HS Football: Nativity uses big pass plays to rally past Shenandoah Valley
Nativity quarterback Colt Mason takes the snap as teammate Bentley Werez blocks for him during the Green Wave's game against Tri-Valley on Sept. 12, 2025 (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography).
SHENANDOAH — Momentum was the key Friday night as Nativity rallied in the second half to defeat Shenandoah Valley 14-6 in a Schuylkill-Colonial Blue Division game at Veterans Memorial Stadium, spoiling the Blue Devils’ hopes for their first win of the season on Homecoming night.
After a scoreless first quarter, Shenandoah Valley struck first when Ethan Bench connected with Joel Nunez for a 49-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Momentum briefly shifted to Nativity after a fumbled punt return gave the Green Wave the ball at the 20-yard line, but Shenandoah’s defense held strong with a fourth-and-goal stop to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.
The Blue Devils opened the second half with a drive deep into Nativity territory. Momentum was on their side until a fumble at the 2-yard line was recovered by the Green Wave, turning the game around.
Nativity cashed in quickly as quarterback Colt Mason hit Bentley Werez on a shovel pass that turned into an 80-yard touchdown, giving the Green Wave their first points of the night. Later, after a series of punts by both teams, Nativity struck again as Mason found Werez for a 31-yard touchdown pass to put the Green Wave ahead for good.
Shenandoah Valley made one final push late in the fourth quarter but came up short inside the Nativity 20-yard line as time expired.
Nativity quarterback Colt Mason credited Werez for bouncing back after a tough first half.
“I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but one thing I always do is keep my head up and I make up for it, and he did. I am really proud of him,” Mason said.
Head coach Pat Mason also praised the team’s fight and the impact of the passing game.
“I don’t know if we completed one pass the entire year, and he gets a shovel pass off so he gets credit for that and the other touchdown pass, so he had two touchdown passes, I was shocked,” Pat Mason said.
Nativity (3-3, 2-3 Blue) returns home next week for its Homecoming game against Mahanoy Area (1-5, 1-4 Blue), which is coming off a win over Pine Grove. Shenandoah Valley (0-6, 0-5 Blue) travels to Tri-Valley (4-2, 3-2 Blue) on Friday.
Game Summary
Nativity 14, Shenandoah Valley 6
Nat (3-3, 2-3) 0 0 6 8 — 14
SV (0-6, 0-5) 0 6 0 0 — 6
SV — Nunez 51 pass from Bench (pass failed)
Nat — Werez 80 pass from Mason (run failed)
Nat – Werez 31 pass from Mason (Mason run)
Team Statistics
Nat-SV
First Downs —- 11 9
Rushes-Yards — 36-126 21-41
Passes —- 2-5-0 14-26-0
Passing Yards —- 111 235
Total Yards —- 237 276
Fumbles/Lost —- 1-1 2-2
Penalties — 6-55 8-55
