Kyleal Cottrell the difference in Hamburg loss to Bristol
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Chris DeAntonio — LNP/Lancasteronline
After a slow start for both teams, Bristol’s Kyleal Cottrell took over for the Warriors, finding the end zone three times to lead the Warriors past the Hamburg Hawks 35-14 in a non-league matchup Friday night at Hawk Hill.
| Final | |
| Bristol | 35 |
| Hamburg | 14 |
“We knew on the outside was going to be a tough matchup,” said Hamburg coach Tyler Hartranft. “They have some real athletes out there.”
Hamburg (1-2) was able to keep it close in the first quarter, limiting Bristol to one early touchdown run by Bristol running back Braylen Williams. Williams was Bristol’s lead rusher, carrying the ball 12 times for 65 yards.
Cottrell provided the spark the Warriors needed almost as soon as the second quarter started. He caught back-to-back passes for 27 and 29 yards, setting up a 3-yard run by quarterback Brady Slate.
Bristol (2-1) reached the end zone three times in the second quarter — including two scores by Cottrell.
Cottrell’s first score came on a perfectly thrown 14-yard sideline pass by Slate. The second was a 55-yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen where Cottrell avoided several would-be Hawks tacklers. Cottrell finished with five catches for 140 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Hamburg’s offense struggled through much of the first half, but did find its rhythm in the third quarter behind running back Bryce Shmeck. Schmeck finished with 52 yards on 15 carries.
Hamburg reached the end zone twice in the second half. Their first score came on a 2-yard run by quarterback Isaac McFadden in the third quarter. The Hawks capped off their first possession of the fourth quarter with a 16-yard score from McFadden to Ethan Horvath. The extra point made it a two-possession game.
But again, Cottrell proved to be the difference, returning the ensuing kickoff 81-yards to the endzone to put the game away and end any hopes of a Hamburg comeback.
“I’m proud of our guys—they did fight,” said Hartranft. “Unfortunately, giving it everything you got isn’t going to get it down every night.”
McFadden completed 7-of-16 pass attempts for 95 yards and one passing touchdown. He also carried the ball for 49 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.
“I think these games that we’re in right now will help us,” said Hartranft. “One thing we’ve learned is that we’ll fight for four quarters.” Hamburg visits Annville-Cleona in a Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5 matchup next week.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Bristol | 6 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 35 |
| Hamburg | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Bristol | Williams, 17 run (kick failed) | 10:27 |
| 2 | Bristol | Slate, 3 run (Nemeth kick) | 9:20 |
| 2 | Bristol | Cottrell, 14 pass from Slate (kick failed) | 4:26 |
| 2 | Bristol | Cottrell, 55 pass from Slate (Nemeth kick) | 1:32 |
| 3 | Bristol | Nemeth, 30 FG | 5:37 |
| 3 | Hamburg | McFadden, 2 run (Moser kick) | 1:41 |
| 4 | Hamburg | Horvath, 16 pass from McFadden (Moser kick) | 9:10 |
| 4 | Bristol | Cottrell, 81 kickoff return (pass failed) | 8:55 |
Team statistics
| BRISTOL | HAMBURG | |
| First downs | 13 | 11 |
| Rushes-yards | 30-132 | 42-121 |
| Passing yards | 156 | 95 |
| Total yards | 288 | 216 |
| Passes | 6-7-0 | 7-16-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-2 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 2-33.5 | 6-30.8 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-35 | 6-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Bristol: Williams 12-65, Slate 6-32, Nemeth 6-23, Cottrell 2-11, Weeks 2-3, Team 2-(-2)
Hamburg: Schmeck 15-52, McFadden 17-49, Johnson 9-34, Team 1-(-14)
PASSING
Bristol: Slate 6-7-0-156
Hamburg: McFadden 7-16-0-95
RECEIVING
Bristol: Cottrell 5-140, Williams 1-16
Hamburg: Strunk 2-23, Bentz 2-22, Horvath 2-17, Metzler 1-33
