WEST CHESTER, Pa. — The Bloomsburg football team battled through three overtimes in one of the most dramatic games in program history, falling 46–44 to West Chester on Saturday afternoon at John A. Farrell Stadium.

The marathon contest – the longest game ever played by Bloomsburg – saw four lead changes, eight touchdown passes, and a clutch field goal at the end of regulation that kept the Huskies alive. Quarterback KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns, while Declan Clancy (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) added 76 rushing yards and a score. Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy), Justin Wolfe (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area), Gabe Brower (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley), and Alex Achenbach (Tower City, Pa./Williams Valley) all caught touchdown passes for the Huskies, who posted 447 yards of total offense in the loss.

After an early defensive stand, the Golden Rams struck first midway through the opening quarter when quarterback Cooper Jordan connected with Matthew Iuvara on a 22-yard touchdown strike to cap a five-play, 75-yard drive.

Bloomsburg immediately answered. Starting from their own 32, Riley and the offense marched 68 yards in just over five minutes. Running backs Eli Zimmerman (Schnecksville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) and Declan Clancy (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) churned out first downs on the ground before Riley found Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) streaking down the left sideline for a 33-yard touchdown, knotting the game 7-7 late in the first quarter.

West Chester regained the lead early in the second quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jordan to Khalil Owens, but again the Huskies punched back. Riley directed a methodical 10-play, 65-yard march that featured hard running from Zimmerman and Wolfe before Wolfe broke through the line for a four-yard touchdown run, tying the contest 14-14 with 5:33 to go in the half.

A missed field goal attempt by West Chester as time expired in the second quarter sent the two teams into the locker room knotted at 14-14.
The Golden Rams seized momentum in the third quarter, scoring on consecutive drives – first on a one-yard plunge from Future Robertson, then on a four-yard run by Mikhail Johnson to build a 28–14 lead entering the final period.

But Bloomsburg wasn't finished. Early in the fourth, Riley engineered a crisp 10-play, 79-yard drive highlighted by completions to Brower and Griffen-Batchler. Facing a third-and-goal from the 10, Riley fired a dart to Gabe Brower (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) in the back of the end zone to cut the deficit to 28–21 with 11:58 remaining.
Moments later, after a defensive stop, Riley and the Huskies went back to work. On the ensuing possession, Wolfe slipped out of the backfield and hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Riley, his second score of the day, tying the game 28-28 with 5:26 left.

West Chester inched ahead 31-28 on a 34-yard field goal by Rylan Zuk with just over a minute remaining, but Riley delivered once again in the final drive of regulation. Starting at the Bloomsburg 25, he completed passes to Brower and Griffen-Batchler to move deep into Ram territory. With the clock winding down, Riley scrambled to set up kicker Aaron Johnson (Danville, Pa./Danville Area). Johnson's first attempt – what would have been a career-long 47 yarder – fell just short but a roughing the kicker penalty by the Rams gave Bloomsburg and Johnson a second chance. Johnson seized the moment and drilled a 32-yard field goal during the untimed down to force overtime and ignite the Huskies' sideline.

In the first overtime, Clancy burst through a crease on the very first play and sprinted untouched for a 25-yard touchdown, giving Bloomsburg its first lead since the opening quarter. West Chester responded in kind with a two-yard scoring run from Jordan to send the game to double overtime tied 38–38.
The Rams struck first in the second extra frame on a 13-yard touchdown pass, but their two-point attempt failed. Riley then delivered under pressure again, finding Alex Achenbach (Tower City, Pa./Williams Valley) on a 12-yard touchdown to tie it 44-44 after Bloomsburg's conversion also came up short. It was the freshman's first career touchdown catch with the Huskies.

In the third overtime – the first ever played in Bloomsburg football history – West Chester converted its mandatory two-point try on a short pass after another touchdown, edging the Huskies 46–44 in an instant classic.

Riley finished 19-of-36 for 254 yards and four touchdowns. The senior signal caller has gone over 2,000 yards passing for the second-straight season as he sits at 2,004 after today's performance. He now has 6,327 career passing yards and 51 career touchdown passes, which is fifth all-time at Bloomsburg. With his four touchdown throws today, Riley has thrown at least two in five-straight games for the Huskies.

Griffen-Batchler led the receiving corps with 109 yards, while Brower (64 yards), Wolfe (44 yards), and Achenbach (12 yards) each found the end zone. Griffen-Batchler is now at 2,335 career receiving yards and in sole possession of fifth all-time at Bloomsburg. The senior needs just 129 yards to overtake Michael Allen at fourth on the all-time receiving list. The Huskies rushed for 193 yards on 40 carries, paced by Clancy's 76 yards and a 4.8-yard team average.

Defensively, Cole Turner (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) recorded 10 tackles, and Ian Donohue (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) added a sack and two tackles for loss. Bloomsburg dominated time of possession (31:20) and converted 9 of 13 third-down attempts against one of the league's stingiest defenses.

The Huskies return home next Saturday as Bloomsburg plays host to #4 Kutztown for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff from Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium.