Young Muhls fall in OT against Octorara
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
The biggest question coming into the season for Muhlenberg was how it would replace its top player and all-league running back from last season, Gio Cavanna.
Talented, albeit mostly young skill players returned — including versatile sophomore Michael Miller — and junior quarterback Aaden Lopez was handed the keys to the offense, which head coach John Lorchak decided to switch to the Spread.
The Muhls showed flashes of explosive potential Friday, but mistakes that can be attributed to inexperience were ultimately the difference in a 15-7 overtime loss to Octorara in Laureldale.
“For the spread to work I think we need to get a little bit more effective running the ball,” Lorchak said. “We just have to get some more reps when it comes to throwing it and work on making sure our receivers are making their sight adjustments.”
The Muhls averaged less than 3 yards per rush Friday and had multiple incompletions due to timing being slightly off, but Lopez (responsible for 153 yards), Miller (57 all-purpose yards and a touchdown), and senior Kyle Archie — one of only two senior starters on offense — showed the athleticism to confirm what Lorchak saw during the offseason.
Unfortunately, it seemed like every time the Muhls would get an explosive positive play, they’d get an equally negative play to counteract on the same drive.
Untimely penalties and mistakes also didn’t help, such as an illegal block on Archie’s 100-yard opening kickoff return that nullified the score and brought the ball back to the Muhls’ 15; an offside penalty on the PAT in overtime that allowed the Braves to sneak in for the two-point conversion; and a lost fumble to end the game.
“This is mostly a junior and sophomore team,” Lorchak said. “We have a lot of young kids playing.”
Muhlenberg continued to fight and never showed poor body language; that’s a good sign as the young Muhls work out the kinks to prepare for play in a tough Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2.
Running back Colton Focht scored the first touchdown on the Braves’ first drive on an 8-yard run with 5:40 left in the first quarter and the Muhls buckled down on defense.
Octorara only gained 161 total yards — 17 less than Muhlenberg — and averaged only 3.3 yards per carry.
“Our defense definitely stepped it up compared to defenses in the past,” Lorchak said. “We were basically facing two offenses as they were running the Veer and then going into the Spread. We had built in checks but the players were able to adjust on the field. They did a great job with that.”
The Muhls forced Octorara into two punts and a turnover on downs after a sack by Robert Mogel, who had two sacks on the day, before embarking on a 66-yard drive that Miller finished with an 8-yard touchdown run off a pitch with 3:30 left in the third quarter.
Sophomore Josiah Urbaez recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter as the defense continued to stymie the Braves attack; the offense just never started clicking.
Muhlenberg decided to kneel with its punter on fourth down to run the clock out in regulation and go to overtime, but the Braves were awarded two seconds and a chance at a 41-yard field goal, which doinked off the crossbar.
Octorara quarterback and linebacker Braeden Wood ran for 9 yards, pounded in a quarterback sneak for the go-ahead score, then converted the two-point conversion on another sneak after Muhlenberg jumped offside in overtime.
The Muhls got to the 2-yard line before the lost fumble, which Wood also recovered.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Final | |
| Octorara | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Muhlenberg | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Octorara | Focht, 8 run (Kurtz kick) | 5:40 |
| 3 | Muhlenberg | Miller, 8 run (Madueno kick) | 3:30 |
| OT | Octorara | Wood, 1 run (Wood run) | —- |
Team statistics
| Octorara | Muhlenberg | |
| First downs | 8 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-127 | 34-79 |
| Passing yards | 34 | 99 |
| Total yards | 161 | 178 |
| Passes | 3-10-1 | 14-27-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 4-28.3 | 4-23.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 9-53 | 5-32 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Octorara: Murray 10-48, Stoltzfus 6-26, Wood 12-22, Focht 4-16, Kurtz 6-9, Mastrippolito 1-6.
Muhlenberg: Lopez 11-56, Miller 10-29, Torok 4-11, Clemison 2-5, Ortiz 3-1, Colon 2-0, Team 2-(-23).
PASSING
Octorara: Wood 3-10-1–34.
Muhlenberg: Lopez 14-27-0–99.
RECEIVING
Octorara: Mallon 2-34, Kurtz 1-0.
Muhlenberg: Archie 5-35, Miller 4-28, Dodson 4-24, Madueno 1-12.
INTERCEPTIONS
Muhlenberg: Urbaez.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Octorara: Kurtz 31, 41.
