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BERLIN -- The Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers fired off on all cylinders to defeat the 2025 District 6 1A runner-up Juniata Valley Hornets 25-14 on Friday night at Center Rock Inc. Sports Complex.
Berlin made an emphasis on defense to limit the Hornets' star running back Andrew Clark, forcing Juniata Valley to throw the ball with a new freshman quarterback.
"Defensively we knew Clark was a heck of a football player," Berlin coach Dante Paul said. "A lot of emphasis this week trying to limit him. We were able to contain him enough to ultimately get the job done."
Clark still managed to find the end zone twice, coming in the first and fourth quarters on the goal line, but Juniata Valley struggled to move the ball consistently, which gave the Mountaineers plenty of opportunities offensively.
Berlin got so many chances to score from its strong defensive efforts, forcing the Hornets to punt six times. Its offense was powered on the ground with explosive touchdowns from Carter Durst and Jaedon Brown from over 20 yards out.
Play of the game: On the opening kickoff, Berlin forced a fumble and Corbin Kordell recovered it, taking it in for a touchdown.
Player of the game: Durst rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Unsung hero: Jake Philip forced the fumble on the opening kickoff, added a clutch sack setting up Durst's first touchdown, and played a major factor in their run game at left guard.
Most vital statistic: Berlin rushed for 226 yards.
Juniata Valley coach Bill Musser: "You got to come out aggressive and hit first. Obviously, a big play right away put us on our heels and it took us a while to get ourselves back together."
Durst: "Our line was doing pretty good. They do the blocking assignments. They don't care if we have to point out what to do, they are still going to block you as hard as they can. We love to play smash-mouth football. That's how we go and that's just how we are."
Notable: Today was the first start for Juniata Valley freshman quarterback Liam Lightner. He went 7 for 17 with 87 yards.
"I think he showed and proved that he belonged on this football field tonight," Musser said. "As a coaching staff, we need to do a little better job in making sure he's settled and prepared."
Records: Juniata Valley (0-1), Berlin Brothersvalley (1-0)
Next week: Juniata Valley visits Northern Bedford. Berlin Brothersvalley hosts West Branch.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Juniata Valley 7 0 0 7--14
Berlin Brothersvalley 7 6 6 6--25
First Quarter
BB--C. Kordell fumble recovery (Binton kick), 11:49.
JV--A. Clark 2 run (Rodkey kick), 5:46.
Second Quarter
BB--C. Durst (kick blocked), 9:36.
Third Quarter
BB--J. Brown 26 run (2PT failed), 7:28.
Fourth Quarter
BB--Durst 4 run (kick missed), 8:30.
JV--Clark 4 run (Rodkey kick), 4:55.
TEAM STATISTICS JV BB
First downs 6 13
Total Net Yards 158 298
Rushes-yards 23-71 48-234
Passing 87 64
Comp-Att-Int 7-17-1 3-9-0
Punts 6-33.3 5-31
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 5-45 8-71
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Juniata Valley, Clark 18-71, Lightner 4-3, Neri 1-(minus 3), Berlin Brothersvalley, Durst 25-113, Brown 6-51, Kordell 3-19, Hoyman 7-45, B.Janidlo 7-6,
PASSING--Juniata Valley, Lightner 7-17-1-87, Berlin Brothersvalley, B.Janidlo 3-9-0-64.
RECEIVING--Juniata Valley, Norris 2-57, Glenny 2-7, Smith 1-20, Clark 2-3. Berlin Brothersvalley, Shaffer 1-32, R.Janidlo 1-27, Kordell 1-5.