of – Berks Sports Report https://berkssportsreport.com Paul Roberts Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:40:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 BCFCA Hall of Fame https://berkssportsreport.com/bcfca-hall-of-fame/ Sun, 02 Jun 2024 20:39:00 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=4268 The Berks County Football Coaches Association inducted its 21st Hall of Fame class on Saturday at the Green Valley Chateau. The BCFCA Hall of Fame now includes 139 members. It consists of former players, coaches, officials, and special contributors. Players must be at least 35 years old and coaches are required to be at least 50 with a minimum of 15 years of experience to be considered. I was honored to once again serve as the emcee for the banquet. Here are this year’s seven inductees.

Nolan McCready-He set a Berks County record with 2,110 receiving yards. The All-State pick was named the Berks County Player of the Year in 2001 when Wyomissing won a District 3 championship. McCready, who was also a standout defensive back, broke the school record with 107 receptions. He went to Penn State as a walk-on and became a starter at safety. The three-year letterman made the Big Ten All-Academic team three times.

Andy Roland-He was an All-County selection at tight end and defensive end for Wilson. As a senior in 2000, Roland established a school record with ten touchdown catches. The All-State pick was voted the Berks County Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was chosen to play in the Big 33 Classic. Roland became a four-year starter at Duke. He was nominated for the John Mackey Award which goes to the best tight end in the nation.

Chris Hangen-He was a two-time All-Berks linebacker at Reading, as well as an All-County kicker. Hangen went on to have a very successful college career at Millersville. He set a school record with 40 sacks from 1982-85. Hangen was a three-time All-Conference pick and a two-time All-ECAC selection at nose guard.

John Dallessandro-He was a physical presence at defensive end while playing for the legendary Andy Stopper at Reading. In 1957, Dallessandro was the first Red Knights’ player chosen for the Big 33 Classic. He played one season at LSU. Dallessandro was also a standout in baseball during his high school days.

Lloyd “Scoop” Clemens-He began his coaching career at Ontelaunee High School in 1927. Clemens became Muhlenberg’s first football coach in 1945. The Muhls won or shared the Berks County championship every year from 1947-51. Clemens won 70% of his games which ranks 8th in Berks history. In addition to football, he coached baseball, basketball, soccer, and track & field. His teams won more than 1,300 combined games and 32 championships over three decades. Clemens was a four-sport athlete at Schuylkill College which became Albright.

Scott Weidner-He was an All-County center at Reading and helped the Red Knights win their only outright Central Penn League title in 1977. Weidner spent more than thirty years as an official. He officiated two state championship games, five state semifinals, twenty District 3 finals, and the 2013 Big 33 Classic. Weidner was a crew chief for twenty seasons.

Dr. Gary Canner-He has been the orthopedic consultant for Wilson’s football team since 1986. Dr. Canner also served in that role for Wyomissing, Kutztown University, and Ursinus College. He graduated from Brown University and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from there as well. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for training in sports medicine. Dr. Canner established Berkshire Orthopedics in 1985.

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Berks Football HOF-2022 https://berkssportsreport.com/berks-football-hof-2022/ Sun, 05 Jun 2022 17:47:00 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=2774 The Berks County Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame includes 126 members. It’s an exclusive group of coaches, players, officials, and special contributors. The Class of 2022 was inducted on Saturday evening at the Green Valley Country Club. I was very fortunate to once again serve as the emcee. Here are the newest members of the BCFCA Hall of Fame:

Bruce Harbach was a two-time all-county selection at Wilson. The Bulldogs’ quarterback went on to play at Slippery Rock and West Chester. Harbach then coached at several high schools and colleges. He had tremendous success at Lancaster Catholic. Over 16 seasons, his teams won eight section championships in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, four District 3 titles, and two state championships. Harbach was named the Class AA Coach of the Year in Pennsylvania in 2009 and 2011. He’s currently the head coach at Schuylkill Valley.

Al Wolski oversaw one of the greatest eras of football at Reading High School. He was the Red Knights’ head coach for nine seasons. He guided Reading to the District 3 championship game in 2003. The Red Knights captured three Section I titles in the Lancaster-Lebanon League under Wolski. He won 70% of his games while at Reading. He went on to coach the State College Little Lions from 2004-‘14. Wolski led them to the state final in 2009. He won more than 150 games while at Reading and State College.

Jack Prutzman was named to the Reading Eagle’s All-Century team. The standout lineman was a captain at Reading High. He played for the Red Knights from 1953-‘55. Prutzman later served as an assistant coach at Reading for eleven seasons. He played football and wrestled at Ursinus College. He’s a member of the Reading High School, Ursinus College, and Berks County Wrestling Halls of Fame.

Bill Hess has been involved in athletics at Holy Name and Berks Catholic for 34 years. He was the center on the Blue Jays’ I-C League championship team in 1987. That squad set a program record with eleven victories. Hess has been an assistant football coach for three decades. He served as the athletic director at Holy Name and Berks Berks Catholic from 2005 until 2021. He’s currently the Head of School at Berks Catholic. Hess previously held the positions of BCIAA Football Chairman and President of the Berks I-C League.

Jasen Esposito was a two-time all-county pick at guard and defensive end for Holy Name in 1997 and 1998. He became a three-year starter at left tackle for Kutztown University and was named first team All-PSAC in 2002. Esposito was signed by the New England Patriots in 2003 and the Buffalo Bills in 2004. He spent two seasons on the Bills’ practice squad. Esposito played in NFL Europe for the Frankfurt Galaxy. He’s been an assistant coach at Holy Name and Berks Catholic since 2008.

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Berks Football HOF-2021 https://berkssportsreport.com/berks-football-hof-2021/ Sun, 05 Jun 2022 16:42:00 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=2769 Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Berks County Football Coaches Association didn’t hold a Hall of Fame banquet for the Class of 2021. That event took place on Saturday at Green Valley Country Club. The 2021 class includes two former NFL players, Division I athletes, and a head coach from the 1960’s. Here’s a look at the seven new inductees into the BCFCA Hall of Fame:

Kerry Collins was the first team quarterback on the Reading Eagle’s All-Century team. He was an all-state and Big 33 Classic selection. Collins led Wilson to the Class 4A state championship game in 1989. He was the first quarterback in Berks County history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He went on to Penn State and broke nine single-season school records in 1994. That high-powered squad averaged 47 points and won the Rose Bowl. Collins was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. He was a first round draft pick who played 17 seasons in the NFL. He helped the Giants reach the Super Bowl, and finished 20th on the league’s all-time passing list with nearly 41,000 yards.

Ross Tucker was an all-league offensive and defensive lineman at Wyomissing in the mid-1990s. He became a four-year starter at Princeton and a two-time academic All-American. Tucker was named to the Tigers’ 150th anniversary team in 2019. He played seven years in the NFL with Washington, Dallas, Buffalo, and New England. Tucker currently works as an analyst for the Eagles, CBS, and Westwood One. He hosts several podcasts, and serves as CEO of GoBigRecruiting.com.

Matt Scornavacchi contributed on offense, defense, and special teams at Gov. Mifflin in the early 1990s. He was an all-county defensive back and big play weapon at wide receiver. As a senior, he averaged 25 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns including an 83-yard kickoff return. Scornavacchi set a school-record with 191 receiving yards against Lebanon. He was a three-year starter at Navy and ended his career with over 1,000 receiving yards. He established a new school record by averaging 19 yards per reception for the Midshipmen.

Alex Auston ran for nearly 3,300 yards at Wilson and averaged almost eight yards per carry for his career. He holds the school record for rushing yards in a single game. Auston rumbled for 331 yards against McCaskey in 1997. He scored 56 career touchdowns. Auston was also an exceptional defensive back. He piled up 15 interceptions for the Bulldogs including ten in one season. He was selected for the Big 33 Classic as a DB.

Jake Slemmer was a defensive stalwart who helped Wilson win back-to-back District 3 championships in 1989 and 1990. The all-state linebacker is a member of the Reading Eagle’s All-Century team. Slemmer made 120 tackles in 1990 and was named Berks County Linebacker of the Year. His father, Gerry, was the head coach of the 1989 team which won 14 games on its way to the state final.

Chris Mayer was an all-county lineman at Reading Central Catholic. He played on both sides of the ball and helped pave the way for legendary running back David Gilmore. Mayer was on the Cardinals’ 1983 team that went (12-1). They outlasted Littlestown 22-21 in double overtime to win the District 3 championship. They also set a school record with 409 points.

Rick Scalese was a halfback and defensive back at West Reading High School in the 1950s. He went on to play at Kutztown University. Scalese became the head coach at West Reading in 1964. He later coached at Daniel Boone for eight years. Scalese was part of the East coaching staff for the first Berks Senior All-Star Game in 1971. He was joined by Don Thomas of Exeter and Vince Shemanski of Central Catholic. The West team was coached by Wilson’s John Gurski and Gov. Mifflin’s Ray Linn. Scalese also played on a state championship basketball team with Ron Krick.

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