Kutztown shows improvement, can’t hold lead in falling to 0-6
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Chris DeAntonio — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Kutztown couldn’t hold on to a slim second half lead as Annville-Cleona’s rushing attack powered it to a 35-28 win over the Cougars in a rainy Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 matchup Friday night in Kutztown.
The Cougars (0-3, 0-6) had a strong game on the ground, with three players earning over 50 yards on the rushing. It wasn’t enough to stop Annville-Cleona’s big scoring plays or lead running back Jonathon Shay.
Shay led the Dutchmen (2-1, 3-3) on the ground, picking up 128 yards and a score on 16 carries. He reached the end zone late in the fourth quarter to put Annville-Cleona ahead by a touchdown.
Kutztown was led on the ground by Brenden Ackley, who carried the ball 16 times for 70 yards and a score.
Ian Bahr and Mason Sherry also had strong games on the ground for Kutztown, finishing with 53 and 50 yards, respectively. They both also scored touchdowns.
Despite the winless record, Kutztown coach Larry Chester sees improvement in his team, noting that it’s the third game they’ve lost by one score this season.
“We’re getting better as a program,” he said. “We’re in games, so our boys are playing. It’s always close against (Annville-Cleona), every year.”
Kutztown led 21-20 in the third quarter after a 4-yard TD run by Bahr.
The Dutchmen’s largest lead was nine in the second half.
Kutztown and Sherry reduced that lead to one after a 50-yard run with 5:20 left in the game. It was the last Cougars touchdown of the night.
Being so run-heavy was not always part of the game plan, but it was effective for the Cougars, as they racked up 232 yards on the ground as a team.
“We lost our starting quarterback (Wyatt Stoess) last week,” said Chester. “We barely threw the ball (tonight), which we had been doing this year. It’s a situation where when you lose players, you have to adjust that week.”
But while Kutztown led long, methodical drives, Annville-Cleona responded with big play , including a 71-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bryce Keller to Jonathan Moran. Moran finished with two catches for 89 yards and carried the ball twice for 29 yards.
Keller also threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Sellers. Keller completed 4-of-7 pass attempts for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball seven times for 49 yards. His only mistake was a second quarter pass that was intercepted by Kutztown’s Ryan Walters.
Winning the turnover battle was an encouraging sign for Chester.
“We were averaging about 4-5 turnovers a game,” he said. “I think we had none tonight, so that’s positive. We’re moving in the right direction and we’re getting better.”
Walters also returned a kickoff 52 yards to give Kutztown good starting field position just before the start of the fourth quarter, but the Cougars eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Kutztown quarterback Colten Mathias carried the ball six times for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Annville-Cleona running back Devon Englehart made the most of his three carries for the Dutchmen. He found the end zone twice and picked up 14 yards on the ground.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Annville-Cleona | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Kutztown | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 28 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Annville-Cleona | Englehart, 12 run (Wilson kick) | 6:30 |
| 1 | Kutztown | Ackley, 10 run (kick failed) | 3:30 |
| 1 | Annville-Cleona | Moran, 71 pass from Keller (Wilson kick) | 1:04 |
| 2 | Kutztown | Mathias, 10 run (pass failed) | 4:42 |
| 3 | Kutztown | Bahr, 4 run (Bahr run) | 5:10 |
| 3 | Annville-Cleona | Englehart, 5 run (Wilson kick) | 2:59 |
| 4 | Annville-Cleona | Sellers, 44 pass from Keller (Shay pass from Keller) | 8:11 |
| 4 | Kutztown | Sherry, 50 run (Ackley run) | 5:20 |
| 4 | Annville-Cleona | Shay, 26 run (run failed) | 2:57 |
Team statistics
| Annville-Cleona | Kutztown | |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 32-211 | 37-232 |
| Passing yards | 135 | 0 |
| Total yards | 346 | 232 |
| Passes | 4-7-1 | 0-3-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Punts-average | 0-0 | 1-38 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-20 | 6-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Annville-Cleona: Shay 16-128, Keller 7-49, Moran 2-29, Englehart 3-14, Team 4-(-9).
Kutztown: Ackley 16-70, Bahr, 8-53, Sherry 1-50, Swoyer 5-33, Mathias 6-17, Walters 1-9.
PASSING
Annville-Cleona: Keller 4-7-1–135.
Kutztown: Mathias 0-3-0–0.
RECEIVING
Annville-Cleona: Moran 2-89, Sellers 1-44, Shay 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS
Kutztown: Walters.
