As a three-sport athlete at Nazareth High School, Mason Kuehner was — to some extent — the face of the Blue Eagles athletic program.
While he also played basketball and baseball, Kuehner was mostly known for football, where as a senior in 2023, he led the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference in receiving with 79 receptions — 23 more than the second-place player — and 1,219 yards.
He became Peyton Falzone’s favorite target and was one of the main reasons the Blue Eagles went 12-2 and won the District 11 6A championship. When the season was over, he earned Class 6A all-state honors.
But at Lafayette, Kuehner has had to wait his turn and learn to mix in with a talented receiving corps that had great high school careers in their hometowns.
As a freshman in 2024, Kuehner worked his way up the depth chart and into the lineup. He played all 12 Leopards games, making four starts. He caught 17 passes for 258 yards, including a 69-yard TD reception against Columbia, and returned a punt for a score against Marist. He ended the season 12th in the nation in punt returns, averaging 12.5 yards per return.
Kuehner is more involved and getting more touches this season as a sophomore. In the Leopards’ 3-1 start, he has 11 receptions for 172 yards and has added 17 yards on returns.
“Last year I logged a few starts and made some big plays, but this year I’m more of a consistent player,” Kuehner said. “I don’t come off the field much on offense, and I am more excited to get more touches. I love getting the ball in my hands and being able to do things with it. So I must continue doing what I am doing to help the team. Our offense has been playing well, and I am blessed to be a part of this great offense.”
Senior running back Kente Edwards has been the marquee attraction in the offense with an average of 139.8 yards rushing per game and 13 touchdowns.
The passing attack, triggered by senior quarterback Dean DeNobile, has been more understated but features veterans in senior Elijah Steward and junior Carson Persing. Those two have combined for 31 catches, and tight end Ethan Hosak, an Allentown Central Catholic product, has chipped in six catches.
“Dean’s an experienced quarterback who trusts us as receivers and has a great ability to maneuver in the pocket,” Kuehner said. “He doesn’t get rattled. He doesn’t get happy feet or try to run right away. He steps up in the pocket and knows we’re going to get open for him. And I think our receiving corps is the best in the Patriot League. We may not have the stats right now because we’re running the ball so well, but being able to run the ball as well as we have makes our jobs easier. We’ll go downfield and make blocks to help spring runs. We just want to see this team win and everybody succeed.”
Lafayette coach John Troxell, who loves getting local kids on his roster, is happy to see Kuehner succeed.
“Mason is a great kid who is maturing and working extremely hard,” Troxell said. “He has great ball skills and he’s going to be a big part of what we do here for the next years. I am glad he’s here.”
So is Kuehner, who is happy to be with two of his Nazareth teammates, classmate Sean Kinney and Caleb Newsome, who is trying to make his way as a freshman.
“It was great for me and Kinney to come over here together,” Kuehner said. “Obviously, we had a bunch of offers we could have pursued and gone through, but we didn’t look past Lafayette or Lehigh, for that matter. These are great programs, great academic schools and I am grateful that we made this decision to come here together, and I feel like we’ve both made a great impact on this school, and we’re going to continue to have a great impact over the next few years. We’re blessed to be able to do that.”
Kuehner, Kinney, and all of the Leopards will be home for a 3:30 p.m. game against Princeton.
For local Patriot League football fans, that’s the second game of a local Patriot-Ivy League doubleheader, which starts a few hours and a few miles away at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, where the Mountain Hawks face Penn in a noon kickoff.
Here’s a look at the two matchups:
Princeton (0-1, 0-0) at Lafayette (3-1, 1-0)
Time/place: 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Fisher Stadium, Easton
The storyline: The Leopards are on a three-game winning streak and the offense has put up impressive numbers during the run, averaging 40.1 points per game. The offensive success has been fueled by junior running back Kente Edwards, who has had three straight 100-yard rushing performances. He is coming off a 150-yard, three-touchdown effort against Columbia. Lafayette ran the ball 51 times for 232 yards. Just as impressive against Columbia was the defense, which didn’t allow points in the second half of the 38-14 win and held the Lions to 91 yards rushing. The Tigers opened their season with a 42-25 loss to San Diego. Princeton was outscored 21-0 in the second half. The Tigers lead the all-time series, which began in 1883, 45-5-3. Lafayette, however, won the last meeting, 12-9, at Princeton in 2023.
Players to watch: Lafayette senior quarterback Dean DeNobile was 14-for-17 passing for 166 yards against Columbia, and he surpassed the 5,000-yard career passing yards plateau. Senior receiver Elijah Steward has moved into fifth-place in school history in receptions with 155 and is seventh all-time in receiving yards (1,900 yards). Leopards linebacker Beckham Dee is a transfer from Penn State, where he was a walk-on. He has a team-high 25 tackles. Princeton used two senior quarterbacks against San Diego. Kai Colon was 12 of 18 passing for 196 yards, while Blaine Hipa was 6-for-8 in the air for 87 yards. Hipa started nine games for the Tigers in 2024.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lafayette 28-21
Penn (1-0, 0-0) at Lehigh (4-0, 2-0)
Time/place: 12 noon Saturday at Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem
The storyline: The Mountain Hawks are ranked No. 9 in one national FCS poll and No. 10 in the other and are seeking their first 5-0 start since 2012. Lehigh is coming off a 41-24 win at Bucknell that was 38-10 after thee quarters. The Mountain Hawks are ranked fifth in the country in rushing offense with 234.5 yards per game on the ground. They’re also seventh in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 81.3 yards per game. Junior Luke Yoder and sophomore Jaden Green are both ranked in the top seven in the nation in years per carry. Penn is coming off a season-opening 24-21 win at Stonehill. Penn has a 45-17 advantage in a series that began in 1885. The Quakers have won the last three meetings, including a 20-0 shutout win at Franklin Field in their last meeting in 2021.
Players to watch: Penn’s Jared Richardson, a senior wide receiver from Bethlehem Catholic, returns to the Lehigh Valley. He had five catches for 103 yards against Stonehill, including a 69-yard TD reception. Richardson was a first-team all-Ivy League selection in 2023 when he led the team in receptions (67), receiving yards (788) and receiving touchdowns (8). Last year, he was a second-team all-league selection, catching 46 passes for 684 yards and seven TDs. Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson was 16 of 20 in the air at Bucknell for 171 yards and a TD to Mason Humphrey and didn’t have an interception for the second straight game after throwing three picks in the team’s first two games.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lehigh 30-20
