Empty second half leads to fourth straight loss for Blazers
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Two straight weeks the Daniel Boone Blazers have been involved in games that came down to the wire; two straight weeks they ended up on the wrong side of the result.
Penn Manor took the lead before halftime and shut the Blazers out in the second half to win 14-10 Friday night in a non-league game at Brazinsky Stadium.
Missed opportunities and mistakes were the theme of the Blazers setback once again after last week’s heartbreaking 22-16 overtime loss to Elizabethtown. They have now lost four straight and are 1-6.
First-year head coach J.D. Okuniewski continued to be proud of the progression of his team.
“We did have mistakes but I am still proud how much our kids continue to fight and grow each week,” Okuniewski said. “We did a lot this week to clean up our game after having a bunch of penalties against Elizabethtown. We rely on a lot of underclassmen to step up and fight. I am proud they are Boone kids.”
Early on it seemed the Blazers were going to have a happy Homecoming. They fended off the Comets opening drive after a long kick return and showcased a power running game that ended with them taking the lead at 7-0 with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
They ran the ball 13 times on their 15-play, 73-yard drive that went 7:57 and ended with Haydn Moyer punching it in from 3 yards out.
Moyer finished as the leading rusher with 98 yards on 22 carries in an expanded role due to injuries to multiple Blazers backs.
“Haydn Moyer is Birdsboro-tough through-and-through,” Okuniewski said. “He makes me proud to be from here and that is why he has been a captain since August. We were able to run the ball and execute some of the things we wanted to.
“When you have five guys go down, your identity consistently changes and that is why we have these Sunday meetings each week to go over new things and keep everyone on the same page.”
Daniel Boone blocked a punt after forcing a three-and-out to start the second quarter and extended its lead to 10-0 following a 28-yard field goal from Justin Aidukas.
Things began to change halfway through the second quarter when Penn Manor cut the Daniel Boone advantage to 10-7 after quarterback Kyle Furnier found Josiah Torres for a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 7:42 left in the second quarter.
However, it was a sequence that occurred with 1:10 left in the second quarter that ultimately decided the game. The Comets sent a 25-yard field goal wide right but Blazer quarterback Dean Rotter was intercepted by Dhonyai Loy off a deflection on the second play of the ensuing Blazer drive, and he returned it to the 12-yard line.
Adrian Smith scored on a 9-yard run on the second play of the drive to put Penn Manor in front with 19 seconds left in the second quarter.
Penn Manor (3-4), which has won three straight after an 0-4 start, has rallied in each of their three wins.
“When you face 0-4 in the face, it is demoralizing and humbling,” Penn Manor head coach John Brubaker said. “We have a group of seniors that understand we only have three guaranteed times left to strap up and play.
“We have got to go play everything we have right now and that has been a big part of the resiliency of this group.”
The Blazers got the ball to start the second half and put forth a similar drive to their first of the game that ended with a touchdown. They held the ball the entire length of the third quarter and faced a fourth-and-goal from the Comets 1 when the fourth quarter started.
Rotter fumbled his second straight snap to leave the Blazers empty-handed after their 22-play, 71-yard drive. The final dagger came when Rotter was intercepted by Furnier to preserve the win for the Comets with 1:31 left in regulation.
“Those are just the things that cannot happen down on the goal line,’ Okuniewski said. “We did a couple of things like what we call ‘super tank’ where we get our lineman in the backfield and either have them lead the blocking or even hand one the ball. Two snaps were not clean, and it did not give us the chance to finish.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Penn Manor | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Daniel Boone | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Daniel Boone | Moyer, 3 run (Aidukas kick) | 0:19 |
| 2 | Daniel Boone | Aidukas, 28 FG | 9:04 |
| 2 | Penn Manor | Torres 48 pass from Furnier (Jeffers kick) | 7:42 |
| 2 | Penn Manor | A. Smith, 9 run (Jeffers kick) | 0:29 |
Team statistics
| Penn Manor | Daniel Boone | |
| First downs | 11 | 15 |
| Rushes-yards | 33-141 | 46-145 |
| Passing yards | 67 | 51 |
| Total yards | 208 | 196 |
| Passes | 2-7-0 | 6-12-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-0 | 3-2 |
| Punts-average | 3-20.7 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-63 | 1-10 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Penn Manor: A. Smith 12-70, Furnier 9-60, Loy 5-18, Schmidtke 4-10, Team 3-(-17).
Daniel Boone: Moyer 22-98, Rotter 15-35, High 3-10, Meyer 3-6, Lacey 2-(-1), Salata 1-(-3).
PASSING
Penn Manor: Furnier 2-7-0–67.
Daniel Boone: Rotter 6-12-2–51.
RECEIVING
Penn Manor: Torres 1-47, A. Smith 1-20.
Daniel Boone: Heffner 3-30, High 2-18, Salata 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS
Penn Manor: Loy, Furnier.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Penn Manor: Jeffers 25.
