Berks has 3 on 6A first team
It was clear Reading High and Wilson were playing basketball at a high level as they clashed four times, and played for two championships, during an enthralling season-long battle.
The Bulldogs and Red Knights pushed each other to new heights during a series that will live on in Berks sports history.
The main combatants will share the stage for posterity, with Wilson’s Stevie Mitchell joining Reading High’s Moro Osumanu, Ruben Rodriguez and Daniel Alcantara on the Pennsylvania Sportswriters Class 6A All-State team.
Reading’s Rick Perez is Coach of the Year for the second time in five seasons after guiding the Red Knights through a remarkable journey that ended with a PIAA championship game win against previously unbeaten Archbishop Wood.
“I feel that we were a story of hope,” Perez said. “The deck was stacked against us; you’re not supposed to beat a team like that.”
Mitchell, Wilson’s first All-State pick a year ago, becomes a rare two-time firstteam selection, joining the likes of former Berks stars Lonnie Walker IV and Stu
Jackson of Reading High, Donovon Jack of Central Catholic and Berks Catholic, and Ron Krick of West Reading.
Osumanu and Rodriguez are first-team picks; they are believed to be the first Berks teammates to share first-team honors in the same season. Alcantara is a third-team pick. Reading High had three All-State picks in the same season just once before, in 1973, when Jackson was a first-team selection and Perry Wentzel and Steve Hahn were honorable-mention selections.
Berks players account for half of the six-player first team. The others are
Player of the Year Rahsool Diggins and Marcus Randolph of Archbishop Wood, and Devin Carney of Butler.
Players were nominated and the teams were selected by sportswriters across the state.
They were obviously impressed with the Red Knights’ stirring 58-57 victory over Archbishop Wood, which was nationally ranked and featured four Division I players.
“With us beating them, it gave hope to teams (fighting that) public-private battle,” Perez said. “We really turned it upside down.”
Mitchell finished with 2,060 career points, fourthmost in Berks history, and as the only player with 2,000 points and two Berks championships.
The Marquette recruit contributed to more wins (85) than any player in program history, led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Berks Conference championships and was the centerpiece of a team that strung together a remarkable 36-game winning streak over two seasons, one short of the Berks record.
The 6-2 senior guard averaged 25.6 points per game to lead Berks in scoring for the second straight season.
Osumanu, a 6-6 senior center, was the foundation of a defense that held Archbishop Wood 20 points below its average. The West Chester University recruit averaged 13.7 points and 9.4 rebounds. His inspired effort in the state championship game led to 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting and a game-high 12 rebounds.
“Moro chops the wood and carries the water,” Perez said of his workmanlike leader. “You know what he’s gonna bring on a daily basis.”
Rodriguez, a 6-1 guard and one of just two sophomores among the 18 AllState selections, led the state champs in scoring at 14.6 per game, and with 40 3-pointers.