Battle on Route 219
by Bill Krober

A Beautiful Friday Night would see the Meyersdale Red Raiders travel North on Route 219 just 12 miles where they would meet the Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers in one of Pennsylvania's top rivalries. Before the game would get underway a representative of Snyder of Berlin would present the Berlin School District with a Deed for 11 acres of land in which the School will be adding a facility for a Track team. Snyder of Berlin also gave the School District the land on which sits the new and beautiful Football facility. Also before the game would commence, Berlin would honor two former winning teams. This would be the 1947 team that would finish with a 4 - 3 record and the 1962 team that ended it's season at 7 - 1 - 1. There would be 6 players and 2 cheerleaders on hand to represent the team from 47 and 13 players with 3 cheerleaders representing the team from 62. All on hand were also given a Berlin hat with their name on it and the year that they represented. This game would start out with a scoreless first quarter. Berlin would have several chances to put points up on the board in the first as they would take the ball into the Meyersdale red zone before turning the ball over on downs. The Mountaineers would again turn the ball over at the end of the first quarter on downs in Meyersdale's end of the field. Meyersdale however would put the first points up in the Second Quarter as Quarterback Matt Stahl would connect with Slot End Jeff Miller on an 83 yard pass play. The defender would tip the ball but Miller would be able to catch the pass and sprint to the End Zone. Matt would also show the power he has in his throwing arm as the pass would be thrown at least 40 yards before being caught by Miller. Kicker Jeremy Faidley would add the extra point. The next Red Raider series of downs would not prove to be as successful as Stahl would be intercepted by Berlin's Andy Suttmiller at the Meyersdale 33 yard line. Several Plays later Berlin would score on a 9 yard Brian Frazier run. Kicker Nathan Menhorn would tie the game at 7 on the extra point. The score would remain tied until the half. In the third the Stahl to Miller connection would again prove to be a good one. On Meyersdale's second possession the two would hook up on a 55 yard pass play that would take the ball to the Berlin 1. On first down Stahl would keep the ball and head in for the 6 points. Meyersdale would go for the extra point but the snap to the holder would appear to go wrong and an attempt from 1 to 2 points would fail giving the Red Raiders a 6 point lead. Both defenses would continue to battle into the Fourth Quarter before the next points would be put up. Berlin would next score on a Adam Gessner 18 yard run. Adam would finish up the night with 104 yards on the ground. Menhorn would come in and kick the extra point to put Berlin up by 1. Meyersdale would go on one last drive with just under 2 minutes remaining. With time running out the Red Raiders would be intercepted by Berlin at the 1 yard line ending the contest. Your final would read Berlin Brothersvalley 14 Meyersdale 13.