KUTZTOWN, Pa. (Sept. 10) – The No. 17 Vulcans were unable to overcome a trio of fourth-quarter touchdowns on Saturday afternoon while suffering a 24-19 loss at defending-league champion Kutztown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.
With the loss, the California (PA) football team moves to 1-1 this season. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears also sit at 1-1 overall after earning their first conference title in a decade last year.
Senior quarterback
Noah Mitchell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) finished with 235 passing yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-38 attempts with one interception. He completed passes to seven different players in the contest on Saturday. Mitchell now sits only 74 passing yards shy of breaking the all-time school record held for over three decades by Sam Mannery.
Junior wide receiver
JaQuae Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) eclipsed the century mark for a consecutive week, as he posted 110 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven catches. Senior wide receiver
Cam Tarrant (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) finished with five receptions and one touchdown.
The Vulcans held a 13-7 lead at the end of the third quarter before the Golden Bears claimed the lead on a nine-yard touchdown run on third down with 10:41 remaining. The score was setup with Kutztown converting a four-and-sixth at the California 35 yard-line with a 19-yard completion. On their next possession, the Golden Bears stretched the lead to 21-13 with 6:12 left to play on a 42-yard touchdown reception by Jerome Kapp, an All-PSAC East First-Team selection last year. The drive was previously extended due to a pass interference on a third-down incompletion in Kutztown territory.
The Golden Bears then sealed the victory on a 29-yard field goal with 1:07 remaining to cap a 10-play drive that lasted nearly four minutes, 24-13. Cal was able to trim the deficit to 24-19 as time expired when Mitchell found Tarrant for a four-yard touchdown.
Defensively, junior linebacker
Noah Dillow (Alum Bank, Pa./Chestnut Ridge) tied his career high with 13 tackles (three solo) in the loss. Fellow junior
Matt Tobey (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) added 10 stops (three solo) and 1.5 TFL, while brothers
Josh Miller (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) and
Gabe Millers (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) both finished with eight tackles on Saturday.
Kutztown scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the game before Cal responded with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Jackson with 5:13 left in the first quarter, 7-7. Late in the second quarter, the Golden Bears were inside the Cal 10-yard line before sophomore defensive back
Dominic Solomon, Jr. (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) recovered a fumble. The Vulcans were able to convert the turnover into points on a 36-yard field goal by sophomore kicker
Anthony Beitko (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport) as time expired in the first half, 10-7. Cal crossed midfield following back-to-back, 20-yard receptions by Jackson before Mitchell completed an 18-yard pass to sophomore running back
Eric McKan III (Washington, D.C./Bullis (Md.)).
On their first drive of the second half, the Vulcans extended the lead to 13-7 on a 25-yard field goal by Beitko with 6:18 left in the third quarter. Cal converted both a fourth down and a third down on the drive while inside Kutztown territory.
The Vulcans continue PSAC Crossover play on Saturday, Sept. 17, when they travel to face defending-Super Region One Champion and No. 5 Shepherd in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, at 12 p.m.
Notes:
Since 2016, Cal holds a 12-4 record against PSAC Eastern Division teams while members of the league … The Golden Bears have won the last three meetings in the series since the 2016 PSAC Championship, all by seven points or less … McKan led the team with 72 rushing yards on 20 attempts … Kutztown finished with 172 rushing yards on 42 attempts … Beitko has now converted 18-of-19 field goals in his career … The Golden Bears were ranked No. 13 in the preseason AFCA Top 25 poll before suffering a season-opening loss on the road
