5A POY Singleton leads Berks’ strong showing

14 others voted to Pennsylvania Football Writers' All-State teams in 4A, 5A and 6A

What can be said about Gov. Mifflin senior running back Nick Singleton that hasn’t already been said?

Try Pennsylvania Class 5A high school football Player of the Year.

The record-setting running added that award to his growing collection Wednesday when the Pennsylvania Football Writers’ Class 5A All-State team was released. Singleton previously had been voted Gatorade Player of the Year for Pennsylvania and the nation after rushing for 2,059 yards and scoring 44 touchdowns in the fall.

Singleton is one of 11 players from four Berks County schools selected to the Class 5A team. District 3 Class 5A champion Exeter has five players on the team, followed by four from Gov. Mifflin and one each from Fleetwood and

Daniel Boone.

Two players from Wilson were voted to the Class 6A team and two players from Conrad Weiser were selected to the Class 4A team.

Exeter, which upset Gov. Mifflin in the District 3 championship game, is represented by running back Eric Nangle, tight end Joey Schlaffer, offensive lineman Kyle Helm and linebackers Ty Yocum and J.R. Strauss.

Singleton is joined by Gov. Mifflin teammates Jonah Naugle on the offensive line, Trey Rock at linebacker and Eden Johnson at defensive back.

Fleetwood’s Tanner Maddocks was named to the team at defensive back and Daniel Boone kicker/punter Nate Millard was voted the specialist.

For Wilson, return specialist Cameron Jones was voted to the 6A team as a defensive athlete and Jon Ramsey was chosen as an offensive lineman.

For Conrad Weiser, Logan Klitsch was selected at quarterback and Aanjay Feliciano at wide receiver.

Singleton, who has committed to attend Penn State, rewrote the Berks County record books while leading Gov. Mifflin (10-1) to its second straight undefeated regular season.

Singleton finished his high school career with Berks records of 6,326 rushing yards and 116 touchdowns.

Only Singleton could have overshadowed the type of season Nangle enjoyed at Exeter, especially in the playoffs. The 5-10, 175-pound senior ran for an Exeter singleseason record 1,814 yards and scored 23 touchdowns.

Nangle ran for 332 yards and had more than 400 scrimmage yards in a District 3 semifinal win over Cedar Cliff. He followed that with 225 rushing yards in the district title win over Gov. Mifflin.

Schlaffer also contributed big plays in the District 3 championship game. He caught two touchdown passes and made key receptions to pick up first downs that kept the ball away from the Mustangs’ potent offense. Schlaffer, a 6-6, 210-pound junior who also has committed to Penn State, caught 48 passes for 822 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Neither Singleton nor Nangle could have enjoyed the seasons they did without strong play on the offensive line.

For Gov. Mifflin, 6-2, 300-pound senior tackle Naugle was the stalwart winning the battles on the line of scrimmage. For Exeter, it was 6-2, 315-pound center Helm getting the big push against opposing defenses.

Speaking of defenses, Exeter and Mifflin were strong on that side of the ball as well, thanks in part to their linebacking corps.

Yocum and Strauss were the keystones of the Exeter defense. The 6-foot, 220-pound Yocum led Exeter with 105 tackles to go with three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two blocked punts and a sack.

The 6-3, 210-pound Strauss had 77 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

The 6-1, 215-pound Rock led Gov. Mifflin with 111 tackles, three forced fumbles, four sacks and seven tackles for losses.

Johnson, who also played quarterback for Gov. Mifflin, was a force in the defensive backfield. The 5-11, 195-pound senior was voted the Berks County Defensive Back of the Year.

Millard had a big season kicking for Daniel Boone. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt and had 19 touchbacks on kickoffs. The 5-10, 150-pound senior converted 23-of25 extra points and hit on 4-of-7 field goals, with a long of 46 yards.