Video of Tonnies TD catch | Photo Gallery
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Kutztown University football team withstood a late comeback by Lock Haven University and featured players reaching career milestones in a 38-17 victory on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game at Hubert Jack Stadium.
 
The Golden Bears (3-7, 3-4 PSAC East) opened up a 24-7 lead over the Bald Eagles (3-7, 2-5) midway through the third quarter. Lock Haven scored 10 straight points to cut the lead to 24-17 with 11:27 to play in the game, but Kutztown didn't falter and remained composed as it rattled off the game's final 14 points to secure its second straight victory and third in the last five games.
 
"I thought we did a great job of sticking to the game-plan and making plays down the stretch," head coach Drew Folmar said. "Our defense did a tremendous job of creating some turnovers, and gave us a great opportunity to win."
 
Senior running back Curtis Wortham (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) eclipsed the 2,000-yard rushing mark in the victory. He topped the feat on a 39-yard run up the middle in the fourth quarter. He is the 11th player in school history to rush for 2,000 or more yards as his total sits at 2,014 after his team-high 96-yard effort on Saturday.
 
"I hadn't been tracking my stats for most of the season, but I knew I was getting close these past couple of weeks," Wortham said. "I have to credit the guys I looked up to throughout the years. I need to thank Kendell (Coleman), Josh (Mastromatto), and Robbie (Frey) for taking me under their wing while they were here; they played a great part in this accomplishment."
 
Freshman wide receiver Alex Tonnies (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) hauled in seven catches for a game-high 112 yards and a touchdown. His 49-yard catch-and-run for a score late in the second quarter marked the longest passing play of the season for Kutztown. Tonnies' seven catches improved his season total to 72 for second in school history for single-season receptions. The school-record is 86 by Mark Steinmeyer in 1990.
 
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Luckenbaugh (York, Pa./Dallastown) was effective under center in his third consecutive start. He was 27-for-44 for a career-high 317 yards and four touchdown passes. His offensive line had one of its best games of the season as Kutztown was sacked a season-low one time.
 
Along with Tonnies, Luckenbaugh's top target was Brett Fox (Laureldale, Pa./Muhlenburg). He hauled in seven catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. One of Fox's most significant catches came with Kutztown leading 24-17. On 4th-and-4, Kutztown went for it and saw Fox catch-and-run for a 25-yard touchdown to give the Golden Bears some breathing room and end a potential Bald Eagle comeback.
 
Also hauling in touchdowns were Anthony Kelly (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) and Maciej Mazur (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast (Lackawanna)).
 
Redshirt freshman Darrell Scott (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) carried the ball 11 times for 81 yards and an impressive 7.4 yards-per-carry average.
 
Defensively, Michael Gallagher (Clarksboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and Eric Condron (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) each tallied two tackles for loss as Gallagher led the way with six tackles.
 
On Lock Haven's opening possession of the game, Gallagher sacked and forced a fumble on quarterback Caleb Walton. Zach Greenwald (Gibbstown, N.J./Paulsboro) recovered the fumble at the Lock Haven 17-yard line to give Kutztown great field possession on its first drive of the game.
 
Two plays after a Lock Haven penalty put the Golden Bears inside the 5-yard line, Luckenbaugh connected with Mazur for a three-yard touchdown strike on second-and-goal. Not only was it Mazur's first touchdown catch of the season, it was his first overall catch of the season.
 
Lock Haven intercepted a tipped pass to take over at its own 38-yard line early in the second quarter. After barely converting a 4th-and-1 near midfield, Lock Haven drove 62 yards on 11 plays and scored on a 19-yard run by Brandon Brader to tie the game at 7-7.
 
The Golden Bears took some significant momentum into the locker room. A 49-yard touchdown pass to Tonnies gave Kutztown a 14-7 lead with 1:42 to play in the half. It is Kutztown's longest passing play of the season.
 
On Lock Haven's fourth play on its ensuing drive, Jalen Nieves (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) made a terrific play on the sideline and hauled in his first career interception at the Kutztown 43-yard line.
 
Kutztown went for a 4th-and-4 at Lock Haven's 40-yardline, but was unsuccessful and gave the Bald Eagles a chance with 34 seconds left. Lock Haven connected on a 44-yard strike to get inside the red zone, and drove down the 2-yard line with seven seconds to play. Kutztown's Tyler Pratt (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) and Matt Connors (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) came up big and stopped the rushing attempt at the 1-yard line as Lock Haven came away with no points to end the half.
 
On the opening drive of the second half, Kutztown was forced to punt after a three-and-out, but the punt was fumbled by Lock Haven and recovered at the Lock Haven 10-yardline. Andrew Deutsch (Kutztown, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Kutztown a 17-7 lead just over three minutes into the third quarter.
 
Cody Waltimyer (York, Pa./York Suburban) brought in an interception as Kutztown capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown. Fueled by a 29-yard run by Wortham, the Golden Bears scored on 3rd-and-5 with an 11-yard pass to the back corner of the end zone to Kelly, his third touchdown of the season, to give Kutztown a 24-7 lead.
 
Lock Haven soared back from a 24-7 deficit with 10 unanswered points off a TD pass and a 45-yard field goal to bring the game to 24-17 with 11:23 to play. A poor KU snap on a punt attempt put Lock Haven in great field position that resulted in the long field goal.
 
Kutztown drove 10 plays and 81 yards, capped with Fox's 25-yard touchdown catch on 4th-and-4 to give KU a 31-17 lead with 6:51 to play. Scott closed out the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-2 by Scott with 3:09 to play.
 
"Our confidence is really high right now," Wortham said heading into the team's final game of the season. "We've had a lot of fun on the field these last couple of weeks and we are ready to end our season on a high note on our home field."
 
Lock Haven running back Brandon Brader ran for 101 yards and a touchdown in the setback. Quarterback Caleb Walton completed 12 of his 21 passes and threw two interceptions. His top target was James Wilbern, who had five catches for 96 yards.
 
The Golden Bears look to close their 2013 season on a three-game winning streak when they host Edinboro University on Saturday, Nov. 16 for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. It marks Hall of Fame Day and Community Day for Kutztown University.