Freddie Retter has started on elite defenses each of his three seasons as an active player on the Kutztown University football team.
The Golden Bears’ current unit has it nearing another PSAC East championship.
Retter, a Quakertown High School graduate, and the Golden Bears roll into Saturday’s home game against East Stroudsburg University one win away from a third straight division title. Kutztown (8-0 overall, 5-0 PSAC East) has yet to be tested this season, with its defense playing a leading role again.
The Golden Bears have allowed 14 or fewer points in all eight of their games. They have allowed one total touchdown in the first three quarters of their five PSAC East games.
That came against Millersville, when they had already opened a 43-0 lead.
“This defense is definitely really good,” Retter, a redshirt junior defensive lineman, said by phone Monday. “We’re still trying to find our stride a little bit. It’s scary to think what we can do when we’re clicking on all cylinders.”
A full-strength Retter is part of Kutztown’s defense unleashing the best version of itself.
He battled a hamstring injury earlier this season but said he feels fresh as November nears.
The potential of a healthy Retter should scare opponents. He had 19 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks over the past two seasons while helping Kutztown win consecutive PSAC championships.
Retter has two tackles for loss but has yet to register a sack since returning to the lineup. Kutztown coach Jim Clements said individual numbers don’t matter to Retter or his fellow defenders.
“Freddie’s the ultimate teammate, the ultimate competitor,” Clements said. “When he’s not out there or he’s been injured, the next guy’s going to step up, but it matters a lot to him. Those times when he wasn’t playing, you can tell he was dying to get out on the field to play.
“He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around. He’s phenomenal.”
Kutztown enters its matchup with ESU riding a 19-game PSAC East winning streak. The Warriors have played the Golden Bears tough twice during that stretch. Kutztown beat ESU 34-27 in 2023 and 27-21 in 2024.
The Golden Bears overcame a 14-point first-quarter deficit in last season’s matchup en route to their 10th straight win over the Warriors. An 11th straight win over ESU would give Kutztown a berth in the PSAC title game for a third straight season and the fifth time in the last six seasons (the 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
“We’re coming out expecting it to be a good, physical game,” Retter said. “We have some spots where we think we can win some matchups.
“But overall, it’s just about playing hard, executing the call, trusting the call when it comes in, and playing together. When we do that, we’re a scary team, and I don’t think there’s a lot of teams in the country that can stop us.”
Bring in the Mules: Muhlenberg entered the AFCA Division III poll this week at No. 25 after beating then-No. 19 Carnegie Mellon 27-23 on Saturday.
Parkland graduate Luke Spang led the comeback victory. The sophomore quarterback threw for a career-high 227 yards and ran for a career-best 49 yards and two touchdowns after replacing injured started Dante Mahaffey (Saucon Valley) in the second quarter.
Spang led three fourth-quarter touchdown drives as the Mules overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit. He was named the Centennial Conference offensive player of the week Monday.
Greyhounds break through: Moravian became the last local team to secure a win this season when it rallied for a 35-28 victory over Western Connecticut State on Saturday.
Sophomore running back Jed Bendekovits (Nazareth) ran for a career-high 105 yards and a touchdown. The Greyhounds (1-7 overall) finished with a season-high 455 yards of total offense.
Moravian has a bye this week before finishing the season with two games in November.
It visits Juniata on Nov. 8 before hosting Susquehanna on Nov. 15.
Looking ahead: Here’s a look at this week’s games.
East Stroudsburg University (6-2 overall, 4-1 PSAC East) at Kutztown (8-0, 5-0)
When: 12 p.m. Saturday
Taking note: Kutztown has scored at least 40 points in six of its eight games. It hasn’t scored fewer than 34 points in a game this season. … ESU is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 185.9 rushing yards per game. … ESU is averaging 74 penalty yards per game, while Kutztown is averaging 49.8.
Johns Hopkins (7-0 overall, 4-0 Centennial Conference) at Muhlenberg (6-1, 3-1)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Taking note: Johns Hopkins is ranked No. 3 in the AFCA Division III football poll. It leads the Centennial Conference in scoring offense (43.3 points per game) and scoring defense (18.3 ppg). … Muhlenberg has held its opponents to 3.0 yards per carry. … Muhlenberg has clinched a winning record for a 15th straight season.
Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.