At this time one year ago, this was the matchup everyone would’ve crawled across broken glass to see. And for good reason too. Last season, Warwick, bringing with them the best collection of talent that the school had ever seen in the history of its football program, was slated to head up to Shillington play in the District 3-5A championship game against Governor Mifflin, a squad also enjoying the fruits of their labor with one of the best teams that school had ever seen as well. Then, of course as everyone remembers, nothing ever happened.
In 2020, playing high school football in the middle of a global pandemic figured to get a little bit sideways along the way. Granted, while everyone knew what they had signed up for going into it in while assuming all the risks that came along with the opportunity to simply play, it’s hard to imagine anyone truly knew as to just how wonky things would actually get. Case in point, seeing a playoff game – a championship game- no less go by the wayside thanks to a COVID-19 outbreak that ended in a 1-0 Governor Mifflin victory thanks to the forfeit parameters set forth prior to the postseason. Needless to say, seeing what promised to be one of, if not the best game played inside all of District 3 last season end in a no contest, went over like a lead balloon for anyone who wanted to either watch in person, on a livestream, or check their Twitter for score updates thanks to limited attendance number also put into place as well in 2020. As it turned out, fresh off their uncontested triumph, Governor Mifflin would then fall in their next game -a phenomenal game it was no less- against nationally-recognized Pine-Richland in the state semifinal round to the eventual 5A state champions.
Speaking of uncontested, that’s pretty much been the prevailing theme of Governor Mifflin’s entire 2021 campaign thus far.
To say that this year’s edition of the Mustangs is an absolute behemoth might be a disservice quite honestly. Sure, while having what many in the business consider to be the best high school running back in the United States of America residing in your backfield is certainly a good place to start out of the blocks when speaking of senior, Penn State-bound, Nick Singleton, this is far from a one-trick pony. Or Mustang if you will. Make no mistake about it, Governor Mifflin has played a bully brand of football this season to absolute perfection. So much so in fact that each of the Mustangs’ pass attempts this entire season can probably be remembered with crystal-clear precision given how few attempts it is overall. All told, it adds up to a season-long body of work that has led many to proclaim that this Governor Mifflin squad is the best high school football team in the state of Pennsylvania this year, regardless of classification level, and regardless of falling victim to the hotly-contested private vs public argument as well. Hey, that alone deserves some of banner in and of itself, yes?
In terms of offensive prowess, it’s been a mercy rule special this fall in Shillington. In no game this season have the Mustangs scored less than 42 points. Gulp. In terms of margin of victory, no one has been able to even get within 23 points of the Mustangs either, an honor that gets bestowed upon Episcopal Academy, coming in what was Mifflin’s fifth game this season. In terms of Berks County as a whole, no opponent had been able to claw past the 21-point scoring threshold against the ‘Stangs, something that only Exeter can lay claim to back in early October. Suffice to say, even when putting the dizzying numbers and jaw-dropping figures aside, there’s a reason as to why the notion of seeing Governor Mifflin emerge out of the bowels of Hersheypark Stadium four weeks from now just moments before the state championship game is played on Friday night December 10th seems to be something almost of destiny.
The thing about destiny though? It’s not always a sure-fire fact. Something the Warwick Warriors eagerly wanted to prove on Friday night at Governor Mifflin.
No matter how you slice it, this is without a shadow of a doubt the golden age of Warwick Warriors’ Football. For years, it seemed as if Warwick would forever be relegated to a role somewhat akin to that of spoiler in hopes of springing an occasional upset here or there that would send Lancaster-Lebanon Section One into some sort of chaos before ultimately finishing in the middle to lower part of the division. However, really from about the 2016 season on, the Warriors have turned into a serious and legitimate threat. No longer the cute little story, Warwick has been able to make good on maximizing some of the greatest athletic talent that the school in Lititz has ever seen walking around its hallways given the numerous list of Warriors who have gone to play college football at various levels, a feat that was typically seen as a one-off in years prior. And yes, while this year’s Warwick bunch is a little bit different than that of its most recent predecessor in 2020, the 2021 Warriors have more than demonstrated that this is now a program in the truest sense of the word.
To be frank though, it wasn’t always a rosy picture at times this season for Warwick. At one point, while staring down the barrel of a possible 2-4 record just past the midway point of the season, the Warriors were able to respond marvelously to the challenge put in front of them by rattling off a 4-1 record heading into their District 3-5A quarterfinal game against Governor Mifflin on Friday night to help back them away from the proverbial corner before eventually laying claim to a three-way share of the L-L Section Two title this year with Cocalico and Manheim Central respectively once the dust had finally settled.
And yes, while anyone in the Warriors’ camp would likely still give some sort of a bodily organ in order to rewind the clock if it meant having a chance of playing the 2020 game between the two sides as originally intended, Warwick was undoubtedly just as eager to finally get their chance at the high-powered Mustangs, even if it be a year later than everyone had originally planned.
However, as everyone in attendance quickly found out, it would be Governor Mifflin -namely Nick Singleton specifically- that was about to make up for lost time.
Speaking of quickly finding out, it became rather evident from the jump that Warwick wasn’t about to hold anything back in terms of leaving a stone unturned. So much so in fact that the Warriors opted to try an onside kick to begin the contest. That said, Warwick’s rolling of the dice came up snake eyes, allowing Governor Mifflin to set up shop at their 47-yard line to begin the game. Then, faced with a 3rd & 2 at the Warwick 45-yard line still on their initial march, the Mustangs allowed senior bowling ball turned fullback, Aiden Gallen, to carry the mail for the hosts which he did quite well given his 19-yard pickup to move the sticks and give Governor Mifflin a fresh set of downs. From there, the Mustangs’ offensive brain trust turned to the best high school running back that the free world has to offer as Nick Singleton promptly rattled off a 13-yard scoot before finishing Mifflin’s opening drive off in style with a 13-yard touchdown rumble to open the scoring at 7-0 in favor of the Mustangs with just two minutes having elapsed off the first quarter clock.
To their credit though, Warwick was unphased by Governor Mifflin’s early romp down the field.
Using an absolutely superb offensive game plan to help get their troops in rhythm, the Warriors began employing a nice run/pass ratio while also sucking the play clock down to its absolute last millisecond. And oh yes, did we mention rolling the dice as well?
Yet again, Warwick left nothing chance on their initial offensive series of the game as well considering the Warriors opted to go for it on a 4th & 3 attempt with the ball resting at the Mifflin 34-yard line. On said play, Warwick junior triggerman, Jack Reed, was able to hook up with his most reliable target all season long, Cooper Eckert, as the dangerous Warwick duo helped give the visitors a fresh set of downs with a 16-yard pitch and catch that moved the ball down to the Mustangs’ 18-yard line. From there, Reed continued to sizzle while operating within the pocket as he found a wide-open Ryan Fink who had been able to get himself free following the Governor Mifflin coverage bust, as the 14-yard touchdown dart allowed Warwick to knot things up at 7-7 with 4:49 left in the opening stanza.
Yet again, Warwick continued to feel extra frisky.
After attempting yet another onside kick, this one also to no avail, Governor Mifflin went back to work with the ball resting at their own 41-yard line. Ironically, for a team that doesn’t exactly go up top all that much, they typically prove lethal whenever they do. Case in point, Eden Johnson’s 44-yard lob down the Mifflin sideline into the waiting hands of Adrian McNeil, as the senior to junior connection helped move the ball all the way down to the Warwick 6-yard line within a flash. Then, on the very next play, Mifflin went right back to their bread and butter and proceeded to hand the ball off to Aiden Gallen as the senior’s 6-yard touchdown stroll capped off a 3-play Governor Mifflin series that allowed the Mustangs to go back in front at 14-7 just 55 seconds later following the Warwick score just moments earlier.
Yet again though, Warwick had an answer for the Governor Mifflin riddle.
After seeing that the ingredients that helped fuel their initial scoring drive had worked like a charm, the Warriors went right back to the same formula that helped them most recently. In fact, the drive was so eerily similar in some respects, largely due to the fact that Warwick was faced with yet another fourth down along the way. And just like in the drive that had preceded this one, a Warwick 4th & 4 attempt was passed with flying colors -quite literally- as a long heave down the Warriors’ sideline from Reed to Eckert against one-on-one coverage was good enough for the gutsy chunk play that allowed Warwick to travel all the way down to the Mifflin 9-yard line. From there, the Warriors were able to punch right back with a 3-yard Christian Royer touchdown plunge which knotted things back up at 14-14 with 1:18 still left to play in the opening stanza.
From that point on however, the contest did an immediate and jaw-dropping turn.
On their previous offensive series, Governor Mifflin was able to find the end zone in just three plays from scrimmage following a short field helped engineered by way of a failed onside kick recovery by Warwick. And yet again, following the Warriors’ third unsuccessful onside kick try following this touchdown as well, the Mustangs were able to pounce on the loose pill and began the drive at their own 45-yard line. This time however, it took Governor Mifflin all of one play to find the end zone as a Nick Singleton 55-yard scamper was good for another Mustangs’ score -this one coming complete with an absolute leveling of a would-be Warwick defender along the way- as Singleton’s second score of the night made it a 21-14 Governor Mifflin cushion just 11 seconds later which is where things would indeed remain once the second quarter got underway.
Unfortunately, as far as the guests were concerned, the Warriors’ next drive would prove to be not nearly as successful as the two drives which had just preceded this one.
On their third offensive drive -first within the second stanza- the Warwick series was quickly put to rest thanks to a fumble recovery by way of Governor Mifflin senior defensive lineman, Kenndry Arias Hernandez, allowing the Mustangs’ offensive troops to go back to work with yet another short field put in front of them. As it turned out, this too would end in the same familiar result, a Nick Singleton touchdown, as Singleton’s 26-yard scamper this time around allowed Governor Mifflin to double-up Warwick at 28-14 with 10:48 left before the halftime recess.
By this time though, the Governor Mifflin snowball that was rolling downhill at a pace that Warwick simply couldn’t stop.
After Warwick was forced to punt following Singleton’s third touchdown of the contest just moments prior, the Mustangs’ offense trotted back onto the pitch with the ball resting quite comfortably at the midfield stripe. To their credit though, the Warriors’ defensive unit made the sledding more arduous than what the Mustangs had grown accustomed to in their most recent experiences. Granted, although they would surrender a bulldozing 31-yard pickup on the ground thanks to the handiwork of Gallen right out of the chute, Governor Mifflin was later tasked with having to navigate past a 4th & 7 attempt at the Warwick 26-yard line. And although the Warwick D covered up the initial options magnificently, a broken play took shape that resulted in Mifflin senior quarterback, Eden Johnson, tucking and running with yardage that was good enough for the first down, moving the sticks and the Mustangs’ attack inside the Warwick red zone. Then, with the offensive line having gotten lathered up into a nice little groove of things, a 2-yard Nick Singleton run, his fourth touchdown of the first half, grew the Governor Mifflin lead up to 35-14 over their houseguests with 4:30 left before the half.
Then, after an unsuccessful fake punt deep inside their own territory on the heels of their ensuing offensive possession for the Warriors, yet another Governor Mifflin short field figured to spell doom for Warwick. Sure enough, it did.
As it turned out, Singleton’s fifth touchdown of the opening half came just a mere minute and change following his fourth as the future Penn State Nittany Lion capped off yet another Mustangs’ scoring drive, this time with an 18-yard jaunt, as the Governor Mifflin advantage had suddenly bubbled up to a commanding 42-14 buffer with 3:21 left before intermission.
But as Warwick was about to find out, that was more than enough time for Governor Mifflin to have one last strike in their arsenal.
After taking over on offense following what had now become an all too familiar narrative of the Warwick offense not being able to conjure up points in the same way in which they were able to right out of the gates on Friday night while surrendering the ball back to the opposition, Nick Singleton had one final highlight reel moment left to slap together from the game’s first 24 minutes.
With time running out and both teams surely eager to get back into their respective dressing rooms -albeit for two very different reasons more than likely- a Singleton 60-yard bolt of lightning touchdown run past the entire Warwick defensive unit with just seven seconds left in the first half of action allowed the Mustangs to absolutely glide into the halftime break with ownership of the 49-14 lead in their favor following their star running back’s sixth, yes sixth, touchdown of the first half of play.
Suffice to say, but by this time, the eventual outcome of the contest was all but a formality. However, much to their credit, Warwick continued to fight and claw all the way down to the finish line. And much in the same vein as their two scoring drives found inside the first half of play on Friday night, Warwick was able to find portions of that same magic at their disposal once the Warriors took possession of the ball coming out of the locker room for the second half.
While yet again seeming to use every possible ounce of the play clock at their disposal, the Warriors began to methodically plot their way down the field against the stingy and downright scary Governor Mifflin defensive unit. As far as the plays themselves, Jack Reed to Kyle Sapovchak tosses proved to be invaluable on this Warriors’ series as the quarterback/receiver tandem was able to establish a nice chemistry amongst themselves in helping the white-uniformed bunch get into a groove. Then, continuing with the aerial attack, a Reed to Cooper Eckert 11-yard touchdown toss allowed Warwick to enjoy some good mojo while also trimming the Governor Mifflin lead down to 49-21 with 4:28 left to play in the third frame.
Here again though, the Governor Mifflin ground-and-pound attacking style continued to be a wet blanket thrown on any Warwick momentum. In that respect, using Nick Singleton to help douse the flames with bitterly cold water is undoubtedly a good impetus to begin with. Sure enough, following a 57-yard run by the sensational star which kick-started the ensuing Governor Mifflin possession while simultaneously ushering the Mustangs inside the Warriors’ red zone, a 15-yard punctuation mark of a touchdown run at the conclusion of the drive authored by Aiden Gallen made it a 56-21 affair in favor of the hosts with 3:12 left in third which is where the scoring would remain once the game reached its final dozen minutes.
Yet fourth quarter or not, down big or not, Warwick just continued to punch. Case in point, a 3-yard touchdown run tallied by tough-as-nails sophomore tailback, Andrew McClune, as the Warriors were able to cut the Mustangs’ lead in half at 56-28 with 9:33 left in the game.
Let’s be honest here for a moment. Yeah, running for six touchdown runs is pretty good and all of that, but why not make it a cool seven just for good measure, you know? Well, perhaps that was the same exact notation that Governor Mifflin felt themselves considering what was about to take place.
Fittingly, this took all one play too. Fitting of course considering just how quick many of the Mustangs’ scoring drives had been up until that point while also factoring in Singleton’s pure, unbridled speed as well. So, in a perfect marriage of those two elements, a final Nick Singleton curtain call, this one good for a 65-yard ultra-quick dash, made it a seven-touchdown effort on the night -a single game achievement that will likely stand the test of time around these parts unless he of course chooses to break his own records in Mifflin’s remaining contests- as the Mustangs were able to open up a 63-28 lead with roughly nine minutes and change left to play.
But as had been the case so many times before up until this point, Warwick had one final rebuttal to offer up before the night was through.
In this their final scoring march of the evening, the Warriors were able to trudge their way down the field with nice, sizable plays at a time. First among the highlights was a Jack Reed to Ryan Fink pitch and catch to move the Warwick attack down the Mifflin 40-yard line. Next was a 10-yard toss from Reed to Sapovchak yet again, moving the sticks down to the Mustangs’ 30-yard line. Then, another 10-yard burst, this of the Andrew McClune running variety, allowed the Warriors to set up shop inside the Governor Mifflin red zone. From there, a Reed to Thomas Jeanes 10-yard touchdown pass was good for the final points of this bitterly cold evening as the sophomore wideout was able to play the role of offensive rebounder by snaring the high pass before toe-tapping his cleats in the back of the end zone, making it a 63-35 contest following the PAT.
However, for a night that featured scoring upon scoring upon scoring, those would prove to be the final points of the evening as Governor Mifflin was able to put together a simply mesmerizing effort -or just a regular night of work depending how you look at it given what they’ve been able to accomplish this entire season- as the Mustangs steamrolled into the District 3-5A semifinal round with a commanding 63-35 triumph over Warwick in Shillington.
“I’ll tell you what, (Warwick) came out to play football tonight,” Governor Mifflin head coach Jeff Lang said just moments after his team sang the school’s alma mater alongside the band. “Their offense really gave us some trouble here tonight,” Lang continued while lauding Warwick’s offensive weaponry. “Offensively, we knew (Jack Reed) was going to be really good. We thought we had a good game plan against it and (Warwick) still picked it apart, so we’ve got to get back to the drawing board, watch some film here and straighten some things out because that can’t happen again.”
As far as his star running back was concerned, Lang was eager to offer praise there as well.
“He did a heckuva job tonight, yes he did,” Lang said matter of factly regarding Singleton. “Is there anything he can’t do? I don’t know about that.”
Speaking of the man of hour, he too was not about to short change anyone where credit was due.
“Yeah, it feels good, but I couldn’t have done it without my linemen throwing the blocks, receivers throwing the blocks, quarterbacks making the great reads, coaches making great calls. It takes all of us,” said Singleton following his historic night.
“Probably as a leader really,” Singleton went on to say when asked where he thought he made the most improvement from last year to this year given that every set of eyes in attendance is always transfixed upon him on a Friday night. “Working on my speed, my strength, and vision around the whole field really.”
“I take a lot of pride in it,” he added of his overall craft. “I’ve been working out this whole summer really, working on my speed, so I’ve been working on it a lot.”
As far as the other side was concerned, the lopsided loss was surely a bitter pill to swallow. Even still, Warwick head coach Bob Locker remained steadfastly proud of the effort his troops had put forth, not just in this game, but throughout the entire season as well.
“During the week, we sensed that they were looking forward to this opportunity that they had earned,” the Warriors’ boss said postgame of his team’s eagerness of taking their shot at arguably the state’s best football squad. “The things we did tonight, the onside kicks, the fake punts, we were aware of the fact that we’d have to catch some breaks and get some extra possessions,” Locker said regarding his team’s fearless approach the entire night. “We talked about the fact that (Governor Mifflin) was the more talented team. If we could find a way to be the better team for three hours, that has to be your goal. We knew it would take some tricks and different wrinkles, so we just rolled the dice and said, ‘Let’s go.’’’
“At the end of the day, I’m going to look at the fact that we put up 35 and (Governor Mifflin) wasn’t subbing. We found some things to do, but it’s just that (Nick Singleton) makes defense really hard. There were times where we were right there, we had him boxed up, but he’s just that good,” he added of Singleton. “That’s a college kid playing on a high school field. I think he’s the best high school running back I’ve ever seen on the same field.”
In terms of high praise, whenever Bob Locker offers it, the dean of Lancaster-Lebanon League coaches, it speaks volumes. Needless to say, the kudos bestowed upon this Mustangs’ squad in particular caught the Warwick boss’ attention considering it’s been a 21-year run at the helm in Lititz.
“Yeah, Eleanor Roosevelt would be a good comparison,” said Locker when asked who this Governor Mifflin squad may have reminded him of from top to bottom in all his years along the way. Eleanor Roosevelt being the perennial powerhouse program out of Greenbelt, Maryland that routinely challenges for state championships and pumps out college football, even NFL-caliber talent, that came to Lititz in September 2000 fresh off a Maryland 4A state championship the year prior. “There’s no weaknesses,” he said of this year’s Mifflin bunch. “I thought we did a good job. We exploited some things we thought we could get offensively. But yeah, they don’t have a lot of weaknesses.”
In a twist of irony though, for all the high marks -and rightfully so- given to Governor Mifflin in the afterglow of their remarkable performance on Friday night, the fact remains that Governor Mifflin and Warwick will soon turn into divisional foes next season once the Berks/L-L League merger kicks into effect.
“It was weird in the fact that in 50 weeks we’ll either play here or down at our place. It’s going to be a whole new world,” said Locker of the 2022 high school football season that will begin in Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties in just about eight months’ time. “It’ll take some adjusting, but as I said to some other people, there’s are pros and cons to the whole thing, but there’s going to be some really good football,” he added of the newly-formed, massive 37-team conglomerate. “Section Two is going to be stacked. It’ll be different, but it’s football. I think in the end it’s going to help preserve the game for the smaller schools and if you believe in football and the lessons it teaches you, as shepherds of the game, you kind have to do what you have to do.”
And in the end though, for this moment most specifically, Coach Locker could know with certainty than his team had emptied the tank on this night against Governor Mifflin.
“Our kids put the work in during the offseason. They practice hard all time. They want to be good. Yeah, I’m very proud of what they achieved this year. I go back to the fact that 17 out of 22 positions were vacated from last year’s team. Not a lot of teams can come back from that. I’m just proud of what they did.”
NEXT UP: For the Governor Mifflin Mustangs, the show just keeps rolling onward and upward. So, as a result of their dominating 63-35 performance at the hands of future sectional foe Warwick, the juggernaut from Berks County now sets their sights on a team built with the same type of makeup in a sense when they welcome the Spring Grove Rockets and their home run hitting running attack into town from the York-Adams League for 5A semifinal round clash next Friday night out on outskirts of Reading. And if you’re keeping track at home, that would mean that the state championship game would then be 21 days away at that point come next Friday evening. Not that I’m sayin’, but I’m just sayin’.
For Warwick, the loss against Mifflin means that the Warriors will take a bit of break from football activities before regrouping come the winter months as they prepare to set their sights on a revamped and extremely potent and deep L-L Section Two crop with the edition of some of the best football brands that Berks County has to offer that Locker eluded to come next season. If nothing else though, as the last few years have certainly proven, the Warriors should have no reason to feel intimidated or overmatched once they receive their final assignments for the 2022 slate. After all, the football program in Lititz has certainly metastasized into one that should feel they need to take a back seat to anyone, conference merger or no conference merger.
