Eastern York outscored Wyomissing 27-to-11 in the second half of a 46-37 road victory. The (14-3) Golden Knights held the (12-4) Spartans to a season-low point total. “Their zone was great and when they were in man-to-man, it’s almost like a zone. They over help and they would not let us get to the rim,” explained Krick. Wyomissing’s six-game winning streak came to an end. The Spartans averaged 66 ppg. during that stretch, but they weren’t able to force the tempo against Eastern York. “We barely ran the floor and that’s a key part of our offense…We fell into their brand of basketball. They slowed it down. They went zone on us,” noted Krick.

Without Wamsley in the lineup, the defending District 3-4A champions struggled offensively in the opening quarter. The Golden Knights were scoreless for six and a-half minutes and trailed 6-0. Anson Morcos hit a triple in the final seconds to pull them within 6-5 after eight minutes. The 5’9 senior chipped in with eight points off the bench. Wyomissing erupted for 20 points in the second period. Birkley Ziegler, Dylan Latourelle, and Dom Arguelles each knocked down a 3-pointer. Ziegler, a 6’ senior, jammed seven of his dozen points into that quarter. The Spartans were on top 26-19 at the break.

Eastern York went on a 21-to-6 run that stretched into the fourth quarter. “They came out with more energy than we had. They were more physical,” stated Krick. The Golden Knights outscored Wyomissing 17-to-4 in the pivotal third period. Matthew Zerbe came alive with seven points and Noah Cunningham connected twice from beyond the arc in that quarter. Zerbe, who averages 4 ppg., finished with a team-high eleven points. “They started isolating guys and we weren’t playing help side [defense]. They took advantage of that,” said Krick. The Spartans trailed 36-30 entering the final period.

Ziegler splashed a trey from the left corner to make it 40-35 with three minutes remaining. Arguelles fouled out with 1:28 left. The 5’9 junior led Wyomissing with 15 points. Zerbe split two free throws to extend the margin to 43-37. Ziegler then misfired on a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 50 seconds to play. Once again, Zerbe went 1-of-2 from the foul line. Bryce Nicholson, a 6’4 junior, added two free throws with 24 seconds to go for the final score. Brady Seitz contributed nine points as Eastern York won its fifth straight game. Seitz didn’t play in Tuesday’s 59-46 win at Dover due to an illness. Nicholson and Cunningham had six points apiece. The Golden Knights were 9-for-14 from the charity stripe, while the Spartans went 3-of-5. Wyomissing was limited to four 3-pointers. The Spartans average seven triples per game. “We were missing shots we normally make. That was a big part of it,” replied Krick.

The top-seeded Pioneers are putting up 41 points while allowing just 8.5 per contest. Caileb Howse has thrown for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as the starting quarterback. The 6’, 200-pound senior is a serious threat to run as well. Howse has 1,245 yards on the ground and 19 TD. He’s averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Dominic Brown is a workhorse in the backfield. He carried the rock 28 times for 116 yards and a score in the Week 10 matchup with Wyomissing. The 5’11, 175-pound senior has 1,279 yards and 21 TD. Brown is also part of an outstanding corps of linebackers that includes Emory Fluhr. Lampeter-Strasburg has some big bodies up front. Collin Shelley (6’4, 290) and Thad Wolf (6’4, 315) are tough in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Wolf is only a sophomore. The Pioneers also feature a terrific kicker in junior Peter Fiorello.

The Spartans are averaging nearly 34 points and limiting their opponents to 11.5 per game. Sophomore RB/DB Justice Hardy is expected to return after missing both of the Spartans’ playoff games. Hardy was injured against the Pioneers. Despite missing time, he still leads Wyomissing with 728 rushing yards (9.6 ypc). Danny Fleischood and Derek Macrina have stepped up in Hardy’s absence. The two halfbacks have combined for 897 yards and 12 TD this year. Fleischood made three trips to the end zone last week in a 35-7 victory over West York. The 6’1, 185-pound junior ran for 132 yards in the semifinals. The Spartans have a pair of solid options at fullback in Chase Eisenhower and Tyler Niedrowski. They’re both juniors who play linebacker as well. The 215-pound Eisenhower has rumbled for 614 yards and ten touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Teddy White has only attempted 47 passes all season. He’s completed 27 throws for 430 yards and five scores.

Wyomissing’s Wing-T attack was held to 146 total yards by Lampeter-Strasburg one month ago. The Pioneers ended the Spartans’ 36-game home winning streak. This one will probably be decided up front, especially considering the weather forecast for Friday. Coach Wolfrum was very candid after the Week 10 loss. “We gotta be more physical. They were just more physical than us,” he said.