Coach Weider’s Notebook
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Team of the week: Cocalico. Cocalico beat Wyomissing 34-14 on Friday night to break Wyomissing’s 41 straight regular-season winning streak. Cocalico was super impressive on Friday night as they beat a dominant Wyomissing team. Coach Strohl’s club has now beaten…
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Continue ReadingTeam of the week:
Cocalico. Cocalico beat Wyomissing 34-14 on Friday night to break Wyomissing’s 41 straight regular-season winning streak. Cocalico was super impressive on Friday night as they beat a dominant Wyomissing team. Coach Strohl’s club has now beaten Manheim Central, Lampeter-Strasburg, and Wyomissing over the 5 weeks. All three of the teams they beat are considered some of the better teams. Cocalico is one of the better teams in the area as well.
Coach of the week:
Matt Gingrich Anneville-Cleona. I have long respected Gingrich as a coach. Anneville-Cleona is not the most talented team in the area, but he consistently gets his team to play well every year. On Friday night they faced a talented Lancaster Catholic team that was 6-0 on the year and had won 16 straight regular-season wins, but Gingrich had a great game plan and won 35-21. They were able to control the line of scrimmage and take it to Lancaster-Catholic.
Play of the week:
Veer option. I am featuring this play in an ode to Cocalico and Anneville-Cleona both option-heavy teams. Both teams got big wins this week using this offense. The offense is hard to stop because not a lot of teams run it and it is difficult to stop.
Game of the week:
Wow, what a barn burner between Garden Spot and Twin Valley. Twin Valley won the instant classic with a 35-34 win. They were able to block a Garden Spot extra point and then hang on when Garden Spot missed an extra point at the end of the game. This was a great game between two teams going back and forth. Twin Valley now sets up another great game when they face 6-1 Ephrata next week.
Prospects of the week:
Aaryn Longenecker Aaryn Longenecker 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Cocalico | 2024 State PA
Aaryn Longenecker Aaryn Longenecker 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Cocalico | 2024 State PA
Aaryn Longenecker Aaryn Longenecker 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Cocalico | 2024 State PA Cocalico. In Cocalico’s veer offense, Longenecker is one of the key cogs as a wingback. They bring him in motion and give him the ball on tosses, counters, and pitches. On Friday night in the big win against Wyomissing Longenecker had 139 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. He also had an interception he returned for a touchdown. Longenecker is a good player who should have a good chance to play Division 2 or Division 3 College Football.
Dominic Giuffre
Dominic Giuffre
Dominic Giuffre Schuylkill Valley. Giuffre is a talented running back that I have written about in the past. This week in a 41-34 win over Hamburg Giuffre put up video game-like numbers with 302 yards on 27 carries and 4 touchdowns. He had a 94-yard and a 63-yard rush on Friday night for touchdowns. Giuffre is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball.
Landon Kennel Landon Kennel 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Manheim Township | 2024 State PA Manheim Township. Kennel is having a monster season for Manheim Township. On Friday night against Cedar Crest, he caught 3 more touchdown passes on the year. He is now up to 19 touchdown grabs on the year, which is crazy through 7 weeks. The Monmouth commit is having a great Senior Year. He now holds the all-time Manheim Township record for touchdown receptions.
Jared Porter Jared Porter 5'9" | 170 lbs | ATH Central Dauphin East | 2025 State PA Central Dauphin East. Porter is an absolute stud of a player. Playing against a good team in Harrisburg Porter put on a show. He rushed for 227 yards and a touchdown in the 34-27 loss against Harrisburg. Porter is a talented athlete who can play all over the field. He is one of the best players in the 2025 class.
Shavane Anderson Shavane Anderson 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB William Penn York | 2026 State PA York High. Anderson has been putting up impressive numbers week in and week out for York High. On Friday night’s win against Dallastown Anderson rushed for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2026 prospect is a name to keep track of going forward.
Personal Note
My dad passed away on Tuesday night. He was 81 years old. He was the original Coach Weider. My dad coached basketball for the Immaculate Conception High School CYO program for 38 years. I followed in his footsteps and coached football for 15 years. He loved watching me coach and he was always proud of me. Then when I decided to step down from coaching he understood. I then followed in his footsteps to go into writing. My dad published multiple Christian Books over the years. My dad Howard Weider was an amazing person and he was a great role model. Love you Dad and I will miss you.