Snip – Berks Sports Report

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 08:42:00 +0000

Over Snip Esterly’s 35 years as a head coach, defense has always been the driving force. Berks Catholic allowed just 47 points per game a season ago when the Saints won 23 games and their second straight District 3 championship. Entering Friday’s contest with ninth-seeded Middletown, Berks Catholic was giving up 48 points a night. The top-seeded Saints put the clamps on the Blue Raiders in a 44-37 victory at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Berks Catholic advanced to the District 3-4A semifinals and clinched a berth in the state tournament. Mason Blazer is a tough matchup at 6’5. The senior guard has scored more than 1,000 points at Middletown. Berks Catholic 6’3 senior Josh McKoy got the assignment of covering Blazer. When he picked up his third foul, senior forward Elijah Komoro took over the difficult task. Blazer managed only five points in the first half as the Saints built a 23-16 advantage. “I was really happy with both Josh and Elijah. They played him great,” stated Esterly. Blazer, who’s headed to St. Petersburg College in Florida, worked hard for his 17 points. Komoro is a defensive specialist. He’s one of several Berks Catholic players who understands his role. “We stress it every day and they do buy into it…Everybody has a role on this team and a role player is not a bad thing to say,” emphasized Esterly. The (21-3) Saints hadn’t played since last Wednesday’s loss to Wilson in the BCIAA semifinals. They struggled early offensively and went 14-of-26 from the free throw line. Berks Catholic trailed 7-3 after eight minutes. The Saints outscored the (16-8) Blue Raiders 20-to-9 in the second quarter. Seven of Parker Nein’s 12 points came in that period. McKoy finished with a team-high 16 points. Berks Catholic committed just eight turnovers. Blazer was called for his fourth foul with 5:17 remaining and Middletown down 30-25. He returned to the court a short time later and had five points in the fourth quarter. A reverse layup by McKoy gave the Saints a 35-27 edge with two minutes left. Timmy Moore’s 3-pointer from the left wing got the Blue Raiders within 36-30 with 1:15 to go. McKoy then went 2-for-2 from the stripe. Berks Catholic made enough free throws to keep Middletown at bay. The Saints were 11-of-20 in the final period. Aleel Batts, a 5’10 junior, provided a dozen points off the Blue Raiders’ bench. He made two of their four treys. Middletown ended up 9-for-11 from the foul line. Esterly stressed that playing at home was very significant. “These kids worked hard all season to get that No. 1 [seed] and they deserved it. It is a huge advantage,” he replied. Esterly improved his all-time record to (813-220). He has won 14 District 3 titles including five with the Saints. They host fifth-seeded Eastern York on Tuesday at 7pm in the semifinals. Middletown travels to Octorara on Tuesday for an elimination game.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 23:57:00 +0000

Berks Catholic squared off with Muhlenberg on Friday at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. If you thought the Saints were going to be flat after an intense 72-64 win over Exeter on Thursday, think again. Berks Catholic hammered the Muhls 64-39. Head coach Snip Esterly gave credit to his players for the perfect (10-0) start to the season. “We do work our butts off. Six o’clock in the morning in the summertime, Monday through Friday, these kids were in the gym working their tails off,” emphasized Esterly. Josh McKoy scored eight of his fifteen points in the opening quarter to give the Saints an 18-14 advantage. Berks Catholic held Muhlenberg to six points in the second quarter for a 35-20 halftime lead. The Saints continued to dominate in the third period when they outscored the Muhls 22-9. Parker Nein and Kingston McKoy each made a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter. They combined for 18 points in those eight minutes. Nein, a 6’2 senior, finished with a game-high 20 points. “The young man is a gamer. He’s an intense individual. He’s so much more mature than he was last year,” noted Esterly. Nein, who has been dealing with a left thigh contusion, appeared to have hurt his right ankle late in the second quarter. He looked fine, however, in the third quarter when he scored ten points. Kingston McKoy added 17 points while playing terrific defense. “Kingston is the #1 kid that gets everybody on the same wavelength. He’s an incredible leader,” remarked Esterly. Keep in mind that he’s talking about a sophomore. Muhlenberg was held 25 points below its season average. The (8-5, 3-2) Muhls were coming off a double overtime victory against Reading on Tuesday. Alex Collado, Muhlenberg’s leading scorer at 16ppg., was shutout by Berks Catholic. Shermar Killens ended up with a team-high ten points. “They love transition. We wanted to get them in a half-court game as much as we possibly could,” explained Esterly. The Muhls didn’t hit a single shot from beyond the arc. They were 7-of-12 from the free throw line, while the Saints went 9-for-11. Esterly was honored before the game with Exeter for reaching 800 career wins. He’s (802-217) over 35 years, including 13 seasons at Berks Catholic. “It’s so special because so many people are involved in this. The coaches to the players to faculty to my lovely wife and my kids,” said Esterly.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 01:18:00 +0000

Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium only holds about one thousand people. It can get very loud in a hurry. The decibel levels reached a peak right before the third quarter buzzer when Josh McKoy threw down a powerful one-handed dunk. Top-seeded Berks Catholic outscored #4 seed Octorara 17-7 in that period. The (22-4) Saints are headed back to Hershey after a 53-47 victory in the District 3-4A semifinals. “That was a nice momentum builder for us. That gave us a little energy and I thought that might of brought them down a little bit,” said Berks Catholic coach Snip Esterly about McKoy’s slam. The 6’2 junior drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner early in the fourth quarter for a 44-34 advantage. The (17-8) Braves pulled within three points on a Zach Kirk layup with one minute remaining. Kingston McKoy, Josh’s younger brother, knocked down two free throws with 34 seconds left to create a five point margin. Jackson Roberts got an open look from the left wing, but the 6’3 senior couldn’t hit the triple. That was Octorara’s last chance. “They were a very good ball club, well coached. I was really impressed with 23 (Elijah Hamilton) and 24 (Zach Kirk), replied Esterly. Hamilton, who reached 1,000 career points in the quarterfinals against Eastern York, poured in 22. He jammed ten points into the opening period, including the Braves’ only two treys. The Saints were on top 17-15 after eight minutes. They trailed 25-24 at halftime. A three-point play by JayJay Jordan broke a tie at 32 with 2:15 to go in the third quarter. Berks Catholic ended that period on a 9-0 run. Jordan was in attack mode in the second half. Thirteen of his fifteen free throw attempts came after the break. The 5’11 senior point guard finished with 20 points. He was 10-15 from the charity stripe. “I’m one of JayJay’s biggest critics and tonight I thought he [played] really well. I thought he got everybody involved,” remarked Esterly. Kingston McKoy, a 6’1 freshman, provided 15 points off the bench. Josh McKoy added nine. Despite being in foul trouble, Kirk ended up with 14 points. The Braves went 9-14 from the foul line, while the Saints were 13-19. Each team only committed six turnovers. Esterly mentioned that being the #1 seed was a big factor. “You don’t have to worry about traveling. It’s not the NBA, but riding on a school bus is not fun. It affects your legs a little bit,” noted Esterly. He’s had just two losing seasons over 34 years. Esterly is (791-216) with thirteen District 3 titles. Berks Catholic will be going for its fifth District 3 championship on Thursday afternoon at the Giant Center. The Saints square off against second-seeded Fleetwood at 12:45pm. The (22-3) Tigers crushed Littlestown 58-37 on Monday. Esterly revealed that he voted for Fleetwood’s Terry Sitler for Berks County Coach of the Year. They’ll be on the sidelines in two days with gold medals on the line.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 09:54:00 +0000

Getting down 12-0 to one of the top Class 6A teams in District 3 wasn’t exactly part of Snip Esterly’s game plan. “I calmly told them in the huddle that it’s just where we want them,” joked Esterly. The longtime head coach with 783 wins over 34 seasons is well known for his intense demeanor on the sideline. Berks Catholic rallied for a 49-44 victory over Wilson in front of a packed house at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. A 3-pointer by Seamus Breslin put the (12-4, 5-2) Bulldogs up by a dozen. The (14-1, 7-1) Saints were scoreless for four and a-half minutes. They entered Thursday night averaging 64 points, second-highest in the Berks Conference. Aidan Melograna hit a triple from the top of the key to make it 17-5. The 6’3 senior finished with a team-high 14 points. Berks Catholic trailed 19-10 after eight minutes. “We knew it was too early that the game was over. We wanted to chip away. We had great spurts [and] our transition game got going,” noted Esterly. Jack Miller’s layup gave the Saints a 24-23 edge midway through the second quarter. Wilson led 32-30 at halftime thanks to a drive by Cam Jones before the buzzer. The all-division point guard appeared in his fourth game after missing time with an injury. Jones is a two-time, all-state football selection who’s headed to Holy Cross. A breakaway dunk by Ryan Koch (10 points) put Berks Catholic in front 40-37 with just less than two minutes left in the third quarter. That remained the score entering the final period. Josh McKoy, a 6’2 transfer from Antietam, drilled a key trey from the left corner with four and a-half minutes to go. His brother Kingston McKoy, a 6’1 freshman, made a layup about 90 seconds later for a 47-41 lead. Josh contributed ten points. “He’s starting to feel more and more comfortable. I want him to shoot more. He can flat out shoot,” remarked Esterly. The Bulldogs were limited to 12 points in the second half. They were 4-of-5 from the foul line, while the Saints went 8-15. Esterly wasn’t pleased with the free throw shooting, but he’s thrilled with the defense from Kingston McKoy. JayJay Jordan provided a team-high 14 points. The 5’11 senior point guard is up to 1,041 for his career. Meanwhile, Wilson’s four losses have been by 15 points combined. Their four-game winning streak came to an end. Esterly is (241-80) during his twelve years at Berks Catholic. We talked about the days when he had long hair and his favorite TV show.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:02:00 +0000

Snip Esterly called the Philadelphia Catholic League one of the best leagues on the East Coast. He was well aware that Archbishop Carroll was much better than its (12-10, 5-8) record. The Patriots went (7-1) against non-league competition. To say that Berks Catholic got a tough draw in the opening round of the PIAA-4A playoffs is a gigantic understatement. The District 3 champs scored the first five points on Tuesday night at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Sophomore Moses Hipps answered with eight straight points; part of an 11-0 run by Carroll. The 6’4 guard was just getting warmed up. Hipps, a second team All-Catholic league selection, already has offers from Temple, La Salle, and Fordham. The sharpshooter poured in 31 points as the Patriots ended the Saints’ season with a 68-61 victory. Berks Catholic trailed 16-7 after eight minutes and 37-18 at halftime. Hipps splashed a deep 3-pointer in the third quarter. Moments later, he banked in a trey for a 54-27 advantage with about two and a-half minutes remaining in the period. That was his fourth triple of the contest and 64th of the season. The (23-5) Saints were down 58-34 entering the final quarter, but they weren’t about to go quietly into the night. Berks Catholic ripped off 17 consecutive points to get the crowd back into the game. Aidan Sands capped the run with a three-point play with just over three minutes to go. Ryan Koch hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and all of a sudden a 27-point deficit was down to six at 60-54 with 2:40 to play. Shortly after, Koch had a clean look from the deep right corner, but wasn’t able to connect and bring the Saints within three points. Hipps made two foul shots with one minute left to put Carroll on top 64-54. Free throw shooting played a big role in this terrific first round battle. The Patriots went 17-24 from the line, while Berks Catholic was 12-27. The Saints missed ten foul shots in the second half. Esterly was still extremely proud of his players and their gutsy effort in the fourth quarter. They outscored Carroll 27-10 over the last eight minutes. Jay Jay Jordan ended up with 21 points including a dozen in the final period. The all-county point guard was 5-13 from the FT line. Jordan went to the bench with 5:43 left in the second quarter after picking up his third foul. The 5’10 junior was assessed a technical foul midway through the third quarter when an official took exception to how Jordan threw the ball at him after making a layup. Jordan, Esterly, and the Saints’ fans were in disbelief. Esterly told me what a great person Jordan is off of the court. Koch contributed eleven of his 18 points in the fourth quarter when he knocked down three treys. Esterly said, “Ryan has all the potential in the world.” The 6’3 junior averaged 14 points this year. Koch leads the Berks Conference with 63 3-pointers. Sands chipped in with eleven points and Jack Miller had seven. Esterly described his senior class as “super.” He talked about Sands, Tyler Givens, Aron Reinhart, and Christian Cacchione who joined the team in mid-January. Carroll got 14 points from physical 6’4 guard Dean Coleman-Newsome. The junior was a third team All-Catholic league pick. He averages 14 points and 6.5 rebounds. 6’5 junior Blake Deegan made two of the Patriots’ seven triples. He had eight points off the bench. Carroll hadn’t played in nearly three weeks since falling to Devon Prep 70-67 in the first round of the PCL playoffs. They got into the state tournament when Martin Luther King High School opted out. I asked Esterly how Carroll would fair against Berks County and District 3-6A champion Reading. The longtime coach said that would be a great game! Esterly is (769-212) over 33 seasons. He won 542 games and a state title in 22 years at Reading Central Catholic. Esterly and the Saints have a lot to be proud of after going (6-11) a season ago. They earned the school’s fourth District 3 championship in eleven years.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:40:00 +0000

How well did Berks Catholic play against Middletown in the District 3-4A championship? Well, head coach Snip Esterly was at a loss for words after the 60-37 rout. If you know Esterly, you understand that’s a very rare occurrence. The (23-4) Saints raced out to a 19-4 lead after the first quarter. Ryan Koch, Aidan Sands, and Jack Miller drilled 3-pointers in the opening period, while the Blue Raiders were ice cold. Koch knocked down a baseline jumper at the buzzer to end a near flawless quarter for the #1 seed. Aron Reinhart and Sands hit consecutive treys early in the second period to put Berks Catholic on top 25-6. Middletown senior forward Tajae Broadie fouled Koch on a 3-point attempt right before the buzzer. The 6’3 junior calmly sank all three free throws, and the Saints went to the locker room up 32-12. Miller, a 5’10 junior, splashed two more shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Berks Catholic extended its lead to 47-21 entering the final period. Third-seeded Middletown finished 2-12 from 3-point range. The (20-4) Blue Raiders shot 27% from the field. They were looking for their second straight District 3 title and sixth overall. Esterly told me that this was the Saints’ best defensive effort of the season. He said Sands did a tremendous job guarding the 6’4, 240-pound Broadie who’s committed to Old Dominion for football. The all-state defensive end is expected to play tight end in college. Broadie had a team-high 15 points. He’s just two shy of 1,000 for his career. Esterly emphasized how important perimeter shooting was in this matchup. Berks Catholic went 8-17 from deep. The Saints have made 182 triples this year, the most in Berks County. Koch, Miller, and Sands have combined for 141. Junior point guard Jay Jay Jordan, a three-year starter, scored eight of his game-high 17 points in the first quarter. Koch added 16, Miller had nine, and Sands chipped in with eight. Reinhart provided seven points off the bench. Esterly stresses balanced scoring and unselfishness. He mentioned that playing at Santander Arena during the Berks Conference playoffs really benefited his team today at the Giant Center. Esterly has won 13 District 3 championships in his 33 years as a head coach. He’s (4-0) in District 3 Finals with Berks Catholic. We discussed how he prepares for big games. Esterly’s all-time record in the postseason is a remarkable (193-70). The Saints are (26-8) in the District 3 playoffs over eleven seasons. This is their first championship since 2018. Esterly hasn’t even glanced at the state playoff bracket. He’s enjoying an incredible turnaround from (6-11) last year to receiving gold medals in Hershey.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 18:11:00 +0000

Exeter guard Colin Payne came into Thursday’s Division 1 matchup at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium as the leading scorer in Berks County. The 6’3 senior was averaging 20 points a night. I asked Saints’ coach Snip Esterly what his plan was to try and slow down Payne. He simply replied, “JayJay.” Josiah “JayJay” Jordan limited Payne to nine points including just two in the first half. Berks Catholic improved to (16-3, 8-3) with a 60-40 victory over the Eagles. Exeter has dropped five of its last six games. The (10-9, 5-6) Eagles were without their second-leading scorer and rebounder in Joey Schlaffer. The 6’6 junior suffered a left wrist injury on Monday at Wilson. The Penn State football commit is averaging ten points and seven rebounds this season. Jack Miller knocked down a trey before the buzzer to give the Saints a 19-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Berks Catholic held Exeter scoreless for the first four and a-half minutes of the second period. The Saints were up 27-20 at halftime. The Eagles got within two late in the third quarter when sophomore Kevin Saenz drilled a triple from the top of the key. Jordan answered moments later with a 3-pointer of his own. Tyler Givens followed with another shot from beyond the arc and Berks Catholic led 42-34 entering the final period. The Saints put it away with a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter. Ryan Koch’s fast-break layup made it 52-36 with five minutes remaining. That bucket came after one of Exeter’s 18 turnovers. Jordan scored a game-high 16 points to go along with seven steals. Aidan Sands chipped in with eleven points. Koch and Miller each provided eight. Esterly was worried that Givens wouldn’t be able to play due to an Achilles tendon strain that occurred in Monday’s 87-70 loss to Reading. It didn’t slow down Givens who had six points in the first eight minutes and nine overall. Esterly said the 6’3 senior understands his role and has been playing better lately. Givens set a career-high with 14 points against Gov. Mifflin last Friday. Teddy Snyder finished with a team-high ten points for the Eagles. He connected from downtown twice in the first quarter. 6’6 junior Anthony Caccese had eight points. Exeter was 7-8 from the free throw line, while Berks Catholic went 9-18. The Saints hit seven 3-pointers. Esterly believes that this is one of his better shooting clubs. Exeter head coach Matt Ashcroft was a very good shooter in his days at Central Catholic. Esterly and I talked about his former player with the awkward, yet effective jump shot. Ashcroft was a 1,000-point scorer for the Cardinals. He helped them capture a state championship in 2007. Esterly also discussed a funny moment that he had on Thursday with official Tim Nigrini. Plus, Esterly called Reading one of the best teams in the “country.” Esterly is (762-210) over 33 years as a head coach.

Snip Esterly-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 23:37:00 +0000

Snip Esterly has been a head coach for 33 seasons including the last eleven at Berks Catholic. He’s had a long list of outstanding players. Esterly told me that JayJay Jordan might be the quickest guard that he’s ever coached. Jordan had a team-high 20 points in a 56-51 victory at Exeter. He jammed ten points into the first quarter. The all-county RB and DB has been working on his free throw shooting. Jordan was 6-for-6 against the Eagles. The Saints led by eleven in the second quarter, but that advantage was trimmed to 25-22 at halftime. Exeter took a brief 27-25 lead in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by junior guard Teddy Snyder. That shot concluded a 13-0 run by the Eagles. Berks Catholic responded by holding Exeter scoreless for nearly four minutes to open the final period. Colin Payne caught fire late. The 6’3 senior guard scored 13 points in the last four minutes and finished with 28. An old-fashioned 3-point play by Penn State football commit Joey Schlaffer got the Eagles within 50-48 with two minutes remaining. The Saints sealed the deal with a 6-0 run before Payne banked home a triple in the closing seconds. Exeter made five 3’s compared to just two for Berks Catholic. Esterly still believes that he has a good shooting team. He said they moved the ball better than they had all season. We discussed Jack Miller’s outstanding performance. The 5’10 junior set a new career-high with 15 points including ten in the third quarter. Ryan Koch added nine and Aidan Sands had seven. The Saints went 14-19 from the FT line, while the Eagles were 10-16. Berks Catholic has gone from (6-11) last year to (7-1). Esterly stressed that experience is a big factor. We also talked about coaching against a former player like Matt Ashcroft who’s in his third season at Exeter. Ashcroft helped Esterly win a state championship in 2007 with Central Catholic. Esterly told me that he still has the same energy on the sideline after more than three decades. His 753 career wins include twelve District 3 titles and eight Berks County championships! The Wilson graduate has only had two losing seasons. His postseason record is an incredible (188-69). Exeter drops to (7-4, 2-2). The Eagles had won four of their previous five games. Esterly is well aware that every night is a battle in Division 1.