Dutchmen stop Kutztown when it counts to reach 5-1
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Philip Glatfelter — LNP/Lancasteronline
ANNVILLE — It was an unlikely stop by Annville-Cleona’s defense that led to a victory Friday night against Kutztown.
| Final | |
| Annville-Cleona | 42 |
| Kutztown | 39 |
While the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 game featured 861 yards of offense, the Dutchmen stopped the Cougars late in the fourth quarter for a 42-39 victory.
The grueling victory kept Annville-Cleona tied for the section league with Berks Catholic, a 55-19 winner over Schuylkill Valley Friday, at 3-0 and 5-1 overall.
“Hey, we’re 5-1; we have not been 5-1 in a long time,” said Annville-Cleona coach Matt Gingrich after the victory. “Every year, (this game is) always within one score. And it did not disappoint, as usual.”
The Dutchmen obviously had trouble stopping one of the league’s most high-powered offenses, as Kutztown (0-3, 1-5) rolled up 427 yards, all on the ground. Mason Sherry, the league’s leading rusher with 747 yards, added 125 and a touchdown, but it was Ian Bahr who led the offense with 245 yards and three scores.
Of course, Annville-Cleona was no slouch on offense, totaling 413 yards rushing and 21 yards through the air, a John Ditzler to Max Ortwein touchdown pass at the 11:04 mark of the fourth quarter that gave A-C a 35-21 lead.
But then came the kickoff.
“I made a bad decision kicking it deep; that was my fault,” said Gingrich.
The touchdown was a 99-yarder, courtesy of Ryan Walters, who also had 54 yards rushing.
Mistakes were costly for both teams. Annville-Cleona fumbled five times, keeping two, and Ditzler threw an interception. Kutztown lost two fumbles and committed seven penalties for 60 yards.
Kutztown got a 43-yard field goal at the 2:54 mark and the go-ahead score on Bahr’s 25-yard run with 5:05 to go.
The Dutchmen scored on two plays, with Devon Englehart racing 46 yards at the 4:10 mark.
Then came the defensive stop.
“When you score that many points both ways, at some point you’ve got to slow down ,” said Gingrich. “Both offenses were struggling at the end to keep it together.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Kutztown | 7 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 39 |
| Annville-Cleona | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Annville-Cleona | Moran, 48 run (Soliday kick) |
| 1 | Kutztown | Bahr, 50 run (Moriarty kick) |
| 1 | Annville-Cleona | Peters, 5 run (Soliday kick) |
| 2 | Kutztown | Sherry, 8 run (Moriarty kick) |
| 2 | Annville-Cleona | Navarro, 38 run (Soliday kick) |
| 2 | Kutztown | Bahr, 54 run (Moriarty kick) |
| 2 | Annville-Cleona | Moran, 5 run (Soliday kick) |
| 3 | Annville-Cleona | Ortwein, 21 pass from Ditzler (Soliday kick) |
| 3 | Kutztown | Walters, 99 kickoff return (Moriarty kick) |
| 3 | Kutztown | Moriarty, 34 field goal |
| 4 | Kutztown | Bahr, 25 run (Stoess run) |
| 4 | Annville-Cleona | Englehart, 54 run (Soliday kick) |
Team statistics
| KUTZTOWN | ANNVILLE-CLEONA | |
| First downs | 20 | 17 |
| Rushes-yards | 54-427 | 42-413 |
| Passing yards | 0 | 21 |
| Total yards | 427 | 434 |
| Passes | 0-4 | 1-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-2 | 5-3 |
| Punts-average | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-60 | 7-42 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Kutztown: Bahr 20-245, Sherry 20-125, Walters 9-54, Stoess 5-3.
Annville-Cleona: Englehart 15-150, Navarro 11-124, Moran 7-63, Peters 2-7, Ditzler 4-7.
PASSING
Kutztown: Stoess 0-4-0–0.
Annville-Cleona: Ditzler 2-4-1–68.
RECEIVING
Annville-Cleona: Moran 1-47, Ortwein 1-21.
