Season preview: Kutztown Cougars
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
Classification: Class 3A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 2-5 Section 5, 3-7 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: None.
Head coach: Larry Chester, 11th season, 29-68.
Key losses: All-League DT Tyler Hallock, LB Jayce Gruber, DB Ethan Lafferty.
Top offensive players: QB Colton Mathias, QB Wyatt Stoess, all-league FB Brendan Ackley (1,052 yards), FB Ian Bahr, FB Tallan Fitzsimmons, all-league RB Mason Sherry (12 TDs), RB/KR David Bates, RB Jayden Swoyer, TE James Undercuffler, C Robert Meitzler, all-league second-team G Alexander Reyes, G Gavin Hallock, G Aiden Showers, T Tyler Wicke, T Jayden Martin.
Top defensive players: E Alexander Reyes, E Tallan Fitzsimmons, T Tyler Wicke, T Jacob Koehler, LB Brendan Ackley, LB Mason Sherry, LB James Undercuffler, LB Ian Bahr, LB Aiden Showers, S Tristyn Jones-Rama, S Eli Schlappich, S Colton Mathias, CB Jayden Swoyer, CB David Bates, CB Jack Moriarty.
Did you know? The Cougars have had just one winning record over the past 38 years; that came in 2004 when they went 6-4 under Larry Chester.
For the record: Two Cougars have scored six touchdowns in a game: Lennon Neiman, against Pequea Valley in 2021, and Calvin Laing, against Fleetwood in 2005.
On schedule: The Cougars play Berks Catholic for the first time since 2019; they are 0-9 all-time against the Saints. Berks Catholic moved from Section 4 to Section 5 for this season.
Quotable: “This is the biggest, fastest, and strongest team, and with the highest IQ, that I’ve had since I came back.” — Cougars coach Larry Chester.
Outlook: For years the overriding question in Kutztown was this: Will the Cougars have enough players to make it through the season?
“That’s not an issue any more,” said head coach Larry Chester, who has gradually rebuilt the program over his five seasons.
The roster includes more than 40 players — and some good ones: Running backs Brendan Ackley and Mason Sherry were all-league picks last season and provided a physical presence that set the tone for the team.
The Cougars found their identity in being able to pound the ball and sustain long drives.
Ackley rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior; Sherry averaged 7.5 yards per carry and ran for 11 TDs as a sophomore. They led an assault that averaged over 300 yards per game, 260 of it on the ground, third-highest in Section 5 – a league filled with offensive-minded teams.
With nine starters back on offense – more than any team in the section – Chester believes the Cougars can take their ground-and-pound game a step further.
The key, he said, will be holding onto the football. Too many ball-hogging drives last year ended with turnovers in or just outside the red zone. The focus now is concentrating on the little things to help sustain those drives.
“Our philosophy is to not give you the ball,” Chester said. “We want 16-, 17-play drives. If we are able to do that turnover-free, we’re going to have more success. Now it’s time to work on the small things that can turn the corner to victories: Ballhandling, ball possession, footwork, hands, all basics.”
Colten Mathias, an athletic senior, is back at QB, though he’s been pushed by sophomore Wyatt Stoess, a better passer; both could see time there.
There is no shortage of potential weapons. David Bates brings speed to the backfield; he averaged 7.5 yards on limited carries as a junior. Ian Bahr has impressed at FB. Jayden Swoyer is a threat. Sophomore Tallan Fitzsimmons has physical skills but not much experience.
They’ll be running behind second-team all-league G Alex Reyes and TE Jimmy Undercuffler, who goes 6-3, 190.
The big question is how much the Cougars can improve on defense. They allowed more yards and points than any team in Section 5 last year. Eight starters return there, though many of them are being counted on to carry the offense as well.
The Cougars showed last year they’re closing the gap on the top teams in the league. They nearly knocked off section tri-champ Annville-Cleona on the road, yielding a late TD in a 41-40 loss. A week later they earned their first win over a Berks team in seven years by beating Hamburg, another playoff qualifier, 35-34.
At the wire: Cougars are gaining ground; they could challenge for a postseason berth.