Cross-Town Clash
- © Keystone Sports Extra
- Sep 6
- 2 min read
Allentown, PA - September 5, 2025: Muhlenberg College rushed for 204 yards and intercepted three passes in defeating cross-town rival Moravian College 38-19 Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
Muhlenberg won the coin toss and elected to defer. Moravian took the opening kickoff but on their second play from scrimmage, QB Jared Jenkins threw his first of three interceptions in the opening quarter. Muhlenberg’s Jake Saus read the quick pass in the flat perfectly, stepping in front of the receiver. Saus returned it 26-yards for the touchdown. Nicholas D’Amico added the point after and in seconds, Muhlenberg was up 7-0.
The teams exchanged punts on their next possession. Moravian, back on offense, turned the ball over again, this time Muhlenberg’s Aaron Sylvester intercepted an overthrown pass by Jenkins. Sylvester returned it 17 yards to set up the Muhlenberg offense. However, Muhlenberg could not convert and had to punt the ball to Moravian.
Moravian’s troubles continued when Sylvester intercepted his second pass of the game off Jenkins, returning it 25 yards to the Moravian 15-yard line. The Moravian defense stepped up again and stopped Muhlenberg. D’Amico came in and hit a 28-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
Moravian finally responded on their next possession. The Greyhounds drove down the field and scored when receiver Camron Tinajero caught a 6-yard pass from Jenkins for the touchdown. Jack Corrigan added the PAT (10-7).
In the second quarter, Muhlenberg put together a drive, going 30-yards in 4 plays. Quarterback Dante Mahaffey (Saucon Valley High School) completed a 10-yard pass to Caleb Pasols for the touchdown (17-7).
Moravian fought back and scored on a 65-yard drive of their own. Jenkins hit Avery Koser on a 31-yard touchdown pass and the Greyhounds pulled within four (17-13). Corrigan missed the point after attempt.
In the second half, Muhlenberg took control of the game. The Mules scored three times on the ground. Mahaffey scored on a 19-yard run in the third, Matthew Manning scored on a 1-yard run in the third, and Isaac Shaffer scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth. Mahaffey finished the game with 74 yards on 9 carries while Schaffer finished with 50 yards on 8 carries. Matthew Manning added 44 yards on 7 carries for the Mules.
Moravian would add a touchdown in the third when Jenkins hit his favorite target, Koser, on a 3-yard reception for a touchdown. The Corrigan point after attempt would once again fail. Jenkins finished the game with a leading 238 yards in passing and 3 touchdowns, but the 3 INT’s would be a key factor in the loss. Koser led all receivers with 89 yards on 5 catches and 2 touchdowns.
On the defensive side for Muhlenberg, Thomas Cerruti had 8 tackles, CJ Newman had 7 tackles, and Jeffrey Lopez had 6 tackles. Moravian’s Aidan Lane and Malachi McNeil both had 6 tackles each.
