State – Berks Sports Report

Bryce Wunderlich-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 05:57:34 +0000

After earning silver medals in the BCIAA and District 3 tournaments, the Mustangs are bringing gold back to Shillington. Gov. Mifflin used dominant pitching to top Hollidaysburg 2-1 in the PIAA-5A championship at Penn State’s Medlar Field. It’s the first state title for the (24-5) Mustangs. “It feels amazing…it means a lot,” said Bryce Wunderlich. The outfielder was one of just two seniors in the starting lineup. He drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out, RBI single through the middle in the 4th inning. “Just trying to roll the ball with two strikes, do my job. It worked out the way it did. I’m thankful for it,” explained Wunderlich. Dylan Barrett reached on a throwing error by Keagan Hockey at second base. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Koehler and an infield single from sophomore R.J. Weaver set the stage for Wunderlich. Weaver was thrown out at home on Wunderlich’s hit, but two runs is all Gov. Mifflin needed with Ethan Grim and Bryce Detwiler on the mound. “It’s almost a cheat code, honestly, having them on the team. It’s insane what they do,” emphasized Wunderlich. Grim limited the (17-7) Golden Tigers to a pair of hits and three walks over six frames. The hard-throwing righty piled up eleven strikeouts. Grim (8-3) punched out the side on 13 pitches in the top of the 1st inning. He finished the season with 113 strikeouts in 71 innings. “He’s a stud. He’s gonna go somewhere big. I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. He shoved today,” said Wunderlich. Hollidaysburg’s lone run came in the 3rd on a RBI single up the middle by leadoff hitter Jake Hileman. The senior outfielder came into Friday with a .469 batting average and a team-high 38 hits, including ten doubles. The Mustangs answered with a run in the bottom half of the 3rd. Detwiler ripped a ground-rule double to right-center. The UConn commit later scored on a groundout to first base by Travis Jenkins. Branson Adams collected two of the seven hits by Gov. Mifflin. Paul Wedel gave up two runs, one earned, in 5.1 innings. The junior struck out two and walked none. The Golden Tigers brought in their ace, Carson Kensinger, with one out in the bottom of the 6th. The lefty was dealing with a foot injury. Kensinger picked up his tenth win of the year in the semifinals against Monsignor Bonner. The Frostburg State commit went 6.2 innings in that 3-1 victory. Hollidaysburg was also making its first appearance in the state finals. Detwiler wrapped up the game in style by striking out the side in the 7th. The Mustangs are the first Berks County team to win a PIAA crown since Conrad Weiser did it in Class 3A in 2010.

PIAA-5A Championship Preview

Paul Roberts — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 04:19:32 +0000

History will be made on Friday afternoon at Penn State’s Medlar Field. Gov. Mifflin squares off with Hollidaysburg in the PIAA-5A championship at 4:30pm. The winner will claim its first state title. The Mustangs are making their fifth appearance in the PIAA tournament. They hadn’t won a game in the state playoffs prior to this season. The Golden Tigers reached the PIAA tournament for the first time since 2012. This is their third appearance overall.

The (23-5) Mustangs were the District 3 and BCIAA runner-up. Their bats have come alive after scoring just six total runs in the District 3 playoffs. Gov. Mifflin has piled up 24 runs in its three contests during the state tournament. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler leads the team with eight homers out of the leadoff spot. The 6’2, 215-pound junior was voted the Berks County Player of the Year.

Ethan Grim is in line to make the start against Hollidaysburg. That allows the Mustangs to put Detwiler at shortstop which is their best defensive lineup. Grim (7-3, 1.82) has 102 strikeouts in 65 innings. Several Division I programs have shown interest in the hard-throwing junior. Grim held Whitehall to two hits in a 10-0 rout in the PIAA quarterfinals. He’ll be throwing to Travis Jenkins. The junior catcher is a defensive wizard behind the plate who can also swing the bat. Jenkins and Grim were All-County selections this spring.

Hollidaysburg is the District 6 champion. The (17-6) Golden Tigers are led by senior Carson Kensinger. The southpaw tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts in the District 6 final. Kensinger (10-0, 1.05) lasted 6.2 innings in the state semifinals before reaching the pitch limit versus Monsignor Bonner. Hollidaysburg prevailed 3-1. The Mustangs are expecting to see Kensinger on three days rest. The Frostburg State commit has 119 strikeouts over 73 innings. He’s only allowed 46 hits. Junior Paul Wedel (5-1, 2.29) has thrown 33.2 innings.

Kensinger can certainly help himself at the plate. He’s batting .366 with a team-high 28 RBI and 7 HR. Senior outfielder Jake Hileman leads the Golden Tigers with 38 hits, 31 runs, ten doubles, and a .469 average. Ethan Karageanes is hitting .347 with eight doubles. Hollidaysburg has been in three tight games during the PIAA tournament. The Golden Tigers have outscored their opponents 10-5.

Dylan Barrett-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:00:47 +0000

Being able to handle failure is a key for any successful baseball player. Gov. Mifflin designated hitter Dylan Barrett has the right mentality. “I was always taught if anything goes wrong, just move on. You can’t change the past,” he said. Barrett struck out with men on second and third base to end the top of the 1st inning. Two innings later, he responded in a big way with a two-run double to left-center that gave the Mustangs a 2-1 edge. They never trailed again in a 7-2 victory over District 4 champion Selinsgrove in the PIAA-5A semifinals. Bryce Detwiler held the (21-3) Seals to two runs on six hits over six innings. The UConn commit entered the game at Hershey with a (9-2) record and 1.58 ERA. “He’s always been that guy to go up and shove and do his job,” noted Barrett. Detwiler struck out eight, walked two, and hit three batters. The 6’2, 215-pound junior was able to get out of jams including the 5th inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Detwiler struck out Griffin Parker and Owen Santiago. Selinsgrove left eight men on base. The Seals were without senior shortstop Mason Richter. He led the team with a .455 average and 35 RBI. Gov. Mifflin was missing senior first baseman Dante Casantini due to a family vacation. Sophomore R.J. Weaver got the start and provided a two-out, opposite field RBI single to left in the third frame. That hit, one of ten for the (23-5) Mustangs, made it 3-1. Ethan Grim launched a two-out, RBI double to right-center that gave Gov. Mifflin a 4-2 advantage. Detwiler helped himself with a rocket off the wall in left-center that knocked in a pair of runs in the 5th inning. That double also came with two outs. Matt Koehler scored the Mustangs’ final run in the 7th after a throwing error at shortstop. Koehler, Detwiler, Grim, and Travis Jenkins had two hits apiece. Jenkins, an All-Berks catcher, threw out three runners. Grim fired a hitless 7th inning to close the door. Selinsgrove ace Josh Domaracki was charged with six runs, four earned, on nine hits in 5.1 innings. The senior southpaw had five strikeouts and two walks. The Seals committed four errors. Barrett is one of six juniors in Gov. Mifflin’s starting lineup. “We grew up playing together. We’ve always been on the same team so you have that chemistry with us,” he replied. The Mustangs advanced to the state championship game for the first time in program history. They will meet District 6 champ Hollidaysburg on Friday at 4:30pm at Penn State’s Medlar Field. “It feels amazing. We worked hard for this…to go play at Penn State is gonna be an honor,” said Barrett.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:36:30 +0000

If the barking from the Whitehall dugout was designed to rattle Ethan Grim, it didn’t work. “I just get in my zone. I don’t really listen to what anyone says. I just focus on Travis’ mitt,” said Grim. The hard-throwing junior held the Zephyrs to two hits in a 10-0 victory at Kutztown Park. The (22-5) Mustangs only needed five innings to end the PIAA-5A quarterfinal against the District 11 champion. Grim (7-3) felt good as soon as he took the mound. “In the [bullpen], I felt amazing, probably the best of the year,” he noted. The righty threw his slider away and mixed in a curveball to go along with a low-90s fastball. Grim had ten strikeouts and two walks. Gov. Mifflin supported him early with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the 1st inning. “Then you can pitch different and relax. You don’t have to overthrow,” replied Grim. The Mustangs finished with eleven hits including four straight to begin the game. Travis Jenkins, a junior catcher, ripped a two-run double to right-center. Grim followed with a RBI single to center to make it 3-0. Joey Berg’s infield single to shortstop gave Gov. Mifflin a 4-0 edge. Branson Adams and Jenkins provided opposite field RBI singles with two outs in the 2nd inning. Whitehall trailed 6-0 when East Stroudsburg commit Evan Kovalcik was replaced by Matt Hansen on the mound. Kovalcik had only thrown 3.2 innings this season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was charged with six runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings. Grim helped himself again in the 4th with a sacrifice fly to center. The Mustangs wrapped it up with three runs in the 5th off Hansen. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler walked with the bases loaded. Adams hit a two-run single through the middle with one out to seal the deal. Jenkins and Adams each went 3-for-3 with 3RBI. Grim was 1-for-1 and knocked in a pair of runs. Dante Casantini added two hits from the No. 8 spot in the batting order. Gov. Mifflin advanced to the state semifinals for the first time. “We wanted it real bad. Our coach was saying let’s go make history,” said Grim. Shippensburg and District 4 champ Selinsgrove meet Friday at 6pm at Hershey. The Mustangs will square off against the winner on Monday.

Bryce Detwiler-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 21:33:00 +0000

Bryce Detwiler can beat you on the mound and at the plate. The 6’2, 215-pound junior homered and tossed a complete game in the opening round of the PIAA-5A playoffs. Detwiler was more pleased with his pitching performance in a 7-2 victory over Frankford at Shillington. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out eight. Both runs against him were unearned. Detwiler hammered his eighth homer of the season to left field in the 6th inning. “I had to make an adjustment and stay back. It was a fastball middle-in and I put a good swing on it,” explained Detwiler. He drew a walk from Enmanuel Roman in the first frame and then stole second base. Ethan Grim knocked in Detwiler with an infield single to shortstop. Dante Casantini’s RBI triple down the right field line gave the (21-5) Mustangs a 2-0 edge in the 2nd inning. Casantini scored on a wild pitch. The Alvernia commit doubled down the left field line in the 4th. Bryce Wunderlich drove in Casantini with a single through the middle for a 4-0 advantage. Gov. Mifflin, the District 3 runner-up, added two more runs in the 5th inning. Travis Jenkins launched a towering RBI triple to right-center. Courtesy runner Reese Hohl raced home on a wild pitch to make it 6-0. Gabriel Perez then replaced Roman on the mound. Roman was charged with six runs on eight hits over four frames. The Mustangs’ lineup didn’t have a single strikeout. The Pioneers scored a pair of runs in the 6th on three hits and an error. Alexis Zhagui led off with a single. Detwiler then threw low to second base after a bunt back to the mound. Jose Rivera and Yuniel Ramirez followed with consecutive RBI singles. Detwiler retired the side in order in the 7th. Frankford, the #2 seed from District 12, finished (14-5). Casantini went 2-for-2 with two runs out of the No. 8 spot in the order. “He’s definitely turned it on these past couple of games. It’s amazing having someone like that at the bottom of your order to flip it over to the top,” said Detwiler. Gov. Mifflin piled up ten hits. The Mustangs will face District 11 champion Whitehall in the state quarterfinals on Thursday. Detwiler will follow in the footsteps of Tyler Minick and head to UConn after his high school career. Minick was voted the Berks County Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Detwiler earned that honor this season. He discussed his decision to commit to the Huskies. “I fell in love with where it’s at and how good their facilities are to develop me as a player. The coaches treated me like family,” noted Detwiler.

PIAA Tournament-Baseball

Paul Roberts — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:38:00 +0000

The sites and times for first round games in the PIAA baseball tournament were released on Friday. Here are Monday’s matchups involving teams from Berks County.

Wilson travels to District 7 champion North Allegheny at 4pm.

Gov. Mifflin hosts District 12 runner-up Frankford at 4pm.

Fleetwood takes on District 7 champion North Catholic at Seneca Valley High School at 4:30pm.

All-State Team-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:08:00 +0000

A pair of high school girls basketball players from Berks County were voted to the Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ All-State team. Wyomissing’s Amaya Stewart is a first team selection in Class 4A for the second straight year. Exeter senior Grace Reedy made the third team in Class 5A.

Stewart averaged 19.5 points while leading the Spartans to their second consecutive Berks League and District 3-4A championships. In the second round of the state playoffs, the 6’1 junior poured in a career-high 33 points in a 62-52 victory over Neumann-Goretti. Wyomissing finished (31-1) and reached the PIAA-4A semifinals. Stewart will enter her senior campaign with 1,339 career points. She improved her range last season and made 21 treys. Stewart has averaged a double-double since her freshman year. She’s a two-time Berks County Player of the Year.

Reedy has led the BCIAA in scoring the past two seasons. The 5’9 guard averaged 21 ppg. this year. She connected 35 times from beyond the arc. Reedy dropped 21 points in the opening round of the District 3-5A tournament at Manheim Central. That performance made her Exeter’s all-time leading scorer. She finished her career with 1,403 points. Reedy is a two-time All-County pick.

Matt VanOstenbridge-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:12:00 +0000

Wilson senior Matt VanOstenbridge had to deal with back tightness this season. It’s safe to say that the Bulldogs’ ace is healthy again. The southpaw tossed a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood last week. On Wednesday, VanOstenbridge was even better. The Penn State commit fired a no-hitter against Exeter in the Berks County High School Baseball Showcase at Owls Field. “It felt amazing. Everything was working, all four pitches…I felt very effortless. I felt very smooth,” he said. Wilson rolled over the Eagles 11-0 in five innings. VanOstenbridge struck out ten, walked one, and hit a batter. The lefty hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings. He needed just 68 pitches to get through five frames. VanOstenbridge helped himself with a RBI single in the second inning. C.J. Fernandez followed with a two-run single to center field. Wilson tacked on four runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Cooper Kennedy and freshman Ryan Marmolejos provided RBI singles and VanOstenbridge added a sacrifice fly. Kennedy, a senior outfielder, made it 10-0 with a bases-clearing triple to right-center in the fourth inning. Kennedy and Christo Hunsicker had two hits apiece. Sophomore Jack Gabel went 1-for-3. The shortstop is batting a team-high .422. Nick Fiorini doubled and was hit twice by pitches. The senior center fielder is hitting .413. Fiorini leads the team with 19RBI and nine extra-base hits. “We’re really, really good top to bottom. We don’t have a weak link in our lineup. Our pitching is really good. We have so many arms,” remarked VanOstenbridge. The (10-4, 6-2) Bulldogs are tied with Gov. Mifflin atop Division 1. VanOstenbridge (3-0, 0.52) has 43 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He’s only given up seven hits. The All-County pick from a season ago explained why he’s headed to Penn State. “It’s close to home. It’s every kid’s dream in Pennsylvania to play for Penn State…The facilities are amazing. The coaches are amazing. Everything about it was the perfect fit,” he replied. Exeter junior Gavin Miller took the loss on Wednesday afternoon. He entered the contest at (6-0) with a 2.36 ERA. Miller was charged with seven runs, five earned, on six hits. He lasted 2.1 innings. Sophomore Liam Porter allowed four runs on four hits for the (8-6, 3-5) Eagles. Meanwhile, Wilson has a mix of experienced players with some young talent. “This is my favorite team. These guys are awesome,” said VanOstenbridge after a Gatorade cooler filled with water was dumped on him.

Reading’s Season Ends in Final 4

Paul Roberts — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 04:14:08 +0000

Most high school teams are fortunate to have one 1,000-point scorer in their lineup. Central York has three of them. The Panthers showed off their offensive firepower in a 79-65 win over Reading in the PIAA-6A semifinals. The Red Knights held McDowell to 47 points in the second round and Coatesville to 44 in the quarterfinals. Central York demonstrated why its averaging 72 points per game. The (28-3) Panthers can beat you inside or outside. They splashed six 3-pointers in the first half. Greg Guidinger, the school’s all-time leading scorer, sank three treys in the first quarter. The 6’6 senior jammed eleven points into the first eight minutes. He finished with 22. Ben Rill, a 6’8 junior, had a game-high 26 points. He was 10-for-15 from the free throw line. Ben Natal, who’s also in the 1,000-point club, exploded for ten points in the second period. The 6’2 junior guard drained a triple from the right corner to end the third quarter. Natal provided 13 points. Reading led 11-to-6 early. Central York was in front 20-19 after a quarter and 37-31 at the break. There was confusion at the scorer’s table in the third quarter. Central York was mistakenly awarded two extra points. The Red Knights trailed 57-43 entering the final period. They never threatened the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Yadiel Cruz contributed a team-high 21 points. The 6’2 senior racked up 1,010 points in just two seasons at Reading. Cruz was 9-of-9 from the foul line. He averaged 22 ppg. and was named the Berks County Player of the Year. Nick Chapman, a scrappy 5’10 senior, scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Sophomore Weshly Rosario added 13 points. The game included 56 free throw attempts in front of a packed house at Warwick. Central York was 20-of-30 from the stripe, while the Red Knights were 22-of-26. Reading began its quest for back-to-back state titles with a 90-73 loss at Central York on December 5th. The Panthers ended the Red Knights’ season three and a-half months later. Central York will make its first appearance in the PIAA Finals on Saturday night. The Panthers face Parkland at 8pm at the Giant Center. After a (7-6) start, Reading finished with a mark of (22-11). First-year head coach Francis Camara was extremely grateful for the six seniors on the team. “They trusted me, believed in me, and stood by my side through all the adversity. They helped me grow as a coach through my mistakes and held me accountable. They are the definition of what it means to be a Red Knight,” he remarked.

Francis Camara-Reading

Paul Roberts — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 13:46:13 +0000

Reading and Coatesville squared off for the 56th time at Martz Hall in Pottsville. This time a trip to the Final Four was on the line in the PIAA-6A tournament. The Red Knights overcame a slow start and rolled to a 62-44 victory. Reading lost to the Red Raiders 69-51 two months ago, and trailed 18-5 in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon. Francis Camara said everything changed during a timeout midway through the second period. “Our boys started to lock in together. I tell them all the time, with us being together we can move mountains,” stated the first-year head coach. The (22-10) Red Knights also switched to a 2-3 zone defense. “We tried to limit their downhill drives and I think our zone did that. We tried to give them different looks and tried to make them uncomfortable. We were very active in the zone,” remarked Camara. Yadiel Cruz was fouled with 2:40 remaining in the first half. Lawrence Brown, a 6’7 sophomore, was also called for a technical foul. Cruz, the BCIAA Player of the Year, made four consecutive free throws to pull Reading within 18-13. That was part of a critical 12-0 run to end the second quarter. Coatesville led 18-17 at the break, but had lost momentum. Reading came out of the locker room on fire. The Red Knights outscored the Red Raiders 18-4 to open the third period. That 30-4 run over the middle quarters put the defending state champions in firm control. They were in front 39-26 entering the final period. Cruz erupted for 17 points in the second half as Reading’s transition game took over. The 6’2 senior finished with 25 points. “Every game he knows he’s gonna get double-teamed. Every game he knows that he’s the focal point of the other team’s scouting report, and every game he comes out and produces. He does it [while] loving his teammates. He’s the most humble kid,” emphasized Camara. Cruz is just eleven points shy of 1,000 in two seasons with the Red Knights. He went 11-for-15 from the foul line. Reading was 19-of-28 from the charity stripe, while Coatesville went 3-of-12. Nick Chapman provided nine points and some clever steals that led to easy layups. The 5’10 senior didn’t play in the first meeting with the Red Raiders due to an eye injury. Malik Osumanu, a 6’5 senior, blocked four shots and Weshly Rosario dished out five assists. Senior guards Nico Sosa and Daquan Burgess combined for eleven points off the bench. Zuri Harris had a team-high 13 points for Coatesville, the #6 seed from District 1. Amon Fowlkes chipped in with eleven points. Dior Kennedy, a 6’3 senior guard, was limited to four. The Red Raiders end up (22-9) in John Allen’s second year as head coach. Allen scored 2,372 points at Coatesville and guided the Red Raiders to their only state title in 2001. The Red Knights evened the all-time series with Coatesville at (28-28). These programs have piled up a total of more than 4,000 wins! Reading will meet Central York in the semifinals on Tuesday. Camara is enjoying the ride. “It’s been fun. If you see me on the sidelines, there’s a lot of sweat going on. I’m working my butt off. I love the journey with these boys. I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in,” he said.