Play after play, Berwick’s defense kept coming.
“They attack, they’re aggressive, and if you’re not productive on first down, they bring it,” Pottsville head coach Tom McGeoy said. “It’s tough to get balls off when you’ve got eight or nine guys coming at you at all times.”
The strategy limited Pottsville’s offensive attack to just 55 yards and allowed the Bulldogs to dominate in a 27-0 victory over the Crimson Tide. The loss was Pottsville’s 13th in a row since the 2013 campaign.
But as in the Tide’s opening loss of the season to Wyomissing, McGeoy said the difference came down to critical mistakes.
“A young sophomore snaps it over a punter’s head. We fumble on a kickoff. Mistakes that a team that’s not scoring a ton of points are tough to overcome,” he said, “especially when you’re going against a defense like Berwick’s.”
But on the other side of the ball, Pottsville tried to match the Bulldogs’ physical effort, and it left an impression.
“Those kids came to play for Pottsville,” Berwick head coach George Curry said from a golf cart provided by Pottsville to take him to and from the locker room.
“Seventeen returning starters, and they played hard,” he said. “We had a couple of linemen out, but those kids played like maniacs.”
Pottsville forced Berwick to punt four times, but the Bulldogs did the same to the Tide seven times.
But Pottsville’s first attempt ended badly when punter Kory Kleckner, standing in his end zone, was forced to leap for the snap. He fell to the ground, giving Berwick a 2-0 lead.
Accepting the free kick, Berwick drove 60 yards to score on Alex Koch’s 1-yard plunge with 49 seconds left in
the first period for an 8-0 lead. The conversion went wide.
From there, the teams went toe--to-toe for the rest of the half with one exception.
That occurred with 6:29 remaining, when Berwick’s Lenny Wyda crossed the goal line to complete a 63-yard touchdown run. Luke Fisher’s kick produced a 15-0 halftime lead.
After Pottsville was forced again to punt after its first possession of the third period, Berwick produced a 17-play drive from its 8-yard line to Pottsville’s 25.
The march ended when the Tide’s Anthony Angelichio sacked quarterback Mike Force on fourth down.
Force was scheduled to share duty with sophomore Jared Marshman at quarteback for Berwick, but Marshman suffered an injury in the first half, leaving Force to play out the game.
“He missed some reads, but he got it done when he had to,” Curry said.
That included Berwick’s second drive of the second half, when Force guided the Bulldogs on a 58-yard scoring march. He ran for one first down, threw for another and then tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Kuchka. The extra-point kick was blocked, keeping Berwick’s lead at 21-0.
The Bulldogs regained the ball two plays later. Berwick’s Trent Kowalski grabbed a fumbled snap and quarterback Eric Wapinsky made a touchdown-saving tackle.
But one play later, Berwick completed the scoring when Kuchka took an end-around left 16 yards to the end zone for the 27-0 lead.
Pottsville was never able to get close to Berwick’s end zone during the entire game.
Of Pottsville’s 55 yards, most came on a 33-yard run by Hunter Futchko with two minutes remaining in the game. That was enough to make him the Tide’s leading rusher.
McGeoy said he was hoping some injured linemen, including starting guard Brent Gauntlett, will return soon to provide a boost to a struggling offense with a trip to unbeaten Blue Mountain next week.
“Our O-line depth is a little thin. The guys are battling, but some of the guys that we were counting on to be backups or starters are out, so it’s tough,” he said.
Game Summary
Berwick (2-0) 8 7 0 12 — 27
Pottsville (0-2) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Ber — Safety, punter downed in end zone
Ber — A. Koch 1 run (kick failed)
Ber — Wyda 63 run (Fisher kick)
Ber — Kuchka 18 pass from Force (kick blocked)
Ber — Kuchka 16 run (run failed)
Berw Potts
First Downs 17 4
Rushes-Yards 47-213 22-30
Passes 10-20-0 4-16-0
Passing Yards 124 25
Total Yards 337 55
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-2
Penalties 9-64 5-65
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Berwick — Wyda 7-82, Hellenthal 10-41, Force 9-41, Cicini 4-17, Kuchka 4-16, Shannon 4-12, A. Koch 3-5, Fisher 1-0, DeValerio 1-0, Marshman 4-(-1). Pottsville — Futchko 3-33, Jacoby 9-29, Murhon 1-2, Timberlake 1-1, Siminitus 1-1, Team 2-(-21), Wapinsky 5-(-14).
PASSING: Berwick — Marshman 4-6-0, 75; Force 6-14-0, 49. Pottsville — Wapinsky 4-16-0, 25.
RECEIVING: Berwick — Harter 3-56, Fisher 3-39, Kuchka 3-33, Morey 1-(-4). Pottsville — Jacoby 2-7, Kor. Kleckner 1-9, Heckler 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS: None.