Saints work overtime to claim first Lancaster-Lebanon championship
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Gross — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
Near the end of a night when room to run was at a premium, Berks Catholic’s Owen Schalk found some.
He sprinted toward it, and his 10-yard touchdown run, in overtime, gave the Saints a 14-7 defeat of Annville-Cleona in a memorable, physical battle at Berks Catholic Friday.
| Final | |
| Berks Catholic | 14 |
| Annville-Cleona | 7 |
It felt like a championship game because it was, for the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 title and the top seed in the upcoming District 3 Class 3A playoffs, which carries with it a first-round bye.
“I thought it was a hell of a game — fun to coach and fun to watch,’’ said Berks Catholic coach Dave Stahler. “Obviously I’m happy for our kids. They worked for it and they deserve it.’’
The Saints were primed for this — it was Homecoming and Senior Night. There was an overflow crowd that tested the parking capacity not only of the school complex but the surrounding neighborhood.
The Dutchmen (6-1, 8-2) came in as the top-ranked team in District 3-A, the Saints (7-0, 8-2) as No. 2.
The difference: Berks Catholic has played a tougher schedule and bombed section opponents by a combined 237-22.
The Dutchmen have won the close ones. They held off Hanover 10-7 in Week 2 when sophomore Danny Shay intercepted a pass in the end zone with three minutes left. In Week 6 they trailed Kutztown 39-35 before Devon Englehart broke off a 46-yard run with 4:10 left.
The next week they stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to hold off Lancaster Catholic 21-20. Last week they came up with a first-half goal-line stand against Schuylkill Valley and held on for a 14-7 win.
Somehow, however, Annville-Cleona was able to do something no one else in the section approached: Slow down the Saints’ Wing-T ground game.
“If we played this team when we played Kutztown (Sept. 27), we would have given up about 6,000 points,’’ said Annville-Cleona coach Matt Gingrich. “We’ve learned a lot about how to defend the Wing-T. The thing that’s really neat is our kids have decided the last eight weeks that we’re going to hit.’’
It was big-boy football, with not just points but first downs and yards contested fiercely.
Annville-Cleona scored first, a 1-yard run by Devon Englehart set up in Logan Rodocha’s interception at the Berks Catholic 35.
Berks Catholic answered with a grinding, 10-play march near the end of the first half and Jeremiah Camara’s 11-yard run.
The first play of the fourth quarter was an Annville-Cleona field-goal attempt that was smothered by Berks Catholic’s Mason Mace.
The last play of regulation was a 48-yard field goal try by Berks Catholic’s Alex Reali that missed.
Just before that, though, the Saints’ offense seemed to be finding itself. It took over at the Berks Catholic 35 with 1:19 left and went 49 yards in five plays, all on the ground. They just ran out of time. The last of them was an 18-yarder by Schalk on a similar play to the one that hit for the winning score.
“We made an adjustment with who our receivers were blocking,’’ Stahler said. “We made that adjustment week-to-week, and we changed it at halftime. That made a difference.’’
| SECTION 5 | League | Overall |
| Berks Catholic | 7-0 | 8-2 |
| Annville-Cleona | 6-1 | 8-2 |
| Lancaster Catholic | 4-3 | 6-4 |
| Schuylkill Valley | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| Columbia | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| Pequea Valley | 1-6 | 3-7 |
| Hamburg | 1-6 | 2-8 |
| Kutztown | 1-6 | 1-9 |
Once it got to overtime, the end was quick. Berks Catholic got the ball first, and Stahler knew what number to call. The play was well-blocked, and Schalk sprinted to the corner of the end zone untouched.
Gingrich said he’d have gone for two if his club scored, but he didn’t get the chance. A John Ditzler-to-Jon Moran pass connection got the Dutchmen to the 2 yard-line but the Saints stuffed a run on third down and a pass into traffic on fourth down fell incomplete.
Both teams are in districts. They could meet again.
“You know, last year, we lost two section games in the last minute,’’ Stahler said. “I felt like we’d be in the mix. The kids worked hard all year to be here, and in a close game, I think that matters.’’
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Final | |
| Annville-Cleona | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Berks Catholic | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Annville-Cleona | Englehart, 1 run (Soliday kick) | 3:21 |
| 2 | Berks Catholic | Camara, 11 run (Reali kick) | 1:57 |
| OT | Berks Catholic | Schalk, 10 run (Reali kick) |
Team statistics
| ANNVILLE | BERKS CATHOLIC | |
| First downs | 8 | 9 |
| Rushes-yards | 34-55 | 38-180 |
| Passing yards | 48 | 30 |
| Total yards | 103 | 210 |
| Passes | 5-5-0 | 4-6-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0 |
| Punts-average | 3-32 | 2-41.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-20 | 2-20 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Annville-Cleona: Englehart 14-30, Navarro 5-26, Moran 4-5, Shay 1-5, Ditzler 5-2, Sellers 5-( -13).
Berks Catholic: Camara 9-70, Gerald 15-56, Schalk 7-38, Koller 3-9, Curley 2-9, Gonzalez 2- (-2).
PASSING
Annville-Cleona: Ditzler 5-5-0– 48.
Berks Catholic: Saupee 4-6-1 –30.
RECEIVING
Annville-Cleona: Moran 3-26, Sellers 1-14. Peters 1-8.
Berks Catholic: Camara 3-12, Desabatino 1-18,
INTERCEPTIONS
Annville-Cleona: Radocha.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Annville-Cleona: Soliday 32.
Berks Catholic: Reali 48.
These photos and others from the game can be purchased from PhilMarPhoto.
