GARDEN SPOT AT TWIN VALLEY, FRIDAY, 7 P.M.
THE SPARTANS: And so it begins. Can Garden Spot, in its final season in Section 3 before heading back up to Section 2 in 2014, make it back-to-back 10-0 regular seasons? Should be plenty of motivation for the Spartans, who saw their 10-0 run ruined in the first round of Districts last year, when old pal Manheim Central hung a 35-7 loss on Garden Spot. Just nine total starters return — only two on defense — but that shouldn’t matter much; at least not early on. Last year’s combined record of the Spartans’ first three opponents: 5-25. Yeah, you still have to strap on the pads and play the games. But with 12 new starters, Garden Spot will use the first couple of weeks to get those guys on the same page, while gearing up for the much-anticipated Section 3 opener at Donegal in Week 4. Plenty to like here, with all-star QB Mitch Martin back for his junior season. He’ll have a thunder-and-lightning backfield of speedsters Corey Twaddel and Chase Bowman and FB Ben Swarr, who will also lead the new-look D from his LB spot. And you gotta love this: O-linemen Chris Trostle, Zach Walker, Alex Wilson and Zach Jones all return. Zoinks.
GARDEN SPOT COUNTDOWN TO CAMP PREVIEW
THERAIDERS: Twin Valley flat struggled in 2012, going 0-7 in Berks 1 and 0-10 overall, including a 27-6 loss to Garden Spot in the season opener. The Raiders were dead last in Berks in total offense (just 175.0 yards per game); they were 15th out of 17 in total defense (351.1 yards per game); they averaged 10.6 points per game, last in Berks; and they were a minus-5 in turnover ratio with 21 giveaways. Twin Valley has lost 11 games in a row overall, dating back to a Week 9 win over Reading in 2011. Raiders passed for just 390 yards last season, and the team’s top two leading rushers — Calvin Philmore (779 yards) and Ryan Hoffman (438 yards — both graduated. This will be Steve Gaunt’s first game as the Raiders’ head coach. He’s Twin Valley’s fourth coach in five years.
THE CRUX: Twin Valley’s defense — singed for 36 points per game last season — against Martin and Garden Spot’s hard-charging Pistol attack.
REINHART SAYS: Garden Spot (-35) takes its first step toward another 10-0 run.