Cougars not deterred by late loss to Pequea
By Hunter Phillips — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Pequea Valley scored a late touchdown and added a two-point conversion in the final minutes\in beating Kutztown 21-20 the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 finale for both Friday night at Kutztown.
It was a tough ending for the Cougars (2-5, 3-7), who made visible progress this season, winning a league game for the first time in 13 years. Head coach Larry Chester is encouraged. He’s looking ahead to better times.
“We’re not quite there yet, but we’re not the same team (as were),” said Chester. “We’re traveling in the right direction. We’re gonna miss our seniors, but with 40 out of 42 players returning, I’m looking forward to the future.”
Orlando Stoltzfus’ 5-yard TD run with 2:38 left in the game pulled Pequea Valley to within 20-19 and quarterback Micheal Patterson connected with running back Dontae Petershiem on a two-point conversion to give the Braves the lead.
The Cougars needed a comeback drive to win it.
The drive started in reverse with a block-in-the-back penalty and a Jacob Lafferty rush for minus-3 yards.
Lafferty then completed a 39-yard bomb to Dakota Thomas. Three plays later Jayden Swoyer’s Jet Sweep came up short of a first down and the Cougars’ drive stalled on the Braves’ 35-yard line.
The comeback bid fell short.
For Kutztown’s seniors one last win in their home stadium would have been a bonus.
Lafftery had been in the Cougars system stemming back to his time in Kutztown’s youth program. Lafferty said the program has meant “everything” to him.
“It’s taken over me in the last four years,” he said.
Lafferty’s older brother, Zachary, had previously played for Kuztown and his younger brother, Ethan, will continue to play for them next season.
Jacob Lafferty rushed for 120 yards and threw for 43 more.
“They are a different breed, from academics to who they are as people,” Chester said of the Lafferty family. “We are who we are now, being 3-7, because of a Jacob Lafferty, with recruitment and getting other people to come out.”
Senior Ryan Cardinale, an offensive lineman, was able to score on a 5-yard run in his final game.
Brenden Ackley led Kutztown with 125 yards rushing on the night, scoring two of the team’s three touchdowns.
Kutztown gained 332 yards, rushing for 289 yards.
Pequea Valley (2-5, 2-8) had 240 total yards, 208 on the ground.
Running back Orlando Stoltzfus led the Pequea Valley with 90 yards rushing.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Pequea Valley | 0 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 |
| Kutztown | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Kutztown | Ackley, 45 run (Kimpland kick) | 7:38 |
| 2 | Kutztown | Cardinale, 5 run (kick failed) | 9:34 |
| 3 | Pequea Valley | Hoopes,5 pass from Temple (Leitch Kick) | 0:36 |
| 3 | Pequea Valley | Stoltzfus, 5 run (Petersheim, pass from Temple) | 8:51 |
| 4 | Kutztown | Ackley, 1 run (Kimpland kick) | 8:22 |
| 4 | Pequea Valley | Stoltzfus, 5 run (Petersheim, pass from Temple) | 2:38 |
Team statistics
| Pequea Valley | Kutztown | |
| First downs | 16 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-209 | 42-289 |
| Passing yards | 32 | 43 |
| Total yards | 241 | 332 |
| Passes | 2-77 | 2-8 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-30 | 1-30 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-30 | 5-54 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Pequea Valley: Stoltzfus 19-90, Beiler 9-81, Petersheim 10-39, Temple 5-(-1).
Kutztown: Ackley 16-125, Lafferty 12-120, Thomas 10-37, Cardinale 1-5, Swoyer 2-1, Gruber 1-1.
PASSING
Pequea Valley: Temple 4-8-0-32.
Kutztown: 2-7-0-43.
RECEIVING
Pequea Valley: Petersheim 2-25, Hoopes 1-7, Stoltzfus 1-0.
Kutztown: Thomas 2-43.
