Rotter, Blazers rally but fall short against Buckskins
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
By Andrew Clauser— MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Daniel Boone made a thrilling comeback in the second half but fell short against Conestoga Valley and Jayden Johnson’s four TD’s in a 28-21 non-league loss Friday night at Brazinsky Field in Birdsboro.
The Blazers (0-2) were down 21-7 at the half but came out of the locker room a different team. Senior quarterback Dean Rotter scored his second rushing touchdown after a Buckskins fumble deep in their own territory.
The Blazers defense shut down the Buckskins in the third quarter, limiting them to 59-yards, fueling the comeback.
Late in the third quarter Rotter led a gutsy 11-play drive capped off by a 2-yard plunge by Connor Reed on fourth-and-goal at the 2, tying the game at 21-21 with 8:23 left. However, the excitement would be short-lived.
The story of the night were the big plays from Conestoga Valley H-back Jayden Johnson who was responsible for all four of the Buckskin touchdowns (53, 44, 44, and 79-yards). The backbreaker was a 79-yard run two plays after the Blazers tied the game.
Rotter engineered another 11-play drive late in the fourth but a costly fumble gave the Buckskins the ball with little time left.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Conestoga Valley | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Daniel Boone | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 53 run(Showvaker kick) | 8:10 |
| 2 | Daniel Boone | Rotter, 1 run(Aidukas kick) | 5:24 |
| 2 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 44 run(kick failed) | 2:21 |
| 2 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 44 pass from Cheek (Johnson run) | 0:57 |
| 3 | Daniel Boone | Rotter, 1 run(Aidukas kick) | 10:12 |
| 4 | Daniel Boone | Reed, 3 run(Aidukas kick) | 8:23 |
| 4 | Conestoga Valley | Johnson, 79 run(Showvaker kick) | 7:25 |
Team statistics
| Conestoga Valley | Daniel Boone | |
| First downs | 8 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 35-252 | 44-167 |
| Passing yards | 103 | 147 |
| Total yards | 355 | 314 |
| Passes | 4-12-0 | 12-23-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-2 | 2-2 |
| Punts-average | 2-24 | 5-23 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-45 | 5-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Conestoga Valley: Johnson 12-234, Mobley 11-30, Stoltzfoos 1-2, Garcia 1-0, Daniels 1-(-1), Cheek 9-(-13).
Daniel Boone: Moyer 10-71, Rotter 20-41, High 2-26, Reed 9-24, Heffner 1-3, Kryman 1-1, Lacey 1-1.
PASSING
Conestoga Valley: Cheek 4-12-0–103.
Daniel Boone: Rotter 12-23-1–147.
RECEIVING
Conestoga Valley: Johnson 1-44, Jankowski 1-31, Stoltzfoos 1-14, Epstein 1-14.
Daniel Boone: Kryman 7-95, Heffner 3-35, High 1-10, DiGiacomo 1-7.
INTERCEPTIONS
Conestoga Valley: Garcia.
