Penalties, squandered opportunities doom Hamburg in loss to Pequea Valley
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matthew Babiarz — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
| Final | |
| Pequea Valley | 31 |
| Hamburg | 21 |
Lebran Woods ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns to lead Pequea Valley to a 31-21 victory over Hamburg Friday in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 game on Hawk Hill.
In a game featuring two run-heavy offenses, untimely penalties and missed opportunities by the Hawks (1-3, 2-5) proved to be the difference late in the second half.
Pequea Valley (1-2, 3-4) trailed 21-17 midway through the third quarter but scored on drives of 10 plays and 15 plays to complete the comeback.
Hamburg opened the game with an eight-play, 54-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by Isaac McFadden.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Woods, a junior tailback, sprinted 68 yards down the sideline to even the score at 7-7.
The teams traded rushing scores, followed by a 40-yard field goal by Pequea Valley’s Bryce Goodroad to give the Braves a 17-14 halftime lead.
Midway through the third quarter, McFadden notched his third rushing touchdown of the game to give Hamburg a 21-17 lead. The freshman quarterback ran for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
| SECTION 5 | League | Overall |
| Ann.-Cleona | 4-0 | 6-1 |
| Berks Cath. | 3-0 | 4-2 |
| Sch. Valley | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| Columbia | 2-2 | 3-4 |
| Lanc. Cath. | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Hamburg | 1-3 | 2-5 |
| Pequea Valley | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Kutztown | 0-3 | 1-5 |
Pequea Valley and its Wing-T offense controlled the ball for much of the final frame, with drives extended by key personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The Braves took the lead on a Drew Tibbins 2-yard run early in fourth quarter and eventually sealed the win when Woods capped a 15-yard drive with a 2-yard score with 2:24 left to play.
With McFadden out of the game with an injury, Hamburg’s final drive ended when backup quarterback Isaak Stewart threw an interception near midfield.
Sophomore fullback Bryce Schmeck totaled a hard-earned 55 yards rushing on 19 carries for the Hawks; while junior wideout Alex Soto caught seven passes for 48 yards.
Key play of the game
Lebran Woods powered into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 2:24 left to cap a 15-play drive and seal the victory for the Braves.
Star of the game
Lebran Woods ran for 141 yards and averaged 10 yards per carry. He scored on a 68-yard touchdown sprint to even the game at 7-7 after Hamburg’s opening touchdown drive. His speed was the perfect complement to the power running of Pequea’s Drew Tibbins.
Key statistic
Pequea Valley attempted only three passes. Its physical running attack averaged over 5 yards per carry on a whopping 43 attempts.
Quotable
“Isaac McFadden battled his butt off. It’s not gonna (look like) anything impressive in the pass game (statistically) but he made some really big plays with his legs.” — Hamburg coach Tyler Hartranft
Quotable
“We lost that game because we were undisciplined. We were the better team, but they were the more disciplined team. We had three massive penalties, all by seniors.” — Hamburg coach Tyler Hartranft
Up next
Hamburg travels to Leesport next week for the Frost Bowl rivalry game against Schuylkill Valley.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Pequea Valley | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Hamburg | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Hamburg | McFadden, 7 run (Moser kick) | 9:09 |
| 1 | Pequea | Woods, 68 run (Goodroad kick) | 8:58 |
| 1 | Hamburg | McFadden, 8 run (Moser kick) | 3:25 |
| 2 | Pequea | Tibbins, 4 run (Goodroad kick) | 9:23 |
| 2 | Pequea | Goodroad, 40 FG | 5:35 |
| 3 | Hamburg | McFadden, 16 run (Moser kick) | 6:39 |
| 4 | Pequea | Tibbins, 2 run (Goodroad kick) | 10:28 |
| 4 | Pequea | Woods, 2 run (Goodroad kick) | 2:24 |
Team statistics
| PEQUEA VALLEY | HAMBURG | |
| First downs | 11 | 10 |
| Rushes-yards | 43 – 227 | 40-144 |
| Passing yards | 16 | 64 |
| Total yards | 243 | 208 |
| Passes | 2-4-0 | 9-15-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-2 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-19 | 2-37 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-42 | 6-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Pequea Valley: Woods 14-141, Tibbins 22-88, Mowday 5-1, Team 2 (-3).
Hamburg: McFadden 13-91, Schmeck 19-55, Horvath 6-0, Stewart 1-(-2), Johnson 1-0.
PASSING
Pequea Valley: Stoltzfus 2-3-0-16, Tibbins 0-1-0-0.
Hamburg: McFadden 7-12-0-46, Stewart 2-3-1-18.
RECEIVING
Pequea Valley: Blank 1-14, Tibbins 1-2.
Hamburg: Soto 7-48, Horvath 1-11, Schmeck 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS
Pequea Valley: Blank.
