HERSHEY — Much of the talk before Saturday’s PIAA Class 3A championship game between Wyomissing and Central Valley focused on the teams’ high-powered offenses.
If many expected a shootout, the Spartans, at least, knew better.
“We knew it was going to be a defensive battle,” linebacker Jack Miller said.
One mistake cost Wyomissing the game and the title.
The Warriors’ Landon Alexander took the football off the left side, found a crease and scored on a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter that was the difference in a 7-0 victory at Hersheypark Stadium.
The 6-1, 190-pound Alexander is an exceptional back. He’s rushed for more than 4,000 career yards and gained 231 on 35 carries Saturday. That didn’t make describing what happened on his touchdown any less easier for the Spartans.
“I think we over-pursued a little bit and he made a nice cut,” Miller said. “We just weren’t in our correct gaps. I got pushed out of the way and he made a cutback right behind me and there he went. He’s a heck of a player.”
The touchdown with 9:57 left gave Central Valley its only points after averaging 47.6 in its first 14 games. Wyomissing’s defense played superbly, holding the Warriors to a season low in points after they scored at least 50 in six games.
“We did an incredible job on defense,” linebacker Tommy Grabowski said. “They had one huge play.”
The Spartans twice stopped Central Valley in the red zone before the touchdown. In the first quarter, the Warriors had a first down at the 10 before linebacker Matt Kramer tackled Alexander after a 1-yard gain on third-and-4.
On the next snap, J.J. Jackson burst through the line and blocked Serafino DeSantis’ 19-yard field goal try.
“That kid’s a monster,” Grabowski said. “Without him we wouldn’t be the team that we are. He helped us a lot.”
In the third quarter, Central Valley had third-and-5 from the Wyomissing 9. Quarterback Matt Merritt, better known for his running, threw a jump pass, with Miller about to tackle him, to tight end Jack Bible. Grabowski read the play, leaped with one hand and intercepted it at the 1.
“I saw it,” defensive back Amory Thompson said. “It was an insane catch. Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.”
Grabowski weaved his way through traffic and found an opening in the middle of the field before he was tackled at the Spartans’ 21.
“I thought he was going to take it back for six,” Miller said. “He was free for a second. We needed a big play. Drew (Eisenhower) almost had a kick return (for a touchdown).
“We needed an interception for a touchdown. We need a blocked punt. We needed something to get us going.”
With their offense sputtering, the Spartans needed to keep the Warriors scoreless to have a chance to win. They did everything they could against a team with such firepower to post their third shutout.
“We played insane defense,” Thompson said. “We held them to one score when they were averaging like 48 points a game. You can’t really beat it. The defense played as hard as we could. We left everything out on the field.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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