Four turnovers doom Gov. Mifflin in loss to Conestoga Valley
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Mitchell Jr. — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Conestoga Valley’s defense was dominant in a 24-7 Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2 victory over Gov. Mifflin Friday night at Shillington.
The Buckskins (3-0, 6-1) held the Mustangs (1-2, 3-4) to 119 yards rushing. Mifflin came into the game averaging almost 250 yards rushing per game.
“Hats off to their defense,” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang. “They owned us up front. They schemed well. They took away everything we wanted to do on offense.”
Not only did the Buckskins shut down Mifflin’s powerful rushing attack they also forced three fumbles and one interception.
Trailing 6-0 in the second quarter, Mustangs quarterback Javien Pletz threw a perfect strike to Chase Huber for a 47-yard touchdown. Sophomore place kicker Lance Koenig’s extra point gave the Mustangs a 7-6 lead and a ton of momentum.
The Mustangs’ only lead of the game lasted all of 20 seconds. Jayden Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Buckskins quarterback Liam Cheek hit a wide open Josiah Garcia on a cleverly designed play for a two-point conversion and 14-7 lead.
The Mustangs drove to the 28-yard line on their next possession but fumbled.
Cheek hit Johnson with a 31-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left in the half to make it 21-7.
Miffflin’s defense played very well, allowing the Mustangs to remain within striking distance. They held the powerful Buckskins offense to just 189 total yards.
Mifflin had a huge opportunity to close the gap late in the third quarter. The Mustangs got the ball at their 27-yard line with five minutes to go in the quarter. They methodically used seven plays to drive to the Buckskins 37-yard line. On the eighth play, the snap was fumbled and recovered by the Buckskins.
“The four turnovers absolutely killed us,” said Lang. “What did we have? Three fumbles and an interception? You can’t turn the ball over like that against a good football team and expect to win.”
After a 12-play drive senior Nathan Showvaker kicke0d a 22-yard field goal to increase CV’s lead to 24-7 with 5:45 remaining.
Mifflin drove to near midfield before another, as Isiah Sensenig intercepted a pass,
“It’s do or die from here on out,” said Lang. “We have three games left. If we win out we may have a chance to do something in the playoffs. But right now I’m focused on Lebanon next week.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Conestoga Valley | 6 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Conestoga Valley | Garcia, 11 pass from Cheek (kick failed) | 5:13 |
| 2 | Gov. Mifflin | Huber, 47 pass from Pletz (Koenig kick) | 7:00 |
| 2 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 92 kickoff return (Garcia, pass from Cheek) | 6:41 |
| 2 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 31 pass from Cheek (Showvaker kick) | 1:44 |
| 4 | Conestoga Valley | Showvaker, 22 FG | 5:45 |
Team statistics
| Conestoga Valley | Gov. Mifflin | |
| First downs | 9 | 11 |
| Rushes-yards | 29-87 | 36-119 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 108 |
| Total yards | 189 | 227 |
| Passes | 8-13-1 | 7-14-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 3-3 |
| Punts-average | 4-34 | 2-51 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-82 | 3-20 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Conestoga Valley: Johnson 8-38, Ruble 5-36, 6-14, Cheek 9-2, Santana 1-(-3).
Gov. Mifflin: Jones 7-40, Hohl 12-28, Pletz 11-22, Huber 1-13, Jenkins 2-9, Garner 3-7.
PASSING
Conestoga Valley: Cheek 8-13-1–102.
Gov. Mifflin: Pletz 6-13-1–102, Wunderlich 1-1-0–6.
RECEIVING
Conestoga Valley: Johnson 2-43, Mobley 1-17, Garcia 1-11, Santana 1-10, Fisher 1-10, Jankowski 1-6, Epstein 1-5.
Gov. Mifflin: Huber 2-53, Morris 1-18, Dinatale 1-14, Garner 1-11, Leaf 1-6, Hohl 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Conestoga Valley: Sensenig.
Gov. Mifflin: Hohl.
