BERLIN – Berlin Brothersvalley fought a bitter battle against Claysburg-Kimmel for halftime on Friday night at the Snyder of Berlin Sports Complex.
The Mountaineers called on veteran Cooper Huston, who helped build a six-point lead at halftime as Berlin rolled to a 42-14 victory.
“Huston is an absolute horse,” said Berlin coach Doug Paul. “We have an experienced offensive line in front of him.”
Huston managed 22 rushing attempts for 201 yards and three touchdowns – two of them in the second half.
“We started the first quarter with some nerves since it was the first game of the season,” Huston said. “We overcame that in the second half. We faced adversity. God is always on my side.”
“My freshman year, I looked up to all the older guys who ran the ball. I always thought I would make it here, and now we are here.”
Claysburg marched down the field to start the game. However, the Bulldogs were unable to convert a fourth down and lost possession on one attempt.
The Bulldogs got the ball back immediately after a Berlin fumble at the Mountaineer 41-yard line. Mark Lattieri capped the seven-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown run.
Berlin responded and tied the game at 7:7 when veteran signal-caller Mac Foor found teammate Zander Ritenour on the sideline for a 38-yard pass with 1:16 minutes left in the first quarter.
“I’ll tell you what – Mac Foor, tonight – if you can hit that play-action pass after the hard running game, it’s hard to defend,” Paul said.
Berlin took the lead for good with 8:19 minutes left in the second quarter when Huston scored from three yards out. The extra point was worthless. However, Berlin recovered the ensuing kickoff and extended its lead. Senior Haydon Hutzell threw a jet sweep for a 4-yard touchdown.
Claysburg launched an 11-play, 66-yard drive and got within one point by halftime. On third down and goal, quarterback Mason Campagna ran and found the pylon.
At halftime, Berlin led 20:14.
“We faced adversity in a lot of ways in the first half,” Paul said. “But that’s OK. We have to face adversity. At halftime, we said, ‘It was nice to be in a football game.’ Not that I wanted (Claysburg) to score at the end (of the half), but it’s nice to be in a game because that’s what we need to see what we’re about.”
Huston took over in the second half, scoring on a 26-yard run to cap a seven-play, 65-yard opening drive. After a three-and-out, Huston scored on another 5-yard run.
With 7:04 minutes left in the third period, Berlin was leading 35:14.
After another three-and-out for Claysburg, Foor Hutzell delivered the decisive blow with a 19-yard touchdown pass and set the final score.
Foor completed 7 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two scores. He is happy to be back after a year away from the sport.
“It’s great to get back into the swing of things,” Foor said. “We’re all starting to play really well together and play well as a team. We still have a few things to work out. I was a little nervous, but once the nerves wore off before the first game, it was time to play.”
Adam Ripple is the Daily American’s sports editor. Reach him at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
