Berks Catholic rally stuns state-ranked Executive Education Academy
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By John Nagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Berks Catholic doesn’t have to worry about an 0-4 start this season.
The Saints rallied for 19 unanswered points en route to stun state-ranked Executive Education Academy 19-14 Friday in a non-league game at Forino Sports Complex.
The Saints, who trailed 14-0 at halftime, totaled 263 yards on the ground and logged all 19 of their points in the game’s final 18 minutes.
The Saints (1-1) scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 83-yard run by Michael Bradley with just under three minutes remaining.
“I hit the hole, had to hit a cutback and saw green grass.” Bradley said. “I was worried about getting caught, didn’t want to get caught; I knew they were fast.”
Bradley scored two of the Saints three touchdowns and totaled 130 rushing yards.
The go-ahead score almost never happened for Berks Catholic. The Raptors scored on an 80-yard touchdown run by junior Jaiden Perez on the prior possession.
But the touchdown was nullified by an illegal block-in-the-back penalty. The Raptors’ drive ended with a punt.
Bradley scored the go-ahead touchdown on the next play.
“I tell my kids there are around five plays every game that determine the outcome of it,” Saints coach Rick Keeley said. “But you’ve got to play hard every one, so when that play hits, you’re ready to take advantage of it.”
The Saints took advantage of Executive Education miscues. The Raptors had 15 penalties for 115 yards in the game.
Saints quarterback Will Hess opened the Saints’ scoring on a 54-yard strike to tight end Jackson Kozik midway through the third quarter.
Executive Education (1-1), ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A, scored the game’s first 14 points.
Quarterback Cazhiere Richardson connected on deep touchdowns to wideouts Damon Young and Jeremiah Rodriguez for 30- and 40-yards, respectively. Richardson finished with 143 passing yards and no turnovers.
The Saints shut out the Raptors in the second half. The game came down to the final play, with Richardson missing on a potential 10-yard touchdown pass as time expired.
The game was stopped for over 10 minutes after Berks Catholic senior cornerback Bryce Gumby was injured on a play with 28 seconds left in the game. The Saints and Raptors players dropped to a knee while trainers tended to Gumby.
Berks Catholic is home again Friday to face Pope John Paul II.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Executive Education | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Berks Catholic | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Executive Education | Young, 30 pass from Richardson (Styles run) | 7:26 |
| 2 | Executive Education | Rodriguez, 40 pass from Richardson (conversion failedl) | 12:00 |
| 3 | Berks Catholic | Kozik, 54 pass from Hess (Osorio kick) | 5:11 |
| 4 | Berks Catholic | Bradley, 6 run (kick failed) | 7:25 |
| 4 | Berks Catholic | Bradley, 83 run (conversion failed) | 2:57 |
Team statistics
| Executive Education | Berks Catholic | |
| First downs | 13 | 9 |
| Rushes-yards | 31-178 | 38-214 |
| Passing yards | 143 | 58 |
| Total yards | 321 | 272 |
| Passes | 14-23-0 | 3-5-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 5-35.6 | 5-22.4 |
| Penalties-yards | 15-115 | 3-30 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Executive Education: Styles 20-118, Richardson 7-(-4), Perez 3-65, Team 1-(-1).
Berks Catholic:Bradley 8-130, Rose 9-49, Garcia 8-33, Gumby 4-13, Pennington 5-14, Hess 4-(-25).
PASSING
Executive Education: Richardson 14-23-0— 143.
Berks Catholic: Hess 3-5-1—58.
RECEIVING
Executive Education: Young 2-33, Robles 3-19, Rodriguez 3-50, Perez 2-19, Styles 4-22.
Berks Catholic: Kozik 1-54, Duffy 1-6, Bradley 1-(-2).
INTERCEPTIONS
Executive Education: Young 1.
