Monster game by Haydn Moyer sends Blazers to first win
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
It has not been the season the Daniel Boone Blazers expected, but they got a special night in their final home game.
The Blazers earned their first win by holding on for a 26-23 win over Northern Lebanon in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 action at Brazinsky Stadium.
| Final | |
| Daniel Boone | 26 |
| N.Lebanon | 23 |
“This football season we have faced more variables outside of our control that I have ever experienced before in 10 years of coaching,” Daniel Boone head coach J.D Okuniewski said. “This win means a lot to the program, our seniors, and I am proud of them.”
In a season in which the Blazers (1-5, 1-8) had been shutout three times and were losing by an average of 32.9 points they turned to their seniors to deliver a night that made everyone in the program feel good.
Haydn Moyer was one of those seniors who got to enjoy a win in their final game at home. He delivered a career-best 180 rushing yards on 24 carries while scoring two touchdowns.
“Our line was able to execute very well tonight,” Moyer said. “I just had to be patient and allowed the holes to open up to have success.”
Moyer capped a six-play, 70-yard drive to open the game for the Blazers with a 10-yard touchdown run. It was just the second time they led all season.
Moyer and fellow senior Dominic Stoudt combined for 62 of the 70 yards on the ground; that showed a positive sign of things to come.
“You do not get many kids like Dom and Haydn,” Okuniewski said. “Haydn has done everything he has been asked to do by playing any position and overcoming a lot of adversity. Dom has also dealt with his share of adversity, and he has kept a level head to help lead our team.”
Daniel Boone had to overcome more adversity when Northern Lebanon (0-6, 1-8) scored on its first drive of the second quarter as Bryan Mitzel hit Bryce Yocum over the middle for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The Vikings then recovered a short pooch kick and used the short field to quickly go up 14-7 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Christian Spencer at the 6:51-mark of the second quarter.
The Blazers went back to their successful ground game and cut the deficit to 14-13 when Moyer scored his second touchdown from 5 yards out with 2:12 left in the first half. Northern Lebanon executed a successful two-minute drive and took a 17-13 advantage into halftime after Johnny Hilton made a 25-yard field goal.
The pivotal time of the game came during the first six minutes of the second half when a Northern Lebanon fumble on their first play from scrimmage and an errant snap over punter Blake Burdick’s head led to 13 Blazers points and a 26-17 lead at the 6:07-mark of the third quarter.
Stoudt accounted for both touchdowns, with a 2-yard run and 7-yard pass on third-and-goal to Maddox Roy. Stoudt finished with 124 rushing yards on 16 carries.
The Blazers defense in the second half was the story as it did not allow the Vikings a first down until the 6:50-mark of the fourth quarter.
“Defensively we have seen our tackling improve over the past few weeks,” Okuniewski said. “We played pretty well tonight despite losing containment on their quarterback a few times.”
Mitzel used his mobility to help Northern Lebanon stay in the game and set up another 2-yard touchdown run from Spencer that made it a 26-23 game with 4:32 left.
The Blazers dealt with their share of low and errant snaps throughout the game and nearly had one turn catastrophic when a 21-yard loss on second-and-5 set them back to the 46.
The Vikings had one last shot to take the lead before an 11-yard sack from Grant Pingitore helped the Blazers defense deliver a turnover on downs, sealing the win.
“Grant is another kid that had his share of injury issues too,” Okuniewski said. “He has been dealing with an elbow issue since our scrimmage in August and missed the first three weeks. He fought it to come back earlier than expected and wanted to play defense. It was an emotional moment to see him get that deciding sack.”
The Blazers have one last challenge for their seniors next week as they wrap up their season against unbeaten Twin Valley.
“I just want them to play their hearts out,” Okuniewski said. “Twin Valley is a very good team and Brett (Myers) will have them well-prepared, but I just want our guys to finish strong and leave it on the field.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Northern Lebanon | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Daniel Boone | 7 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 26 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Daniel Boone | Moyer, 10 run (Barney kick) | 9:09 |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Yocum, 33 pass from Mitzel (Hilton kick) | 8:28 |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Spencer, 2 run (Hilton kick) | 6:51 |
| 2 | Daniel Boone | Moyer, 4 run (kick failed) | 2:12 |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Hilton 25 FG | 0:00 |
| 3 | Daniel Boone | Stoudt, 2 run (Barney kick) | 9:16 |
| 3 | Daniel Boone | Roy, 7 pass from Stoudt (run failed) | 6:07 |
| 4 | Northern Lebanon | Spencer, 2 run (kick blocked) | 4:32 |
Team statistics
| N. LEBANON | BOONE | |
| First downs | 13 | 21 |
| Rushes-yards | 24-76 | 50-272 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 57 |
| Total yards | 273 | 329 |
| Passes | 11-24-1 | 6-8-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 5-1 |
| Punts-average | 2-26.5 | 2-29.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-45 | 10-100 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Northern Lebanon: Spencer 13-46, Mitzel 5-41, Copenhaver 3-4, Bush 1-3, Yocum 1-2, TEAM 1-(-20).
Daniel Boone: Moyer 24-190, Stoudt 16-124, Ruffner 2-7, Roy 2-1, McKenzie 1-(-4), TEAM 5-(-46).
PASSING
Northern Lebanon: Mitzel 11-24-1–197.
Daniel Boone: Stoudt 6-8-0–57.
RECEIVING
Northern Lebanon: Yocum 5-112, Clemmer 5-84, Copenhaver 1-5.
Daniel Boone: Rowe 2-31, Moyer 2-9, Ruffner 1-10, Roy 1-7.
INTERCEPTIONS
Daniel Boone: Ruffner.
