The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-2 advantage and led 10-6 after the opening quarter. Akings hit a triple from the right wing to extend the margin to 31-18 with a minute left before halftime. Nehemiah McClean provided Wilson with a boost in the second quarter. The 6’2 senior forward drilled a pair of treys and scored eight points. “He’s very athletic, super athletic to be honest with you. He can make shots for us. I just don’t know all the time if his confidence is there,” noted Coldren. The (13-6, 7-3) Bulldogs were on top 31-21 at the break. They connected five times from beyond the arc in the first half.

The (8-10, 2-8) Mustangs didn’t go away quietly. They started the third quarter with an 11-to-2 run. Akings responded with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with two minutes remaining in the period. He was fouled on the shot and missed the free throw, but 6’4 sophomore Gabe Nyembo put home the offensive rebound for a 38-32 edge. Gov. Mifflin trailed 38-34 going into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs have struggled offensively all season, averaging 47 points per night.

Nick Kalis, a 5’11 senior, splashed a triple from the top of the key to tie it at 39-39 with seven minutes to go. Gov. Mifflin went scoreless for the next five minutes. Akings buried another shot from long range to make it 46-39 with 2:33 to play. John Lachina and his brother Mark answered with 3-pointers to pull the Mustangs within 48-45 with 1:26 left. A layup by Lebron Leaf got them even closer at 50-48 with 43 seconds to go. Wilson sealed the deal by scoring seven of the final nine points. Jayden Lockhart, Nechar Mercado, and Akings went 6-for-6 from the stripe down the stretch. Mike Glover split a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left to put the Bulldogs in front 55-50. He missed his second attempt, but Akings grabbed the offensive rebound to give Wilson an extra possession.

The Bulldogs were 20-of-28 from the foul line, while Gov. Mifflin went 12-of-20. Mercado, a sophomore point guard, chipped in with 13 points. “He’s coming along, he’s super tough for us. Defensively, he can be a nuisance with guys bringing the ball up. He’s got a real bright future for us,” remarked Coldren. Mercado jammed eight points into the final quarter and converted all six of his free throws. Peter Kelfala added nine points, all in the first half. Ian Fleming had a team-high 12 points for the Mustangs. He’s the only starter back from a squad that won 20 games last year and reached the state playoffs for the first time in program history. Leaf, the quarterback of the football team, contributed ten points. Mark Lachina came off the bench and hit three of Gov. Mifflin’s six treys. John Lachina and Kalis contributed eight points apiece. The Mustangs committed just six turnovers. They’ve dropped four of their last five games.

Meanwhile, Coldren earned his 445th victory over 25 years at the helm in West Lawn. He knows his team must be more focused with the challenges that lie ahead. “I’m a little disappointed and so are the kids. We have two big games with Reading and Muhlenberg coming up and the effort that we gave tonight is not gonna suffice when we play those two teams,” said Coldren. Wilson hosts the (14-5, 7-2) Red Knights on Friday.

The (1-5) Mustangs had pulled within 39-37 entering the final quarter. Neither team scored for two minutes. Glover knocked down a pair of free throws before Correll Akings found him underneath for a three-point play. Glover got another layup off an assist from Akings with 4:33 left which forced a timeout by second-year head coach Garrett Etzel. Nick Kalis sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 46-40. That was the lone field goal for Gov. Mifflin in the fourth period. “In the first three quarters, we kind of over helped and we left some shooters open. We talked about stunting a little bit more as opposed to leaving our guys. I still think we gotta get better defensively,” explained Coldren. He’s in his 25th season at the helm and holds the school record with 436 victories. Glover provided another three-point play with three minutes to go that gave Wilson a 50-40 advantage. The Mustangs were outscored 16-to-7 over the last six minutes.

The Bulldogs came out hot. They hit four triples in the opening quarter and were 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first half. Wilson was in front 14-11 after the first period and started the second quarter with a 8-to-2 run. A layup by sophomore guard Nechar Mercado put the Bulldogs on top 22-13 midway through the second period. Conner Moreland, another sophomore guard, came off the bench and drilled two treys in the first half. Wilson got 13 points overall from its reserves. Gov. Mifflin trailed 28-22 at the break. John Lachina made his third 3-pointer of the third quarter to bring the Mustangs within 37-35. The 5’9 senior had connected a total of five times from long range in their first five games. Lachina finished with a career-high 15 points. Ian Fleming and Lebron Leaf chipped in with seven points apiece. Kelfala had 17 points in the first three quarters for the Bulldogs, including a trio of 3-pointers. He’s averaging a team-high 12.5 ppg. this year.

After advancing to the second round of the PIAA-6A tournament a season ago, Wilson and Gov. Mifflin each lost four starters to graduation. The Mustangs have faced a very difficult schedule. Their five losses have come against opponents who were (20-4) going into Tuesday. The Bulldogs only setbacks have come against Central Dauphin and Berks Catholic. Wilson went 7-of-18 from long range against Gov. Mifflin and 12-for-15 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs hit four triples and were 14-of-18 from the foul line.

Glover was recently named the Outstanding Lineman of the Year in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He had 35 catches for 572 yards and 7 TD as the Bulldogs went (9-3). Glover made 44 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three sacks at defensive end. “I love being able to compete with my guys. I think the physicality of football translates to basketball, working in the post and rebounding,” he said. Coldren added, “I’d actually like him to be a little bit more selfish. I don’t think as a coaching staff we’ve done a good job of getting him the ball. We need to work on that because we need him to get some more touches.” Glover got the ball in crunch time against Gov. Mifflin and made the most of his opportunities.

Wilson was in front 15-7 after eight minutes and 30-16 at halftime. Jones provided seven points in the third quarter when she went 5-of-6 from the foul line. Ryan Leaman, a North Carolina lacrosse commit, gave the Bulldogs a boost with 14 points off the bench. “She can bring up the ball, push on transition, and give us the 3,” noted Jones. Leaman hit three of their six triples.

Kailani Hardy was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer a season ago when they went (20-10) and reached the second round of the state tournament. The 5’10 guard averaged 14 ppg. as a sophomore and was voted to the All-County team. Hardy was given the assignment of guarding Bella Super on Monday. The 5’7 junior was averaging 21 ppg. Super was a third team All-State pick in Class 6A last year. After scoring seven points in the first quarter, she was limited to two free throws the rest of the game. Raquet was thrilled with Hardy’s defensive effort. “It was unbelievable. I think she’s one of, if not thee best defender in the county. She shut her down tonight. She loves those matchups against the other team’s best player,” stated Raquet. Hardy also contributed eleven points, including nine in the second half. Wilson was on top 43-24 entering the final quarter.

Super is up to 938 career points. Jones isn’t far behind at 888. She’s averaging 14.3 ppg. this season. Violet Houck was a factor on both ends of the floor. The 6’ senior forward had 8 points and 11 rebounds. Houck is a three-time All-Division selection on the court and a record-setting hurdler on the track team. Bridget Martin finished with a team-high eleven points for the (4-3) Mustangs. Saray Renninger, a 5’10 sophomore, chipped in with nine points and Brooklyn George had six. Super, Martin, and George are all three-year starters for head coach Mike Clark. He’s won 319 games over 18 seasons, including four years at Oley Valley.

Gov. Mifflin struggled from long range. The Mustangs connected just three times from beyond the arc. They went 10-of-18 from the foul line, while the Bulldogs were 6-of-10. Wilson lost to Gov. Mifflin 60-56 in the BCIAA semifinals last season. The Bulldogs haven’t won a Berks County championship since 2014. “It’s definitely in my mind. We do not talk about it. We just stick to playing to our standards and taking it game by game,” said Jones.

Junior point guard LJ Armstrong added 19 points. “He’s been my running mate since we were in fifth grade. We know how each other play. I love that kid to death,” replied Hemmings. Armstrong was 7-of-14 from the foul line. Reading transfer Nelson “Coco” Malave provided 15 points against his former team. “I tell him every day I’m so happy he came. I’m so happy he transferred. I tell him I love him and we need him,” emphasized Hemmings. Malave had a key layup with 46 seconds left that put Muhlenberg in front 70-65. A putback by Mikal Portalatin pulled the Red Knights within 70-68 with ten seconds remaining. Armstrong split a pair of free throws with seven seconds to go before Reading committed one of several turnovers down the stretch.

Jostin DeCastro jammed ten points into the opening quarter. The 6’3 junior guard ended up with 21. “He’s a really good player. I have so much respect for him,” stated Hemmings. DeCastro is averaging 23 ppg. this season. The (3-1) Red Knights led 19-17 after eight minutes. The fire alarm went off in the gym with 3:31 to play in the second quarter. When the contest resumed, Reading rattled off seven straight points for a 37-27 advantage. Weshly Rosario, the lone senior in the Red Knights’ starting lineup, scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half. Both Rosario and DeCastro had three fouls at halftime. A three-point play by Hemmings gave the Muhls a 41-40 edge with 5:23 left in the third period. They would never look back. Jadin Perez, the son of Reading head coach Rick Perez, hit a jumper for Muhlenberg to make it 45-40. The Red Knights were down 61-55 entering the fourth quarter. Perez spent the past two years as an assistant for the Muhls. He’s now back with the program that he guided to a school-record 281 victories and three state championships over twelve seasons.

As expected, Reading didn’t go down without a fight. Javon Merriweather drained a triple from the left wing with two and a-half minutes on the clock. The 6’2 sophomore guard had 15 points on Thursday. Rosario splashed a 3-pointer from the right wing on their next possession to cut the deficit to 68-65 with 2:13 remaining. He was responsible for three of Reading’s seven treys. Neither team scored again until Malave’s drive down the right side of the lane in the final minute. Muhlenberg went 20-of-30 from the free throw line, while the Red Knights were 15-of-21. Jamier Jacob fouled out with 6:45 to go. The 6’3, 215-pound junior forward chipped in with eight points for Reading.

Hemmings called this a statement game for Muhlenberg. He knows that the Red Knights are a tough opponent. “That’s a very good team with very skilled players,” acknowledged Hemmings. Reading has won a record 25 BCIAA titles. The Muhls lost three of their last four league games a season ago and missed the Berks County playoffs. “I love these guys and I don’t want the season to end early,” said Hemmings.

Gov. Mifflin muffed the opening kickoff and Wilson wasted no time taking advantage. Young fired a wide receiver screen to his left and Jaiden Carpenter picked up three blocks which resulted in a 31-yard touchdown. Young and the speedy Carpenter have a very good relationship. “We’ve been friends for a long time. I remember the first time I met him. He’s always been fast. He’s really great,” said Young. The Mustangs responded with a seven minute drive. After reaching the 2-yard line, they settled for a 24-yard field goal from Lance Koenig. Wilson went 86 yards in just three plays to go in front 14-3 early in the second quarter. Sophomore Damian Greer caught a pass down the right seam and raced all the way across the field for a 64-yard score. Mike Glover made it 21-3 midway through the second period with a 74-yard touchdown reception. The All-State tight end ran right by his defender. Young hit the 6’3, 223-pound junior in stride down the left seam. Glover had two catches for 101 yards. Young likes having a big target to throw to. “It makes it really safe for you. It’s either him or the sideline. He’s a big body and he’s gonna make a play,” replied Young.

Gov. Mifflin opted to roll the dice late in the first half. Instead of punting, the (2-4) Mustangs went for it on fourth-and-2 at their own 33-yard line. Lebron Leaf was held to one yard. It only took the (5-1) Bulldogs three plays to cash in on the short field. A 2-yard touchdown run by senior Correll Akings extended the margin to 28-3 with 1:21 remaining before halftime. Young noted the significance of establishing an early lead against Gov. Mifflin. “I think it was very important. They run the ball maybe 90% of the time. They’ll hold the ball for six minutes. It’s definitely huge to get a lead,” explained Young.

Leaf and Young threw back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter. The Mustangs took over at Wilson’s 42-yard line following a pick by Pat Steuer. Leaf found a wide open Joe Murray for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 3:38 left in the third period. Akings then had a 60-yard TD run called back due to a penalty. The Bulldogs were penalized a dozen times for 117 yards. All of the miscues didn’t slow them down much. Monty Greer ran off the right side for a 13-yard score with 2:17 to play in the third quarter. Wilson led 35-10 at that point. Young saved his best for last. He somehow managed to avoid a sack before rolling right and connecting with Eli Dean for a 7-yard TD pass. That nifty play made it 42-10 with 7:50 left on the clock. “He’s playing well. He’s still missing some reads, but he threw some nice balls. [He] did a great job getting free on that one where he should’ve been sacked. Making plays like that, that’s what he does,” said head coach Doug Dahms.

Akings had a game-high 73 rushing yards on eleven carries. Steuer led Gov. Mifflin with 64 yards on eleven runs. Leaf was limited to 21 yards on eight carries. The 6’2, 197-pound senior was 6-of-10 for 74 yards through the air. The Mustangs averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in their triple-option attack. E.J. Brownback, a 218-pound junior linebacker, racked up 14 tackles. Glover and sophomore Braydon Farrell added nine tackles apiece. The Bulldogs showed off their depth at the skill positions and hoisted the Gurski-Linn Trophy once again.

The rivalry kicked off in 1954 with Wilson shutting out Gov. Mifflin 27-0. The Bulldogs lead the overall series (40-27). Wilson has taken 11 of the past 14 contests. The Bulldogs won 43-20 in Shillington last year. Madyx Gruber had a performance for the ages. The All-State selection tied a school record with five touchdown passes. Gruber went 15-of-20 for 232 yards. He also ran for a career-high 204 yards on 19 carries.

Gov. Mifflin put together a 12-game winning streak against Wilson from 1955-66. The Bulldogs won six straight in the rivalry from 1976-81. The 1981 team finished a perfect (11-0). From 1987-2003, Wilson dominated the series with the Mustangs. The Bulldogs won 12 of the 13 matchups by an average margin of 30 points. After not playing in 2004 and 2005, Gov. Mifflin bounced back with three wins in a row. An incredible crowd showed up for the District 3 semifinal in 2006. They saw the Mustangs roll over the Bulldogs 47-13. Dustin Manz ran for 176 yards and five touchdowns.

Penn State running back Nick Singleton made an imprint on this rivalry. In 2020, Singleton piled up 160 yards and 4TD in a 48-7 rout. Singleton ran for 137 yards and 3TD the following season as Gov. Mifflin defeated Wilson 42-14. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year after his senior campaign.

The Bulldogs are considered the favorite this season. They’ve won four of their first five games. Mason Young is completing 68% of his passes in his first year at quarterback. He’s thrown for 905 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Mike Glover, an All-State tight end, leads Wilson with 20 catches for 256 yards and three scores. The 6’3, 223-pound junior has added three sacks at defensive end. Senior running back Correll Akings has reached the end zone nine times. The Bulldogs’ defense is led by E.J. Brownback. The 5’11, 218-pound junior linebacker has already returned three interceptions for touchdowns. Brownback has a team-high 42 tackles. He made ten stops and had a sack against Gov. Mifflin last year.

Meanwhile, the (2-3) Mustangs have lost their last two contests. They allowed 78 points combined at Exeter and Muhlenberg. Gov. Mifflin is averaging just 225 total yards per game. Lebron Leaf is the Mustangs’ most dangerous weapon. The 6’2, 197-pound senior made the switch to quarterback this season. Leaf has 204 rushing yards and 6TD in their triple-option offense. He’s 26-of-54 through the air for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

I’ll be in West Lawn on Friday with live updates and postgame reaction.

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.

The Spartans got an unearned run in the top of the 1st after the Saints started the game with consecutive errors on ground balls. Noah Rauenzahn provided a RBI groundout to third base to help himself. The junior allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. Mikey Fidler also did a terrific job on the mound. The senior limited Wyomissing to one unearned run on three hits in six innings. Fidler (2-0, 1.88) struck out five, walked three, and hit a batter. The Spartans entered the day with a lofty .364 team batting average. Trey Stricker led off the bottom of the 1st with a triple to right-center. The West Chester commit and standout pitcher is hitting a team-high .468 this season. A sacrifice fly to center by Fidler made it 1-1. Victor Mejia put Berks Catholic in front 2-1 with a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the 2nd. Aidan Curley, who had doubled to left, came in to score. The Saints, however, were shutout for the last six innings. Wyomissing had a chance to tie the game in the top of the 6th. Cole Sensenig, who’s committed to Eastern University, hit a two-out single through the middle. Berks Catholic junior center fielder Dom Valent threw out a runner at the plate to keep the Saints on top. Henry Pflomm took over on the mound for Berks Catholic in the 7th. Fidler, who threw 87 pitches, gave up two hits and a walk in the 6th. After a single by Macrina, sophomore Parker LaFerriere ripped a RBI double to deep left field to even things up at 2-2. “He has a really good swing and he’s really dedicated to the game of baseball. He’s got a lot of guts and he’s not afraid,” noted Macrina who scored the tying run. LaFerriere has a .455 batting average this year with seven doubles. Sophomores Teddy White and Zander Westwood opened the top of the 8th with singles. Brock Shrawder replaced Pflomm on the hill for the Saints. He walked Sensenig to load the bases with nobody out. Dan Noey, the No. 8 hitter, was then hit in the face by a pitch which brought in the go-ahead run. Macrina followed with a two-run bloop single down the right field line. “He jammed me a little bit. I got a little bit lucky. The game gives and takes and I got lucky,” he replied. Shrawder struck out three of the next four batters as the Spartans left the bases loaded. Ryan Graham got the win in relief. The junior southpaw tossed two hitless innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Graham lowered his ERA to 3.36 over 16.2 innings with 17 strikeouts. He went 1-for-3 at the plate and was intentionally walked twice. Graham leads the club with a .524 batting average. Macrina and White had two hits apiece. Wyomissing finished with eight hits and one error. The Saints managed just four hits and committed four errors. Pflomm was charged with three runs on four hits and a walk in 1+ innings. Meanwhile, the Spartans extended their winning streak to four under first-year head coach Nick Wojciechowski. “All season we’ve had that drive to never quit…Sometimes it’s not great to start slow, but as long as you finish and get the job done, that’s all that matters,” said Macrina.