Saints – Berks Sports Report

Xaiver Gerald-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:52:32 +0000

Berks Catholic came into this season believing that its offensive line would be a strength. Through four games, the Saints are averaging 320 rushing yards per game and 7.4 yards per carry. “Amazing, I think we have a really good O-line this year,” said senior running back Xaiver Gerald. The 5’10, 185-pound speedster is averaging a staggering 14.3 ypc. Gerald has racked up a team-high 429 yards and five touchdowns on 30 carries. He erupted for 215 yards and a pair of scores against Bethlehem Catholic two weeks ago. Gerald did all of that damage on just seven carries. His touchdown runs were from 96 and 74 yards. Palmer Reber, Eric Bennethum, Anthony Zatorski, Peter Schmehl, and Colton Drumheller are the guys up front who are paving the way.

Berks Catholic got a boost in the backfield last week when Jeremiah Camara was eligible to play for the first time. The Reading transfer finished with 120 yards on a dozen carries in a 41-0 rout of Pequea Valley. “He’s a really good running back to add to our team,” emphasized Gerald. Aidan Curley, a 160-pound senior, has provided 270 yards and 2 TD on a team-high 38 carries. Sophomores Coy Koller and Wyatt Burkman give the (2-2, 1-0) Saints more options at running back. Koller, who also plays linebacker, has chipped in with 150 yards and three touchdowns. Owen Schalk can be utilized all over the field on both sides of the ball. He returned a punt 47 yards to the house and caught a 13-yard TD pass at Pequea Valley. Johnny Sauppee has taken over at quarterback after Cole Harter was injured in the third quarter versus Bethlehem Catholic. Harter might be able to return next week.

Berks Catholic hosts Lancaster Catholic on Friday night. The (2-2, 0-1) Crusaders were blown out by Columbia 43-0 a week ago. They lost quarterback J.J. Boas to an injury in that game. Villanova commit Brandon Way leads Lancaster Catholic with 384 rushing yards and four touchdowns. In addition, Way has a team-high eleven receptions. The Saints struggled early in their losses to Twin Valley and Bethlehem Catholic. Gerald, who also plays defensive back and outside linebacker, knows that needs to change. “We gotta come out and throw the first punch,” he noted. There’s a logjam in Section 5 with five teams sitting at (2-2) overall. Annville-Cleona is the only squad in the section with a winning record at (3-1). Schuylkill Valley is the defending champion in Section 5. The Panthers have split their first four contests. “It’s very competitive, but I feel we can compete with those teams,” said Gerald.

Palmer Reber-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:21:05 +0000

Coaches often say that most football games are won at the line of scrimmage. If that’s true, Berks Catholic should be in good shape. The Saints return several key players up front including Eric Bennethum, Palmer Reber, Damoni Daglis, Anthony Zatorski, and Faith Zudie. Reber was voted the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last season. The 6’2, 260-pound senior was also third on the team with 64 tackles. He was named a first team defensive lineman in the section. Reber and Bennethum are part of the Saints’ wrestling team which reached the PIAA-2A semifinals. Reber, who can squat 465 pounds, will be moving from guard to tackle this fall. Bennethum and Daglis are both coming off impressive sophomore campaigns. Bennethum was selected to the first team in Section 5 on offense and defense. Daglis tied for the team lead with 70 tackles and three sacks. Zudie is a junior defensive end with a lot of potential. “He’s starting to put it all together. He’s really strong, really fast. If he can harness all the tools he has, he’s gonna be really good,” noted Reber. Johnny Sauppee and Ryan Spatz give Berks Catholic a pair of solid linebackers.

Owen Schalk, Cole Harter, and Aidan Curley helped the Saints capture the District 3-3A baseball championship this spring. They’re going to be key pieces on the gridiron. Schalk, who hit .416 with 39 RBI, will be getting a lot of carries. Schalk and Curley each ran the ball just 31 times in 2024. They were more of a factor on defense with 86 combined tackles. Meanwhile, Harter takes over for Zach Suski at quarterback. Senior Xavier Gerald made the most of his touches last year. He ran for 334 yards and four touchdowns on only 27 carries. “He’s got so much speed. He’s like the Flash back there and he’s got some muscle on him too,” replied Reber. Gio DiSabatino will be at wide receiver, along with Josiah Turman and sophomore Logan Gonzalez.

Berks Catholic will be missing some familiar faces. Nate Rose is at Germantown Academy, Jackson Kozik transferred to Exeter, and Gavin Welker opted not to play. Rose ran for a team-high 1,066 yards and 11 TD a season ago. Kozik led the Saints with 24 catches and 70 tackles. Welker, a 6’3 senior, turned 17 receptions into five scores at wide receiver. In addition, defensive coordinator Pat Sisk has gone from Berks Catholic to Gov. Mifflin. Eric Hancock is the Saints’ new DC. The Holy Name graduate was a former head coach at Twin Valley. Hancock was an assistant at Schuylkill Valley last season.

Speaking of the Panthers, they won the Section 5 title outright in 2024. Berks Catholic and Lancaster Catholic finished two games behind at (5-2) in league play. Hamburg was in fourth place with a (4-3) mark. The Saints ended up (7-5) overall and got back to the District 3 playoffs after a two-year absence. They fell to eventual champion Bermudian Springs 42-25 in the District 3-3A semifinals.

Dave Stahler, a Holy Name and Kutztown University graduate, enters his second year as head coach at Berks Catholic. The Saints have an intriguing opener at Twin Valley next Friday night. The Raiders have reached the District 3 semifinals in three straight seasons. Berks Catholic hosts Lancaster Catholic on September 19th. The Saints travel to Leesport the following week to face Schuylkill Valley. We will learn a lot about Berks Catholic in the first month of the season. We already know that they have some heavy hitters in the trenches.

Berks Catholic’s Historic Season Ends

Paul Roberts — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:02:45 +0000

Berks Catholic was six outs away from reaching the state championship game. The Saints led Mount Carmel 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th before falling 4-3 in the PIAA-3A semifinals on Monday. Sophomore Gabe Yuskoski delivered a two-out, walk-off single to left-center in the 7th at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg. “Sometimes it’s easier to lose if you get blown out,” acknowledged Berks Catholic head coach Brandon Shurr. The (20-8) Saints and the (20-4) Red Tornadoes were both making their first appearance in the state semifinals. Each team had its ace on the mound. West Chester commit Trey Stricker entered the day with a (7-1) record and a eye-popping 0.64 ERA. Drew Yagodzinskie had allowed just one hit over his previous 21 innings. The Monmouth commit had piled up 88 strikeouts in 52.2 frames for the District 4 champions. Berks Catholic, however, got to Yagodzinskie early in the contest. Mikey Fidler singled and then scored on Dennys Rodriguez’s double to left-center in the top of the 1st. Mount Carmel tied it up in the bottom half of the inning on a two-out, RBI single to center by Lukas Carpenter. The junior outfielder came into the game with a .438 batting average. Carpenter provided two of his team’s four hits. The 3rd inning began with Brock Shrawder lofting a fly ball to right field that got lost in the sun for a double. After Stricker singled, Fidler hit a pop up to shallow right field. The ball dropped allowing Shrawder to score, but the Red Tornadoes did get a force out at second base. Rodriguez came through again with a RBI single to left to put the Saints in front 3-1. Rodriguez, a catcher who’s committed to Shepherd, accounted for two of Berks Catholic’s five hits. Yagodzinskie (7-1) found his groove after the 3rd and didn’t allow a hit over the final four innings. He retired 14 straight batters. “He got a bunch of our lefties out with changeups. It was a lot more of the secondary stuff. The off-speed stuff was what just kept you off-balance enough,” explained Shurr. Yagodzinskie went the distance with eleven strikeouts and no walks. He’s only given up 27 hits all season. Mount Carmel opened the bottom of the 6th with two walks and an infield single by Carpenter. Stricker struck out Clarke Cartwright with the bases full before reaching the pitch limit of 105. “Trey has been great all year. He’s gonna have a great baseball career at West Chester and hopefully beyond that. He’s been our #1 all year. Unfortunately, he just ran out of gas a little bit in the 6th,” replied Shurr. Fidler took over on the mound and threw a wild pitch that allowed Yagodzinskie to score and make it 3-2. Carpenter attempted to score all the way from second base on the play, but he was tagged out at the plate by Fidler. With two outs, the Saints committed an error on Walker McGinley’s grounder to shortstop which evened the score at 3-3. Fidler struck out Brody Brinkash to end the 6th. Brayden Brinkash was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 7th. Freshman Jason Klokis then hit a ground ball to third base that looked like a possible double play opportunity. However, Aidan Curley’s throw to second was low and Berks Catholic didn’t get an out. Yagodzinskie walked with one out to load the bases. Carpenter hit a pop up back to Fidler for the second out. Yuskoski, who entered the afternoon hitting .279, ripped a clean single to knock in the game-winning run. Fidler was charged with one unearned run on one hit in 1.1 innings. Stricker gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits over 5.1 innings. He finished with eight strikeouts and four walks. Both Stricker and Fidler hit one batter. The Saints committed three errors, while the Red Tornadoes had one. Berks Catholic had a very memorable season. The Saints reached the BCIAA Championship Game as a #7 seed and won the District 3-3A title this season. Shurr gave credit to his senior class which includes Stricker, Fidler, Rodriguez, and Shrawder. “This senior group really set the tone early. We grew every year. To finish in the final four [in the state playoffs] is a great achievement,” said Shurr.

The Saints Go Marching On

Paul Roberts — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:32:48 +0000

Berks Catholic’s baseball team is making history. The Saints are headed to the state semifinals for the first time. They held off Notre Dame Green Pond 5-3 in the PIAA-3A quarterfinals on Thursday at Methacton. Berks Catholic scored a pair of runs in the 3rd inning for a 2-1 lead. The District 3 champions added one run in the 5th and two more in the 7th for a 5-1 cushion. The Crusaders made it interesting with two runs in the bottom of the 7th. The District 11 champs brought the tying run to the plate, but Brock Shrawder got a flyout to left field with a runner on third base to end it. Notre Dame Green Pond finished with ten hits, however, the Crusaders left ten men on base. Each team committed two errors. Owen Schalk accounted for three of the Saints’ eight hits. “It feels like Owen has cashed in every opportunity for us. He gives protection to Dennys and his 41 RBI have been huge for us,” said head coach Brandon Shurr. Schalk, a junior outfielder, hammered two doubles and knocked in a pair of runs. Dennys Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk. The Shepherd commit drove in a run. Aidan Curley was 1-for-4 with a RBI. Mikey Fidler, who tossed a one-hitter in the District 3-3A Championship against Bermudian Springs, provided another quality start. The senior righty allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked two while throwing 95 pitches. “Mikey was tough and pitched through some pressure situations with runners on. He battled all day to give us a great chance to come out on top,” replied Shurr. Fidler also scored two runs and knocked in another. Shrawder was charged with one run on two hits. He got the final three outs. The (20-7) Saints are one of four teams left standing in Class 3A. “Anytime you can do something for the first time in school history, it’s special. We’re trying to enjoy every moment and keep prolonging our time together as a team,” said Shurr. Berks Catholic will take on District 4 champ Mount Carmel on Monday afternoon. Drew Yagodzinskie has only given up one hit over his last 21 innings. The senior pitcher is committed to Monmouth. The (19-4) Red Tornadoes eliminated Bermudian Springs 3-1 in the quarterfinals. They will meet the Saints at 2pm at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg. Mount Carmel is also making its first trip to the PIAA semifinals.

Mikey Fidler-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 27 May 2025 13:00:10 +0000

Bermudian Springs entered the District 3-3A Championship with a lofty .352 team batting average. Six players were hitting over .350 and three had averages of .400 or better. Berks Catholic senior Mikey Fidler shut down the top-seeded Eagles in a 8-0 victory on Monday morning at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster. “It feels amazing…We wanted this one really bad. We exceeded our goals from the beginning of the season,” said Fidler with a gold medal around his neck. The righty tossed a one-hitter with four strikeouts and only one walk. He mentioned that his fastball, curveball, and changeup all felt really good when he was warming up. The curveball was the key. “I had all three [pitches] working. If I know I have that curveball working, I can get ahead with it,” explained Fidler. He needed just 82 pitches to get through seven frames. Fidler also knocked in the first run of the game with a bases loaded walk in the top of the 3rd. He was 1-for-3 with two runs. Owen Schalk added a two-out, two-run single to center in the 3rd. Dennys Rodriguez made it 4-0 by hammering a RBI double to left-center with two outs in the 5th. That ended the outing for senior Skyler Gentzler. He was charged with four runs on five hits in 4.2 innings. Gentzler (3-1) struck out five and walked a pair. The (19-3) Eagles were searching for their second District 3 title and first since 2010. Their first and only hit was a single by Ayden Knight in the 6th. The (18-7) Saints tacked on four runs, two earned, off Brayden Heller in the 7th. The big blow was a two-run single to center by Rodriguez. The Shepherd commit went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. “When we have runners on for Dennys and Owen Schalk, big chance they’re gonna have an extra-base hit,” emphasized Fidler. A wild pitch by Heller gave Berks Catholic a 8-0 cushion. Trey Stricker had two hits and scored two runs. Sophomore Cole Harter and Brock Shrawder each went 1-for-3 at the bottom of the order. Berks Catholic finished with eight hits and no errors. Stricker, who’s headed to West Chester, tossed a four-hitter in the semifinals against Trinity. He struck out eight and the third-seeded Saints prevailed 2-1. “We’ve been battling in a ton of close games to get here,” replied Fidler. Berks Catholic claimed its third District 3 championship and first since 2018.

Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 13 May 2025 16:19:02 +0000

It all started with a one-out single by No. 6 hitter Victor Mejia. When the 7th inning rally was over, Berks Catholic had put six runs on the board and taken a 11-6 lead over rival Wyomissing at FirstEnergy Stadium. That would be the final score as the seventh-seeded Saints advanced to the BCIAA Championship for the first time since 2014. “This team has been getting better throughout the year…We kind of figured some things out as a team to put us in a good spot. They’re really executing right now at the right time,” said head coach Brandon Shurr. After Heriel Ramirez reached on an error, sophomore Cole Harter delivered a RBI single to right field to tie it up in the 7th. “Cole had a great hit. Sometimes the bottom of our lineup struggles a little bit, but today they came through,” noted Shurr. No. 9 hitter Brock Shrawder got down a safety squeeze bunt which scored Henry Pflomm for a 7-6 advantage. “We saw that Wyo. wasn’t really up. They weren’t really attacking the baseball. Lefty on the mound, we’re thinking Brock puts a good bunt down. If we execute our part, really hard play to defend,” explained Shurr. Spartans’ relief pitcher Ryan Graham opted to come home with the throw which was late. Trey Stricker, who’s committed to West Chester, followed with a RBI single to make it 8-6. After Mikey Fidler was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Dennys Rodriguez knocked in a run with an infield single. The Shepherd commit went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. A sacrifice fly to left field by Owen Schalk put Berks Catholic on top 10-6. Aidan Curley drew his third walk of the afternoon which loaded the bases again. Mejia was then hit by a pitch to force in the final run. Wyomissing was attempting to reach the Berks League Final for the first time since 1994. The sixth-seeded Spartans were in front 6-4 after Birkley Ziegler’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th. Wyomissing finished with nine hits and left nine men on base. The Saints had seven hits and stranded ten runners. Each team committed three errors. Rodriguez launched a two-run homer to right in the 1st. In the bottom of the inning, Zander Westwood lofted a fly ball down the right field line. Mejia lost it in the sun which allowed three runs to score for the Spartans. Parker LaFerriere made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly in the 2nd. A single through the left side by Rodriguez allowed Fidler to score all the way from first base in the 3rd. Wyomissing answered with a run in the bottom half. Westwood’s single drove in Teddy White who had tripled. Berks Catholic trailed 5-3 after three innings. A two-out error by the Spartans in the top of the 4th got the Saints within 5-4. Fidler’s RBI groundout to second base in the 6th made it 6-5. Four of Berks Catholic’s seven hits came in the 7th. Wyomissing committed a pair of errors in that inning. Graham allowed six runs, three earned, on four hits over 1.2 innings. The junior walked three and hit two batters. Chase Bailey, another junior, gave up five runs, four earned, on three hits in five innings. He walked seven and also hit two batters. Fidler got the start for the (15-6) Saints, but only lasted two innings. He was charged with five runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks. Shrawder limited the (14-7) Spartans to one run on three hits in three innings of relief. The senior righty struck out three and walked two. Pflomm came through in the clutch for Berks Catholic. The junior tossed two hitless innings to pick up the win. “Those were our two quickest innings. Henry threw a ton of strikes…Henry was great, much needed at the end of that game,” said Shurr. The Saints will battle top-seeded Gov. Mifflin in the BCIAA Championship. Weather permitting, that game is scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday at Owls Field in West Lawn. Berks Catholic is searching for its first county title in baseball.

Dennys Rodriguez-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sun, 11 May 2025 16:33:29 +0000

Dennys Rodriguez was facing one of the top pitchers in Berks County with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the 7th. The Berks Catholic catcher was sitting on a split-finger fastball from Wilson ace Ben Kulp, and that’s what he got. Rodriguez drilled a sinking line drive to left field for a go-ahead RBI double. The seventh-seeded Saints upset the defending champion Bulldogs 3-1 in the BCIAA quarterfinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. “Ben is a good pitcher. I’ve known Ben, I know what he’s capable of. I knew that I have to shorten up my swing, stay on my back hip, and fire through,” explained Rodriguez. The Shepherd University commit is batting .357 this season with a team-high ten extra-base hits. This was Rodriguez’s seventh double of the year. Wilson sophomore Ryan Marmolejos tried to make a diving catch, but the ball got past him and rolled all the way to the wall. Mikey Fidler scored easily from first base after drawing a one-out walk. Owen Schalk followed Rodriguez with a RBI double down the first base line. The junior outfielder had three hits to bump his average up to .397. Aidan Curley went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. The junior third baseman put Berks Catholic in front 1-0 with a RBI double to right-center in the 3rd. Trey Stricker (5-0, 0.44) continued his dominant season on the mound. The West Chester commit gave up just one run on four hits over 6.2 innings. Stricker had five strikeouts and one walk while throwing 103 pitches. “Trey was lights out. It’s huge, it’s exciting. Me and Trey have been playing since we were 11-12. We work well together,” said Rodriguez. Stricker has only allowed 48 hits in 67 innings. Fidler got the final out to send the (14-6) Saints to the Berks League semifinals on Monday afternoon. Kulp, who has a 0.80 ERA, surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk in his only inning of work. The 6’2, 215-pound junior has racked up 50 strikeouts in 35 frames this spring. He took over for Jack Gabel. The junior limited Berks Catholic to one run on five hits in 5.1 innings. Gabel, who’s already committed to West Chester, struck out six and walked three. Christo Hunsicker got the first two outs when the game started on Thursday night at Muhlenberg. It was suspended due to rain in the first inning. The (13-7) Bulldogs opted to go with Gabel on Saturday evening and he pitched well despite not getting a decision. Hunsicker hammered a triple that took one bounce and hit the wall in left-center in the 4th. The Millersville commit scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Alex Ernesto. The Saints had runners thrown out at home plate and third base. Another runner was picked off second in the 6th following a leadoff double by sophomore Heriel Ramirez. They were able to overcome the adversity and get revenge for a 7-2 loss to Wilson in the BCIAA quarterfinals last year. Next up for Berks Catholic is a date with rival Wyomissing. They square off at 3:30pm on Monday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The sixth-seeded Spartans are (14-6). “We’re looking forward to that one…We lost to them last time we played them and now we’re ready to go. We’re excited,” remarked Rodriguez.

Derek Macrina-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Thu, 01 May 2025 15:26:10 +0000

Derek Macrina knows all about Wyomissing’s rivalry with Berks Catholic from his football playing days. “It’s that game you circle on your calendar. You gotta beat them,” said Macrina. The Spartans’ senior center fielder will continue his football career at Dickinson. He was in the middle of a thrilling 5-2 victory over the Saints in eight innings. It was the first game of the Berks County High School Baseball Showcase at Owls Field in West Lawn. The event continues with two games on Friday and three more on Saturday. Wyomissing prevented Berks Catholic from clinching the Division 3 championship on Wednesday. The (13-5, 9-3) Spartans hold a-half game lead over the (12-6, 8-3) Saints. Berks Catholic plays its final league game on Friday against Schuylkill Valley. If the Saints win, the division title will be decided by their District 3 power rankings. As of Thursday morning, Wyomissing (.631) had a slight edge over Berks Catholic (.610). The division champion automatically earns a spot in the BCIAA playoffs.

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.

Trey Stricker-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:05:18 +0000

Last spring, Berks Catholic qualified for the BCIAA baseball playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Saints lost 7-2 to Wilson in the first round. They then came up short at James Buchanan 10-8 in the District 3 quarterfinals. Despite a (16-5, 11-1) record, the season ended abruptly. Berks Catholic is looking to go a lot further this year. “I think the squad we have this year can make a really deep run. I believe in every single one of them that’s out there,” said Trey Stricker. The senior pitcher and second baseman is doing his part on the mound and at the plate. Stricker (1-0, 0.27) has 43 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. He’s allowed just 14 hits. The West Chester commit is throwing in the high-80s. The cutter is his favorite pitch. Stricker is working on a changeup to go along with his slider and curveball. He’s also carrying a .432 batting average through eleven games. The (8-3) Saints are hitting .340 as a team. The reigning Division 3 champs have won six of their last seven contests. They got past Oley Valley 3-2 on Monday. Mikey Fidler scored the go-ahead run from second base when the catcher’s pickoff throw went into center field in the 7th. Fidler had two hits and tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. “He has been a huge player for us. He’s a phenomenal kid, a great teammate, always there for everyone. He came up huge,” replied Stricker. Fidler leads Berks Catholic with 21 runs and seven stolen bases. The senior is hitting .424 with a .525 on-base percentage. Owen Schalk provided a pair of hits and two RBI against the Lynx. The junior outfielder has a lofty .459 batting average with a team-high 25 RBI and six extra-base hits. “Good bat to ball skills, he’s hard to get out,” noted Stricker. Shepherd commit Dennys Rodriguez is hitting .407 with four doubles and a 1.106 OPS. Rodriguez and Stricker were All-Division picks a season ago. Aidan Curley has done a nice job on the mound. The junior is (2-1) with a 0.64 ERA. Curley has struck out thirteen over eleven frames. The Saints dropped down from Class 4A to 3A this year. They’re currently third in the District 3 power rankings, just ahead of Kutztown and Wyomissing. Stricker is looking forward to competing in the PSAC. West Chester won Division II national titles in 2012 and 2017. The Rams have made twenty appearances in the NCAA Tournament. “Winning culture, they want to win. They want to do the best that they can and I think that means a lot to a player like me,” said Stricker.

Kingston McKoy-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:10:19 +0000

Eastern York had to feel like it was getting hit by a tidal wave. One 3-pointer after another after another rained down on the Golden Knights in the first quarter of the District 3-4A Championship. Berks Catholic splashed its first six shots from beyond the arc. The top-seeded Saints raced out to a 22-6 advantage and cruised to a 67-44 victory. “We came out hungry. We wanted to play this game really bad,” emphasized Kingston McKoy. The 6’2 junior broke his tibia last January and missed the postseason. He had to watch as Eastern York defeated Berks Catholic 51-44 in the District 3 semifinals at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. McKoy exploded for 29 points against the second-seeded Golden Knights on Thursday. “I think it shows what would’ve happened last year,” replied the All-State guard. McKoy jammed 14 points into the opening quarter. The (21-5) Saints were up 28-10 after eight minutes. Zach Suski came out on fire as well. He hit three triples in the first quarter. “He knows his role. He knows we need him on the offensive side. He shoots it with confidence. I love him,” said McKoy. Eleven of Suski’s 19 points came in the first period. Berks Catholic made its first nine shots from the field and didn’t commit a turnover until the 6:31 mark of the second quarter. The Saints put on a clinic in Hershey. Eastern York trailed 41-26 at halftime. The (21-5) Golden Knights, who claimed their fourth District 3 crown a season ago, pulled within eleven points in the third quarter. McKoy scored eleven consecutive points for Berks Catholic as the Saints built their cushion back to 52-35. Eastern York, which was averaging 58 points per game, was down 56-37 after the third period. Carter Wamsley, a 6’7 Gannon commit, finished with 21 points. “He’s a great player. He’s a smart player. He’s a big body. He gets to the foul line a lot,” noted McKoy. Wamsley was 9-for-11 from the stripe. Noah Cunningham, one of ten seniors on the roster, chipped in with a dozen points. He sank four of the Golden Knights’ five treys. Berks Catholic connected nine times from long range and went 4-for-4 at the foul line. McKoy and Suski each nailed three 3-pointers. The Saints only turned the ball over three times. Bryce Gumby provided ten points off the bench. Berks Catholic earned its sixth District 3 championship in 14 years. The Saints are a remarkable (34-9) all-time in the District 3 tournament. McKoy won a District 3 title as a freshman when Berks Catholic blew out Fleetwood 73-44 at the Giant Center. “It’s amazing, I love playing here. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since,” he said.