Exeter beat Reading 10-3. Mason Goodhart threw a complete game four-hitter with nine strikeouts. Brenton Feathers had two hits and drove in three runs.

Fleetwood scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to top Conrad Weiser 10-3. Ty Kleppinger finished with four hits. Wylie Loy struck out a dozen over 6.2 innings.

Hamburg lost to Wyomissing 7-3. Designated hitter Noah Rauenzahn knocked in four runs.

Oley Valley got past Kutztown 4-1. Tim Fries went the distance with 13 strikeouts and no walks. He allowed three hits and one unearned run.

Berks Catholic blew out Antietam 13-3 in six innings. The Saints piled up 13 hits. Aidan Curley had a triple and 3 RBI.

Schuylkill Valley outlasted Tulpehocken 10-7. The Panthers scored six times in the bottom of the sixth. Bryce Bailey provided a pair of hits and 2 RBI.

Schuylkill Valley lost both of its regular season meetings with the Spartans by eight and eleven points respectively. The difference this time around was simple. “We made shots early. We got the same kind of shots that we got in the other games. We made baskets and then we didn’t have to spend the whole rest of the game trying to chip out from a big hole,” explained Grim. Alex Aletras came off the bench and provided a spark in the opening quarter with all six of his points. The 5’11 junior hit a triple from the right wing to put the fifth-seeded Panthers on top 15-8. They held a 15-12 advantage after eight minutes. Dom Arguelles and sophomore Brady Eisenhower combined for 15 of Wyomissing’s 16 points in the second quarter. The fourth-seeded Spartans trailed 29-28 at halftime.

A bucket by Daniel Moyer put Wyomissing in front 38-36 with three minutes left in the third period. That would be the final lead of the night for the (14-10) Spartans. Schuylkill Valley scored the next seven points, including a 3-pointer by Ervin Ortiz. The (15-9) Panthers had a 44-40 edge entering the fourth quarter.

A fast break layup by Ortiz made it 53-44 with just under five minutes to go. The 5’8 junior then found Josiah Urbaez for a layup and a 55-46 lead midway through the quarter. Urbaez sank a pair of free throws to increase the margin to 57-48 with 2:23 on the clock. Another layup by Ortiz extended Schuylkill Valley’s cushion to 59-50 with two minutes left. Derek Grim, the coach’s son, went 2-for-2 at the foul line with 39 seconds to play. Wyomissing, which was down 61-52, committed a turnover on the ensuing possession. Grim, a senior guard, converted two more free throws to close it out. The Panthers finished 19-of-26 from the stripe, while the Spartans were 8-of-16. Wyomissing connected just twice from beyond the arc.

Four players ended up in double figures for Schuylkill Valley. “I’ve got easily seven guys that could be starters for us…That’s the strength of what we do. We’ve got guys that each night can put the ball in the basket. Somebody is not having a good night, somebody else steps up,” emphasized Taylor Grim. Ortiz and Urbaez provided 13 points apiece. Urbaez, a 6’ senior guard, came alive in the fourth quarter with eight points. “He’s been that for us all year. He gives us that punch coming off the bench. Defensively, he makes plays for us,” replied Grim. Seniors Tanner Staus and Derek Grim added eleven and ten points respectively. Arguelles, a senior point guard, had a game-high 18 points for the Spartans. Eisenhower chipped in with fourteen points and Moyer had eleven. Wyomissing was outscored 34-to-24 in the second half.

The Spartans have dropped four of their last five games. They host #8 seed Eastern York on Monday in an elimination game. The top five teams in the District 3-4A bracket qualify for the state tournament. Meanwhile, the Panthers have reached the District semifinals for just the second time in program history. They travel to top-seeded Berks Catholic on Tuesday. The (23-2) Saints defeated Schuylkill Valley 58-42 in the BCIAA quarterfinals on February 9th.

Exeter is tied with Twin Valley for first place in Division 2. They’re both (4-2) in league play. The Raiders will battle the Eagles on January 26th in Reiffton. Addison Harper is a name to remember. Exeter’s 5’9 sophomore guard is scoring 16.4 ppg. Hailey Kilgore can fill it up as well. The Twin Valley senior is averaging 18.4 ppg. and committed to Shippensburg. Reading is the defending BCIAA champion. The Red Knights are one of the deepest teams in the county and their pressure can create easy transition opportunities.

Don’t be fooled by Berks Catholic’s record. The Saints have faced a brutal schedule. They still have Lancaster Catholic and Delone Catholic on their non-league slate. Longtime coach Bob Birmingham is starting a trio of sophomores in Abby Cannon, Esperanza Zudie, and Janaiyah Ford. Keep an eye out for freshman guard Jaylianni Ortiz down the road. Schuylkill Valley is in full control of the Division 3 race. The Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak. The final spot in my poll came down to Conrad Weiser and Division 4 leader Oley Valley. The Scouts beat the Lynx 39-35 in overtime so they got the nod. Conrad Weiser doesn’t have a single senior on its roster so the Scouts are building for the future.

Without further ado, here are the “Roberts Rankings” for the Berks County Girls Basketball League. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

“The Great 8”

1.Wilson (13-2)

2.Gov. Mifflin (9-4)

3.Exeter (9-5)

4.Reading (8-7)

5.Twin Valley (6-8)

6.Berks Catholic (5-9)

7.Schuylkill Valley (9-3)

8.Conrad Weiser (6-7)

Twin Valley and Exeter are the top two squads in Division 2 of the Berks League. Shippensburg commit Hailey Kilgore is providing 19 ppg. for the Raiders. Addison Harper, a sophomore for the Eagles, isn’t far behind at 17 ppg. Twin Valley is (3-0) in the league standings, but has dropped all six of its non-league matchups.

Schuylkill Valley hosts rival Hamburg in a key Division 3 battle on Tuesday. The Panthers have a nice one-two punch with Hannah West and Elyssa Sellers. West is contributing a team-high 13.6 ppg., while Sellers adds a dozen points a night.

Oley Valley has won seven of its first ten contests. The Lynx prevailed 29-26 in a defensive tilt against Kutztown in mid-December. Oley Valley has a one game edge over the Cougars in Division 4. The Lynx will be tested on Saturday when they host Twin Valley.

Let’s take a look at how the local teams are doing in the District III power rankings. As you can see, numerous Berks League members need to pick up the pace in order to qualify for the District III tournament. None of the schools in the Berks League fall into Class A or Class 2A.

Class 6A (16 teams qualify)

8. Wilson

16. Gov. Mifflin

18. Reading

29. Muhlenberg

Class 5A (14 teams qualify)

10. Exeter

17. Conrad Weiser

22. Twin Valley

25. Daniel Boone

Class 4A (8 teams qualify)

11. Berks Catholic

12. Schuylkill Valley

14. Hamburg

19. Wyomissing

20. Fleetwood

Class 3A (6 teams qualify)

4. Oley Valley

5. Kutztown

10. Tulpehocken

11. Brandywine Heights

12. Antietam

Player of the Year-Drew Engle

Offensive Back of the Year-Drew Engle

Receiver of the Year-Ben Grundy

Offensive Lineman of the Year-Greyson Miller

Defensive Lineman of the Year-Greyson Miller

Linebacker of the Year-Lucas Myers

Defensive Back of the Year-Justice Hardy

Coach of the Year-Brett Myers

Offense:

QB-Alex Aletras, Maverik Foster

RB-Drew Engle, Justice Hardy, Mason Sherry

Athlete-Owen Schalk

WR-Ben Grundy, Alex Gehret, Ethan Horvath

TE-Diamante Strong

OL-Noah DiGiacomo, Greyson Miller, Eric Bennethum, Anthony Zatorski, Astian Reppert

Kick Returner-Ben Grundy

Kicker-Alex Reali

Long Snapper-Nathan Malone

Defense:

DL-Faith Zudie, Astian Reppert, Greyson Miller, Andrew Bresnahan

LB-Lucas Myers, Chase Eisenhower, Tyler Niedrowski, Keenan Munn

DB-Justice Hardy, Drew Engle, Mason Mace, Grant Moser

Punter-Keegan Maher, Alex Reali

Wyomissing scored the first six points and had a 19-7 advantage after the first quarter. Danny Fleischood jammed nine points into the first eight minutes. The 6’1 senior, who also plays football, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. “He’s really important. He’s our key piece. Without him, we struggle sometimes. He holds us together,” remarked Arguelles. Fleischood is a two-time all-division selection who can score at all three levels. The Spartans began the second quarter with a 8-0 run to go up 27-7. Schuylkill Valley was held to two field goals in the first half and trailed 30-14 at the break.

Zach Reeser, the Panthers’ leading scorer, came alive in the second half. The 5’11 junior provided eleven points in the third quarter. Reeser, who’s averaging 15.4 ppg., ended up with 18 points. “He stays under control and sees the floor pretty well. He can get his own shot, he can find open people. He’s developing into a pretty strong scorer for us,” explained Grim. Schuylkill Valley outscored Wyomissing 34-to-26 in the second half. The Spartans were in front 45-33 entering the fourth quarter, but the (2-3) Panthers didn’t go away quietly. Reeser made a layup with 2:15 remaining which was followed by two free throws from Derek Grim. Schuylkill Valley was within 52-46 before missing an open 3-pointer and then committing back-to-back turnovers. Arguelles and Fleischood each split a pair of foul shots to make it 54-46 with 29 seconds to go. Daniel Moyer sealed the victory with two free throws in the final seconds. Moyer, 6’ senior, provided a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. “He just brings that dog. He cleans up that glass. Nobody can stop him,” said Arguelles.

Grim chipped in with eight points for the Panthers and Josiah Urbaez added six off the bench. There were 58 combined free throw attempts. Schuylkill Valley went 21-for-32, while Wyomissing was 15-for-26. The Panthers lost their top three players to graduation in Cooper Hohenadel (14.6), Luke Spotts (11.3), and Kowen Gerner (11.2). Both of these teams went (15-10, 9-2) during the 2024-25 campaign. The Spartans fell to Reading 77-56 in the BCIAA quarterfinals. They then lost at home to Susquehanna Township 65-60 in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. “It didn’t go as well as we wanted last year. We just want to bounce back and go as far as we can. We know we can do it, we have all the pieces. We just have to play together,” replied Arguelles.

The offenses took center stage in the first quarter. Brandon Pyle’s 14-yard touchdown run capped the Panthers’ opening 50-yard possession. The Hawks responded by going 59 yards for a score. On fourth-and-6, freshman quarterback Isaac McFadden hit Owen Bentz for a first down to the 42-yard line. A defensive holding penalty on fourth-and-7 kept the drive alive. McFadden finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run, but the extra point was no good. Pyle, a sprinter on the track & field team, ripped off a 60-yard run down the left sideline on the ensuing series. That set up a 3-yard TD pass from Alex Aletras to sophomore Anthony Batista along the right sideline. Hamburg answered almost immediately. McFadden raced 65 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown with ten seconds left in the first quarter. The Hawks trailed 14-13 after twelve minutes.

Harbach, who was inducted into the PSFCA Hall of Fame this year, had a very clear message to his players at the break. “Let’s play physical football, come out and control the line of scrimmage. Our kids listened at halftime and that’s what we did,” he said. Hamburg recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter. However, Ervin Ortiz came up with an interception on fourth down at his 16-yard line. Pyle then took a shovel pass from Aletras and sprinted 84 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. “That play really wasn’t run for about 3-4 weeks,” noted Harbach. The quick strike made it 21-13 with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter.

McFadden was sacked and fumbled at his 14-yard line a few minutes into the fourth quarter. The Panthers turned that takeaway into a 28-yard field goal by Reese Wamsher with 5:13 to go. An interception by Alex Gehret gave Schuylkill Valley the ball back at the Hawks’ 44-yard line. Ortiz went 25 yards up the middle for a 31-13 advantage with 2:15 left. Vogel picked off backup quarterback Isaak Stewart on the final play. The (5-3, 4-1) Panthers were +4 in turnover differential.

Schuylkill Valley outgained Hamburg 404-to-295. Aletras was 13-of-19 for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 6’, 175-pound junior added 59 yards on 13 carries. “In the past two weeks, we instituted the quarterback run game. He’s done real well with it,” explained Harbach. Pyle ran 13 times for 67 yards. The 5’10, 170-pound senior racked up 145 yards on three catches. Gehret chipped in with six receptions for 86 yards. The Hawks dropped to (2-6, 1-4). McFadden ended up 13-of-21 for 122 yards and 2 INT. The talented freshman ran for 66 yards and 2 TD on ten carries. Bryce Schmeck, a 205-pound sophomore, grinded out 73 yards on 20 touches.

The Panthers have won four of their last five games. They travel to Annville-Cleona next Friday. The Dutchmen and Berks Catholic are tied atop Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League with (5-0) league records. “It’s been more parity than most years. I call it the fun section. I guess it comes down to how healthy are you at the end of the year,” said Harbach.