wrestling – Berks Sports Report

Palmer Reber-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:21:05 +0000

Coaches often say that most football games are won at the line of scrimmage. If that’s true, Berks Catholic should be in good shape. The Saints return several key players up front including Eric Bennethum, Palmer Reber, Damoni Daglis, Anthony Zatorski, and Faith Zudie. Reber was voted the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League last season. The 6’2, 260-pound senior was also third on the team with 64 tackles. He was named a first team defensive lineman in the section. Reber and Bennethum are part of the Saints’ wrestling team which reached the PIAA-2A semifinals. Reber, who can squat 465 pounds, will be moving from guard to tackle this fall. Bennethum and Daglis are both coming off impressive sophomore campaigns. Bennethum was selected to the first team in Section 5 on offense and defense. Daglis tied for the team lead with 70 tackles and three sacks. Zudie is a junior defensive end with a lot of potential. “He’s starting to put it all together. He’s really strong, really fast. If he can harness all the tools he has, he’s gonna be really good,” noted Reber. Johnny Sauppee and Ryan Spatz give Berks Catholic a pair of solid linebackers.

Owen Schalk, Cole Harter, and Aidan Curley helped the Saints capture the District 3-3A baseball championship this spring. They’re going to be key pieces on the gridiron. Schalk, who hit .416 with 39 RBI, will be getting a lot of carries. Schalk and Curley each ran the ball just 31 times in 2024. They were more of a factor on defense with 86 combined tackles. Meanwhile, Harter takes over for Zach Suski at quarterback. Senior Xavier Gerald made the most of his touches last year. He ran for 334 yards and four touchdowns on only 27 carries. “He’s got so much speed. He’s like the Flash back there and he’s got some muscle on him too,” replied Reber. Gio DiSabatino will be at wide receiver, along with Josiah Turman and sophomore Logan Gonzalez.

Berks Catholic will be missing some familiar faces. Nate Rose is at Germantown Academy, Jackson Kozik transferred to Exeter, and Gavin Welker opted not to play. Rose ran for a team-high 1,066 yards and 11 TD a season ago. Kozik led the Saints with 24 catches and 70 tackles. Welker, a 6’3 senior, turned 17 receptions into five scores at wide receiver. In addition, defensive coordinator Pat Sisk has gone from Berks Catholic to Gov. Mifflin. Eric Hancock is the Saints’ new DC. The Holy Name graduate was a former head coach at Twin Valley. Hancock was an assistant at Schuylkill Valley last season.

Speaking of the Panthers, they won the Section 5 title outright in 2024. Berks Catholic and Lancaster Catholic finished two games behind at (5-2) in league play. Hamburg was in fourth place with a (4-3) mark. The Saints ended up (7-5) overall and got back to the District 3 playoffs after a two-year absence. They fell to eventual champion Bermudian Springs 42-25 in the District 3-3A semifinals.

Dave Stahler, a Holy Name and Kutztown University graduate, enters his second year as head coach at Berks Catholic. The Saints have an intriguing opener at Twin Valley next Friday night. The Raiders have reached the District 3 semifinals in three straight seasons. Berks Catholic hosts Lancaster Catholic on September 19th. The Saints travel to Leesport the following week to face Schuylkill Valley. We will learn a lot about Berks Catholic in the first month of the season. We already know that they have some heavy hitters in the trenches.

BCIAA Wrestling Championships-Girls

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 04:22:54 +0000

85 girls competed in the BCIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament this year. The event was held at Reading’s Geigle Complex and came to a close on Saturday evening. The Red Knights finished atop the team standings. Here are the results of the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners!

100 pounds:

Shadel (Exeter) pinned Spencer (Wilson)

106 pounds:

Dodson (Exeter) pinned Spilker (Muhlenberg)

112 pounds:

Yerger (Gov. Mifflin) pinned Jones (Schuylkill Valley)

118 pounds:

Foscone (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Boyer (Kutztown)

124 pounds:

Becht (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Frederick (Kutztown)

130 pounds:

Lubenow (Exeter) pinned Foreman (Hamburg)

136 pounds:

Gonzalez (Reading) pinned Petrie (Hamburg)

142 pounds:

Nguyen (Wilson) pinned Rosario (Reading)

148 pounds:

Borreli (Tulpehocken) pinned Tillman (Wilson). Borreli was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

155 pounds:

Nemes (Hamburg) pinned Schaeffer (Hamburg)

170 pounds:

Rivera (Reading) pinned Crespo (Schuylkill Valley)

190 pounds:

Tellez (Reading) pinned Reyes (Reading)

235 pounds:

Strunk (Hamburg) pinned Morales (Berks Catholic)

BCIAA Wrestling Championships-Boys

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:39:50 +0000

The BCIAA Individual Wrestling Championships wrapped up Saturday evening at the Geigle Complex in Reading. About 250 boys participated in the event. Here are the results from the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners! Berks Catholic finished first in the team standings.

107 pounds:

Cruz (Muhlenberg) beat McHugh (Twin Valley) 12-6.

114 pounds:

Shuman (Berks Catholic) pinned Schaffer (Wilson) in the first period.

121 pounds:

Bitting (Berks Catholic) beat Eidle (Wilson) 6-0.

127 pounds:

Steuer (Gov. Mifflin) beat Eidle (Wilson) 7-1.

133 pounds:

Hartranft (Berks Catholic) pinned Bollinger (Brandywine Heights) in the first period.

139 pounds:

Maciejewski (Berks Catholic) beat Montegari (Gov. Mifflin) 8-7.

145 pounds:

Speece (Wilson) beat Brady (Hamburg) 19-4. Speece was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

152 pounds:

Vitalo (Schuylkill Valley) won by forfeit over Karpulk (Tulpehocken) who was ill.

160 pounds:

Acevedo (Berks Catholic) pinned Hohl (Gov. Mifflin) in the second period.

172 pounds:

Eidle (Wilson) beat Keppley (Conrad Weiser) 19-3.

189 pounds:

Lenzi (Berks Catholic) beat Niedrowski (Wyomissing) 16-2.

215 pounds:

Oswalt (Exeter) beat Brownback (Wilson) 1-0.

285 pounds:

Heckman (Tulpehocken) beat Britting (Conrad Weiser) 5-0.

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.

Caleb Brewer-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 19:59:00 +0000

There aren’t many high school football players who can pin Jven Williams in less than 15 seconds. Caleb Brewer is one of them. The 6’5, 285-pound tight end qualified for the PIAA wrestling championships as a sophomore. In case you’re wondering, Brewer believes that wrestling is a more physically demanding sport than football. Brewer and Williams are part of what could be an outstanding offensive line in the Spartans’ vaunted Wing-T attack. ESPN ranks Williams as the #2 guard in the Class of 2023 and the 53rd best player overall. The 6’4, 305-pound senior is committed to Penn State. Seniors Pacen Ziegler (6’4, 275) and Cooper Young (6’, 250) will be at offensive tackle. Ziegler has an offer from Division I Davidson. Isaac Focht (6’2, 235) is expected to start at center. Jack Gartner (5’10, 190) brings the average of Wyomissing’s front six down to 257 pounds. Yes, you read correctly that Brewer is moving to TE to help set the edge. “I’m good with the plays. It’s hard to run routes, but I’m starting to get better at it. I’m getting faster,” he said. Aiden Mack, a freshman at the University of Richmond, was a devastating blocker at TE for the Spartans a season ago. They piled up 298 rushing yards per game while averaging 7.4 /carry. Wyomissing fell to Central Valley for the second straight year in the Class 3A state championship. Brewer thinks the 2022 Spartans could be even better than that (15-1) squad which put up 42 points per game. Central Valley got bumped up to Class 4A so the Spartans won’t have to worry about the Warriors. Wyomissing is second in PennLive’s preseason statewide poll behind Belle Vernon. Brewer feels that the offensive line has improved. I asked him what makes Williams such a special player. Brewer replied, “He’s a really hard worker. He’s my role model. I strive to be like Jven. He’s everything a coach wants, just a great kid.” The Spartans lost five all-state selections to graduation including FB/LB Tommy Grabowski and HB/CB Amory Thompson. They combined for more than 2,300 rushing yards. Seniors Drew Eisenhower and Charlie McIntyre return at halfback, along with physical junior Ryker Jones. Eisenhower and McIntyre both averaged over seven yards a pop last season. 220-pound senior Matthew Kramer will take over at fullback for Grabowski (26TD). Brewer told me that Kramer would be the toughest of their running backs for him to tackle. Ben Zechman is back at quarterback. Longtime head coach Bob Wolfrum likes his leadership skills. Wolfrum has guided Wyomissing to three consecutive District 3 titles and ten overall. The Spartans are a staggering (36-3) over the past three seasons. They haven’t dropped a regular season matchup since October 27, 2018 when Berks Catholic defeated them 28-7. The Saints are on Wyomissing’s schedule once again. “I’m pretty excited for that because I know a lot of people on their team. I have a rivalry with one of their wrestlers. Yeah, I’m excited to play them,” Brewer acknowledged. Wyomissing and Berks Catholic are part of a highly competitive Section 4 in the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. Brewer excels in the classroom with a 4.2 GPA. “I’d say it’s more important than football or any other sport because education gets you farther in life than sport. Not everybody is going to make it to the NFL or WWE,” he emphasized. Brewer is a big guy who understands the big picture.