Muhlenberg gets its biggest win ever over rival Moravian
In their 55-0 victory over Greyhounds, No. 15 Mules dominated in every way
The selection show for the NCAA Division III football tournament is set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday online on NCAA. com.
It will have the No. 15 ranked Muhlenberg team watching closely. If the Mules needed something additional to impress the committee to secure a first-round home game, they could send the entire game film from Saturday’s regular-season finale against rival Moravian at Scotty Wood Stadium.
The Mules (9-1 overall, 8-1 Centennial Conference) secured the league title for the third straight year and the automatic berth for the NCAA tourney with a 55-0 rout of the Greyhounds. They actually shared the title with Johns Hopkins, but get the auto-bid because they won the head-to-head matchup with the Blue Jays.
“I think we’ve earned a home game,” said Mules coach Nate Milne who is in his third season as head coach and seventh year overall with the program. “The Centennial Conference is a gauntlet every single year and there are national powers in this league and for us to win it, I think we deserve a home game.”
It was the 69th meeting between the Lehigh Valley’s Division III programs after the teams didn’t play last year and the Mules took a 34-33-2 series lead with its 10th straight victory over Moravian.
Muhlenberg scored the most points it has ever scored in the series, even with taken a knee in the red zone late in the game, and recorded its most lopsided win.
The Greyhounds got an interception from Emmaus High product Chad Newhard on Muhlenberg’s first series, but that was about it for highlights for the Bethlehem program which finished 3-7, 3-5 league.
Senior quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky threw five touchdown passes and ran for another as the Mules racked up a 505-117 advantage in total yards and a 30-5 disparity in first downs.
Allentown Central Catholic product Thomas Murphy caught two TD passes and Notre Dame-Green Pond graduate Mitch Daniel grabbed another from Hnatkowsky, who has 38 TD passes this season after setting the school mark with 46 in 2019 when the Mules reached the national semifinals.
“It’s good to come alive at this point of the season and beat Moravian and I’m just happy we came out here and played as one,” said Murphy, who had five catches for 76 yards. “I’m very happy everyone played super well and I’m proud and grateful for this football team.”
All of the receivers are grateful to have a quarterback like Hnatkowsky, who finished 17-for-25 for 208 yards after shaking off the early interception.
“He has been crushing it this year and in his whole career,” Murphy said. “I don’t think you can ask for anything more.”
Daniel, who had two catches for 28 yards, agreed.
“A lot of the [quarterbacks] I played with at Notre Dame were really good and they would run a lot, and it was a different style over there,” Daniel said. “This is the most unique style of quarterbacks I’ve ever played with. It’s a pro-style approach. He hangs in the pocket and delivers a perfect pass every time. We’re just grateful to be able to have such a great passer back there.”
While Hnatkowsky, a four-year starter, captain and past All-American selection, spread the ball around to five different receivers with his 17 completions, the Mules also ran the ball effectively.
Ethan Brader, who played quarterback on a Colonial League and District 11 title team at Palisades, ran for 85 yards on 13 carries. Rory DeLuca added 129 yards and the Mules totaled 293 yards on the ground, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Considering the first three quarters were played in a driving rainstorm and wind, Milne thought the running game would be essential.
“Even though it’s sunny out now, this was a miserable weather day and we knew we had to run the football,” Milne said after the game. “I was really proud of our offensive line and how they have matured all season. We started five new players on the O-line and they have really come into their own. They’re now one of the strengths of our football team.”
There were no weaknesses to be found for the guys in maroon.
The defense allowed just five completions and 23 yards passing. The Moravian ground game generated just 94 yards and most of them came on one drive against the Mules’ second unit after the game had been decided.
The Greyhounds, who did get three catches for 20 yards from Northwestern Lehigh product Trevor Cunningham, converted just once on 14 third or fourth-down attempts.
Moravian’s only scoring chance came on a drive that consumed most of the third quarter. It ended on a fourth-andgoal from the 1 when Bethlehem Catholic grad Owen Daddona broke through to stop Tamaqua product Nate Boyle for a loss.
“We prepared all week and we’ve been growing a lot as a team lately,” Daddona said. “We’re putting everything together and we’re getting ready for the playoffs.”
What’s the secret to the success of a program that has gone 33-4 under Milne?
“Coach said it’s a player-run program and we do a good job of trying to get guys who fit the mold here,” Daddona said. “It’s a true brotherhood.”
Milne, who succeeded the late Mike Donnelly, deserves his share of the credit for creating an atmosphere that players want to be part of whether they’re from Philadelphia like Hnatkowsky or from the Lehigh Valley like Murphy, Daniel, Daddona and a dozen more on the Mules roster.
“In his first three years, Coach Milne has taken us to the playoffs each year and I think that says enough about him,” Daniel said. “He always has the team prepared. His practices are very structured. That definitely contributes a lot to our success.”
Moravian has even more Lehigh Valley products on its roster than Muhlenberg. Whitehall graduate and senior safety Jackson Buskirk was selected the Greyhounds’ MVP after making a team-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. Newhard chipped in six tackles.