The Spartans trailed 26-22 in the fourth quarter when Justice Hardy took a sweep to the right. The All-State pick made a man miss at the 18-yard line and raced to the end zone with 6:49 to go. “Sometimes he just sees that he can beat people around the edge. I’m not gonna question him because he made some plays today doing just that,” explained Wolfrum. Hardy had 93 yards on 14 carries. The 5’9, 190-pound junior also completed a 41-yard halfback pass to Brady Focht in the first half. Marcus Armistead sealed the deal for Wyomissing with 2:08 remaining. The senior defensive back recovered a muffed punt by talented junior Marcus Jones at Haverford’s 27-yard line. That allowed the Spartans to run out the clock.

Wyomissing struck first on a 4-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Brady Eisenhower to senior halfback Danny Fleischood. That capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive that lasted seven and a-half minutes. Momentum shifted on the first play of the second quarter. The Spartans tried to run an inside reverse from Fleischood to Hardy, but the Fords got great penetration and forced a fumble. Matthew Jones, Marcus’ older brother, scooped up the loose ball and took it 82 yards for a touchdown. Matthew Jones is committed to James Madison and Marcus (6’3, 190) recently received an offer from Syracuse. The Haverford School has plenty of size to go along with their skill. The offensive line averages 276 pounds. Tight end Quinn Gallagher is headed to Columbia, and 285-pound defensive tackle Walt Frazier is going to Syracuse.

Wyomissing went in front 14-7 with 2:24 left in the second quarter. Eisenhower completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior fullback Tyler Niedrowski in the right corner of the end zone. That possession covered 90 yards and took nine minutes and fourteen seconds. The Fords answered 42 seconds later with a 31-yard touchdown run by Stephen Cobb. The extra point was blocked which kept the Spartans on top 14-13. After Wyomissing went three-and-out, Matthew Jones broke several tackles on an 85-yard touchdown catch from Zach Faragalli. The extra point was no good, but the Haverford School had claimed a 19-14 edge one minute before halftime.

The Spartans got the ball to open the third quarter and they went to the air. On third-and-13, Fleischood made a key grab for 14 yards to the 45-yard line. Eisenhower then found junior split end Andrew DiFabrizio who was wide open for a 55-yard score down the right sideline. The 2-point conversion pass was completed to Hardy for a 22-19 lead with eight and a-half minutes to play in the third quarter. Once again, the Fords responded in a hurry. A 62-yard drive ended with a 19-yard touchdown catch by Marcus Jones inside the left pylon. Faragalli finished 9-of-19 for 168 yards and two scores.

Eisenhower made a rare mistake with 29 seconds left in the quarter. The 6’, 155-pound sophomore was intercepted by linebacker Topher Jodz along the sideline. The Haverford School took over at Wyomissing’s 31-yard line with a chance to expand its 26-22 advantage. The Spartans’ defense stood tall, however, and forced a pivotal turnover on downs. Wyomissing limited the Fords to seven points in the second half and nine first downs on the afternoon. Hardy’s 35-yard touchdown sprint completed a go-ahead 70-yard drive. The Haverford School went three-and-out on the ensuing drive. The muffed punt ended their hopes with two minutes to go.

Eisenhower was 9-of-13 for 126 yards with three touchdowns. The Spartans were able to get him out of the pocket for quick completions. “When they started really loading the box up, we hit a bunch of little quarterback rollout dinks into the flat. We did that very well,” said Wolfrum. Brady’s older brother, Chase, rumbled for 111 yards. The 220-pound fullback got 25 carries in a physical contest. Wolfrum picked up his 374th career win over 39 years. After knocking off Southern Columbia on the road in Week 1, Wyomissing came out on top against another quality opponent. “If you want to be a bull fighter, you gotta fight the bulls,” emphasized Wolfrum.

All five starters on the offensive line from last year’s (10-3, 6-1) squad have graduated. Andrew Bresnahan is moving from tight end to offensive tackle. Diamante Strong will take over at the TE position. Hardy has been impressed with Strong and wide receiver Andrew DiFabrizio this offseason. They’re both juniors. Wyomissing returns seven starters on defense and six on offense. There’s plenty of experience on the sideline as well. Bob Wolfrum is set to begin his 39th year as head coach with a record of (372-92-1). He also spent 15 seasons as an assistant. Wolfrum has the most victories in District 3 history. “He’s on us all the time about getting things right, but it’s just because he wants us all to be great. It’s a really good guy to look up to as a person, not just as a coach,” said Hardy. The Spartans have gone (71-9) over the past six years. Their streak of five consecutive District 3 championships came to a halt last season. They fell to Lampeter-Strasburg 30-27 in overtime in the District 3-4A Final.

Wyomissing kicks off the regular season this Friday night at Southern Columbia. Tigers’ head coach Jim Roth holds the state record with 506 all-time wins. Southern Columbia has captured 14 state titles. The Tigers lost at Wyomissing 35-21 last year and ended up an atypical (7-5). The Spartans have a tough challenge in Week 2 when they host Haverford. The Fords defeated Wyomissing 20-3 a season ago. The Spartans entertain Twin Valley on October 11th and visit Lampeter-Strasburg in the regular season finale. The Pioneers prevailed 20-7 at Bob Wolfrum Field last year, ending Wyomissing’s 36-game home winning streak. Hardy, who has an offer from Liberty, is looking forward to all of the challenges that lie ahead. “I think our team can play with anyone, no matter who it is and no matter what level it is,” he stated.

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.

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.