GRANDVIEW SAGA RUNS 1ST
Track's future and Nick Singleton's debut at Penn State lead top 10 stories of year
Fans came from as far away as North Carolina to share memories and the moment.
So many memories.
And, so it seemed, one final moment.
Less than a month after owner Theresa Rogers announced the pending sale of the one-third-mile dirt track in Washington Township to an automotive auction company, the season for the modified division was ending with the Freedom 76.
“I love this place,” fan Keith Bender of Emmaus said on that Saturday in September. “Enjoy this day, because you don’t know if it’ll be the last.”
Thankfully, for area race fans and drivers, it wasn’t a finale. Track officials announced in late October that there would be a 2023 season.
The near-end and (for now) rebirth of Grandview Speedway has been voted the top local sports story of 2022 by the Reading Eagle sports staff.
In March in the days before the start of Grandview’s 60th anniversary season, members of the Rogers family talked with pride about the dirt track and what the venue outside Bechtelsville has become.
“My favorite part is, after six months, being able to see everybody again,” said Tina Rogers, track co-event organizer with her brother, Kenny, and granddaughter of the late Forrest Rogers, the facility’s founder.
In the offseason, new lighting was installed and 83 loads of clay were trucked in to resurface the track.
But Tina Rogers also mentioned how tough things had gotten over the last 10 or 15 years, foreshadowing the drama to come.
“Racing itself has become very expensive for drivers and owners,” she said.
The news, shocking to many, broke on Aug. 30. Copart Inc. had made an offer of an undisclosed amount to Grandview owner and general manager Theresa Rogers for the 20-acre property, which she accepted.
The sale was pending because Copart, which planned to build an auto auction and storage facility, needed to have its proposal approved by Washington Township.
“I’m going to sell it,” said Theresa Rogers, wife of the late Bruce Rogers, who took over ownership of the track following Forrest’s death in 1966. “It was my decision. I’ve been in it so long, I’m not interested in it anymore.”
She said the track had not been put up for sale. She said Copart’s offer was the only one made since she took full ownership following Bruce’s death in 2017.
“At my age now and (with) my opportunity, I’m going to do it,” the 80-year-old Rogers said. “(This) was my opportunity. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one.”
Theresa Rogers did give fans a little hope that day. She said if a settlement between Copart and Grandview wasn’t reached by an undisclosed date, there would be racing in 2023.
It seems that’s exactly what happened.
Copart’s first zoning permit application was denied by township officials in late September. A revised application was denied by the township’s Zoning Hearing Board in October. Both applications went beyond the scope of what the zoning allows, according to officials.
On Oct. 27, Grandview announced it would hold races in 2023.
Copart then withdrew its zoning application and dropped an appeal
On Nov. 3, Grandview announced that Copart had terminated its sale agreement.
“We all knew that there was going to be roadblocks with this,” Tina Rogers said. “We took it day by day. What happened, happened.”
The 2023 season will open April 1 with the sixth annual Bruce Rogers Memorial Money Maker. The schedule will include the usual Saturday night programs, which includes the modified and sportsman divisions and sometimes a third division, and the Thunder on the Hill Racing Series.
The Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car Speedweek Series Hodnett Cup race will be June 27.
Earlier this month, it was announced the track will host the richest sprint car race in its existence in 2023. The High Limit Sprint Car Series will race on July 25, with $23,023 going to the winner.
Fittingly, it seems for the oval track, things finished where they started.
“We’re not going to skip a beat,” Tina Rogers said. “We’re going to do what we have to do, like we did for the last 60 years. We’re going to push forward.”
2. Success for Singleton
Nick Singleton arrived on campus at Penn State in January. It didn’t take long for the hype to follow the freshman.
The running back from Gov. Mifflin, who collected the Maxwell Club National Offensive Player of the Year and was named All-American Bowl Offensive Player of the Year after the New Year, impressed his new coaches and teammates from the get-go.
He earned praise during winter workouts, at spring practices and in the preseason.
“I see a lot of that, people talking about me and stuff,” Singleton said in March. “I just keep my head down and stay humble. I have a lot of work to do. Since I’m in college now, I’m starting from the bottom again. I have to work to be better.”
Singleton has lived up to the billing.
The 6-0, 219-pounder has combined his speed and strength to run for 941 yards, averaging 6.3 per carry, and 10 touchdowns and catch 11 passes for 85 yards and another TD.
He also has averaged 25.8 yards on kickoff returns, including one for a touchdown, and leads the Nittany Lions with 1,336 all-purpose yards.
He’s combined with classmate Kaytron Allen to help revive Penn State’s running game and get the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl.
The honors have kept coming, as well.
Singleton was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as an all-conference second-team selection at return specialist by the media, and a third-team pick at running back by the coaches and media.
In addition, he was named The Associated Press’ Big Ten Newcomer of the Year, named an On3 and 247 True Freshman All-American and was named a freshman All-American by College Football News.
“Nick’s an elite talent,” Penn State special teams coordinator Stacy Collins said.
3. A new era for football
After several years of talks and planning, the expanded Lancaster-Lebanon League made its debut in the fall with the addition of the 13 Berks teams that had formed the Berks Football League.
Berks officials had sought to merge with the L-L — a plan that started being discussed in 2017 — in order to alleviate issues relating to scheduling and, more importantly, competitive balance. The 37-team league, with schools in four counties, was approved by L-L officials in May 2020.
At the league’s annual media day in August, coaches spoke enthusiastically about the new setup.
“I think it’s great for Berks County and Lancaster football,” Exeter coach Matt Bauer said.
It seems that enthusiasm didn’t wane.
Berks teams won two of the five section titles, with Exeter finishing first in Section 2 and Wyomissing first in Section 4.
In addition to the Spartans and Eagles, four other Berks teams — Wilson, Twin Valley, Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley — made the District 3 playoffs.
Most significantly, the fivesection setup had similar-sized schools matching up against each other during the league season.
“It absolutely met everything that we set out to accomplish,” said BCIAA executive director Kerry Ciatto. “It absolutely went just like we wanted it to.”
4. J’ven’s year
Committing to play football at a Division I program, especially one such as Penn State, would be the highlight of nearly anyone’s athletic career to that point.
That was just the start of a memorable 2022 for Wyomissing’s J’ven Williams.
The offensive lineman committed to the Nittany Lions on Feb. 5 — he will enroll later this month — completing a rapid rise that saw him go from unheralded to the topranked player in the state in his class in six months.
With his college choice out of the way, Williams followed with a simply spectacular junior season in track and field.
He won gold medals in the shot put and discus at the PIAA Track and Field Championships in Class 2A, helping the Spartans win the team title (more on that later).
His winning throw of 66-7.75 in the shot put set Berks and PIAA meet records. He broke the county mark of 62-6.25 set by Schuylkill Valley’s Dane Miller — Williams’ trainer a Garage Strength — in 2002 and the meet mark of 6410.75 set by Bethlehem Catholic’s Joe Kovacs in 2007.
In the discus, he matched the accomplishment of his brother, Rushard, who won the state title in 2021.
Williams added those golds to the ones he had won in both events at the county-championship Firing Meet and at the District 3 championships.
At the district meet, his throw of 187-0 in the discus broke the meet record of 182-4 set by Schuylkill Valley’s Evan Arnott in 2013.
“He’s a five-star football recruit, right?” Wyomissing throws coach Ty Smith said. “But in track and field, he’s one of only three kids in the nation that does what he does.
“To see what I’ve seen, and I’ve seen some of the best throwers that this county, district and state have produced, he’s probably without a doubt the best.”
Back on the football field in the fall, the 6-5, 290-pound Williams was a force at guard in the Spartans’ Wing-T, helping the team average 330.1 rushing yards and 396.1 total yards per game (again, more on the Spartans later).
“It was a great, fun ride,” Williams said on the final day of the state track meet..
He could have been talking about his 2022.
5. Kyle Conrad passes away
Hundreds gathered in the gym at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School to celebrate the life of Kyle Conrad.
The 2001 Mifflin grad and the school’s boys basketball coach had died Sept. 12 of esophageal cancer, and it was clear as people shared their stories and memories on that October afternoon that Conrad had positively impacted many lives.
“He was a great person, he was always a great coach,” said Delsin McNeil, a senior at Mifflin who played for Conrad. “He was always nice. He was a very humble man. I don’t know how to explain it; he was just a good soul, and honest.”
This season, the Mustangs are wearing stickers on their shoes with the initials “KC” and warmup shirts with Conrad’s No. 24 from his playing days at Mifflin.
Conrad was first diagnosed in March 2019, but never gave up coaching. He was a role model and mentor who continued to display a passion and love for coaching, his players and his family, which included his wife, Lauren, and children, Carson and Logan.
Lauren Conrad was the final speaker in October.
“A couple years ago I had a custom sign hung up above our bed,” Lauren Conrad said. “It says, ‘Love always wins.’ And that’s the truth. It’s not about how long we are here; none of us have control over that anyway. But what we do have control over is what we do with the time that we have. … That’s how we win, and Kyle most definitely won.”
6. More history for Knights
Reading High winning in boys basketball has seemed like a foregone conclusion for a long, long time.
Coach Rick Perez and the Red Knights haven’t approached it that way, which is one reason why they added to their storied history last season.
Reading High defeated Berks Catholic 51-35 to win its first Berks Conference championship since 2019 — Wilson’s Stevie Mitchell had largely stood in the way — and 24th overall.
“It feels great to finally get one,” said Ruben Rodriguez, who scored a game-high 22 points. “It just feels good to do it with my brothers. I’m just happy we got this opportunity.”
Fifteen days later, the Red Knights faced Warwick in the District 3 Class 6A final, becoming the first team since Carlisle (1984-88) to reach five straight District 3 finals in the highest classification.*
Rodriguez scored 23 points and Joey Chapman 19 as the Red Knights beat the Warriors 68-43 to win back-to-back district titles for the first time since 1977 and their record 23rd championship overall.
“That’s just pretty cool,” Perez said. “We don’t go out to set records, but that’s awesome.”
Making the feat even more impressive is that the Red Knights had overcome the loss of forward Daniel Alcantara.
Alcantara, the team’s secondleading scorer, broke his left hand and chipped a bone in his back on a hard landing after a dunk in the third quarter of a district quarterfinal win over Wilson.
He missed the remainder of the season.
Reading High’s quest for a second straight PIAA title ended with a 64-58 loss to Archbishop Wood in a second-round game. The Red Knights finished 26-4.
7. State title for Panthers
After the PIAA Class 2A Swimming and Diving Championships were over and her team had made history, Schuylkill Valley’s Megan Ehrnfeldt summed it up perfectly.
“Every point counts,” the senior said.
The Panthers proved that, as seven girls combined to score in 10 of the meet’s 12 events, in winning the first state team championship in program history. They finished with 177 points to Mount Pleasant’s 169.
Individually, Ehrnfeldt led the way with a silver medal in the 100 fly and a fourth-place finish in the 100 free, but six of her teammates also earned points, as did all three relays.
“Everyone stepped up and had big swims,” Ehrnfeldt said.
Annie Gao finished ninth in the 100 fly, Aryanna Kulp 10th in the 100 back, Katie Eisenhofer 11th in the 100 breast and 14th in the 200 IM, Emily Gao 11th in the 50 free, Paige McKim 12th in the 500 free and Jenna Kirby 14th in the 100 back.
And in the relays, Ehrnfeldt anchored the gold medal-winning 200 free relay team of Emily Gao, Eisenhofer and Annie Gao, and the silver-winning 400 free relay of both Gao sisters and Kirby. The 200 medley relay of Kulp, Annie Gao, Eisenhofer and Emily Gao finished third.
“It’s amazing to be a senior and finally have the team title be a thing,” Ehrnfeldt said. “”It was something that we worked hard for. … We all knew coming into this meet that it was going to be close and we had to work together and work really hard.”
8. State title for Spartans
Led by J’ven Williams and Amory Thompson, Wyomissing won the boys Class 2A team championship at the PIAA Track and Field Championships.
The Spartans, who swept the boys and girls titles at the District 3 team title the week before, finished with 32 points, six more than second-place Southern Columbia.
Williams, with gold medals in the shot put and discus, earned 20 points.
But Wyomissing needed more than that. Thompson finished third in the triple jump (45-3) and sixth in the 200 (22.45). He also was part of the sixth-place 400 relay with Andrew Delp, William Delp and Charlie McIntyre that finished in 43.63.
“I’m ecstatic; very proud,” said Wyomissing coach Jim Delp. “I’m very proud of all the athletes this week. They exceeded expectations once again. We’re super happy. Amory led us on the track while J’ven was taking care of business down in the circle. I’m super proud of what these athletes accomplished this weekend.”
9. Wrestling changes
The boys on the Berks Catholic wrestling team found themselves in the middle of a controversy through no fault of their own in the quarterfinals of the District 3 Class 2A Team Wrestling Championships.
When the Saints entered the gym on Feb. 2, Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania did not allow co-ed contact sports, which prevented the team’s male wrestlers from taking the mat against females.
Newport seemingly took advantage of this policy, sending out two female wrestlers and earning 12 points due to the forfeits in a match it won 31-30.
One of the girls had competed in just one previous dual meet, earning a forfeit. The other was taking part in her first dual meet of the season.
A day later, the Diocese of Allentown suspended its rule that prohibits boys from wrestling girls.
That suspension has continued into this season.
“I feel like something like that had to happen,” Berks Catholic coach Derek Sola said a day after the loss to Newport. “It doesn’t bother me because it ended up becoming something positive. It was something that was supposed to hurt us, but it turned into something positive.”
10. Another memorable season
Players graduate and the names change, but the level of success has remained remarkably high for the Wyomissing football team.
So it was in 2022.
Despite needing to replace 12 graduated seniors from 2021’s District 3 Class 3A title team, the Spartans (13-1) rolled through the regular season, winning the Section 4 title in their first year in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
They then won their fourth straight district championship, beating West Perry 63-7 in the final, and came within seconds of making their third straight trip to the PIAA Class 3A title game.
“It’s a brotherhood through and through,” senior running back Charlie McIntyre said after the state semifinal loss to Neumann-Goretti. “Most of us have been here for 10 or 12 years; twothirds of our life. So we didn’t end up like how we wanted to and we didn’t reach that final goal in our careers. It was a hell of a ride, you can’t say more. Most kids don’t get the opportunity we get and I’m just grateful for everything I’ve gotten here in this program.”
The Spartans closed the season with a pair of heart-pounding games.
In the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs on the road against Danville, Wyomissing rolled to a 21-point lead in the first half.
It appeared another rout was on. It wasn’t.
The Spartans survived to win 21-19 when the Ironmen missed a 32-yard field goal with under eight seconds to play.
Matthew Kramer blocked an extra point and helped bat down a two-point conversion pass, both of which were crucial in the final outcome.
The following week, things went the other way in a 20-17 loss to Neumann-Goretti.
“I think this group is eternally special to Wyomissing football,” Zechman said. “I mean, being here for four years, some guys were to be here for three, we’ve never not been in the state playoffs. We’ve won four straight district championships. And I really think this group knows how to play together and it really showed until that last point, until the coin just didn’t flip our way.”