Kutztown’s journey to the NCAA Division II football semifinals last season gave defensive tackle Freddie Retter a chance to play against several skilled offensive lines.
The experience he gained during that run has helped him flourish early in his second season as a starter.
Retter, a Quakertown High graduate, has played a leading role for a Golden Bears defense that is wrecking offensive game plans. The redshirt sophomore has 17 total tackles (seven solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries for a unit that has surrendered only 20 points during a 3-0 start.
The Golden Bears will look to stay perfect Saturday when they visit fellow unbeaten East Stroudsburg (3-0) in a matchup of PSAC East contenders. The game will pit strength-on-strength when the Warriors have the ball.
A veteran ESU offensive line has paved the way for the PSAC’s No. 1 rushing offense (216.3 yards per game, 5.6 yards per carry). Kutztown boasts the conference’s top rushing defense, holding foes to 47 rushing yards per game and 1.4 yards per carry.
“Our team is playing together, trusting the call and trusting each other, going out and executing,” Retter said by phone Monday.
“It’s a practicing hard, making sure you’re ready for the game, and going out and performing.
“There’s definitely a lot of room for improvement,” he added. “This group up front can be something special. We’ve been putting in the work all spring, all summer, and camp to hopefully shut down the run and get to the quarterback.”
None of Kutztown’s first three opponents found success blocking the Golden Bears’ D-line. Retter, Jake Davis, Brayden Pohlman and Masen Wilson have served as the primary disruptors, combining for 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
Kutztown hopes to add sophomore Kyree Butler back to that group this week. He had eight tackles in Week 1 but has missed the last two games with an injury.
Kutztown coach Jim Clements would like to have eight players rotating through the defensive line so the Golden Bears can continue attacking opponents for 60 minutes. He also wants Retter on the field as much as possible.
“He’s awesome,” Clements said. “He’s one of our best players. He’s a terror. He’s a leader, he’s physical, he’s fast, his motor does not stop. He’s got a lot of gas in the tank.
“We love him. He’s going to be a problem, I’ll tell you that.”
Like Retter and Kutztown’s defensive line, ESU’s rushing attack has caused problems aplenty through three games. Tyriq Lewis and Tahir Miller have combined for 556 rushing yards while averaging 6.95 yards per carry. The Warriors have run for at least 198 yards in all of their games.
How well the Warriors block this week will go a long way in determining whether they can end their skid against Kutztown. The Golden Bears have won nine straight in the series, including one-score games each of the past three seasons.
They plan to keep a similar defensive approach this time.
“Our plan every week is to go out and just shut down the run, and then go after the quarterback as a D-line and a front seven,” Retter said. “That’s what we’re going with. We’ll make some adjustments to what they do, but overall, we play our game every week and we look to control the outcome of the game as a defense.”
Strong returns: Muhlenberg sophomore Christopher Short was named the Centennial Conference special teams player of the week for a second time in three games. He has 409 kickoff return yards this season, tops among all four NCAA football divisions.
Short averaged 31.5 yards on six kickoff returns in Saturday’s win over The College of New Jersey.
Extra points: Moravian quarterback Jared Jenkins (Freedom) surpassed 4,000 career passing yards with his 191-yard game in Saturday’s loss at Hobart (N.Y.). He is the eighth player in program history to reach that milestone. … Muhlenberg has a bye this week after playing the highest-scoring game in program history, a 55-52 win over The College of New Jersey. The Mules finished with 679 yards of total offense, 11 shy of the school record (690 in 1946).
Here’s a look at this week’s games.
Kutztown (3-0 overall) at East Stroudsburg (3-0)
When: 6:05 p.m. Saturday
Taking note: ESU leads the PSAC in total offense (397 yards per game), while Kutztown tops the conference in total defense (147 yards per game). … ESU’s last victory against the Golden Bears was a 43-26 win Oct. 26, 2013. … The Warriors have committed only one turnover through three games.
Moravian (1-2) at SUNY Morrisville (1-1)
When: noon Saturday.
Taking note: SUNY Morrisville is averaging 206.5 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. … Moravian has committed six fumbles in the last two games, losing them all. … Moravian is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry.
Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.
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