2023 Season Preview Berks Catholic

Berks Catholic went 5-6 last year after they struggled with the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. Berks Catholic is led by Head Coach Rick Keeley who has been the Head Coach for 12 years after Holy Name and Central Catholic merged to create Berks Catholic. He has a 113-35 record at Berks Catholic. Keeley has been a Head Coach for the last 47 years at Hamburg, Holy Name, and Hamburg, compiling a record of 275-154-3 record. Keeley's team might have gone 5-6 last year, but they bring back some talented players and I expect them to have a better year this year.   Top returning players:    [player_tooltip player_id='386271' first='William' last='Hess']. Hess was Berks Catholic starting quarterback last year. Berks Catholic runs a wing-t offense from what I saw on film and Hess did a nice job running the offense. He is good on the sprint out and bootleg game. He does a nice job faking run plays and then getting rid of the ball quickly. I saw him several times fake the sweep and then hit the fullback in the flat. He is also an accurate passer when he is throwing inside breaking routes. Hess also does a nice job of throwing some touch on the ball when it is needed. He also does a good setting his feet and throwing the ball. Hess is a good player who with a strong Senior year should get some College Football looks. He has visited some Colleges in the off season    [player_tooltip player_id='259537' first='Connor' last='Pennington']. Pennington played outside linebacker for Berks Catholic last year. He is a good athlete that does an excellent job coming upfield and making plays. Pennington is really good at setting the edge on defense. He is good at keeping contain and then coming from behind to make a play. When he blitzes off the ball he shows legit ability to be a game-wrecker in the backfield. He does an excellent job of reading and reacting to the play and then coming upfield to make the tackle. He is a good tackler who does an excellent job tackling in the open field. Pennington should have a good chance to get recruited if he has a strong Senior year.    Luke Impellizzeri. Impellizzeri played middle linebacker for Berks Catholic last year. He played at a very high level for Berks Catholic. He is very good at plugging the hole inside and making tackles on run plays. He has good size standing 6'1 inches tall and he has good strength. He is good at taking on blockers and keeping his arm free to make plays. He is also a good sound and physical tackler. When he tackles players you know he is tackling them with the physical style he plays with. Impellizeri is a good player who recently visited Fordham University. With a strong Senior year, he should have a good chance at play College Football.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Impellizzeri_1/status/1670948831175880709?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='377052' first='Owen' last='Reber']. Reber played offensive line and defensive line for Berks Catholic last year. On offense, he shows his athleticism by pulling and blocking defensive players. He is good at pulling and kicking out defensive linemen. He shows his strength when he doubles teams on a defensive lineman and controls the block. He also shows a nasty streak on that side of the ball. Reber at defensive line is hard to block one on one and does a nice job of freeing up his linebackers to make plays all over the field. Reber is a good player and with a strong Senior Year, I can see him play College Football.    Devin Garcia. Garcia played fullback and middle linebacker for Berks Catholic last year. Garcia is an impressive athlete that shows off a good combination of speed and physical traits. In the wing-t offense, the fullback is the most important player for the offense because you are dependent on them doing so much on the field. Garcia is a legit fullback because he runs hard, hits the hole well, and catches the ball well out of the backfield. In run plays he is a physical runner that runs through contact, and hits the hole well. Very rarely does he get tackled by one tackler. In the passing game, he catch short passes when he caught the ball and turned upfield to make big gains. As a linebacker, he is equally impressive as he is a physical tackler who comes upfield to make plays. He does a nice job reading and reacting to the play and coming upfield to make the play. Garcia is an impressive player who recently picked up his 1st offer from Albright University. I expect more offers to come.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/devin_garcia33/status/1680765475880419329?s=20 </div></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='855330' first='Joey' last='Polinsky']. Polinsky is a talented player that has the size and strength to play College Football. Below is what my Colleague [player_tooltip player_id='1156407' first='Vic' last='Castillo'] said about Polinski earlier this year:   A new name makes the cut, that's a first! Joey Polinski placing on this list should be a clear indicator that he'll rank high after our update in July. Currently on WL, Berks Catholic's athletic tackle prospect is finally on my radar. Wish I could have learned about this kid's game a bit sooner, would have loved to push his name a bit further. Now will have to do. 6'5, a lean-cut 270 pounds. Carries a tight-end build, yet power and aggressiveness are that of a premier tackle. His tape wows, conveying to the watcher a smooth and efficient mover whose game translates to either tackle spot. At the next level, Polinsky will more than likely be utilized at TE or EDGE, yet that's not a foregone conclusion. If Polinsky wanted to pursue OL, 15 extra pounds to his frame could help him win against FCS/FBS defenders. I think he could win at his current weight if I'm being honest. Either way, here's a kid that needs more attention.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JoeyPolinsky/status/1666920494073802756?s=20 </div></figure>    Devin Sutton. Sutton played outside linebacker and wide receiver for Berks Catholic last year. He has limited film, but he showed good skills in the limited film. He is projected to get more playing time at linebacker and wide receiver this year for Berks Catholic.    [player_tooltip player_id='944981' first='Scott' last='Duffy']. Duffy's film is from Junior Varsity, but he shows some good skills at that level. He played wide receiver and outside linebacker. At wide receiver, he runs good routes and catches the ball very well. He made several tough catches in traffic. He also showed the ability to catch the ball and get yards after the catch. At outside linebacker, Duffy did a nice job keeping contain and making plays in the open field. He is also able to read and react and make a play in the open field. Duffy should be a contributor this year for Berks Catholic.    [player_tooltip player_id='1091293' first='Bryce' last='Gumby']. Gumby has a mixture of junior varsity and varsity film. On both film he played running back at a high level. He shows good quickness and burst when he hits the hole. He is really good on sweeps and quick pitches where he can use his speed to hit the hole. His speed really shows up in the open field when he runs by defenders. Gumby also showed a physical running style. Gumby is a good player who should get more playing time for Berks Catholic this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='402460' first='Nathaniel' last='Rose']. Rose is one of the better players in the 2026 class. Below is what I wrote about his earlier this year:   Rose played running back and linebacker for Berks Catholic last year. Most of his film was from Junior Varsity last year. He is a fluid athlete that runs very well. At running back he hits the hole well and then makes people miss in the hole well. Rose also flashes with speed when he gets into the open field. He just runs by defenders to create a big play. At linebacker, he shows good instincts and does nice job reading and reacting to the play. He does a nice job filling the hole and then making the tackle. Rose is a good prospect who should only get better.   Final Thoughts: Berks Catholic plays in a tough section of the Lancaster-Lebanon League which features talented teams like Wyomissing, Cocalico, and Lampeter-Strasburg. Berks Catholic should be more competitive in that section and I expect them to win more games this year. They have a ton of talented players returning and a strong Senior class returning as well. I expect Berks Catholic to have a strong season this year.

Berks Catholic went 5-6 last year after they struggled with the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. Berks Catholic is led by Head Coach Rick Keeley who has been the Head Coach for 12 years after Holy Name and Central Catholic merged to create Berks Catholic. He has a 113-35 record at Berks Catholic. Keeley has been a Head Coach for the last 47 years at Hamburg, Holy Name, and Hamburg, compiling a record of 275-154-3 record. Keeley's team might have gone 5-6 last year, but they bring back some talented players and I expect them to have a better year this year.