Cougars’ Mason Sherry closes season in a rush
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Kyle Morgan — LNP/Lancasteronline
Kutztown will head into the offseason with some momentum after Mason Sherry scored three touchdowns and helped the Cougars snap a four-game losing streak with a 36-20 win over Pequea Valley in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 finale at Kinzers on Friday night.
The Cougars used an effective rushing attack and three takeaways for their first win since a midseason upset of Hamburg. They end their 48th season two league wins and three overall, same as last season.
Kutztown (2-5, 3-7) opened the game with a methodical, 13-play drive. The Cougars converted three third downs along the way, thanks to runs from Ethan Lafferty (12 yards), Sherry (15) and Brenden Ackley (4 on a third-and-short).
Finally, after they came up short on their fourth third-down attempt, they went for it on fourth down inside the Pequea Valley red zone. Sherry got the first and more, weaving his way into the end zone for a touchdown from 17 yards out. Quarterback Colten Mathias scampered in for a 2-pointer to make it 8-0.
The Braves (1-6, 2-8) had a spark on their initial series thanks to a 19-yard throw from Anthony Stoltzfus to Trevor Vollmer on third down. On a fourth-down try in Kutztown territory, however, an option pitch to Dontae Petersheim was mishandled, with Jayden Swoyer falling on the ball for the Cougars.
They immediately struck, with Ackley rumbling for 38 yards and Sherry scoring on a 31-yard run. A Mathias throw fell incomplete on the ensuing 2-pointer.
Drew Tibbins did close the first quarter strong for Pequea with a 31-yard sprint on third and long. An offsides on third-and-long lessened the distance for Petersheim to pick up a first down a few plays later. On the next snap, Stoltzfus pulled off an excellent play-fake, drawing in the defense so he could connect with a wide-open Michael Patterson on a 38-yard TD.
The Cougars got bold in response, going for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 36. Lafferty picked up 3 yards on a jet sweep, and Sherry followed that up with a 40-yard gallop. He scored for the third time shortly afterward, this time from 5 yards out. Mathias hit Jimmy Undercuffler for the 2-point conversion.
A 14-yard throw from Stoltzfus to Tibbins put the Braves on Kutztown’s side of the field right away. Petersheim converted a third-and-short, and Pequea Valley got some help on a defensive pass interference penalty as well.
But with time ticking down in the first half, a Stoltzfus dart to the end zone was intercepted by a diving Lafferty, who was barely able to keep the ball from hitting the turf. He then reeled in a 28-yard pass from Mathias and got of bounds with 5 seconds before halftime, but Tibbins picked off the next throw as time expired.
The Braves came out of the break with energy. A misdirection handoff to Cayden Carter on the first play from scrimmage went 37 yards into Kutztown territory. Petersheim got inside the Cougars 10 with an 18-yard run, and Tibbins would reach across the right pylon for a 9-yard score a couple of plays later to cut the score to 22-14.
Sherry kept his great night going with a 24-yard run early on Kutztown’s ensuing drive. Pequea Valley’s defense stepped up, however, forcing Ackley back on fourth-and-1 for a turnover on downs. But three plays later, Stoltzfus lost the grip on a handoff, and Sherry pounced on the fumble for Kutztown.
After three Ackley carries for 31 yards, Lafferty scored from 10 yards out and crossed the goal line on a 2-point swing pass from Mathias to make it 30-14 late in the third.
Desperate with a two-score deficit to start the fourth, the Braves went for it on fourth-and-3 in their own territory; Carter gained 10 yards to get to midfield. Stoltzfus connected with Bishop DeShields for 31 yards on third-and-long, and a couple of runs got Pequea Valley inside the Kutztown 10.
The Cougars’ stop-unit held firm, however, turning back a couple of runs and stopping Vollmer short of the end zone on fourth down.
Trying to bleed the clock, Mathias completed a fourth-down pass to Undercuffler to 16 yards, which was rapidly followed by a game-icing 41-yard TD from Ackley. A couple of 10-plus yard runs from Carter gave Pequea’s offense some life on its final drive; Stoltzfus converted a fourth-and-short later on and finally scored a 6-yard keeper with 27 seconds left, getting sacked on the 2-pointer.
Sherry led the way with 159 yards and three TDs on 13 carries. Ackley was his usual workhorse self, carrying the ball 19 times for 158 yards and a TD. Lafferty added 58 yards and a TD on nine carries. Together, the trio gained 375 yards on the ground; Kutztown finished with 371 as a team, plus 44 yards on 2-for-5 passing from Mathias.
Stoltzfus had 124 passing yards and a TD on 7-for-17 passing, plus 33 yards and another TD on nine carries for the Braves. Carter led them in rushing with 70 yards on six carries. Tibbins (five carries, 58 yards, TD; two catches, 21 yards) chipped in as well. Vollmer had the high in receiving with 34 yards on three catches. Petersheim grinded out 37 yards on 14 carries.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Kutztown | 14 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 36 |
| Columbia | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Kutztown | Sherry, 17 run (Mathias run) |
| 1 | Kutztown | Sherry, 31 run (pass failed) |
| 2 | Pequea Valley | Patterson, 38 pass from Stoltzfus (Leitch kick) |
| 2 | Kutztown | Sherry, 5 run (Undercuffler pass from Mathias) |
| 3 | Pequea Valley | Tibbins, 9 run (Leitch kick) |
| 3 | Kutztown | Lafferty, 10 run (Lafferty, pass from Mathias) |
| 4 | Kutztown | Ackley, 41 run (run failed) |
| 4 | Pequea Valley | Stoltzfus, 6 run (pass failed) |
Team statistics
| Kutztown | Pequea Valley | |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Rushes-yards | 45-371 | 36-203 |
| Passing yards | 44 | 12 |
| Total yards | 415 | 327 |
| Passes | 2-5 | 7-17 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-55 | 4-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Kutztown: Sherry 13-159, Ackley 19-158, Lafferty 9-58, Mathias 3-(-2), Stoess 1-(-2).
Pequea Valley: Carter 6-70, Tibbins 5-58, Petersheim 14-37, Stoltzfus 9-33, Vollmer 2-5.
PASSING
Kutztown: Mathias 2-5-1–40.
Pequea Valley: Stoltzfus 7-17-1–124.
RECEIVING
Kutztown: Lafferty 1-28, Undercuffler 1-16.
Pequea Valley: Vollmer 3-34, Tibbins 2-21, Patterson 1-38, Deshields 1-31.
INTERCEPTIONS
Kutztown: Lafferty.
