Gov. Mifflin’s Singleton, Lang earn Class 5A honors

Gov. Mifflin’s Nick Singleton has been named easternpafootball.com Class 5A co-Player of the Year and Jeff Lang has been named Coach of the Year.

Singleton is joined on the first team by teammates Dominic Sheidy, Cam’Ron Stewart and Brandon Strausser, and Exeter’s J.R. Strauss.

Gio Nowotarski and Joey Schlaffer of Exeter and Trey Rock of Gov. Mifflin were named to the second team.

Singleton, a junior and three-time Berks rushing champ, shared Player of the Year honors with Malvern Prep’s Lonnie White Jr., a Penn State commit.

Singleton was named Berks Player of the Year and Berks League Section 1 Offensive Back of the Year after rushing for 1,303 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns in eight games for the District 3 champs. He rushed for 100 or more yards in every game.

Lang, in his fourth season as head coach, led the Mustangs to their greatest season. They won their first District 3 championship, finished 8-1 and set a Berks record by averaging 54.5 points per game. Their 39.9 average margin of victory was second-highest in Berks history. The Mustangs weren’t stopped until running into eventual state champ Pine-Richland, falling 48-44 in the PIAA semifinals.

Sheidy, a 6-2, 290-pound senior, was named Berks Offensive Lineman of the Year for a team that rushed for 331 yards per game. He earned a 91% blocking grade from his spot at tackle.

Stewart, a 6-5, 240-pound senior and Rutgers recruit, was a rare two-time Berks Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was a dominant force from his spot at defensive end, where he had 39 tackles, eight for loss, and four sacks.

Strausser, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior, is a twotime Berks Linebacker of the Year. From his spot at inside linebacker, he keyed a first-string defensive unit that allowed just just three TDs in six regular season games. He had 43 tackles, nine for loss, and two sacks.

Strauss, a 6-3, 215-pound junior, led the Eagles with 75 tackles, 12 for loss, and had four sacks and two forced fumbles. He has offers from several Division I schools, including Maryland, Bowling Green and Central Michigan.

The 6-3, 175-pound Nowotarski was Berks Defensive Back of the Year. The senior cornerback always drew the coverage of the top opposing receiver. He had 42 tackles, 10 passes defended and three interceptions.

Schlaffer, a 6-6 sophomore wide receiver, proved tough to cover because of his size. He was Berks Section 1 Receiver of the Year after averaging 23.3 yards on 20 catches, with six TDs.