Ending any relationship can be tough.
There are reasons for every break-up, and in most cases the final separation between the two parties is a positive thing.
Lost in the shuffle of that break-up, however, are the good things and memories that were developed, produced and shared while the relationship was strong and healthy.
Taking those “good times” and using them as building blocks or cornerstones of a new relationship, and remembering what worked and what didn’t work, usually produces even better results the next time around.
Pottsville’s 12-season run in the Berks Football League will come to an end tonight when the Crimson Tide host Reading in their annual battle for the Lump of Coal at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Pottsville will move to the Anthracite Football League for the 2016 season. And while everyone associated with the Pottsville program is excited about the move, it’s important to remember how big of a role the Berks Football League played in the Crimson Tide’s successful run during the last decade.
In the early 2000s, Pottsville and Blue Mountain were looking for a home. Playing independent schedules and traveling all over the place for games for several years, the Crimson Tide and Eagles could only watch as Schuylkill County’s small schools formed the Anthracite 8 in 2002.
In 2004, Pottsville and Blue Mountain decided to enter the Berks Inter-County League. Along with Governor Mifflin, the Tide and Eagles combined with the 12 teams of the Intra County League to form a three-division, 15-team alignment.
Over the years, that format changed: The league switched to two divisions … Reading joined in 2010 … Central Catholic and Holy Name combined to form Berks Catholic … Twin Valley moved to Section 1, Blue Mountain dropped to Section 2 … the league changed its name to the Berks Football League ... Blue Mountain left for the AFL in 2014.
One thing that didn’t change: The Berks Football League provided Pottsville with the stability and competition it needed to consistently field a quality team year in and year out.
The move to Berks coincided with one of the Crimson Tide’s most successful runs in their long and storied history. From 2004-11, Pottsville went 68-32, reaching the postseason eight straight seasons while winning one Eastern Conference Class AAA and three District 11 Class AAA titles. The Tide’s 2005 and 2006 teams played for PIAA Class AAA championships in Hershey.
The Berks League played a significant role. The league provided Pottsville with stability at every level. A consistent junior high, freshman and junior varsity schedule goes a long way into building a solid varsity team.
Competition-wise, facing perennial playoff contenders Governor Mifflin, Muhlenberg, Exeter, Conrad Weiser and Daniel Boone seasoned the Crimson Tide for the rigors of the District 11 and PIAA Class AAA playoffs.
It also gave them valuable rating points that were needed to just get into the postseason field.
Pottsville enters tonight’s game with a 36-37 record in Berks League contests, having won a share of the Section I title three times — 2004, ’05, ’10. Since joining the Berks League in 2004, Pottsville is 76-63 overall (.547).
But if the league was so great, why leave, you may wonder? There are several reasons for the break-up.
First, Pottsville’s male enrollment has dropped from 475 boys in grades 9-11 in 2004 to 383 for the current 2014-16 cycle, and is expected to be even lower when the numbers for the next cycle.
That’s a drop of 92 boys, if you’re scoring at home, roughly Tri-Valley’s entire male enrollment. Pottsville’s roster featured 74 players in grades 10-12 in 2005 and 81 in 2006. The Tide had 46 players in 2014 and 44 this season.
Meanwhile, the big schools in Berks continue to get bigger. In 2004, Pottsville ranked third out of the 15 teams in enrollment, behind only Governor Mifflin (549) and Exeter (520). Today, the Tide are sixth, with Conrad Weiser (357) and Fleetwood (356) expected to pass Pottsville for the next cycle.
The bigger schools have produced bigger teams, more depth and more talent. That has resulted in more losses for the Crimson Tide.
Second, in today’s tough economic times, the lack of attendance by visiting Berks teams finally took its toll on the Pottsville athletic budget.
The lure of having home games with AFL Division I teams Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Lehighton, Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua and the money that could be made off those games were too great to pass up.
For Pottsville, it’s time to move on. But first, don’t forget the good times in Berks.
Player of the Week
Robert Heller, JT
The senior tailback rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the Olympians’ 20-13 win over North Schuylkill.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Karycki, Mount Carmel; Nick Rodichok, Williams Valley; Preston Gehring, Schuylkill Haven; Hunter Nause, Marian
(Boyer is sports editor and covers HS football for The Republican-Herald. Follow him on Twitter @pubsportsboss)