Tucker Bellanca-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 18:15:00 +0000

Tucker Bellanca is entering his fourth season as a starter on Muhlenberg’s football team. While there have been few victories on the field, Bellanca keeps everything in perspective. He noted, “It’s not so important to focus on the wins as much as it is how am I improving, how is the team improving.” The 5’11, 215-pound G/DT is wise beyond his years. Bellanca has an impressive 4.98 GPA. Highly rated universities like Johns Hopkins, Washington and Lee, and the University of Chicago are on his radar. The Muhls are (3-24) over the past three years. However, Bellanca has seen plenty of success on the wrestling mat. He was the Berks County runner-up at 215 pounds last season. Tucker’s father, Kriss, is the head coach of Alvernia’s wrestling program. Tucker believes that sport has been beneficial to him on the gridiron. “Wrestling works pretty much everything. I don’t think there is a muscle in the body that wrestling doesn’t help with,” said Bellanca. He plans on wrestling in college. In addition, Bellanca is practicing different forms of martial arts. He was named a second team center in Section 2 of the new Lancaster-Lebanon League a season ago. Muhlenberg has more depth on its roster this year so Bellanca will focus on the defensive side of the ball. He provided 21 tackles and three sacks in 2022. If needed, the veteran lineman can step in at guard. The (2-8) Muhls won just one league game last year. Section 2 includes Exeter and Manheim Central. The Eagles and Barons were (23-3) combined, while Warwick and Conestoga Valley both ended up (5-5). Gov. Mifflin is expected to be improved after an atypical (3-7) campaign. Bellanca is looking forward to the challenge. “The whole middle of our schedule is pretty rough, but you can’t get better without facing good competition. It’s the same mentality I have in wrestling…those are the best times to learn,” he acknowledged.

Ross Tucker-Wyomissing Football/PIAA

Paul Roberts — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 20:12:00 +0000

Ross Tucker played in the NFL for seven years, but he still loves high school football. The 1997 Wyomissing graduate follows the Spartans as closely as anyone. Tucker broadcasts college and NFL games on radio and TV. The former Princeton offensive lineman also hosts several sports podcasts. We talked about the 2021 Spartans and their incredible run to the Class 3A state championship game. Wyomissing finished (15-1) after falling to Central Valley 7-0 in a defensive battle at Hersheypark Stadium. Tucker spoke very highly of Jven Williams. The 6’4, 310-pound junior has numerous Division I offers including PSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Pittsburgh. Tucker praised head coach Bob Wolfrum and his staff. Wolfrum is (337-86-1) over 35 seasons. He’s guided the Spartans to ten District 3 titles and the 2012 state championship. I asked Tucker if Wolfrum ever yelled at him. Plus, we discussed the possibility of Wyomissing moving up to Class 4A for the next two-year cycle. As I first reported last month, the PIAA notified nine schools on December 21 that their classification may change for football. Wyomissing and Central Valley both learned that they could be headed to Class 4A. The schools have until this Friday to appeal to the Executive Staff. If the appeal is denied, the schools have until January 21 to request another appeal to the PIAA Board of Directors. Tucker explained why he believes the Spartans should stay in Class 3A.

Tucker – Berks Sports Report

Tucker Bellanca-Muhlenberg

Ross Tucker-Wyomissing Football/PIAA