Friday night was the battle to stay out of last place in section 1 of the Berks Football League, but the game turned out to be a thrilling game perfect to end the season. Muhlenberg took on the Reading Red Knights at Shirk Stadium. This game was big for both teams considering the rivalry between these schools.
The excitement started when Frankie German caught an interception sparking the Muhls. The Muhls, twice in the first quarter, faced a fourth down situation. Both times they converted them to keep their drives going.
The Muhls struck first when Tyler Chlebowski kicked a 25 yard field goal to give Muhlenberg the early 3-0 lead. Reading would tie the game up in the second quarter when they kicked a 37 yard field goal. Later in the second quarter, Reading would take the lead on a 57 yard touchdown pass from Darian Hardy to Marcel Stevenson. Muhlenberg immediately responded with their own big touchdown pass when Zach Waltz scored on a 59 yard pass.
Marcel Stevenson burned Muhlenberg’s defense on Reading’s next drive. He ran the ball 67 yards to give the Red Knights a 17-10 lead. Muhlenberg looked poised to score at the end of the quarter. They had the ball on first and goal but quarterback Adam Huber threw an interception in the end zone to end the scoring threat and send Reading into the locker room with the lead.
In the third quarter, Muhlenberg scored first on a nine yard run by Frank German. The extra point was missed, though, making the score 17-16 in favor of Reading. The rest of the third quarter consisted of back and forth football, but no scores until Chlebowski kicked his second field goal of the game to give the Muhls a 19-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Reading got the ball after a fumble by the Muhls with 10:16 left. The Muhls looked to increase their lead to five when they had a field goal opportunity. The Muhls bobbled the snap and could not get the field goal off. Reading used the momentum to drive down the field on a great drive. With 1:42 left, Reading scored on a 21 yard touchdown pass to Stevenson to give Reading the 23-19 lead. The Red Knights decided to go for the two point conversion. They converted, putting them up by six.
If the Muhls wanted to get their second win of the season and get the rivalry game victory, they would need a good drive. It started off with a big return to the 46 yard line. With 1:19 left to go, Adam Huber was sacked causing a thirrd and 18 for the Muhls. The next throw would start the comeback. Senior Blailin Baker caught the next pass for a 44 yard catch and a first down. The Muhlenberg Muhls were still alive. With 43 seconds left, the Muhls scored on an amazing catch by Baker while being triple covered to tie the game. Chlebowski converted the PAT and the Muhls had the lead. Reading could not score as time ran out giving the Muhls the comeback victory. Blailin Baker had five catches for 115 yards and two of his catches were the biggest of the night, making him the star of the game.
Even though the Muhls finished the season 2-8, the victory at Reading Friday night was exciting to watch. The seniors on the team went out winners and the Muhls won for the second straight year in the rivalry game against Reading.
