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Saturday, March 1, 2008
Berks County to the Pros... and Back
Greater Reading, PA
By: Tim McMaster, WFMZ69
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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The thought of playing professionally in the same town where he played high school and college basketball got Merriweather back in the gym and he made the team.
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Berks County continues to add minor league sports franchises and as a sportscaster I say, the more the merrier. That’s not just because it gives me more games and events to report on. The teams also give former Berks County high school standouts a chance to continue to shine in their hometown. Every one of Reading’s four professional teams has had at least one local product player over the past two seasons. Former Berks County Scholastic sports’ standouts moving on to succeed professionally is nothing new. Donyell Marshall continues to represent Reading High School in the NBA. Wilson graduates Kerry Collins and John Gilmore are both in the NFL. The difference is, now athletes that aren’t good enough to play in the NBA or NFL are still getting a chance to compete at the next level.
The Reading Express has had the most local help. Carmelo Ocasio, Ian Cooper and Matt Sola have helped get Berks County’s indoor football team to the American Indoor Football Associations. The Express has already signed more local talent for the upcoming season. Sola has never played for a team outside of Berks County. Last fall I joked on The Big Ticket that the Central Catholic and Kutztown University graduate is Mr. Berks County football.
Jared Mills first heard about a new arena coming to Reading before he starred at Central Catholic High School. When the Sovereign Center opened its doors in 2001, Mills was a junior standout at Randolph Macon University. He continued his professional basketball career abroad after graduation, keeping an eye on his hometown. Finally, last year it was announced that professional basketball was coming to Reading in the form of the Reading Railers. Mills jumped at the opportunity and has earned a spot in the team’s starting lineup. The first two points scored in franchise history belonged to Mills. Brad Merriweather took a different route to the Railers’ roster. After graduating from Reading High School and Alvernia College, Merriweather left the game. He was working in Reading when he heard that a professional team was coming to the city. The thought of playing professionally in the same town where he played high school and college basketball got Merriweather back in the gym and he made the team.
As affiliated franchises, the Reading Royals and Phillies play at a higher level than the Express and Railers. Nonetheless, both teams have seen local athletes put on their uniforms in recent years. Nick Evangelista played parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons at First Energy Stadium as a relief pitcher for the R-Phils. The Hamburg High School graduate made 31 appearances out of the Phils’ bullpen. Matt Herneisen is currently wearing the captain’s “C” for the Reading Royals. There wasn’t any high school hockey in Berks County when Herneisen was growing up, but the Douglasville native still takes pride in his Berks County roots.
Having these athletes play professionally is a win-win situation. The teams like the local infusion because it gives them a recognizable face and can even help give attendance a boost. Plus, some of these athletes are giving back. Sola and Evangelista have both returned to their high schools as assistant coaches. They may help groom the next generation of Berks athletes that go pro.
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