Schuylkill Valley remains unbeaten in Section 5 with Frost Bowl win

By Matt Gaffney Last updated Oct 15, 2023

Schuylkill Valley Panthers hoist the Frost Bowl trophy last season. (Photo by Jeremy Drey)

2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Matt Gaffney — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

Putting together long drives and controlling the clock is a formula that typically wins football games. That was not the case Friday night in Leesport with Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley.

Despite running thirty-one consecutive offensive plays over two possessions in the first half, Hamburg couldn’t capitalize or overcome big plays from Kowen Gerner and Cooper Hohenadel as Schuylkill Valley took home the Frost Bowl trophy with a 28-13 win in a Lancaster-Lebanon Section 5 matchup.

A win in the Frost Bowl is not like other wins, according to Schuylkill Valley coach Bruce Harbach.

“Any time you can beat your rival up the road, it feels good,” said Harbach. “It’s nice to see these kids enjoying themselves. This program has been down for a while and it’s nice to be on the winning track at 7-1.”

Hamburg came away empty-handed two different times in the first half after putting together 18- and 21-play drives. That 21-play drive ended with a Pick Six, followed by a 10-play possession that finally resulted in the Hawks’ first score with less than a minute remaining in the half.

Trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, the Hawks looked to get back in the game behind the running and passing of quarterback Tyler Shuey. They put together a massive 21-play drive that chewed up seven minutes.

Just when Hamburg looked like it was about to cut the Panthers’ lead in half, Hohenadel swung the momentum as he jumped a Shuey pass and returned it 96 yards for a back-breaking touchdown and commanding 20-0 lead.

“I read the quarterback’s eyes,” Hohenadel said. “He was looking at the guy he was throwing the ball to, and I just jumped the route and then I had great blocks on the return. It changed the game and definitely boosted our morale.”

Harbach recognized how important of a play it was.

“You talk about a momentum swing,” said Harbach. “Oh man, that was sweet, but he is a helluva football player.”

Schuylkill Valley’s Cooper Hohenadel , left, and Colby Crills collect the Frost Bowl trophy. (Photo by Jeremy Drey)

The Panthers took advantage of a Hamburg fumble on the opening kickoff, setting Schuylkill Valley up in ideal field position at the 30. Eight plays in Hohenadel scored on a run from 3 yards out.

The Panthers defense forced a Hamburg punt after a three-and-out on the ensuing possession. On the next play, quarterback Logan Nawrocki hit Gerner in stride down the sideline for a 72-yard hookup to give Schuylkill Valley a 14-0 lead just five minutes into the game.

Gerner’s 10th touchdown catch of the season tied the program. Winning, though, not records, is what motivates the 6-1 junior wide receiver.

“I actually wasn’t aware of the record until after the last game,” Gerner said. “The record is there, but I’m just focused on the next couple games. I just want our team to come out with wins at the end of the season.”

Hamburg (1-4, 4-4) didn’t quit. It simply went back to work, putting together a 10-play, 80-yard drive capped off by Shuey’s 4-yard keeper to make the score 20-7 with 37 seconds left in the half.

Harbach and the Panthers were not satisfied with a 13-point lead at the break. They were looking for more.

“The kids say, ‘Coach, let’s take a shot, take a shot’, so we did and we were able to score in 30 seconds,” Harbach said.

Nawrocki looked deep for Gerner, his favorite target, but the ball was off target and appeared to be picked off by Hamburg’s Ethan Horvath. Gerner, though, was having none of it. He ripped the ball away from Horvath and turned a potential turnover into a 50-yard gain, setting up the Panthers with a first down inside the Hamburg 5-yard line.

“The ball was a little bit underthrown,” Gerner said, “and their guy caught it as I was coming back to the ball. I saw the ball in his left arm and just took it from him.”

Two plays later Nawrocki found Dillon Lackner inside the pylon to give Schuylkill Valley a 28-7 with five seconds left in the half.

Gerner finished with eight catches for 188 yards. He also had an interception and a key 26-yard reception on third-and-17 late in the fourth quarter that helped put the win on ice for the Panthers.

“We needed a first down there and were trying not to give them the ball back, so it was a one-on-one match up and I just ran a route that we’ve been practicing all week,” he said.

With the victory, the Panthers (5-0, 7-1) tied the all-time series with the Hawks at 24–24-1 and moved one step closer to its first section championship.

“We are trying to change the mentality and culture of this football program,” explained Harbach. “Now we get to determine our own fate in the next two games. If we win both of them, we’re section champs. Those are words that we’ve never heard here before.”

Shuey, who came into the game as the league’s passing leader, threw for 201 yards and had 52 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.

For Hohenadel and his teammates a win over their top rival is big.

“The Frost Bowl is a game that we always look forward to,” he said. “We’ve loved this game since we were young and small playing against each other. It’s just a great game – we love it.”

Schuylkill Valley’s Kowen Gerner bowls over Ethan Horvath. (Photo by Jeremy Drey)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Hamburg	0	7	6	0	13
Schuylkill Valley	14	14	0	0	28

Scoring summary

1	SV	Hohenadel, 3 run (Wamsher kick)	9:05
1	SV	Gerner, 72 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick)	7:27
2	SV	Hohenadel, 96 interception return (Wamsher kick)	2:51
2	Hamburg	Shuey, 3 run (Blatt kick)	0:38
2	SV	Lackner, 3 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick)	0:06
3	Hamburg	Shuey, 22 run (kick failed)	3:47

Team statistics

	Hamburg	Schuylkill Valley
First downs	18	15
Rushes-yards	35-155	33-112
Passing yards	201	210
Total yards	356	322
Passes	19-39-3	11-23-1
Fumbles-lost	1-1	0-0
Punts-average	3-28.3	4-26.75
Penalties-yards	7-70	5-60