Wyomissing-Central Valley Preview

Some Wyomissing fans are simply calling it “The Rematch.” For the second year in a row, the Spartans are taking on Central Valley for the Class 3A state championship. Kickoff is at noon on Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. The Warriors beat Wyomissing 35-21 in last year’s state final. The Spartans led 14-7 at halftime. It was the first state championship for Central Valley. Wyomissing knows the feeling. Alex Anzalone, now a linebacker with the Detroit Lions, and the Spartans captured state gold in 2012. The Warriors are (14-0) and riding a 26-game winning streak. Wyomissing is (15-0). Both teams are allowing just eight points per game. Central Valley is averaging 47.6 points. The Spartans aren’t far behind at 45 points per game.

The defensive numbers are staggering for the Warriors; 183TFL, 66 sacks, and 21INT. Pittsburgh commit Sean FitzSimmons is a game wrecker on the defensive line. The 6’3, 275-pound senior leads Central Valley with 21 sacks and 114 tackles. He has also collected 47TFL. Matt Merritt is a force at linebacker. The 6’3, 215-pound senior returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown in the state semifinals. Army, Navy, and Air Force are among the schools interested in Merritt. Jayvin Thompson’s stock is rising. The 6’2 junior is a ball hawk with 11INT. He’s also a deep threat at wide receiver with 28 catches (26.8) and 9TD. Thompson had three receptions for 107 yards and a score last week in a 35-21 win vs. Central Martinsburg. But make no mistake, the Warriors offense goes through all-state running back Landon Alexander who has piled up 2,166 yards and 28TD this season. The 180-pound senior has gone over 200 yards in three consecutive games. He went 98 yards to the house late in last week’s game. Alexander is Central Valley’s all-time leading rusher with 3,930 yards. He broke Jordan Whitehead’s record of 3,525 yards. Whitehead is now a safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Junior quarterback Antwon Johnson has thrown for 1,242 yards with 19TD and 6INT. Head coach Mark Lyons has his program running on all cylinders. This is Central Valley’s third straight trip to the state championship game. The Warriors fell to Wyoming Area 21-14 in 2019 before knocking off Wyomissing last season. Lyons added a very nice win to his resume in September when the Warriors took down Class 4A state champ Aliquippa 21-12. That was the only close game this season for Central Valley until the state semifinal against Central Martinsburg.

The Spartans have certainly had their share of blowouts this year as well. They earned their tenth District 3 title with a 55-14 rout of Boiling Springs. They dismantled Scranton Prep 35-14 in the state quarterfinals and then pummeled Neumann-Goretti 42-6 last week with James Franklin in attendance. The Penn State head coach was checking out 6’4, 310-pound junior OL Jven Williams. He has helped Bob Wolfrum’s Wing-T offense average 311 yards per game on the ground (7.7/carry). Wyomissing rumbled for 348 yards vs. Neumann-Goretti. Fullback Tommy Grabowski does his damage between the tackles, while halfbacks Amory Thompson and Drew Eisenhower hurt you on the edge. Grabowski has 1,362 yards and 26TD. Gov. Mifflin star Nick Singleton is the only player to reach the end zone more this season in Berks County. Thompson and Eisenhower have combined for 36 touchdowns. They’re both over 850 rushing yards this year. The speedy Thompson finished with 115 yards on just six carries last week. 6’3 junior quarterback Ben Zechman is coming off one of his best performances. He went 5-7 for 62 yards and 2TD against Neumann-Goretti. Zechman is completing 63% of his passes with 11TD and only two picks. Richmond commit Aiden Mack has a team-high ten catches in the run-heavy offense. The 6’4, 220-pound tight end is an excellent blocker. He’s also an impact player on the defensive line. Southern Columbia is the only team to score more than 14 points this season on the Spartans’ defense. Wyomissing won that October 1st matchup 42-21. Southern Columbia is the Class 2A state champion. Bob Wolfrum is wrapping up his 35th year as the Spartans’ head coach. He has 337 career victories, second-most among active coaches in Pennsylvania. This is Wyomissing’s third appearance in the state finals.

I’ll have live updates from Hersheypark Stadium! Follow me on Twitter at @PaulRobertsCuse