Wyomissing football preview: Can the Spartans return to the top?

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Heartbreak.

That was the word used by senior tight end Diamante Strong to describe the conclusion of Wyomissing’s 2025 season.

With a chance to punch their ticket to the District 3 Class 4A championship game for the seventh consecutive year, the Spartans came up just short.

On the final play of regulation in the semifinals against Susquehanna Township, leading 35-31, Indians’ quarterback Torin Evans rolled to his left, buying as much time as he could to launch a pass to the back of the end zone, which Josh Nengite came down with to end Wyomissing’s championship aspirations.

One play away from facing Berks County rival Twin Valley on the biggest stage.

And that makes it back-to-back seasons that the Spartans’ season ended at the hands of a quarterback buying time, running away from defensive linemen, before completing a prayer to subsequently end their season.

In 2024, Lampeter-Strasburg’s Caileb Howse had a similar play to extend the championship game into overtime, in which Wyomissing fell 30-27.

“The biggest thing is that you have no choice but to learn from a game like that,” senior running back and linebacker Teddy White said at the Lancaster-Lebanon League media day in early August. “We played really well throughout that whole game, and to lose like that, it’s going to happen, it’s sports, it’s football.”

“Don’t want to dwell on it too much and carry that feeling through the whole offseason. But in a way, you do want to carry the feeling just a little bit, just to be like, we know we could have been in the district championship game last year.”

With the storied history, top-end culture and all-around meaning of Wyomissing football, there is no doubt the Spartans will be fighting for the top of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3 in 2026 with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

However, just like any other school around the nation, coach Bob Wolfrum’s squad graduated a lot of high-end talent this past year and even had a loss come via transfer to a fellow Berks County team.

“We knew it was coming, so that’s why we play as many kids in games. We always play JVs, and if you watch our games, you know that we’re pretty quick to substitute,” legendary coach Bob Wolfrum, who is entering his 40th season at the helm, said when asked about losing a talented class of seniors. “We’re usually in pretty good shape. The talent level may not be where it was, but I think in high school football, if you can keep the mental mistakes down, you got a shot.”

The Spartans lost major contributors in Chase Eisenhower and Tyler Niedrowski in the backfield, who were even better at the second level defensively.

But possibly more detrimental was losing running back and cornerback Justice Hardy, who transferred to Wilson in January ahead of his senior season.

The Louisville commit has been a staple in all three phases for the Spartans since entering as a freshman in 2023, and rushed for 979 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.

But, as expected, Wolfrum treats the departure as any coach who has been in this game as long as he has, which is not many: “As far as we’re concerned, just another graduate. You move on and you play the next guy.”

With that being said, there is still a ton of upside for the Spartans in 2026.

Quarterback Brady Eisenhower returns for his junior season after an impressive year, completing 34 of 55 passes for 526 yards, 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

The third Eisenhower brother to walk the halls at Wyomissing, behind Drew and Chase, he’ll possibly be allowed to show off his arm a little bit more in 2026, according to Wolfrum.

“We have a bunch of underclassmen who are willing to step up and who have the confidence to step up, and that’s something great about our program,” Eisenhower said of where the team is at ahead of the season. “Almost all of them know the whole offense from youth, and they’re just ready to learn and be the best they can for the team.”

Zander Westwood is a player expected to take on a bigger role, both offensively and defensively, thanks to his relentless physicality.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior earned All-State honors as a long snapper last season, while making the most out of his opportunities when his number was called with 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while racking up 52 tackles at the linebacker position.

“He would’ve played last year more but we had 3 fullbacks and he’ll probably play halfback this year,” Wolfrum said of Westwood. “He’s got the speed and at his size, and he’s a good receiver too.”

Westwood currently holds FCS offers from Stony Brook, Albany, Stonehill and New Haven heading into his final high school season.

Another big part of the Spartans’ success will be the offensive line, which returns all but one starter in Andrew Bresnahan.

The big men paved the way in the classic Wing-T offense, routinely rushing for over 250 yards as a committee out of the backfield.

And in 2026, the goal will be no different, as opponents know what is coming but struggle to stand tall down after down.

And heading into 2025, that was very much a question in the air for Wolfrum and his staff.

“They were great. I have to admit, I was shocked,” Wolfrum said of his offensive line in 2025. “In the summer we couldn’t do a thing right. Then we went to scrimmage at Cocalico, and all of a sudden we were good.”

In 2026, the Spartans return back down to Class 3A when it comes to the District 3 playoffs starting in November.

Wolfrum’s squad competed at the 4A level in each of the last two seasons, winning five championships at the 3A level from 2019-2023.

So, with another football season upon them, even with talent walking out the door at Wyomissing, the team remains confident that they’ll show the league and District 3 that they are still the top dogs.

Wyomissing

Coach: Bob Wolfrum, 40th season, 382-94-1.

Last Year’s Record: 6-1 Lancaster-Lebanon Section 4, 10-2.

Key Players Lost: RB/DB Justice Hardy, FB/LB Chase Eisenhower, FB/FB Tyler Niedrowski, RB Danny Fleischood, OL/LB Andrew Bresnahan, K/P Keegan Maher

Key Players Returning: QB Brady Eisenhower, WR Andrew DiFabrizio, TE/LB Diamante Strong, DT Christian Kauffman, C/DL Robby Martino, ATH Zander Westwood.

3 Keys to Success

Next man up: A lot of the names folks are used to seeing on Wyomissing’s box scores all fall are no longer around, so it’ll be interesting to see who steps up to replace the production. There will be plenty of opportunities to go around for younger players.

Offensive line remains strong: As stated, the Spartans’ offensive line impressed Wolfrum and his staff once it was officially game time last season. For the offense to succeed in the Wing-T, the line needs to assert itself week after week.

Play Wyomissing football: Self-explanatory here. It’s no secret that what Bob Wolfrum has done over the course of 40 seasons, ranking sixth in all-time Pennsylvania coaching wins, works. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, and there has rarely been a leak in the pipes.

Schedule: Aug. 28, at Southern Columbia; Sept. 3, at Frankford; Sept. 12, Twin Valley; Sept. 19, Northern Lebanon; Sept. 25, at Eastern Lebanon County; Oct. 2, at Donegal; Oct. 10, Daniel Boone; Oct. 16, at Conrad Weiser; Oct. 24, Octorara; Oct. 31, Lampeter-Strasburg.

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