Fleetwood builds early lead, holds off Conrad Weiser to improve to 2-0
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Mitchell Jr. — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Fleetwood used a complete team effort to defeat visiting Conrad Weiser 30-21 in a wild non-league game Friday night.
The Tigers (2-0) built an early 13-0 lead and then answered the bell every time the Scouts (0-2) appeared ready to tie the game up.
Fleetwood used a potent rushing game and efficient passing attack to gain 225 yards on the ground. Kutztown transfer Dakota Thomas rushed for 131 yards, three touchdowns, and a two point conversion. Zion Brickle rushed for 112 yards.
Quarterback Jack Riffle was efficient, completing 12-of-18 pass attempts for 113 yards. Mason Musitano caught five passes for 54 yards; Tristan Mc Farland caught four passes for 49 yards.
“It’s awesome to have so many skill guys who can make plays,” said Riffle. “I have the utmost confidence when I throw to any of our backs and receivers. They run the correct routes and make plays.”
An unsung hero for the Tigers was punter/kicker William Maurek.
He kicked two field goals, two extra points, recorded two touchbacks on kickoffs, pinned the Scouts at their own 3 yard line on a punt which led to a safety late in the fourth quarter, and made a touchdown-saving tackle on a Conrad Weiser punt return with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
The Tigers showed tremendous resiliency throughout. Leading 13-0 late in the second quarter, Fleetwood appeared to be on the way to an easy victory. Up to that point the Tigers had owned the line of scrimmage and dominated the first half. The Scouts then seized momentum and put together a nine-play, 72-yard scoring drive to make it a 13-7 game at halftime.
The Tigers immediately responded to start the third quarter with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own to take the momentum back from the Scouts. The big play on the drive was a 36-yard run by Brickle, which set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Thomas.
Conrad Weiser came right back on the next play after the kickoff with a 67-yard touchdown run by Ousmane Conde (14 carries for 129 yards).
Again, the Tigers responded with the heart of a champion. After the ensuing kickoff, Thomas responded with a 67-yard touchdown run. After a penalty on the Scouts, the Tigers went for two and Thomas ran it in.
“I’ve only been here for three weeks,” Thomas said. “I love football and I love this team. I go to Oley (Valley), but it doesn’t matter. We are so close as a team. We are a family and have each other’s backs.”
Tigers head coach Steve Pangburn agreed with Thomas.
“We have a bunch of players who go to Oley but I’ll tell you what, if you walk into our locker room and see these guys day after day, how close they are, how they pull for each other, you would never know which guys go to Oley and which guys go to Fleetwood,” he said.
“This is my fourth year here (two as an assistant and two as head coach) and I’ve had these seniors since the beginning,” Pangburn said. ” We are starting to turn the corner and do the things necessary to win football games. We have work to do, but we are learning how to win. I love these guys.”
The Scouts had some fight left in them. Trailing 28-14 with 8:27 to go in the third quarter, quarterback Donovan Gingrich connected on a 22-yard touchdown pass to Evan Rittle (the second one of the game for the duo) to make it 28-21.
The Scouts then stopped the Tigers on a third-and-8 with just under five minutes to go in the game. It appeared as though the Scouts once again had the momentum.
The Tigers responded again. Maurek pinned the Scouts at the 3-yard line with a coffin corner punt. On the next play, the Tigers defensive line (who pressured GIngrich all night long) penetrated and forced Gingrich to step on the endline in the end zone for a safety, making it 30-21.
“This team won’t quit,” Riffle said. “We love each other and we don’t care who gets the credit.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Conrad Weiser | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Fleetwood | 10 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 30 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Fleetwood | Maurek, 32 FG | 4:19 |
| 1 | Fleetwood | Thomas, 30 run (Maurek kick) | 1:59 |
| 2 | Fleetwood | Maurek, 29 FG | 5:03 |
| 2 | Conrad Weiser | Rittle, 22 pass from Gingrich (Malone kick) | :59 |
| 3 | Fleetwood | Thomas, 1 run (Maurek kick) | 8:44 |
| 3 | Conrad Weiser | Conde, 67 run (Malone kick) | 8:27 |
| 3 | Fleetwood | Thomas, 67 run (Thomas run) | 8:04 |
| 3 | Conrad Weiser | Rittle, 11 pass from Gingrich (Malone kick) | 6:03 |
| 4 | Fleetwood | Safety, Gingrich stepped out of back of end zone | 4:27 |
Team statistics
| Conrad Weiser | Fleetwood | |
| First downs | 8 | 17 |
| Rushes-yards | 26-121 | 39-225 |
| Passing yards | 125 | 113 |
| Total yards | 246 | 338 |
| Passes | 6-15-0—125 | 12-18-1—113 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 4-20 | 2-33 |
| Penalties-yards | 8 55 | 10-85 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Conrad Weiser: Conde 14-129, Parham 5-12, Gingrich 6-(-15), Team 1-(-5).
Fleetwood: Thomas 13-131, Brickle 18-112, McFarland 2-(-3), Riffle 2-(-3), Maddocks 1-(-6), Team 3-(-6).
PASSING
Conrad Weiser: Gingrich 6-15-1—125.
Fleetwood: Riffle 12-18-1—113.
RECEIVING
Conrad Weiser: Parham 2-83, Rittle 2-33, Parr 1-5, Conde 1-4.
Fleetwood: Musitano 6-54, McFarland 5-49, Maddocks 1-10.
INTERCEPTIONS
Conrad Weiser: Leonard.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Conrad Weiser: Malone 44.
Fleetwood: Maurek 29.
