Township – Berks Sports Report https://berkssportsreport.com Paul Roberts Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:37:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 Madyx Gruber-Wilson https://berkssportsreport.com/madyx-gruber-wilson-4/ Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:34:07 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=4666 Wilson’s first game of 2025 didn’t get off to a great start. Manheim Township jumped out to an 8-0 lead which prompted longtime head coach Matt Coldren to call a timeout. “He was livid,” said Madyx Gruber. The Bulldogs got Coldren’s message loud and clear. They responded with a 14-to-1 run and went on to win 55-48 in West Lawn. Gruber knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 19 points. The 5’11 senior guard also grabbed seven rebounds. Ty Gray led the (7-4) Blue Streaks with 22 points. The 6’ senior guard came into Friday averaging nearly 18 points per game. Manheim Township trailed 14-11 after eight minutes and 30-22 at halftime. Wilson expanded its cushion to double digits, but the Blue Streaks didn’t go down easily. They began the fourth quarter with a 7-to-2 run and pulled within 46-43. Gray provided all seven of those points. He ended up with nine in the quarter. Gruber answered with his fourth trey of the night from the top of the key. Manheim Township had a chance to get within one point late, but Ellis Vorhis Witmer missed a pair of free throws. Correll Akings sank a pair of foul shots to make it 53-48 with 1:10 remaining. The junior guard chipped in with a dozen points. Gruber split two free throws with 31 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 54-48 edge. He was pleased with how they executed in a tight spot. “At practice, we prepare for those moments. We were prepared well,” noted Gruber. Wilson only committed nine turnovers. The (9-2) Bulldogs held the Blue Streaks well below their season average of 62 ppg. Senior guards Jordan Pettigrew (12) and Rocky Mack (8) combined for 20 points. Manheim Township went 7-of-12 from the foul line, while Wilson was just 9-for-18. Luke Levan, a 6’6 senior, had ten points. “We need to feed him the ball. He has a mismatch. We need to give him the ball and let him do his thing,” emphasized Gruber. Tommy McFadden added eight points and seven rebounds. The 6’1 senior committed to Albany for soccer this week. Gruber was recently named to the PA Football Writers’ All-State team. He guided Wilson past Manheim Township 34-16 for the Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Gruber threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score. He was looking forward to facing the Blue Streaks on the court. “I knew it was gonna be a good game just because it was Manheim. I was really excited. I know my teammates were excited. It was fun,” said Gruber.

]]> Wilson-Manheim Township Preview https://berkssportsreport.com/wilson-manheim-township-preview/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 21:48:00 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=1909 The Bulldogs have already clinched at least a share of their record 28th Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. They can win the title outright with a victory over Manheim Township on Friday night in West Lawn. Both teams are (6-3). Wilson is (4-0) in league play while the Blue Streaks are (3-1). The Bulldogs are healthy again, and that has helped them put together four consecutive wins. All three of Manheim Township’s losses have been by three points. Dallastown, Harrisburg, and Hempfield were able to get past the Blue Streaks.

Wilson has been led by Jadyn and Cam Jones. Jadyn, the older brother, has rushed for 771 yards and 11TD in seven games. The 215-pound senior is averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Cam, a junior WR/CB, is electric on special teams. He has taken four punt returns and two kickoff returns to the house. Cam is averaging an incredible 33 yards on punt returns! Senior quarterback Brad Hoffman can hurt you with his legs. The Berks Catholic transfer is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He’s completing 47% of his passes with 10TD and 7INT. The Bulldogs have 18 turnovers this season. They’re still averaging nearly 34 points. 215-pound senior linebacker Gavin Lenart has a team-high 36 tackles in eight games. Senior defensive tackle Dominic Memmo is quick on the interior. He leads Wilson with 8.5 TFL to go along with 3.5 sacks.

Manheim Township has been getting things done through the air with a sophomore. Hayden Johnson has thrown for 1,840 yards with 24TD and 6INT. The young quarterback is connecting on 70% of his passes. His top target is a familiar name in the L-L League. 4-star recruit and PSU commit Anthony Ivey has more than 100 career receptions. The All-State WR has 47 catches this year for 603 yards and 7TD. As a sophomore, the speedster set a L-L League record against the Bulldogs with 292 receiving yards! Ivey had eight catches and 2TD. Michael Heckman and 6’3 sophomore Landon Kennel have combined for 52 receptions and 10TD. Heckman is committed to Shippensburg for baseball. 170-pound senior Isaiah Jones leads the Blue Streaks with just 301 rushing yards. They’re averaging 209 passing yards and 35 points per game.

Both of these head coaches have had a lot of success. Doug Dahms is (167-34) over 16 years with the Bulldogs. He owns the highest winning percentage in Berks County history. Dahms started as an assistant at Wilson in 1976. Mark Evans is in his 24th season overall as a head coach. He finished with 147 victories at ELCO before taking over at Manheim Township. Evans, who played college football at Miami, is (79-34) with the Blue Streaks.

A short-handed Bulldogs’ squad held off the Blue Streaks 31-28 last year. If Wilson wins on Friday, the Bulldogs will guarantee themselves a spot in the District 3-6A playoffs. I’ll have live updates and postgame reaction from West Lawn.

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