Around District 11 with Pam and Guy: Kutztown Season Ends at 14-1
Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News, Pennsylvania Colleges, pfn, Playoffs
Guy Smith | December 15, 2025
We thought our football season was over with the PIAA 3A title game after Avonworth defeated the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers. But the Kutztown University Golden Bears won their D2 Super Region for the second time in three years and advanced to the national semifinals.
We still figured our season to be over, as the Golden Bears were ranked third or fourth all season long. But after the four Super Region champs are decided, the NCAA re-seeds the teams and we were happily surprised that based on the formula used, Kutztown was seeded second, meaning they got a semifinal home game for the first time in school history for football. As they say, “It’s Good to be Golden.”
It was a four-sporting event week for us. We are not much for basketball, usually only averaging about three games or so per season. But this year for several reasons, that number is projected to be about 15 games. Our first two games, last Tuesday, were a men’s and women’s double header at Northampton Community College. Just $3 admission for adults included both games. The two could not have been more different. The Spartan women defeated Ocean County College by 50, while the men beat Thaddeus Stevens Tech by a single point after Stevens failed to get a shot off in the final nine seconds while down one point.
We typically gravitate from one quirky sports goal to another. Having seen all 47 District 11 school that offer football play a home game, for this winter, we decided to see the rest of the D11 schools (those that don’t offer football) play basketball. First up was the Moravian Academy Lions last Friday, who lost to Wilson Area. The fun never ends.
Pennsylvania College Teams Still Playing
D1 FCS. Villanova Wildcats (12-2) traveled to Texas to face Tarleton State. Down in the fourth quarter, the Cats scored a TD while shutting out the Texans for a 26-21 win. They advance to the national semifinals against the Illinois State Redbirds (11-4). This is a winnable game for ‘Nova, playing a home game against a team with four losses. We are going to pass on that one, as it’s a 7:30 kickoff in late December, and we were just at Villanova a few weeks ago for the playoffs.
Two PA FBS teams are playing in Opt-Out Bowls.
D1 FBS. University of Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) play East Carolina on December 27 in the Military Bowl in Maryland. Blah. We have been to that bowl three times, in two different stadiums.
D1 FBS. Penn State University Nittany Lions (6-6) play Clemson in the “How the Mighty Have Fallen Bowl,” err, I mean the Pinstripe Bowl, on December 27 in NYC. Been there, done that bowl, too.
D2 Kutztown and D3 Susquehanna both lost and have been eliminated from the playoffs.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13. HARDING UNIVERSITY BISONS (ARKANSAS) @ KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY GOLDEN BEARS. An interesting matchup with both teams entering the game 14-0. Not only have the two teams never played before, but Kutztown had never played a team from the Great American Conference. Kutztown had also never played a team from Arkansas, while Harding had never played a team from Pennsylvania.
This was the second time in three years that the Golden Bears advanced to the national semi-final. Two years ago, they travelled to Colorado to play the Colorado School of Mines and were defeated 35-7. With the home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Kutztown played a school record ten home games this season. Their 14 wins were also a school record. December 13 was the latest in the year the team had ever played in their 109-year history, the game being four days later than the 2023 game in Colorado.
Ticket prices were amazing. For a D2 national semifinal game, general admission was just $10, and Guy qualified for the senior rate of just $5! The stands at the 5,600 seat Andre Reed Stadium were bursting at the proverbial seams with an overflow crowd of 5,856. Guy’s question is: How does the men’s room at an over 5,000 seat venue have just two urinals and two toilets? That is absurd!
Kutztown is also not a place to plan on eating at the game. Their refreshment stand ranks far below every Schuylkill County high school.
The excellent Golden Bears marching band entertained both pre-game and halftime. We were impressed by the support for the Bisons on the visitor side too. Arkansas isn’t just down the road by any means, yet they had a solid core of supporters.
Kutztown and Harding were the only teams in Division II to rank in the top five in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Bisons average 44.7 points per game (third) and give up 9.6 per game (first), while the Golden Bears score 44.0 points per game (fourth) and yield 11.6 per game (second).
The Bears had their work cut out for them as Harding had already broken the NCAA all-time all-division rushing record with 6,308 yards, surpassing the 2023 team’s total of 6,160. The Bisons had run the ball 801 times and averaged 7.9 yards per carry entering the game.
It’s always nice for Pam and Guy to revisit the Kutztown campus, where we both graduated once upon a time long ago. We always get a great parking spot, because we know the lay of the land. We walked past Pam’s dorm on the way to the stadium, and Guy can see his from the seats. We actually overlapped attending the then Kutztown State College for a year but didn’t know each other then.
Unfortunately, it became obvious almost from the start that Kutztown could not stop Harding’s running game. They were a relentless rushing machine. By the time the game was over, Harding had run the ball 47 times and passed just once (a 20-yard completion). They rushed for 389 and had over 400 yards total offense. Harding was very well disciplined, with only a single penalty for five yards. They punted once.
Kutztown lost this game fairly decisively on the scoreboard, but had a number of close plays that did not go their way. An end zone drop on fourth and goal from the five, a doinked kick, an onside kick recovery negated by an offside were just some of the close but no cigar plays. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.
Kutztown won the statistical battle in a number of categories, including first downs, passing yards (obviously), time of possession, and even total offense (453-409). But to be honest, they never were really in the game after the end of the first quarter, at which time the score was only 7-0. The final score was Harding 49 and Kutztown 27. Harding advances to the national championship game against the Ferris State Bulldogs, who easily defeated Newberry, SC.
FROM THE MAILBAG
Dear Guy & Pam: You often mention that there are 47 District 11 high school football teams and that you have been to them all. Sometimes you go to college football games. Do you know how many college teams there are in Pennsylvania? –Sandi E., Tamaqua.
Sandi: Thanks for your message. As far as we can determine, there are 63 teams representing 62 colleges. The Penn Quakers field varsity teams in both D1 FCS and Sprint Football. This tally does not include school JV teams, where statewide info is nigh impossible to obtain.
(3) NCAA D1 FBS (1A). Penn State Nittany Lions, State College (Big 10), Pittsburgh Panthers, Pittsburgh (ACC), Temple Owls, Philadelphia (American)
(9) NCAA D1 FCS (1AA). Bucknell Bison, Lewisburg (Patriot), Duquesne Dukes, Pittsburgh (Atlantic 10), Lafayette Leopards, Easton (Patriot), Lehigh Mountain Hawks, Bethlehem (Patriot), Mercyhurst Lakers, Erie (Northeast), Penn Quakers, Philadelphia (Ivy), Robert Morris Colonials, Moon Township (Horizon), Saint Francis Red Flash, Loretto (Northeast), Villanova Wildcats, Villanova (Big East)
(15) NCAA D2. Bloomsburg Huskies, Bloomsburg (PSAC), California Vulcans, California (PSAC), Clarion Golden Eagles, Clarion (PSAC), East Stroudsburg Warriors, East Stroudsburg (PSAC), Edinboro Fighting Scots, Edinboro (PSAC), Gannon Golden Knights, Erie (PSAC), IUP Crimson Hawks, Indiana (PSAC), Kutztown Golden Bears , Kutztown (PSAC), Lincoln Lions, Chester County (CIAA), Lock Haven Bald Eagles, Lock Haven (PSAC), Millersville Marauders, Millersville (PSAC), Seton Hill Griffins, Greensburg (PSAC), Shippensburg Raiders, Shippensburg (PSAC), Slippery Rock The Rock, Slippery Rock (PSAC), West Chester Golden Rams, West Chester (PSAC)
(28) NCAA D3. Albright Lions, Reading (Commonwealth). Allegheny Gators, Meadville (Presidents), Alvernia Golden Wolves, Reading (Commonwealth), Carnegie Mellon Tartans, Pittsburgh (UAA), Delaware Valley Aggies, Doylestown (Freedom), Dickinson Red Devils, Carlisle (Centennial), Eastern Eagles, Saint David’s (Commonwealth), Franklin & Marshall Diplomats, Lancaster (Centennial), Geneva Golden Tornadoes, Beaver Falls (Presidents). Gettysburg Bulldogs, Gettysburg (Centennial), Grove City Wolverines, Grove City (Presidents), Juniata Eagles, Huntington (Landmark), Keystone Giants, La Plume Township (Independent), Kings Monarchs, Wilkes Barre (Freedom), Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen, Annville (Commonwealth), Lycoming Warriors, Williamsport (Landmark), Misericordia Cougars, Dallas (Freedom), Moravian Greyhounds, Bethlehem (Landmark), Muhlenberg Mules, Allentown (Centennial), Saint Vincent Bearcats, Latrobe (Presidents), Susquehanna River Hawks, Selinsgrove (Landmark), Thiel Tomcats, Greenville (Presidents), Ursinus Bears, Collegeville (Centennial), Washington & Jefferson Presidents, Washington (Presidents), Waynesburg Yellow Jackets, Waynesburg (Presidents), Westminster Titans, New Wilmington (Presidents), Widener Pride, Chester (Commonwealth), Wilkes Colonels, Wilkes Barre (Landmark)
(5) NJCAA. Butler County Community College Grizzlies, Butler; Erie Community College Kats, Erie; Lackawanna College Falcons, Scranton;Thaddeus Stevens College of Tech Bulldogs, Lancaster; Williamson College of the Trades Mechanics, Media
(3) SPRINT FOOTBALL. Chestnut Hill College Griffins, Philadelphia (CSFL), Mansfield Mounties, Mansfield (CSFL), Penn Quakers, Philadelphia (CSFL)
Hey guys: Are there any Division 1 colleges in Pennsylvania that don’t field varsity football teams? –East Side Husky Joe.
Indeed Husky, there are three. Drexel, LaSalle, and Saint Joseph.
Dear Guy & Pam: With Kutztown making it to the semifinal twice in the last three years, I was wondering if any PSAC team ever went all the way and won the national title. –RamNation.
Ram (From West Chester U. we are guessing. You guys have a great band!): No team from the PSAC has ever won the D2 national championship. IUP was there twice and Bloomsburg once, but all lost in the final. Shepherd was also in the game once, before joining the PSAC. They also lost.
Hi guys! You mentioned schools in PIAA District 11 that don’t offer football. Exactly what schools are those? Did any of them ever offer football as a sport? –P.A.G.K.
Dear Knight (from Pen Argyl, we expect): District 11 lists 11 schools as members that do not offer football as a sport. To answer your first question, they are: Bethlehem Christian Panthers, Gillingham Charter Wolfpack, Innovative Arts Academy Cougars, Lehigh Christian Mustangs, Lehigh Valley Academy Jaguars, Lincoln Leadership Lions, Moravian Academy Lions, Notre Dame East Stroudsburg Spartans, Roberto Clemente Charter Pirates, Salem Christian Eagles, Weatherly Wreckers. Note that I could not find any currently active sports teams for the Roberto Clemente Charter School.
The answer to the second question is “Yes.” The Weatherly Wreckers played varsity football during the time that Guy was in high school, in the 1970s and into the 1980s. Their final season was in 1985. We know after that at least for a while they had an agreement that if their students wanted to play football, they could play for another area school. We can’t recall if it was Tamaqua or Jim Thorpe.
Pam & Guy: What was the most recent active District 11 high school football team to discontinue the sport, for any reason? –Coach Beblany
Coach, as mentioned above, Weatherly dropped football after the 1985 season, but the most recent team in the district to discontinue the sport for any reason was the Piux X Royals, who last played in 2014. The reason they discontinued football is because the school itself closed.
They went out with a bang, going 11-3 on the season, winning the All-American Football Conference championship with a perfect record edging out one-loss Nativity BVM. The Royals entered the 1A playoffs defeating Mahanoy Area, Marian Catholic, and Delaware County Christian, before losing to South Williamsport in the quarterfinals. South Williamsport then lost in the semifinal to Bishop Guilfoyle, who went on to win the state title and finish 16-0. Pius X closed and the next year the remaining players were playing for the Notre Dame Green Pond Crusaders, with their Pius X Royals shirts under their Notre Dame jerseys.
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