Berwick Uses Run Game, Defense to Soar Past Lackawanna Trail

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Mason Eddinger | September 5, 2025

It’s been nearly six years since Crispin Field in Berwick, PA, has seen a game of this magnitude. The early 2020s struggles of the Berwick Bulldogs have turned the once-legendary venue into just another stadium. That wasn’t the case tonight. Berwick entered the matchup facing a tough challenge: taking down perennial power and #4 team in our 1A rankings, Lackawanna Trail. They did just that.

The biggest turnaround for Berwick? Defense. Through three games, the Bulldogs have allowed just 19 points. Berwick looks like a completely rebuilt unit. Their tackling, which was a major flaw in 2024, has been stellar. Last year, opposing teams were able to break tackles, often resulting in huge gains. This year, if the first guy can’t wrap up, a swarm of Bulldogs is there to stop the opposing team. Berwick is currently allowing just 6.33 points per game, an almost two-touchdown improvement from last year. Overall, Berwick looks more disciplined, and they are reaping the benefits.

On the flip side of Berwick’s outstanding defensive effort was Lackawanna Trail’s inability to move the ball. Entering the game, star RB Isaac Ryon was terrorizing defenses. The senior had rushed for 178 yards per game entering this matchup. Although Ryon did find success on occasion, Berwick consistently met him in the backfield time and again. A typically potent rushing attack was met with a stark reality. Speaking on defending Ryon, Berwick Head Coach CJ Curry said, “We played him tough ten plays in a row, then he can bust on you”. Curry is speaking of a breakaway run Ryon had early in the contest to give Lackawanna Trail their first points. Curry added that he felt his guys “grinded” through what Curry called a “great football team”.

On the offensive side, it was the Ty’meere Wilkerson show once more for Berwick. Wilkerson’s performance marks his second consecutive 200-yard performance. Although Wilkerson had some of his patented breakaway runs, he played more of a bruiser role today. Wilkerson was fighting through tackles all night and was always falling forward. When speaking on his RB, CJ Curry said, “He added a few pounds. Last year he was 190, now he’s 205, and all muscle too. It just goes to show what he’s done in the weight room this offseason. He also still has that trackspeed like we saw in the fourth quarter.”

For Lackawanna Trail, this felt more like a “Berwick is really good” more than ” Lackawanna Trail is in trouble” type of game. “After all, they are a 1A program going on the road to a much larger school; they should be awarded some leeway.” That is not what Lackawanna Trail wants or needs to hear. This is a program built on winning, and they don’t complain if they get beaten by a bigger team. They will continue to get better, and Isaac Ryon will continue to run all over defenses. Don’t be surprised if at season’s end, this loss is the best thing that happened to Lackawanna Trail.

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