Amid the backdrop of banners, decked out cars and the gala of Homecoming, the young Kutztown Cougars came up short against Berks rival Wyomissing.
The Spartans jumped out to an early lead from two touchdown passes and two punt returns in the first half while the Cougars put together a long touchdown pass topped with a two point conversion in the fourth quarter to finish the game 48-8.
The loss brings the Cougars to 0-3 in divisional league play, while Wyomissing continues to soldier through Berks Football League Section 2 tied with Berks Catholic at the top.
The Cougars moved the ball on several possessions but weren’t able to capitalize on the chances the Spartans defense offered up. Senior Zack Mickey and Braydon Eck both took snaps from center in an attempt to get more offensive yardage. The Cougars sole touchdown came from a long 63 yard pass from Eck to Drew Miller. The Cougars were successful in their two point conversion with a pass from Miller to Nolan Prevoznik. Oscar Kelchner continues his rushing tallies with 13 carries for 88 yards.
Homecoming for Kutztown Area High School, at halftime, several of the King and Queen nominations proceeded on the track at Cougar Field in celebration. In the end, the Cougars own Kody Reichart and Hannah Elise Burleigh were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.
Beth Reichart said after the crowning, “It’s Kody being Kody. Kody was waving and Hannah had her princess wave going.”
Kody had his own take on the evening.
“I don’t have much to say about the game on Friday. While the score may not have showed it, I know that my teammates pushed with all they had and that’s all we can ask of each other. As most have seen, we are determined to get a win and for the guys who have stuck with it through this, it shows that we are all playing for the love of the game. As for being nominated homecoming king, I want to thank every person who voted for Hannah as Queen and I as King. Hannah and I are extremely happy we got the opportunity to share in this experience with our amazing friends at KAHS.” Hannah noted “Just shows our different personalities.”
Kutztown Head Football Coach Matt Hoffert said after the game, “Wyomissing continues to be the great program they’ve been for as long as I can remember. In order for our young team and program to continue heading in the right direction, we need to keep working on the little things. Every step and decision we make on the field is very important to our success. We need to continue working hard to get better at those things, one step at a time and one day at a time.”
The Cougars are on the road this week at Annville-Cleona at 7 p.m. This will be the first time these two teams have played. The schools are evenly matched with size and experience. Annville-Cleona has a win against Hamburg and a loss against Schuylkill Valley this season.
