Spartans Top Tigers Again

Tagged under: District 3, District 4, Gameday Hub, News

Dave Fegley | August 23, 2025

Wyomissing wins against Southern 49-27

1981 and 2025 aren’t years to remember to start a season in Southern Columbia’s gridiron department. Why? The connection, more than four decades apart, on Friday that the Tigers found themselves in with back-to-back season opening losses was something Jim Roth was never a part of.

The state’s most successful coach wasn’t hired as the leader the last time that Southern lost consecutive openers which the Tiger program did on the football field from 1975-1981.

Southern shot itself in the foot like last season in the first game and Wyomissing took advantage like a renowned program would to kickoff the 2025 season.

“At halftime, I was not confident. They stole the momentum from us and with their home crowd I didn’t know how our kids would respond,” Wyomissing head coach Bob Wolfrum said.

With just 2.6 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and no timeouts left, Tiger senior Caden Hopper scored from a yard out to send the Southern crowd into a standing ovation to head to the locker room down 14-7.

Southern got the ball to start the third quarter and was driving to tie the game before Wyomissing defensive back Marcus Armistead made the play of the game.

The senior picked off Southern junior Ayden Hockenbroch and took it 55 yards the other way to make the score 21-7.

“We came in focused, and everyone had a job to do. The other 10 guys on defense with me did their job so I just had to do mine,” said Armistead who created three turnovers for the winners.

Grady Garcia made it a one-score game again when the sophomore scored from five yards out with 9:22 left in the third quarter, after junior Jace Malakoski caught a pass and took it 59 yards, but from there the Spartans simply ran through the Southern defense.

Justice Hardy, a junior that will play at the highest division at the next level, ran wild over the final two quarters.

He was held to 35 yards on five carries in the first half but added 162 more on just three attempts after the break to finish the win with 197 yards and three TDs. His final two trips to pay dirt went 62 and 91 yards.

“It was disappointing to say the least. Way too many mistakes. Four turnovers on offense, and I thought we would do a much better job against their run game,” said Roth who entered his 42nd season as the winningest coach of all-time in the state with 506 wins.

Wolfrum, on the other hand, picked up his 373rd win which is second actively in Pennsylvania behind Roth.

His Spartans rushed for 407 yards on just 26 carries. Averaging nearly 16 yards per carry is outstanding in itself but even more doing so with a completely brand-new line.

“I was really worried about that coming in. All summer long we tried, and we would get it right once and then screw it up the next time,” said Wolfrum who is in his 39th season. “Last week in the scrimmage though, everybody decided to do everything right and that continued tonight. We have the backs that can do damage if the line gives them a chance.”

In a game that was nearing a tie early in the third quarter, Tyler Niedrowski’s 58-yard jaunt just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter put the game into the Mercy Rule at 49-14.

Wyomissing will host the Haverford School next Saturday afternoon.

“We have a bunch of younger guys on the team and locked it in for the second half. Even though we were beating Southern at half, they outplayed us and seemed to want it more. In the second half though their players started cramping and our offensive line played nearly perfect after halftime,” Hardy said.

Southern will travel to Loyalsock on Friday to try and right the ship.

“I told the players although this was a disappointing start, they still have a full season ahead to prove that we are much better than this. I feel like they will do that,” said Roth.

Wyomissing 49, Southern Columbia 27

WMS — SCA

First Downs: 10 — 19

Rushes-yds: 26-407 — 55-276

Passing yds: 27 — 74

Total yds: 434 — 350

Passing (C-A-I): 2-2-0 — 7-15-3

Penalties: 7-39 — 2-20

Fumbles-lost: 0-0 — 1-1

Wyomissing (1-0): 7-7-28-7 — 49

Southern Col. (0-1): 0-7-7-13 — 27

SCORING:

1st Quarter

W– Danny Fleischood 57 run (Keegan Maher kick), 7:20.

2nd Quarter

W– Justice Hardy 9 run (Maher kick), 10:40.

S– Caden Hopper 1 run (Preston Shadle kick), 0:02.6.

3rd Quarter

W– Marcus Armistead 55 interception return (Maher kick), 10:52.

S– Grady Garcia 5 run (Shadle kick), 9:22.

W– Hardy 62 run (Maher kick), 7:18.

W– Hardy 91 run (Maher kick), 3:25.

W– Andrew DiFabrizio 25 pass from Brady Eisenhower (Maher kick), 0:35.

4th Quarter

W– Tyler Niedrowski 58 run (Maher kick), 11:20.

S– Gavin Brown 3 run (fumbled attempt), 5:06.

S– Parker Pesarchick 2 run (Shadle kick), 0:28.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Southern: Brayden Andrews 14-89; Joey Williams 15-73; Ayden Hockenbroch 5-29; Caden Hopper 6-27, TD; Grady Garcia 5-20, TD; Gavin Brown 4-19, TD; Parker Pesarchick 5-18, TD; Talon Piatt 1-1. Wyomissing: Justice Hardy 8-197, 2 TDs; Tyler Niedrowski 4-71, TD; Chase Eisenhower 5-66; Danny Fleischood 4-58, TD; Dominic Arguelles 2-9; Ethan Nye 1-3; Ethan Betances 1-2; Zander Westwood 1-1.

PASSING — Southern: Ayden Hockenbroch 7-15-3, 74 yds. Wyomissing: Brady Eisenhower 2-2-0, 27 yds, TD.

RECEIVING — Southern: Jace Malakoski 3-70; Blaise Kissinger 1-5; Brayden Andrews 3-(-1). Wyomissing: Andrew DiFabrizio 1-25, TD; Justice Hardy 1-2.

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