Annville-Cleona

Football: Dutchmen Hold Off Late Surge to Stay Unbeaten in Section 5

by
Dan Rau
September 29, 2025

The recap was written using information provided by Annville-Cleona student Jackson Hanley, a proud member of student body & serves as the school’s Student Sports Media Director.

Photos provided by Travis Boyd (Real Life Photography)

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For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

After grinding out a road win at Columbia last week, Annville-Cleona entered Friday night’s home matchup with Kutztown looking to stay perfect in Section 5 play. What followed was another heart-pounding battle, with the Dutchmen once again finding a way to finish on top, this time pulling out a 42-39 victory.

The scoring started quickly when quarterback John Ditzler connected with Jonathan Moran on a 45-yard touchdown pass to put Annville ahead early. Kutztown answered, but a goal-line sneak from Lane Peters restored the lead, and the Dutchmen carried a 14-7 advantage into the second quarter.

That’s when things really opened up. After Kutztown evened the score, Yamaliel “Yama” Navarro broke loose for a 45-yard sprint to the end zone. Just moments later, Kutztown struck right back in a sequence that saw three touchdowns scored in just over three minutes. With the game tied late in the half, Moran added another short rushing touchdown, sending Annville into the break up 28-21.

Ditzler extended the margin in the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown toss to Max Ortwein, the first score of the season for the sophomore tight end. But Kutztown didn’t flinch, answering with a kickoff return touchdown and a field goal to make it a 35-31 game heading into the fourth.

For the first time all night, Kutztown surged ahead midway through the final quarter, punching in a touchdown and adding a two-point conversion to go up 39-35. But the Dutchmen responded immediately, as Devon Englehart found daylight and sprinted 45 yards to the house. That proved to be the decisive play, with the Annville defense delivering a clutch stand in the closing minutes to secure the victory.

Head coach Matt Gingrich wasn’t surprised the game came down to the wire.

“As usual, the game with Kutztown came down to the last drive,” Gingrich said. “We got stops when we needed to at the end of the game. We were hot on offense, but we also put the ball on the ground a few times. Honestly, it probably should have been a three- or four-touchdown win, but this matchup always seems to end crazy.”

The Dutchmen piled up nearly 400 yards on the ground, led by Englehart’s 150 yards and two touchdowns. Navarroadded 124 yards and a score, while Moran chipped in with 63 yards and two total touchdowns. Ditzler threw for 68 yards and two touchdowns, spreading scores to both Moran and Ortwein. On the other side of the ball, Englehart also paced the defense with 13 tackles and a forced fumble, while Daniel Shuey, Jaxon Speece, and Hudson Sellers each reached double digits in tackles.

Through all the chaos, one steady presence for Annville was kicker Cian Soliday, who calmly went a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points. His reliability proved crucial in a game where every point mattered.

For Gingrich, the big-picture takeaway was just as important as the narrow escape.
“It’s great to be 5-1. We haven’t been 5-1 in a long time,” he said. “The meat of our schedule is coming up, but with a young team to already have more wins than last year after six games is pretty awesome.”

Annville-Cleona now sits at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Section 5. The Dutchmen return home next Friday to face Lancaster Catholic in another key matchup.

Annville-Cleona 42, Kutztown 39

Annville-Cleona Stats

Passing:

John Ditzler – 2/4, 68 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:

Devon Englehart – 15 carries, 150 yards, 2 TD
Yamaliel Navarro – 11 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD
Jonathan Moran – 7 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
Lane Peters – 2 carries, 7 yards, 1 TD
John Ditzler – 4 carries, 7 yards

Receiving:

Jonathan Moran – 1 reception, 47 yards, 1 TD
Max Ortwein – 1 reception, 21 yards, 1 TD

Defensive Leaders:

Devon Englehart – 13 tackles (8 solo, 5 assists), 1 FF
Daniel Shuey – 11 tackles (6 solo, 5 assists), 1 TFL, 1 sack
Jaxon Speece – 11 tackles (5 solo, 6 assists), 1 TFL
Hudson Sellers – 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assists), 1 TFL, 1 sack
Logan Radocha – 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assists), 1 FR, 1 FF
Jonathan Moran – 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assists)
Luke Wentling – 8 tackles (4 solo, 4 assists), 1 hurry
Jordan Nickens – 8 tackles (4 solo, 4 assists)
Maddox White – 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 assists)
Max Ortwein – 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 assists), 1 hurry
Dan Bright-Walck – 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 assists)
Kaidavin Ginting – 5 tackles (3 solo, 2 assists), 1 TFL, 1 PD
Armani Santos – 4 tackles (2 solo, 2 assists)
Levi Kreider – 3 tackles (2 solo, 1 assist)
Jaylynn Moyer – 3 tackles (3 solo), 1 FF
Dominick Smith – 3 tackles (3 assists)

Scoring:

Devon Englehart – 2 rushing TD (12 pts)
Jonathan Moran – 1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD (12 pts)
Yamaliel Navarro – 1 rushing TD (6 pts)
Lane Peters – 1 rushing TD (6 pts)
Max Ortwein – 1 receiving TD (6 pts)
Cian Soliday – 7 PAT (7 pts)

Special Teams:

Cian Soliday – 7/7 PAT
Jonathan Moran – 5 KR, 150 yards (30.0 avg)
Cory Weiss – 1 KR, 15 yards (15.0 avg)

Full Postgame Thoughts from Coach Gingrich

“As usual, the game with Kutztown came down to the last drive. I think this is five years now that the game’s been decided by a point or a touchdown. We got stops when we needed to at the end of the game. We were hot on offense, but we fumbled three times without anyone causing a fumble. We fumbled. We just dropped balls. So we probably should have won by three or four touchdowns. But once again, this game always is nuts and never ends any other way than by a point here or there.

Yama Navarro had 125 yards rushing. Devo (Englehart) had around the same—150. John Ditzler played most of the game and did really well. Lane Peters came in and had some big plays for us. Max Ortwein scored his first touchdown at tight end.

Overall, we did well. We could have been better. Always close, and it’s great to be 5-1. We haven’t been 5-1 in a long time, but we have a lot of really tough opponents coming up. The meat of our schedule is coming up, but to be 5-1 with a young team and to win more games than we did last year after six games is pretty awesome.”