Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
The District 3-4A football tournament has been all about the chalk. The top two seeds have reached the championship game on Friday at Warwick. Lampeter-Strasburg and Wyomissing will square off at 7pm. The (12-0) Pioneers are searching for their fourth District 3 title. The (10-2) Spartans have earned District 3 gold a dozen times, including five years in a row. These teams met on October 26th for the Section 4 crown in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Lampeter-Strasburg prevailed 20-7 at Bob Wolfrum Field.
The top-seeded Pioneers are putting up 41 points while allowing just 8.5 per contest. Caileb Howse has thrown for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as the starting quarterback. The 6’, 200-pound senior is a serious threat to run as well. Howse has 1,245 yards on the ground and 19 TD. He’s averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Dominic Brown is a workhorse in the backfield. He carried the rock 28 times for 116 yards and a score in the Week 10 matchup with Wyomissing. The 5’11, 175-pound senior has 1,279 yards and 21 TD. Brown is also part of an outstanding corps of linebackers that includes Emory Fluhr. Lampeter-Strasburg has some big bodies up front. Collin Shelley (6’4, 290) and Thad Wolf (6’4, 315) are tough in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Wolf is only a sophomore. The Pioneers also feature a terrific kicker in junior Peter Fiorello.
The Spartans are averaging nearly 34 points and limiting their opponents to 11.5 per game. Sophomore RB/DB Justice Hardy is expected to return after missing both of the Spartans’ playoff games. Hardy was injured against the Pioneers. Despite missing time, he still leads Wyomissing with 728 rushing yards (9.6 ypc). Danny Fleischood and Derek Macrina have stepped up in Hardy’s absence. The two halfbacks have combined for 897 yards and 12 TD this year. Fleischood made three trips to the end zone last week in a 35-7 victory over West York. The 6’1, 185-pound junior ran for 132 yards in the semifinals. The Spartans have a pair of solid options at fullback in Chase Eisenhower and Tyler Niedrowski. They’re both juniors who play linebacker as well. The 215-pound Eisenhower has rumbled for 614 yards and ten touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Teddy White has only attempted 47 passes all season. He’s completed 27 throws for 430 yards and five scores.
Wyomissing’s Wing-T attack was held to 146 total yards by Lampeter-Strasburg one month ago. The Pioneers ended the Spartans’ 36-game home winning streak. This one will probably be decided up front, especially considering the weather forecast for Friday. Coach Wolfrum was very candid after the Week 10 loss. “We gotta be more physical. They were just more physical than us,” he said.
