The Crimson Tide faced a fourth-and-5 at Berks Catholic’s 44-yard line on the opening possession. Starting quarterback Cameron McClair was moved outside to wide receiver. Kareem Nichols’ pass to him down the right sideline was intercepted by sophomore Logan Gonzalez. Berks Catholic marched 90 yards on its first drive which lasted five minutes and ten seconds. The only pass was Sauppee’s 13-yard TD to Nick DeFazio. Sauppee faked a handoff and found his 6’2, 215-pound tight end wide open in the middle of the end zone.

Aidan Curley broke off a 22-yard run to midfield midway through the second quarter. He picked up seven more yards on fourth-and-3 at Columbia’s 45-yard line. Curley ended up with 73 yards on seven carries. Sauppee hit Coy Koller in the right flat for a 12-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage with 2:42 remaining before halftime. Koller is a 5’10, 165-pound sophomore who starts at running back and linebacker. “I think he’s really stepping up for us. He’s a state caliber wrestler. He can do it for years to come. He’ll be really good,” stated Sauppee. The 6’2, 205-pound senior has been starting at quarterback since Week 4. Sauppee took over after junior Cole Harter was injured in a 48-41 loss to Bethlehem Catholic. Harter is healthy again and head coach Dave Stahler said both quarterbacks are doing well at practice. Sauppee was 3-for-7 for 22 yards against the (3-5, 2-3) Crimson Tide.

Reading transfer Jeremiah Camara began the second half with a big kickoff return to Columbia’s 43-yard line. Camara then took a sweep to the left, cut up the middle, bounced it outside, and raced 41 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The 5’8, 175-pound junior finished with 100 yards on a dozen carries. “He’s been great. He’s been working hard at football and basketball. He does a lot of good things for us. He’s also another threat downfield when we need him and he runs the ball very hard,” noted Sauppee. In five games, Camara has piled up 503 rushing yards and 5 TD on 53 touches.

A long punt pushed the Saints back to their 5-yard line midway through the third quarter. Koller busted a 55-yard run up the middle to get the drive started. Curley scored from ten yards out on a counter with 3:31 left in the third period. Berks Catholic covered 95 yards in just over two minutes and extended its lead to 28-0. The Saints’ defense added a safety early in fourth quarter. Defensive end Eric Bennethum and inside linebacker Ryan Spatz, a pair of juniors, wrapped up sophomore running back Chase Marley in the end zone. After Berks Catholic got the ball back, Faith Zudie took off on a 48-yard touchdown run with 9:51 to go. The Saints had a total of 389 yards including 367 on the ground. Their defense held the Crimson Tide to 86 yards. Sauppee, who also plays linebacker, mentioned that containing McClair was the key. “He’s elusive, he can get out of the pocket and make some plays downfield. That was very big for us to eliminate those [plays] and make him check it down to the flat,” replied Sauppee. McClair, a 6’2 junior, was 10-of-16 for 74 yards.

Berks Catholic travels to Hamburg next Friday. The Saints host Annville-Cleona in their regular season finale. That game could decide the Section 5 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The Dutchmen are unbeaten in league play at (4-0).

Jake Hafer, an All-County baseball player, will take over at quarterback as he did last fall. Martinez fractured his right leg in Week 7 of the 2024 season. Hafer started six games last year and helped Exeter reach the District 3-5A Championship. The 6’3, 190-pound senior finished 31-of-57 for 535 yards a season ago. Hafer tossed five touchdowns along with two interceptions. He’s 4-of-7 for 71 yards this year with a TD pass and a pick. Hafer also has five carries for 42 yards and a pair of scores. The Eagles beat Boyertown 28-10 last week.

The young quarterback finished 17-of-32 for 240 yards. Mason Strunk, a 6’4, 205-pound junior, had four catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. “He’s a great tight end. He can catch any ball I throw to him. He’s a really big weapon for us,” emphasized McFadden. He also utilized wide receivers Alex Soto and Ethan Horvath. They combined for eleven receptions and 105 yards. Soto, a 6’ junior, has a team-high nine catches for 93 yards and a score through two games. The (1-1) Hawks lost their top running back, Blaise Ernst, to a broken leg early last Friday night. Sophomore Thomas Johnson filled in with 16 carries for 41 yards. His 1-yard touchdown made it 21-14 with 4:22 left. Hamburg’s defense allowed just 239 total yards. Sophomore linebacker Bryce Schmeck leads the squad with 24 total tackles. Senior defensive lineman Astian Reppert (6’3, 235) is second with 19 tackles.

The Hawks gave head coach Tyler Hartranft his first career victory. “He’s a really great coach. He’s a very smart guy,” remarked McFadden. Hartranft returned to Hawk Hill after serving as the offensive coordinator at Pottsville a season ago. He was Hamburg’s OC in 2022 and 2023. The King’s College graduate coached at his alma mater from 2015-18. He then became the passing game coordinator at McDaniel College. In the offseason, McFadden works with former Wilson High School and Michigan standout Chad Henne. He spent fifteen years in the NFL with the Dolphins, Jaguars, and Chiefs. “He’s won two Super Bowls so I learned a lot from him,” said McFadden.

The Hawks host Bristol this Friday. The Warriors fell to Palisades 21-15 before defeating Pottstown 14-8. McFadden has completed 59% of his passes for 304 yards and 2 TD. He hasn’t thrown an interception. Hamburg’s offensive line includes a freshman and two sophomores. There are only nine seniors on the roster. “We have a lot of young guys on our team that start. They’re gonna build off of that as they get older. I feel like we’re gonna be a very good football team in the future,” replied McFadden.

The Mustangs only returned three starters on offense and five on defense in Nick Morrissey’s second year as head coach. “We lost a lot of key parts of our offensive line last year, but a lot of young guys are stepping up,” noted Leaf. The right side of the line includes Noah Viruet at tackle and Dylan Worley at guard. Both seniors start on defense as well. Viruet stands 6’1 and tips the scale at 336 pounds. Worley (6’, 243) was voted a first team guard and second team linebacker in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last season. Leaf described him as “very strong, very physical, very scrappy.”

Leaf is an all-around athlete and terrific leader. The 6’2, 197-pound senior missed the entire basketball season due to a shoulder injury that he suffered while playing football last fall. Leaf was named a second team safety in Section 2 after making 50 tackles and an interception. He carried a 3.6 GPA during his junior year. The Mustangs are looking to improve upon their (5-6, 3-3) mark in 2024. They moved up to Class 6A and ran into Cumberland Valley in the first round of the District 3 playoffs. Gov. Mifflin fell to the eighth-seeded Eagles 44-12.

The Mustangs are preparing for their home opener against Perkiomen Valley. The Vikings defeated Gov. Mifflin 31-14 a season ago. As for the keys to this Friday’s matchup, Leaf said, “controlling the ball, being smart with the ball, not turning over the ball, and doing the little things right.” He added, “If we all do our jobs and we execute, we’re gonna come out and dominate. They’re a great team. We just gotta stick to our game plan.” Leaf will be a big part of the game plan in Shillington this year.

The (12-2, 5-1) Eagles reached the District 3 Championship for the third time in four years. After falling to Bishop McDevitt 48-14, Martinez said they took about two weeks off and then got right back to work. That meant hitting the weight room from 5:45-7:30am. “It’s been a grind, but we all lead our younger guys to want to be as great as we can on and off the field,” noted Martinez. Exeter returns seven starters on each side of the ball. The Eagles have great depth at tight end including Aidan Dauble, Braylon Reinert, and Berks Catholic transfer Jackson Kozik. Dauble (16 ppg.) and Reinert were starters on Exeter’s basketball team, along with WR/DB Jayden Ware. Dauble, a three-year starter, piled up 67 tackles in 2024. The 6’2, 215-pound senior was voted a first team linebacker in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Ware (6’, 160) had seven touchdown receptions and a team-high three interceptions. Jake Hafer and Jake Franek, both baseball players, will join Ware in the receiving corps this fall. Hafer filled in admirably at quarterback when Martinez was hurt last season. The speedy Leo Brown has big shoes to fill at running back. All-State selection Jayden Zandier set single season and career rushing records last year. Zandier ran for 2,086 yards and 30 TD a season ago. Logan Wegman, another All-State pick, has moved on to the Naval Academy. However, the Eagles return three starters on the offensive line. Joel Ummarino, Kevin Oswalt, and Andre Osborne are back in the trenches. Ummarino (6’1, 270) was a first team DL and a second team OL in Section 2 last year. He racked up 12.5 tackles for loss. Oswalt won the BCIAA individual wrestling championship at 215 pounds as a sophomore. He was named a second team OL/DL in Section 2 in 2024. Exeter has put together 14 consecutive winning seasons, and Martinez likes how this group is getting along. “We’re gonna have the better chemistry so we can outperform them on the field, even if they’re better on paper,” he replied.

Matt Bauer is entering his 17th season at the helm. He owns the school record for victories with 125. The Eagles have won 106 games over the past twelve years. Exeter opens its season versus rival Daniel Boone on August 22nd at Don Thomas Stadium. This will be their 67th meeting. The Eagles haven’t lost to the Blazers since 2011. Exeter travels to Conestoga Valley in Week 9 for a key Section 2 battle. The Buckskins prevailed 28-27 in the regular season last year, but the Eagles got revenge with a 48-14 rout in the District 3-5A semifinals. Exeter has qualified for the District 3 tournament 13 times in the past 14 seasons. Martinez is healthy and looking to do big things this fall. “We’re gonna try and put on a show this year,” he stated.