was fouled again and missed both foul shots with 33 seconds to go. Following a Wilson turnover, Hemmings was fouled yet again. This time he went 2-for-2 to even things up at 56-56 with 26 seconds to play. Akings got a clean look at a 3-pointer in the left corner before the buzzer, but he was off the mark.

Hemmings started overtime by driving down the lane and finishing with a layup. Malave made one free throw with 56 seconds remaining before the Bulldogs turned the ball over. Two foul shots by Armstrong put the Muhls in control at 61-56 with 33 seconds to go. Wilson was shut out in overtime until Akings sank a trey from the top of the key in the final seconds. Peter Kelfala and Moreland had five points apiece for the Bulldogs. Muhlenberg, which went (6-6) in league play last year, has road wins over Reading and Wilson on its resume. “Those two wins are huge, but it’s not the end of the season,” remarked Flowers.

Otero paved the way for an offense that averaged 215 yards per game on the ground and 343 total yards. Cam Small set the school’s career rushing record with 3,817 yards. The All-State selection averaged 7.4 yards per carry this year with 25 touchdowns. “He’s a great football player. He’s an even better leader. He’s a silent captain. He isn’t very vocal, but he does it with his play,” emphasized Otero. Small set Muhlenberg’s single-season rushing record as a junior when he piled up 2,051 yards. He wasn’t the only one to reach a milestone. Mike Miller, a four-year starter, wrapped up his career with a school record 112 receptions. “He was very valuable. We could use him everywhere; quarterback, running back and wide receiver. He was very versatile,” noted Otero. Miller provided 969 combined rushing and receiving yards this season with a dozen touchdowns. He was also a force on defense at safety. Miller was one of 19 seniors on the Muhls’ roster. Their quarterback, however, will be returning. Adriel Baez completed 61% of his passes during his sophomore campaign. He threw for 1,407 yards with 14 TD and 6 INT. “He’s gonna be really great…I think he’s definitely gonna be a player that will go down as one of the best in Muhlenberg,” stated Otero.

Rob Flowers, a former star quarterback for the Muhls, took over as head coach last year. They went (4-7, 1-5) including a 24-0 win over William Allen in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A Championship. Otero, who carried a lofty 4.5 GPA as a junior, said it was a great pleasure to play for Coach Flowers. “He always pushed us every day and I knew that he was gonna create a different style of program for this community. He really did some special things with us,” remarked Otero.

Wilson takes on winless McCaskey on Friday. That game will be held at Lancaster Catholic at 7pm. Mason Young threw 3TD passes and ran for another in a 42-7 rout of Penn Manor. Young is completing 67% of his attempts for 1,536 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Twin Valley battles Lampeter-Strasburg in Elverson this week. First place is on the line in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The (7-1, 5-0) Pioneers have won six in a row. Their lone loss was at Warwick in Week 2.

Exeter travels to Conestoga Valley on Friday night. The winner will claim sole possession of first place in Section 2. The (8-0, 4-0) Buckskins are led by Sawyer Esbenshade. He’s thrown for 1,722 yards with 24 TD and just 3 INT.

Wyomissing entertains Octorara on Saturday at 1:30pm at Bob Wolfrum Field. The Braves have split their eight contests.

Muhlenberg squares off with Academy Park on Friday in Laureldale. The (4-4) Knights have faced some tough opponents including Chester and West Chester East.

Berks Catholic heads north to “Hawk Hill.” Hamburg is (2-6) after coming up short 31-13 in the Frost Bowl at Schuylkill Valley. The Saints are tied atop Section 5 with Annville-Cleona.

Boyertown looks to bounce back from a 28-0 loss at Spring-Ford. The Bears are on the road this week against Norristown. The Eagles sit at (2-6).

Gov. Mifflin is at Elizabethtown on Friday. The (4-4) Bears have dropped three of their last four games.

Without further ado, here is the new poll. Wilson and Twin Valley moved up two spots this week. Exeter and Wyomissing slid two positions.

“The Great 8”

1.Wilson (7-1)

2.Twin Valley (8-0)

3.Exeter (7-1)

4.Wyomissing (7-1)

5.Muhlenberg (7-1)

6.Berks Catholic (6-2)

7.Boyertown (4-4)

8.Gov. Mifflin (3-5)

The Muhls, who suffered their first loss of the season, jumped out to a 6-0 lead after a 59-yard opening drive. Cam Small went up the middle on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 6:45 left in the first quarter. The (7-0, 4-0) Eagles responded with 42 consecutive points. Brown’s 36-yard sprint down the left sideline set up his 3-yard score on Exeter’s 77-yard opening possession. Reinert, a 225-pound junior TE/LB, recovered a fumble by Small on the next series. Aidan Dauble crashed into the end zone from one yard out to cap a 39-yard drive on the final play of the first quarter. The Eagles used a Power-I formation for the first time with Dauble and Jackson Kozik at fullback. Exeter racked up 303 yards on 30 carries. Reinert, Dauble, and Kozik give the Eagles three quality options at tight end. “I think this tight end room is the best in Berks [County],” stated Reinert.

Brown broke off touchdown runs of 52 and 42 yards in the second period. The (6-1, 3-1) Muhls trailed 28-6 at halftime. Jake Hafer found Kozik on a play-action pass that went for an 18-yard touchdown to begin the second half. It was Hafer’s only completion of the night. The East Stroudsburg baseball commit was 1-of-3 for 18 yards with a late interception. Hafer has taken over at quarterback due to Riley Martinez’s shoulder injury in Week 2 at Boyertown. Reinert picked off a pass by sophomore Adriel Baez and returned it to the 8-yard line midway through the third quarter. Brown’s 3-yard touchdown run made it 42-6.

Muhlenberg put together a 90-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard run by Small with 8:13 remaining. Small had 96 yards on 24 carries. The All-State pick is up to 1,053 yards and 17 TD this season. The 5’11, 185-pound senior set the school record with 346 rushing yards against Exeter last year. Most of Small’s yards on Friday came late in the game. The Muhls were outgained 321-to-224. Baez finished 17-of-23 for 125 yards and an interception.

Muhlenberg had started the season (6-0) for the first time since 2007. The Eagles have won twelve straight in the series with the Muhls. “It shows we’re legit. We worked so hard for this. We’re ready to win State’s, win District’s. We’re ready to do it all,” said Reinert. Exeter visits Hempfield next week before traveling to Conestoga Valley. The Buckskins are also undefeated. That matchup will likely decide the Section 2 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Exeter has outscored its first six opponents 265-38. The Eagles lost senior quarterback Riley Martinez to a shoulder injury in Week 2 at Boyertown. Jake Hafer has taken over under center like he did in 2024 when Martinez suffered a broken right leg. Hafer is committed to East Stroudsburg for baseball. The 6’3 lefty is 22-of-36 for 526 yards. He’s thrown six touchdown passes and two interceptions. Exeter has only attempted 51 passes all season. The Eagles have a physical offensive line that includes Joel Ummarino, Kevin Oswalt, Wyatt Richard, Andre Osborne, and Matt Lis. Exeter is averaging 262 rushing yards per game. “Exeter is a team that makes it a point to do what they do on the offensive side of the ball,” said Muhlenberg coach Rob Flowers. Leo Brown has piled up 892 yards on the ground and 13 TD. Brown, a sprinter on the track team, is averaging 9.3 yards per carry. Jayden Ware is their top target at wide receiver with 15 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns. The 6’2 senior also has a pair of interceptions at cornerback. Linebackers Donovyn Alvarez (35) and Aidan Dauble (34) lead the Eagles in tackles. Ummarino is a force on defense as well with seven tackles for loss.

Muhlenberg is putting up 44.8 points per game. The Muhls have plenty of talent at the skill positions including Cam Small, Mike Miller, and Freddy Lacey. “They are much improved from last year. They have done a great job of getting their athletes in space, allowing them to make plays. They have a lot of weapons,” said Exeter coach Matt Bauer. Small, an All-State pick in 2024, has rushed for 957 yards and 15 TD this season. The 5’11, 185-pound senior ran for a school-record 346 yards against the Eagles last year. Miller and Lacey, both senior receivers, have combined for 35 receptions for 713 yards and 7 TD. Miller has added four scores and 222 yards on the ground. Adriel Baez has shown a lot of potential at quarterback. The 5’10, 170-pound sophomore is completing 62% of his passes for 943 yards. Baez has tossed ten touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s quick enough to use his feet to move the chains as well.

Exeter is #1 in the District 3-5A power rankings. Muhlenberg isn’t far behind at #4. This will be the Muhls’ toughest test of the season. Limiting turnovers and penalties will be critical for both squads. I’ll be in Laureldale with live updates and postgame reaction.

Perez guided the Red Knights for twelve years. They captured PIAA titles in 2017, 2021, and 2023. Reading also claimed five District 3 championships and six BCIAA crowns during Perez’s tenure. Perez had a record of (281-74) with the Red Knights. He has the most victories in program history, surpassing Jim Gano’s mark of 251 wins. Lonnie Walker helped Reading earn its first state championship in 2017. The Red Knights defeated Pine-Richland 64-60 in front of 9,531 fans at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Francis Camara served as Reading’s head coach the last two years. The Red Knights finished (13-12) this past season after a (1-6) start. They won seven of their last eight regular season games to qualify for the Berks County playoffs. However, Reading didn’t make it into the District 3-6A tournament for the first time since 2001. Camara, a 2008 Reading graduate, had previously been an assistant coach under Perez. The school district opted to open the position of head coach last month. Camara’s son, Jeremiah, is now attending Berks Catholic. He was the Red Knights’ leading scorer last season at 14 points per game. Perez’s sons, Jadin and Kalib, are on Muhlenberg’s basketball team.

Reading has won more games than any other high school in Pennsylvania history. The Red Knights have piled up 25 Berks County championships and 24 District 3 titles.

Adriel Baez hit Mike Miller down the right sideline for 33 yards on the first play from scrimmage. The 5’10, 170-pound sophomore quarterback ended up 4-of-10 for 167 yards. “He’s coming along. I gotta remind our staff this guy is a young kid. He’s gonna continue to get better,” noted Flowers. On Muhlenberg’s second play, Cam Small took an inside handoff and raced 38 yards for a touchdown. The Red Knights, who have changed to the Wing-T offense this season, fumbled on their second play. Small capped a 41-yard drive with a 2-yard run out of the Wildcat formation. The All-State running back added another 2-yard touchdown run on the following possession. It was 21-0 with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter. Small went 27 yards to make it 28-0 with nine minutes to go before halftime. The 5’11, 185-pound senior broke free down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown run less than three minutes later. Small scored five times in just 18 minutes of game action. “His physical presence is a lot and he goes hard. What’s special about Cam that nobody can see is he loves the guys that are around him,” emphasized Flowers. Small piled up 210 yards on a dozen carries. The Muhls rumbled for 270 rushing yards. The offensive line includes right tackle Tony Ferreira (6’8, 304) and left guard Zavier Otero (6’, 290).

Baez lofted a perfect 46-yard touchdown pass to Freddy Lacey down the right sideline to extend the lead to 41-0 with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter. Lacey provided three catches for 122 yards. “He’s so explosive and he’s playing better this year. He’s very valuable,” said Flowers. The 6’3, 184-pound senior also came up with an interception in the third quarter. Miller completed the first half onslaught with a 6-yard touchdown run 90 seconds before the break. He had 56 yards on three carries.

Reading committed a trio of turnovers. Senior quarterback Jason Plylaharn was 6-of-14 for 76 yards and an interception. The (0-2) Red Knights could never establish a running attack. They have a lot of first-year starters after losing 24 players to graduation.

Meanwhile, Muhlenberg returned eight starters on offense and seven on defense. Flowers, who spent seven years as the head coach at Reading, knows all about this rivalry. “It means a lot to our kids nowadays. The kids were super excited about the trophy. I think they’re more excited than being (2-0) right now,” he said with a smile.