WYOMISSING – If you ask the die-hard fans of the Wyomissing Area Spartans, the same question keeps coming up: “I thought we lost a lot from last year, why are we doing so well?” You can’t really blame them; transitions usually don’t usually look this easy.
That question became a little easier to answer on Saturday as Wyomissing (11-0) advanced to the District III 3A semifinal round with a 65-3 drubbing of visiting Northern Lebanon (4-7) in a quarterfinal matchup at the A-Field.
Wyomissing’s Wing-T expertise was on full display from the first possession. The Spartans rolled up 478 yards of total offense, 430 of that on the ground. Their top three rushers gained 269 yards on just 13 carries. The Wyomissing backs gained yards around the edge, off tackle and up the middle, frequently running through holes 10 yards wide.
The 65 points are the most the Spartans have ever scored in a playoff game, but the level of offensive production isn’t shocking. What’s shocking is that the Spartan defense held Northern Lebanon to just 20 total yards in a game in which the staters only played a quarter and a half.
Much of the credit for Saturday’s dominant defensive display should be given to the Spartan’s secondary: juniors Drew Eisenhower and Charlie McIntyre, and seniors Nevin Carter and Amory Thompson. The solid coverage they provide allows the pass rush to disrupt timing and the linebackers to flow to the ball.
“Coming into the game we knew what we were expecting,” said Carter, who scored on a 77-yard pick-six in the first quarter. “We love when teams pass. It gives us the chance to get the interceptions you saw today.”
“When we play a team that’s more focused on running, we have to worry about tackling and wrapping up,” added Thompson, who scored two first-quarter rushing touchdowns. “When we play a team like this we’re more focused on the pass coverage and where we need to be to cover the pass.”
That focus forced Viking quarterback Ethan Ebersole into 5-19 passing and two interceptions. Those five completions gained just 19 yards.
Wyomissing will potentially have five more games and the deeper they go, the better their competition will be, beginning next week with a perennial showdown with Middletown, a 35-21 winner over West Perry.
Looking forward, Thompson and Carter feel that their best defense is still to be played.
“I think we’ve got so much potential,” said Carter. “I know we’ve seen some good teams, but I feel we can get to a level we haven’t seen yet.”
“During most games we have a couple missed opportunities, missed interceptions, blown coverages,” said Thompson. “When we clean up those mistakes, we may reach our full potential.”
That’s the answer to the question: seniors that are still learning, still pushing and still perfecting their craft. They aren’t satisfied, not yet.
Scoring Summary
1 Wyomissing Grabowski, 19-yard run (kick failed) 9:58
1 Wyomissing Eisenhower, 48-yard pass from Zechman (pass failed) 8:49
1 Wyomissing Thompson, 9-yard run (Levering kick) 5:32
1 Wyomissing Thompson, 34-yard run (kick failed) 5:18
1 Wyomissing Eisenhower, 27-yard interception return (kick failed) 4:23
1 Wyomissing Carter, 77-yard interception return (Hyde kick) 1:39
2 Wyomissing Grabowski, 75-yard run (Hyde kick) 10:59
2 Wyomissing Jackson 3 yard run (Hyde kick) 6:49
2 Wyomissing Jones 75 yard run (kick failed) 3:50
3 Wyomissing Neidrowski 40 yard run (Hyde kick) 5:15
4 Northern Lebanon Grimes, 26 yards FG 6:08
Score by quarters
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Northern Lebanon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Wyomissing | 38 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 65 |
