Senior Standouts of the Berks County High School football programs have faced off for the last 18 years. For some, the college gridiron beckons in the fall. For many, this is the last time they don the shoulder pads and strap on the helmet. Rivals playing together and storied programs lined up across from schools they never face. The Berks Senior Football Classic is filled with many emotions. In a hard hitting, and exciting contest, the White prevailed over the Blue 21-14.
The MVPs were Exeter Twp’s Leroy Longenecker for the winning White squad. Blue MVP was Wilson Bulldog Ike Schannauer. Longenecker caught the game winning TD, had an interception, blocked an extra point and broke up numerous passes on defense. Schannauer was a beast on the offensive line and as a linebacker.
Winning Head Coach Bill Parks from Daniel Boone praised his White team’s efforts, “I think these guys became a tight knit group. I think that was the difference. We had a few mistakes, but they hung on and I am proud of them.”
The scoring got going in a hurry. The Blue punted on the games opening drive. On the White first play Reading High’s Jai Whitlock burst straight up the gut 59 yards to pay dirt making the score 7-0 White.
The next Blue possession did not go well either. A fumble was recovered by the White at the Blue 1. On the next play, Wyomissing’s Christian Martir dove in to make it 14-0 with 5:42 left in quarter one. The Blue finally moved the ball on their next drive. A sparkling 19 YD TD grab by Hamburg’s Aaron Nelson of a Tyler Hoss (Conrad Weiser) pass got the Blue on the board. It was 14-6 as quarter one ended.
After an exchange of punts to start quarter two, the Blue moved the ball down the field. Muhlenberg QB Cody Fiedler and Conrad Weiser WR Pierce Brosious were great on this drive. Fiedler hit Brosious with a 39 yard strike. A Fiedler two-point sneak tied the score at 14 with 6:42 till half.
The White moved the ball as the half wound down. Leroy Longenecker’s grab between two Blue defenders with only 19 seconds left proved to be the game winner. It was White 21 Blue 14 at the half.
The second half turned out to be hard hitting and dominated by the two defenses. Emotions overflowed several times and it became very apparent that this was not just an All-Star exhibition to most of the players. Despite many ebbs and flows, there was no second half scoring and the final was White 21 Blue 14.
The White Squad, which was coached by Bill Parks and the Daniel Boone staff, included players from Daniel Boone, Berks Catholic, Exeter Twp., Fleetwood, Reading High, Twin Valley and Wyomissing. The Blue was Coached by Muhlenberg’s Pat Sisk and staff. Players from Muhlenberg, Conrad Weiser, Gov. Mifflin, Hamburg, Kutztown, Schuylkill Valley and Wilson made up the Blue squad.
