playoffs – Berks Sports Report

Week 11 Scoreboard-Football

Paul Roberts — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 02:41:43 +0000

Gov. Mifflin fell at Cumberland Valley 44-12 in the first round of the District 3-6A playoffs. The Mustangs finish the year at (5-6). It’s their third consecutive losing season. The (6-5) Eagles travel to top-seeded Manheim Township next week.

Exeter blew out South Western 56-3 in the opening round of the District 3-5A tournament at Don Thomas Stadium. The (10-1) Eagles visit #1 seed New Oxford next Friday night.

Schuylkill Valley rolled over Littlestown 55-13 in Leesport. The (9-2) Panthers were in front 42-0 at halftime. They’ve won eight games in a row. Schuylkill Valley goes to second-seeded Trinity next Friday for a District 3-3A semifinal.

Berks Catholic also advanced in the Class 3A bracket. The (7-4) Saints cruised past Biglerville 48-7. They head to top-seeded Bermudian Springs next Friday.

Muhlenberg defeated William Allen 24-0 in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A Championship. The game was stopped with ten minutes remaining after a fight broke out on the Canaries’ sideline. The Muhls end the season with a record of (4-7).

Hamburg lost 41-0 at North Pocono in the Eastern Conference 4A Championship. The Hawks finish (6-5).

Wilson, Conrad Weiser, Wyomissing, and Twin Valley all received byes this week.

District 3 Playoff Preview

Paul Roberts — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:32:20 +0000

The District 3 playoffs are here! Four Berks County teams are in action tonight and four more have byes. There are no Berks County squads in the Class A and 2A fields.

Class 6A:

Gov. Mifflin returns to the tournament after a two-year absence. The (5-5) Mustangs got bumped up from Class 5A this season. As the #9 seed, they will travel to #8 Cumberland Valley. The Eagles are making their 32nd appearance, only Manheim Central has qualified more times (35). Cumberland Valley is (51-18) all-time in the District 3 playoffs with 13 championships. Their last title came in 2015. This is the 18th appearance for Gov. Mifflin. The Mustangs have a (24-16) overall record. They won it all for the first time in 2020.

Wilson received the #2 seed and a bye. Like Cumberland Valley, the Bulldogs are making their 32nd appearance in District’s. They have a (42-24) mark with seven championships. Wilson will meet either #7 Cedar Crest or #10 Hempfield in the quarterfinals.

Class 5A:

#8 seed Exeter takes on #9 South Western tonight at Don Thomas Stadium. This is the 15th trip to the tournament for the (9-1) Eagles. Their lone title came in 2021 when they stunned Gov. Mifflin as the seventh seed. Exeter has a (10-13) all-time record. South Western is making its 16th appearance. The Mustangs are (7-3) this year.

As the #3 seed, undefeated Conrad Weiser earned a bye. The Scouts were the District 3-2A runner-up in 1996. They also started (10-0) that season. This is the 18th time that Conrad Weiser advanced to the District 3 field. The Scouts are (13-17). They will meet #6 Bishop McDevitt or #11 Lower Dauphin in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders have won a record 65 games in the District 3 playoffs (65-9) with 17 championships, including three in a row. They were in Class 4A in 2023.

It’s odd not seeing Manheim Central in the bracket. The Barons own the District 3 records for titles (18) and appearances (35). They’re (63-17) overall. Manheim Central finished (3-7) this year.

Class 4A:

Second-seeded Wyomissing and fifth-seeded Twin Valley have byes this week. The (8-2) Spartans are going to District’s for the 31st time. They were in Class 3A a season ago. Wyomissing has claimed a dozen championships, including five straight. The Spartans have a (42-18) all-time mark. Here’s an interesting tidbit to keep in mind; they’re (20-0) at home in the postseason!

Twin Valley is headed to the District 3 tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The (8-2) Raiders reached the semifinals in each of the previous two seasons. They visit (8-2) Susquehanna Township next Friday in the quarterfinals.

Class 3A:

Third-seeded Schuylkill Valley entertains sixth-seeded Littlestown tonight at Leesport. This is the ninth appearance in District’s for the (8-2) Panthers. They beat the (6-4) Thunderbolts 45-21 last year. It was just the second victory for Schuylkill Valley in the District 3 tournament. Littlestown has won it all on three occasions. This is the 27th appearance for the Thunderbolts. They have a (12-23) overall record.

Berks Catholic is making its tenth trip to the District 3 playoffs. The school has been in existence for 14 years. The Saints have an outstanding (19-5) mark in the tournament with four championships. They’re (6-4) this season and the #5 seed. Berks Catholic goes to fourth-seeded Biglerville tonight for a quarterfinal matchup. The (7-3) Canners advanced to District’s for the fifth time.

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.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:36:30 +0000

If the barking from the Whitehall dugout was designed to rattle Ethan Grim, it didn’t work. “I just get in my zone. I don’t really listen to what anyone says. I just focus on Travis’ mitt,” said Grim. The hard-throwing junior held the Zephyrs to two hits in a 10-0 victory at Kutztown Park. The (22-5) Mustangs only needed five innings to end the PIAA-5A quarterfinal against the District 11 champion. Grim (7-3) felt good as soon as he took the mound. “In the [bullpen], I felt amazing, probably the best of the year,” he noted. The righty threw his slider away and mixed in a curveball to go along with a low-90s fastball. Grim had ten strikeouts and two walks. Gov. Mifflin supported him early with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the 1st inning. “Then you can pitch different and relax. You don’t have to overthrow,” replied Grim. The Mustangs finished with eleven hits including four straight to begin the game. Travis Jenkins, a junior catcher, ripped a two-run double to right-center. Grim followed with a RBI single to center to make it 3-0. Joey Berg’s infield single to shortstop gave Gov. Mifflin a 4-0 edge. Branson Adams and Jenkins provided opposite field RBI singles with two outs in the 2nd inning. Whitehall trailed 6-0 when East Stroudsburg commit Evan Kovalcik was replaced by Matt Hansen on the mound. Kovalcik had only thrown 3.2 innings this season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was charged with six runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings. Grim helped himself again in the 4th with a sacrifice fly to center. The Mustangs wrapped it up with three runs in the 5th off Hansen. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler walked with the bases loaded. Adams hit a two-run single through the middle with one out to seal the deal. Jenkins and Adams each went 3-for-3 with 3RBI. Grim was 1-for-1 and knocked in a pair of runs. Dante Casantini added two hits from the No. 8 spot in the batting order. Gov. Mifflin advanced to the state semifinals for the first time. “We wanted it real bad. Our coach was saying let’s go make history,” said Grim. Shippensburg and District 4 champ Selinsgrove meet Friday at 6pm at Hershey. The Mustangs will square off against the winner on Monday.

Bryce Detwiler-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 21:33:00 +0000

Bryce Detwiler can beat you on the mound and at the plate. The 6’2, 215-pound junior homered and tossed a complete game in the opening round of the PIAA-5A playoffs. Detwiler was more pleased with his pitching performance in a 7-2 victory over Frankford at Shillington. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out eight. Both runs against him were unearned. Detwiler hammered his eighth homer of the season to left field in the 6th inning. “I had to make an adjustment and stay back. It was a fastball middle-in and I put a good swing on it,” explained Detwiler. He drew a walk from Enmanuel Roman in the first frame and then stole second base. Ethan Grim knocked in Detwiler with an infield single to shortstop. Dante Casantini’s RBI triple down the right field line gave the (21-5) Mustangs a 2-0 edge in the 2nd inning. Casantini scored on a wild pitch. The Alvernia commit doubled down the left field line in the 4th. Bryce Wunderlich drove in Casantini with a single through the middle for a 4-0 advantage. Gov. Mifflin, the District 3 runner-up, added two more runs in the 5th inning. Travis Jenkins launched a towering RBI triple to right-center. Courtesy runner Reese Hohl raced home on a wild pitch to make it 6-0. Gabriel Perez then replaced Roman on the mound. Roman was charged with six runs on eight hits over four frames. The Mustangs’ lineup didn’t have a single strikeout. The Pioneers scored a pair of runs in the 6th on three hits and an error. Alexis Zhagui led off with a single. Detwiler then threw low to second base after a bunt back to the mound. Jose Rivera and Yuniel Ramirez followed with consecutive RBI singles. Detwiler retired the side in order in the 7th. Frankford, the #2 seed from District 12, finished (14-5). Casantini went 2-for-2 with two runs out of the No. 8 spot in the order. “He’s definitely turned it on these past couple of games. It’s amazing having someone like that at the bottom of your order to flip it over to the top,” said Detwiler. Gov. Mifflin piled up ten hits. The Mustangs will face District 11 champion Whitehall in the state quarterfinals on Thursday. Detwiler will follow in the footsteps of Tyler Minick and head to UConn after his high school career. Minick was voted the Berks County Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Detwiler earned that honor this season. He discussed his decision to commit to the Huskies. “I fell in love with where it’s at and how good their facilities are to develop me as a player. The coaches treated me like family,” noted Detwiler.

PIAA Tournament-Baseball

Paul Roberts — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:38:00 +0000

The sites and times for first round games in the PIAA baseball tournament were released on Friday. Here are Monday’s matchups involving teams from Berks County.

Wilson travels to District 7 champion North Allegheny at 4pm.

Gov. Mifflin hosts District 12 runner-up Frankford at 4pm.

Fleetwood takes on District 7 champion North Catholic at Seneca Valley High School at 4:30pm.

Tommy Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 21 May 2024 10:17:00 +0000

One big inning and a dominant pitching performance propelled Wilson to the District 3-6A semifinals. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs beat fifth-seeded Manheim Township 4-1 on Monday in a matchup of league champions. Matt VanOstenbridge tossed a 3-hitter with ten strikeouts. The Penn State commit improved to (5-1) with a 1.03 ERA. “I think it’s his arsenal of pitches and how he’s able to change speeds. They weren’t really able to touch his off-speed, especially his changeup,” said Tommy Hunsicker. VanOstenbridge has allowed just 24 hits in 47.2 innings this season with 67 strikeouts. Wilson got all four of its runs in the second frame. Designed hitter Ben Kulp drew a leadoff walk. VanOstenbridge followed with a single. Freshman Ryan Marmolejos beat out a bunt to load the bases. C.J. Fernandez and Hunsicker ripped consecutive RBI singles to center. Jack Gabel walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-0. Nick Fiorini added a sacrifice fly to left field. Hunsicker, who’s headed to Millersville for football, went 3-for-3 with a walk. “I was feeling balanced, staying back more and adjusting to whatever pitches they were throwing,” he explained. The senior third baseman raised his batting average to .375. The (17-6) Bulldogs didn’t commit an error. “Our coaches gave us a good scouting report. They put us in the right spots,” noted Hunsicker. Trey Eckman entered the day with a 1.58 ERA for the Blue Streaks. The senior righty had only given up 26 hits and 17 walks over 40 innings. Eckman was charged with four runs on five hits and five walks in three innings. Sophomore Tyler Shirk limited the Berks County champs to one hit over three frames. Wilson left eight runners on base. Manheim Township finished (18-7). The Blue Streaks lost 4-2 to the Bulldogs in the District 3 semifinals a season ago. Wilson will host ninth-seeded Ephrata on Thursday at 4:30pm. The (17-7) Mounts upset top-seeded Cedar Cliff 6-5 in ten innings on Monday. The Bulldogs are trying to reach the District 3 championship game for the second straight year. “This is where we wanted to be, expected to be all year,” said Hunsicker.

District 3 Playoffs-Baseball

Paul Roberts — Wed, 15 May 2024 17:24:00 +0000

The District 3 baseball playoffs get underway on Friday. Nine teams from Berks County qualified for the tournament based on their power rankings. Here are their opening matchups:

Class 6A-Quarterfinals

#4 Wilson hosts the Manheim Township/Cedar Crest winner at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class 5A-First Round

#1 Gov. Mifflin hosts #16 Garden Spot at 4:30pm on Friday.

#3 Twin Valley hosts #14 Lower Dauphin at 7pm on Friday.

#7 Muhlenberg hosts #10 Manheim Central at 2pm on Friday.

Class 4A-Quarterfinals

#5 Berks Catholic visits #4 James Buchanan at 5pm on Monday.

#6 Fleetwood visits #3 Northern Lebanon at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class 3A-Quarterfinals

#7 Oley Valley visits #2 Trinity at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class 2A-Semifinals

#4 Kutztown visits #1 Halifax at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class A-Semifinals

#1 High Point Baptist hosts the Lancaster Christian/West Shore Christian winner at 4:30pm on Monday.

Mustangs tame the Tigers

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 May 2024 19:09:00 +0000

Fleetwood erupted for ten runs against Gov. Mifflin one month ago. Bryce Detwiler made sure that didn’t happen again. The UConn commit limited the fifth-seeded Tigers to two runs over six innings in the BCIAA semifinals. The top-seeded Mustangs won 5-3 on a rainy Saturday night at Owls Field in West Lawn. “Despite the weather conditions, he was able to command his slider, curve, and changeup for most of the game. Overall, just a great performance under pressure from one of our captains,” said head coach Chris Hole. Detwiler allowed three hits and struck out five to go along with a pair of walks. “Bryce did a great job navigating a talented Fleetwood lineup. In past games, they were very aggressive fastball hitters so our approach was to implement more off-speed pitches,” explained Hole. Gov. Mifflin rallied to beat Fleetwood 11-10 on April 10th. The (13-8) Tigers got on the board in the opening frame against Detwiler. Kutztown commit Aiden Soumas knocked in a run with a single to right field. Fleetwood had two hits in the 1st, but only two more the rest of the night. Ethan Grim tied it up in the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice fly to right. Grim made it 4-1 in the 2nd with a two-out, two-run single up the middle. That came after sophomore Wylie Loy hit Travis Jenkins with the bases loaded. Loy settled down nicely and lasted into the 6th before reaching 100 pitches. Sam Reimert replaced Loy with two outs and two men on base. Dante Casantini crossed the plate on a wild pitch to give the (17-3) Mustangs a 5-1 advantage. Detwiler opened the top of the 7th by hitting Reimert. Hole turned to sophomore R.J. Weaver after Detwiler had fired 100 pitches. Carson Brey doubled to left to put runners on second and third. Cane Cromer’s grounder to second got the Tigers within 5-2. An error at first base by Casantini made it 5-3. Hole brought in hard-throwing junior Ethan Grim for the save. Grim promptly struck out leadoff hitter Liam Hilburt and Nick Noll to end it. Loy took the loss, but only one of the five runs that he gave up was earned. He finished with six strikeouts and five walks over 5.2 innings. Gov. Mifflin managed just four hits. Detwiler was walked three times. Nate Seidel had two singles for Fleetwood. The Mustangs advanced to the Berks County championship on Monday at 6:05pm. They’ll take on third-seeded Wilson at FirstEnergy Stadium. Gov. Mifflin has won two of the last three county titles and fifteen overall.

Ben Kulp-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 May 2024 11:53:00 +0000

With a trip to the BCIAA Championship on the line, Wilson turned to sophomore Ben Kulp and he delivered. The 6’1, 215-pound righty allowed just three hits over 5.1 innings in a 6-3 victory over Twin Valley at Owls Field. “The curveball was working early in counts. The splitter and slider were working later in counts,” explained Kulp. He gave up three runs, two earned, with five strikeouts and only one walk. “My goal was to get ahead of batters early and then keep them off balance,” said Kulp. He’s (5-1) with 41K in 35.2IP. The third-seeded Bulldogs gave him some early support with three runs on one hit in the second inning. After two errors and a walk, freshman Ryan Marmolejos ripped a single to left field. C.J. Fernandez’s grounder to second produced another run. A sacrifice fly to right by sophomore Jack Gabel made it 3-0. The second-seeded Raiders got on the board in the 2nd thanks to Jon Oxendine‘s groundout with the bases loaded. Kulp struck out Kooper Zdimal with men on second and third to limit the damage. A two-out RBI double to right field by Paul Colombo got Twin Valley within 3-2 in the third inning. Colombo had three of the Raiders’ four hits. He’s headed to Division II Anderson University in South Carolina. Owen Rhoads, an Elizabethtown commit, left after five frames and 98 pitches. He was charged with three unearned runs on five hits and two walks. Rhoads finished with a handful of strikeouts. Zdimal took over and allowed a two-out, two-run double to left-center by Christo Hunsicker. Penn State commit Matt VanOstenbridge replaced Kulp in the bottom of 6th with one out and a runner on second base. Kevin Eden greeted the southpaw with a RBI double to right. Fernandez added a bloop RBI single in the 7th for the final margin. Marmolejos and Fernandez each went 2-for-3. They hit eighth and ninth respectively for Wilson. The (15-6) Bulldogs had eight hits on Saturday. VanOstenbridge had a pair of strikeouts to surpass 200 for his career. He permitted just one hit while throwing 25 pitches. “He’s a great guy on the bench, great teammate. He’ll take you under his wing and show you his stuff,” noted Kulp. VanOstenbridge is expected to be on the hill Monday evening at FirstEnergy Stadium. Wilson meets rival Gov. Mifflin for the Berks County title at 6:05pm. The Mustangs defeated the Bulldogs 6-3 in last year’s championship game. “We want redemption,” stated Kulp.