Tyler – Berks Sports Report

Hamburg finds new Football Coach

Paul Roberts — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 21:42:06 +0000

It didn’t take Tyler Hartranft long to find his way back to “Hawk Hill.” Hartranft was Hamburg’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023. He was unanimously approved last week as the Hawks’ new head football coach. “Coach Hartranft has a proven track record of both playing and coaching football at a high level. His knowledge of the sport, energy, work ethic, and ability to build positive and lasting relationships will be invaluable to developing our student-athletes for success both on and off the field,” said Hamburg Superintendent Dr. Chris Beissel.

Hartranft is a graduate of King’s College. He was the wide receivers coach there from 2015-18. He went on to become the passing game coordinator at McDaniel College in Maryland. Hartranft then returned to the high school gridiron as the quarterbacks coach at Spring-Ford in 2020. After one season as the running backs coach back at King’s College, he was hired as the offensive coordinator at Hamburg. The Hawks reached the District 3 semifinals in 2022. They set school records for points and yards per game that year. Hartranft helped quarterback Xander Menapace set 14 program records.

Hartranft takes over for Matt Hoffert who stepped down after three seasons. Hoffert guided the Hawks to a (21-13) mark. They went (6-5) this fall and lost to North Pocono 41-0 in the Eastern Conference 4A championship. Hamburg finished in fourth place in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Hartranft wasn’t far away. He was a little farther north on Route 61 at Pottsville High School. Hartranft served as the offensive coordinator under Mike Brennan. The Crimson Tide lost to Southern Lehigh in the District 11-4A semifinals this year.

Hamburg hasn’t had a losing season since 2018. Hartranft works at the high school as a special education teacher. “We are excited about Coach Hartranft’s vision for the program and know he will be a tremendous asset to our school community,” said Beissel.

Tyler Niedrowski-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 21:22:33 +0000

It’s finally here. The Section 4 battle that football fans in Berks County have been waiting for is set for Friday night in Elverson. Wyomissing is (6-1) while Twin Valley remains undefeated. “I know I’m not alone when I say that we’re extremely excited. We’ve been looking forward to this all season,” said Spartans’ FB/OLB Tyler Niedrowski. The (7-0) Raiders have outscored their opponents 342-40. They’re ranked #1 in the state in PennLive’s Class 4A poll. Wyomissing is #4 in those rankings, but that’s not something Niedrowski pays attention to. “I’ve never looked once and I don’t plan on starting,” he replied. Niedrowski splits time at fullback with 215-pound junior Chase Eisenhower. Last week against Daniel Boone, Niedrowski scored two touchdowns including a 10-yard reception. That was his first catch of the year. The 5’11, 190-pound junior had seven tackles and three sacks in the 42-6 victory over the Blazers. Niedrowski has 160 yards and 4 TD on 29 carries this season. His older brothers, Hunter, Evan and Collin, all played football for the Spartans. Collin was a linebacker on last year’s team that went (12-2, 6-1) and reached the state semifinals before falling to Northwestern Lehigh 33-24. Evan is a standout javelin thrower at Monmouth. Tyler competes in track and field as well. He finished fourth in the discus at both the BCIAA and District 3-2A championships. His PR of 149-2 came at the Firing Meet this past spring. Niedrowski wrestles in the winter. He compiled a (35-14) record as a sophomore. “Wrestling taught me everything I know for tackling,” he emphasized. Niedrowski, who wrestles at 189 pounds, came in third place at the BCIAA individual championships. His focus now, however, is on the gridiron. He’s one of the leaders of a defense that’s allowing just 11 points per game. They’ll be tested by a Twin Valley offense that can beat opponents on the ground or through the air. Evan Myers is the Raiders’ all-time passing leader with more than 5,000 career yards. Evan Johnson, a senior running back, has scored the most touchdowns in school history. The speedster runs behind an offensive line that averages 278 pounds. Left tackle Aris Drake is committed to Navy. He’s a 6’5, 295-pound senior. Twin Valley hasn’t beat Wyomissing since 2009. The Spartans have won seven straight in the series. None of the previous matchups were as highly anticipated as this one.

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sun, 14 May 2023 14:06:00 +0000

Star players are expected to come through on the big stage and that’s exactly what Tyler Minick did in the BCIAA semifinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Gov. Mifflin senior shortstop went 3-for-3 with two homers and four runs in a 9-7 victory over fifth-seeded Fleetwood. If that wasn’t enough, Minick struck out two in a hitless 7th inning for the save. The UConn commit and 2022 Berks County Player of the Year was throwing 92-94 mph. “There’s nothing more you want then to come in and close a game down like that,” said Minick. The top-seeded Mustangs put up three runs on four hits and two walks in the first frame. Bryce Detwiler ripped a RBI double to right-center and Darien Troche followed with a 2-run single. The (13-8) Tigers battled back all afternoon long. “Full props to them. I thought they were gonna roll over after that 3-spot, but they didn’t. They were scrappy the whole game,” Minick acknowledged. Fleetwood scored twice in the 2nd including a RBI single by Travis Loy. Liam Hilburt and Loy had two hits apiece and each scored a run. Minick’s first home run of the day came in the bottom of the 2nd. It was a solo shot down the left field line. The Tigers responded with two runs in the 3rd to pull within 5-4. Jake Karnish drilled a RBI triple down the right field line. Minick answered in the bottom half with a 375-foot bomb to left-center, his 7th HR of the season. Bloomsburg commit Xander Velez added a RBI double to put Gov. Mifflin in front 7-4. Carson Brey’s infield single knocked in Loy who had tripled in the 4th. The (17-4) Mustangs extended their advantage to 9-5 with two unearned runs in the 5th after a throwing error by Karnish at shortstop. Fleetwood, however, wouldn’t go away. Karnish drew a bases loaded walk in the 6th. An infield single by Ryan Moser made it 9-7. Matt Novotny got Aiden Soumas to pop up to second to end the threat with the bases loaded. Each team left seven runners on base. Gov. Mifflin racked up a dozen hits. “One through nine we all put up scrappy at-bats and everybody knows their role,” emphasized Minick. Sophomores Travis Jenkins and Detwiler had three hits apiece. Detwiler scored three runs and picked up the win, despite allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings. Zach Dilbeck lasted just one frame for the Tigers. Sam Reimert and Nick Noll pitched two-thirds of an inning. They gave up three runs on four hits. Moser was charged with three runs, one earned, over 3.2 innings. The Mustangs will meet #2 seed Wilson for the county title on Monday at 6:05pm at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bulldogs swept the two regular season meetings against Gov. Mifflin. “That’s the matchup we wanted,” stated Minick.

Tyler Drobek-Oley Valley

Paul Roberts — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:11:00 +0000

Tyler Drobek has a simple philosophy to hitting ninth in the batting order. “You get on any way you can. You help the team every way you can,” he said. The Oley Valley senior helped the Lynx a lot in an 8-6 victory over Kutztown. The left fielder went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI on a windy Wednesday afternoon. Oley Valley scored three runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Drobek drove in a run with a single that put the Lynx on top 2-1. Chase Reifsnyder made it 3-1 with the fifth single of the inning. “Chase is awesome in the leadoff spot. He’s so fast. He steals like every base and it’s almost always a run,” remarked Drobek. Sophomore Colten Mathias replaced freshman Chris Bergstrom on the mound after just two frames. The Cougars came alive in the 5th with four runs. Matt Remick and Bryce Schafer provided RBI singles off Paul Petersen. All-division catcher Nick Hugo followed with a 2-run single to right that gave Kutztown a 5-4 edge. Oley Valley responded immediately with four runs in the bottom of the 5th. Catcher Bradley Auge was his in the helmet with the bases loaded to force in the tying run. Drobek then came through with a 2-run single to right field. The (7-5, 5-0) Lynx tacked on an unearned run to go up 8-5. The (8-4, 3-2) Cougars committed four errors that led to three unearned runs. Dalton Furst, another all-division selection from a season ago, launched a solo homer to right in the top of the 7th. Freshman Gryffin Cappellano got the final out after Petersen reached the pitch limit. Petersen allowed six runs on ten hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Mathias took the loss. He gave up five runs, two earned, on four hits over three innings. Drobek, Reifsnyder, and Colin Remmel finished with two hits apiece. Oley Valley is alone atop Division 3 of the Berks League. Berks Catholic, Wyomissing, and Hamburg are in pursuit. The Lynx entered Wednesday #5 in the District 3-3A power rankings. The top six clubs in that classification will qualify for the playoffs. “This game is big for us. It helps us get in District’s and County’s,” replied Drobek. Oley Valley reached the BCIAA championship game and the District 3 semifinals last year. Kutztown collected ten hits, but fell out of a first place tie with Brandywine Heights in Division 4. The Cougars have an experienced team and a veteran head coach. Tim Mertz is in his 23rd season at the helm. His 339 wins are the most in school history. Meanwhile, Drobek is one of just two senior starters for Lynx skipper Jeff Pinder. Drobek talked about his favorite movie and TV shows. He also discussed his favorite high school teachers. He’s hoping that Oley Valley can make another deep run in the postseason.

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:52:00 +0000

Tyler Minick was named the Berks County Player of the Year last season. The Gov. Mifflin standout was selected for the Big 26 Classic which pits the top players from Pennsylvania and Maryland against each other. In 2023, however, the UConn commit is not concerned with individual accolades. “I just want to focus on winning this year. I don’t care how my stats look. I just want a championship,” said Minick. The Mustangs were the #1 seed in the Berks League playoffs, but got upset by Oley Valley 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Gov. Mifflin was the top seed in the District 3-6A tournament, but finished fourth and missed out on a trip to the state playoffs. Cumberland Valley defeated the Mustangs 7-4 in the third place game. Only the top three clubs advanced to the PIAA tournament in Class 6A. It was a frustrating end to a (20-4) campaign. The good news in Shillington is that most of the team has returned including Minick. He hit .500 with a .616 on-base percentage and 1.634 OPS. The SS/P blasted six home runs, three triples, and scored a team-high 28 runs. He also stole eleven bases. Although his arm was “banged up”, Minick was (4-0, 0.93) in 30 innings while healthy. He struck out 42 while only walking six. Minick expects to be used primarily in a relief role until the postseason. Xander Velez went (8-0) in nine starts with two saves. The all-county selection had a 1.54 ERA. Velez, who’s headed to Division II Bloomsburg, also hit .453 with a team-high 32 RBI. Head coach Chris Hole inserted three freshmen into the starting lineup last year and they didn’t disappoint. Ethan Grim (6-1, 1.52) and Bryce Detwiler both made the all-division squad. Detwiler hit .339 with a .901 OPS. Travis Jenkins is another sophomore to keep an eye on. “[They’re] bigger, faster, stronger. I think they’re gonna be even more of a problem this year for the teams we face,” remarked Minick. Berks County is filled with talented teams, however, Gov. Mifflin is widely regarded as the favorite. Darien Troche, Jon Radwanski, and Matt Novotny are also back in the mix. Hole enters his 11th season as manager with a (155-91) record. He has guided the Mustangs to three county titles and four appearances in the state playoffs. I asked Minick who is the funniest player on the team. We had fun discussing what would happen if he had ten at-bats against Velez. Minick revealed his favorite food, and if he prefers Chris Rock or Will Smith. When he’s at the plate, he’s certainly not joking around.

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:49:00 +0000

Tyler Minick thought the Mustangs were a little flat after Muhlenberg jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead at Shillington. Minick got his teammates fired up in a hurry with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. The UConn commit blasted a fastball from Sean Levan over the fence in left-center. Gov. Mifflin put up three runs on four hits in the first frame and cruised to a 12-4 victory. The (14-0, 7-0) Mustangs handed the (10-1, 6-1) Muhls their first loss. Minick went deep again in his second at-bat. This time he hammered a curveball out to left-center. The junior shortstop wasn’t done doing damage. Minick capped off a 4-run fifth inning with a 2-run double. He showed why he was selected for the Big 26 Classic and the all-county team last year. Minick finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. He told me that he loves hitting leadoff because he can set the tone. We discussed the Mustangs’ lineup which is averaging 8.9 runs per game. He said, “All of our hitters are hot.” Gov. Mifflin piled up 13 hits and scored in every inning. Seven different players contributed at least one hit. Junior second baseman Matt Ventura went 3-for-4 including an RBI single in the sixth. Xander Velez and Darien Troche added two hits apiece. They each had a double. Minick stressed how much they have improved from a season ago. Velez and Troche hit .205 and .206 respectively as sophomores in 2021. Minick and I talked about the promising freshmen on this year’s ball club. Bryce Detwiler was 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 RBI. Travis Jenkins ripped a 2-run single in the fifth to make it 9-2. Ethan Grim allowed one run in an inning of relief. The young right-hander threw a complete game one-hitter with ten strikeouts last week versus Fleetwood. Velez entered Monday’s highly anticipated matchup with a 0.86 ERA. The hard-throwing righty limited Muhlenberg to two runs on four hits and six walks over five innings. Velez struck out five while improving to (6-0). The Muhls came into the game with a lofty .347 team batting average. Gio Cavanna pulled them within 3-2 in the second inning with an RBI single to right field. Sam Martinez and Cameron Burr each had two singles and a walk. Martinez knocked in two runs. Levan is (0-1) after giving up six runs on seven hits in three innings. Avery Bohn allowed six runs on six hits over the last three frames. Muhlenberg held its previous ten opponents to 35 runs. The Mustangs visit Wilson on Wednesday afternoon. Minick, who’s hitting .528 with 5 HR, is expecting another tight contest. Gov. Mifflin took the first meeting 3-1 on April 5th. Minick believes there are a lot of talented pitchers in Berks County this year. It will be interesting to see how many hurlers challenge Minick after what he called one of the best games of his career.

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 18:04:00 +0000

To say Tyler Minick is a little busy during the school year would be quite an understatement. He was a WR/DB on a Gov. Mifflin football team that went (10-1) and won the Section 1 championship in the Berks Football League. Minick returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown at Exeter. The 6’ junior was a starting guard for the Mustangs during basketball season. He scored a career-high 20 points against the Eagles in early January. However, the spring is when Minick shines the brightest. The UConn commit was an all-county selection as a sophomore when he hit .376 with 21 RBI and an OPS of 1.069. The middle infielder led Gov. Mifflin with 28 runs, 20 stolen bases, and four triples. He ripped seven doubles; none bigger than the one that cleared the bases in the second inning of the Berks County championship at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Mustangs defeated rival Wilson 5-4 for their 14th county title. They upset top-seeded Manheim Township and #4 seed Warwick in the District 3-6A playoffs before falling to Wilson 11-0 in the District 3 Final. Minick participated in the Big 26 Classic last summer. He does all of this while maintaining a 3.5 GPA and taking honors classes. Minick explained how football and basketball help him on the baseball field. He encourages young athletes to play as many sports as possible. We talked about why he committed early to UConn and how far he had the Huskies going in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Gov. Mifflin lost 13 seniors from the group that went (21-7, 10-2) a season ago. Berks County Player of the Year Connor Maryniak is at Misericordia. Maryniak (13-0, 1.13) struck out a school-record 147 hitters over 93 innings while batting .393 with 31 RBI, 9 doubles, and 4 home runs. Matt Gehris (DeSales) and Aaron Renninger were both all-division picks. Minick knows that he has to be more of a leader this season. He believes the Mustangs remain one of the top teams in the county. The righty was limited to 21.1 innings last year due to arm trouble. Minick (2-1, 0.98) finished with 21 strikeouts. He told me that his arm feels much better now. I asked him to rank his pitches. Minick really likes his changeup. Xander Velez and Darien Troche are part of the junior class, along with Minick. Troche came up clutch in the postseason. The catcher had an RBI single in a 1-0 victory over Brandywine Heights in the BCIAA quarterfinals. That was Gov. Mifflin’s only hit of the game. Troche delivered a 2-out, RBI single in the 8th inning to beat Muhlenberg 5-4 in the semifinals. Velez will see a lot more time on the mound in 2022. His fastball is near 90 mph. Mason Woolwine returns in centerfield. The 6’3 senior was a starting forward on the basketball squad. The Mustangs will also have some freshman in the mix. Finally, we joked about Minick’s new haircut which could result in a few more stolen bases.

Tyler Givens-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 23:14:00 +0000

Saints’ head coach Snip Esterly was worried that Tyler Givens wouldn’t be able to play against Exeter on Thursday. Givens strained his Achilles tendon during the game with Reading on Monday. Not only was the 6’3 senior forward in the lineup, Givens was Berks Catholic’s leading scorer in the first quarter. The Saints jumped out to a 19-12 advantage over the Eagles. Givens, who averages four points a night, had six in the first eight minutes. The TE/DE on the football team finished with nine points in a 60-40 victory. Givens told me that he loves playing at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. We talked about the odd situation before tipoff when the gym was evacuated because a fire alarm had been pulled. The short delay didn’t impact Berks Catholic’s defense. Givens said Esterly always stresses giving maximum effort on that end of the floor. Exeter went scoreless for the first four and a-half minutes of the second quarter. The (16-3, 8-3) Saints allowed eight points in that period and just six in the fourth. Berks Catholic was in front 27-20 at halftime and 42-34 after the third quarter. The Saints went on a 10-2 run to open the final period, and the (10-9, 5-6) Eagles never threatened again. Exeter was without second-leading scorer and versatile defender Joey Schlaffer. The 6’6 junior injured his left wrist on Monday at Wilson. Schlaffer averages nearly eleven points and is committed to Penn State for football. Givens gave credit to point guard JayJay Jordan for slowing down Colin Payne. The Eagles’ 6’3 senior guard had nine points. Payne entered the game as the top scorer in Berks County at 20 ppg. Jordan led the way with a game-high 16 points. He answered a 3-pointer by sophomore Kevin Saenz with one of his own late in the third quarter. Givens added a trey from the top of the key in the final minute of that quarter. Exeter went from down two points to trailing by eight. Aidan Sands chipped in with eleven points. Ryan Koch and Jack Miller had eight apiece. Berks Catholic drilled seven triples, but was just 9-18 from the free throw line. Exeter went 7-8 from the charity stripe. Junior guard Teddy Snyder provided a team-high ten points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter. 6’6 junior Anthony Caccese finished with eight points. The Eagles have lost five of their last six contests. They’re still in good shape to qualify for the District 3-5A playoffs. Meanwhile, the Saints are #1 in the Class 4A power rankings. Givens addressed some things that they need to improve on. He mentioned showing more patience on offense and communicating better. We also discussed his favorite class and teacher at Berks Catholic. Plus, Givens had strong words for Madden NFL players in Berks County, and he gave a Super Bowl prediction!

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 23:26:00 +0000

Tyler Minick is an outstanding baseball player who has already committed to UCONN. The Gov. Mifflin junior showed at Exeter that he’s pretty darn good at football too. Minick returned the opening kickoff 75 yards for a TD! He also recovered an onside kick to start the second half. Minick explained to me why the Mustangs decided to run that kickoff play. Gov. Mifflin jumped out to a 30-0 lead and ended up winning 54-21 at Don Thomas Stadium. Minick talked about playing with star running back Nick Singleton who’s going to Penn State. Singleton piled up 246 yards and 4TD on 20 carries against the Eagles. The Mustangs are the top-ranked team in the state in Class 5A at (6-0).

Tyler Minick-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:15:00 +0000

Tyler Minick is one of the best rising juniors in Pennsylvania. As a sophomore, Minick hit .376 with 7 doubles, 4 triples, a HR, and 21RBI. He also stole 20 bases and had an ERA of 0.98 with 21K in 21 innings. Minick played in the Big 26 Classic this summer. He told me why he decided to commit early to UCONN. I asked him what would happen if he had to hit against his teammate Connor Maryniak (Berks POY). We also talked about Sideshow Bob of “The Simpsons” and Minick’s favorite musical artists. Plus, find out how the Mustangs are looking for next season.