Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Hamburg and Leesport are separated by just eight miles. The Hawks will make the short trip south on Route 61 this Friday. These rivals first met on the gridiron in 1970. The Panthers prevailed 34-6. They won the first seven encounters with the Hawks. Schuylkill Valley holds a slim (26-24-1) edge in the all-time series. Hamburg is trying to end a four-game losing streak in the Frost Bowl. “It’s very important. These guys live five minutes away from us. Not only because of the rivalry, but also because it’s big for the district standings,” said Hawks’ captain Xander Valentino. The Panthers are #1 in the District 3-3A power rankings. Hamburg is currently third. Only the top four teams in that classification will qualify for the playoffs.
The (5-2, 3-1) Hawks have bounced back from a (2-8, 1-6) campaign in 2025. “We’re a lot closer, we’re a brotherhood. I’ve played with these kids my whole life. When you have a brotherhood like this, you’re gonna play great football,” explained Valentino. The 5’10, 178-pound defensive end has a team-high nine tackles for loss and five sacks. “He brings discipline and physicality. We went to Xander at the end of last season and asked him to move from inside linebacker to defensive end. He bought in full go from day one. He’s doing a good job pursuing the football, but doing it within his own role,” noted second-year head coach Tyler Hartranft. Valentino relies on speed as opposed to size. “I’m very quick off the edge. Due to my size, I have to be quick. My goal on a Friday night is to get after the quarterback,” he replied. In addition to playing basketball and baseball, Valentino carries a 4.0 GPA. He’s a key cog in a Hamburg defense that’s allowing 20.3 points per game. Linebacker Bryce Schmeck, a 206-pound junior, leads the squad with 61 tackles. Logan Warke, a junior defensive back, has provided 48 tackles, five tackles for loss, and three sacks.
The Hawks are riding a three-game winning streak. Blaise Ernst has exploded over the past two weeks. “He’s our go-to guy. If you need a play, you know who you’re going to, it’s Blaise Ernst. He’s a great player,” emphasized Valentino. Ernst has piled up 404 yards and 5 TD on 54 carries in the last two games. The 5’9, 174-pound senior is averaging 6.9 yards per carry this year. “Blaise is finally healthy. Blaise was banged up early in the year. He’s the catalyst of our program. He’s our leader, he puts in the work. Our guys know that he’s gonna give everything he’s got and that raises their level of play,” said Hartranft. Ernst has rushed for 700 yards and 8 TD this season.
Sophomore quarterback Isaac McFadden is one of seven returning starters on Hamburg’s offense. He’s completing 61.6% of his passes with ten touchdowns and one interception. McFadden has used his legs for six more scores. “He’s grown tremendously. He’s playing his best ball of his life right now. He’s a big impact on why we are (5-2) and why we have a great shot coming into this game,” stated Valentino. McFadden has spread around his 1,178 passing yards. Owen Bentz (25), Alex Soto (28), and Eli Metzler (29) have combined for 82 catches. Metzler, a 5’11 junior, has a team-high 481 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The (6-1, 4-0) Panthers have a dangerous passing attack with quarterback Alex Aletras and sophomore wide receiver Will Johns. He caught eight passes for 129 yards last week in a 16-14 victory over Lancaster Catholic. Schuylkill Valley has won six in a row. The Panthers are alone atop the Section 5 standings in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. They’ll need a win over their longtime rival on Friday to keep it that way.
