Tyler Shuey sets passing mark as Hawks end losing streak

By Andrew Clauser Last updated Oct 7, 2023

2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Andrew Clauser— MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Losing streaks will give any coach an uneasy feeling — just ask Hamburg’s Matt Hoffert.

Hoffert wasn’t feeling so good about his team’s three-game losing streak. A 33-12 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 win over visiting Pequea Valley Friday made him feel a lot better.

“I told these guys my stomach has been churning for the last three weeks,” Hoffert said. “It feels good that we made it 1-0 this week.”

The Hawks (1-3, 4-3) put an end to a skid which began with the opening of league play three weeks ago.

Hoffert needed a strong performance from his talented quarterback Ty Shuey and got it.

Shuey accounted for three touchdowns and completed 17-of-30 passes for 245 yards. He completed passes to five different receivers, including his favorite target, tight end Mason Semmel, who scored twice.

Shuey broke the program single-season passing record of 1,833 yards, set by Xander Menapace last season. Shuey has thrown for 1,982 yards. He extended his single-season record for TD passes to 20.

Completing the balanced attack was freshman running back Blaise Ernst, who finished with 139 hard-fought yards on the ground. He scored on a 4-yard run in the second quarter and iced the game in the fourth quarter with a 5-yard plunge.

“As a freshman he’s getting better every week,” Hoffert said.

All of this couldn’t have been done without a strong performance by the Hawks offensive line. They gave Shuey plenty of time to target his receivers but also paved the way for their backs to rush for 229 yards on 39 carries.

“What was most important is that our offensive line stepped up in a big way,” said Hoffert. “I’ve been on them for a couple of weeks, so to see this performance tonight should give them confidence going forward. We look forward to watching game film from tonight to show the difference in their effort.”

The Hawks controlled the clock Friday night, amassing 24 first-downs.

“We wanted to keep our defense off the field, given that a good amount of players play both ways,” said Hoffert.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Pequea Valley	0	0	6	6	12
Hamburg	6	13	7	7	33

Scoring summary

1	Hamburg	Semmel, 20 pass from Shuey (kick failed)	1:58
2	Hamburg	Semmel, 8 pass from Shuey (run failed)	3:43
2	Hamburg	Ernst, 4 run (Blatt kick)	0:15
3	Hamburg	Shuey, 4 run (Blatt kick)	8:22
3	Pequea Valley	Carter, 4 run (pass failed)	2:49
4	Hamburg	Ernst, 5 run (Blatt kick)	7:23
4	Pequea Valley	Tibbins, 9 run (run failed)	2:48

Team statistics

	Pequea Valley	Hamburg
First downs	11	24
Rushes-yards	36-144	39-229
Passing yards	65	245
Total yards	209	474
Passes	5-15-0	17-30-0
Fumbles-lost	0-0	2-2
Punts-average	3-23	1-15
Penalties-yards	6-40	7-90

Individual statistics

RUSHING

Pequea Valley: Petershiem 7-60, Neff 7-31, Vollmer 4-23, Carter 4-20, Tibbins, 7-15, Stauffer 1-0, Stoltzfus 6-(-5).

Hamburg: Ernst 23-139, Oviedo 9-64, Shuey 7-26.

PASSING

Pequea Valley: Stoltzfus 5-15-0–65.

Hamburg: Shuey 17-30-0–245.

RECEIVING

Pequea Valley: Petershiem 3-45, Patterson 1-24, Tibbins 1-(-4).

Hamburg: Bentz 4-71, Werley 4-56, Semmel 4-54, Correll 4-47, Brady 1-17.

MISSED FIELD GOALS

Pequea Valley: Leitch 26