Loyalsock at Hughesville in tonight's district semis

Article Photos

Stephen Stopper knows all about it. The Loyalsock quarterback has played intense football, basketball and baseball games against Hughesville the last three years, including last year's District 4 Class AA basketball championship.

Bryce Pardoe knows all about it. The Hughesville tight end/linebacker has been on the opposite end in each of those games that were defined by close outcomes and raucous atmospheres. Stopper and Pardoe have played in some of the biggest high school games imaginable, competing for baseball state championships and district and Eastern Region championships in basketball.

Friday night both standout three-sport athletes play the biggest football game of their lives. Make no mistake about thiswhenever Hughesville and Loyalsock play it's a big deal.

When they meet in a district semifinal tonight under the Friday Night lights at Hughesville's Harold L. Sheafer Stadium with a spot in the district final at stake, well, it doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

"It's been real intense and games like this are the most fun to play in. They know us and we know them and when you get on the field it's all about business," Stopper said. "Being part of a rivalry like this is incredible."

So too have been some of the games in this series. Going back to 2002, four games in this annual series have been decided by five points or fewer and several times the outcome has hung in the balance until the final seconds. Loyalsock won the previous playoff game, defeating Hughesville in the 2007 Class AA quarterfinals but the Spartans have won the last two overall, including 21-0 10 weeks ago.

That loss has bothered Loyalsock, which failed to score after moving inside the 40-yard line seven times and the red zone four times, since Week 2 and the Lancers have been eager to get another shot against Hughesville ever since. It looked like that opportunity might come in the quarterfinals, but Loyalsock made a late push to earn the No. 6 seed then pounded No. 3 Danville, 35-3 in last Friday's quarterfinals.

Now that long sought-after opportunity is at hand for a team that has come a long way since September, specifically over the last two weeks when it has won consecutive routs.

"That's what we want. We want to go back there," Loyalsock linebacker/running back Mike Kinney said after a 35-13 playoff-clinching win over Shamokin two weeks ago. "We want to go back there and show them that it was a fluke them beating us."

While Loyalsock is excited about the chance to avenge its previous loss, there has been nothing flukish about what Hughesville has done this season. The No. 2 Spartans (10-1) captured their first Heartland-III championship, going undefeated in league play and have won five straight while overcoming a rash of injuries to players like Andy Laychur, D.J. Foresman and Cody Butler. Hughesville received another scare in last week's 27-14 quarterfinal win over Athens when Butler, a standout running back/safety, sprained his ankle.

Hughesville coach Rick Reichner said he is optimistic Butler will play tonight. Whether he does or not, though, Hughesville is used to dealing with adversity and knows that whatever the situation is, it can find ways to win. The Spartans proved that in Week 8 when they routed defending HAC-III champion Bloomsburg, 41-0 and proved it again last week when, without Butler for most of the final three quarters, they held Athens to four yards over the final 19 minutes and outscored it 13-0 during that time to win their first playoff game since 2002.

"These are the games you like to play, especially with the district playoff ramifications and a spot in the championship," senior linebacker Blaine Johnson said. "Hopefully they bring in the extra bleachers because they're going to need it. You don't get a much better rivalry than Hughesville-Loyalsock, especially in the playoffs."

That is exactly what adds more luster to tonight's game. Both teams are perennial district playoff teams and both have proud traditions. While Hughesville is seeking its first district championship, it is making its fifth straight district appearance. The Lancers captured the 2007 district crown and won the Eastern Conference title last year and are 7-1 in the last three postseasons.

"It's definitely developed into a great rivalry in all the sports between Hughesville and Loyalsock. When you get a chance to play in the regular season and then see each other in the playoffs in football and basketball and other sports, that just adds to it," Reichner said. "It's two quality programs with quality kids that has devleoped into a great friendly rivalry and it's great for high school athletics."

Both Hughesville and Loyalsock entered this season with big expecations. The Spartans returned 18 starters from last year's 8-3 team while Loyalsock hoped to build off the momentum generated from the end of last season when it won its last four games and captured a second straight postseason championship. The Lancers were young in spots, especially along the offensive line, but have come together while beating teams like Southern Columbia, Bloomsburg, and Montoursville.

Still, Loyalsock entered Week 10 needing a win to guarantee its playoff berth. The Lancers responded with one of their best all-around games this season and then played even better against Danville, blasting a team that had won six straight and that had held eight teams to 14 points or fewer. It seems like the Lancers are peaking at the perfect time and tonight they hope to continue doing so.

"If we hold onto our blocks we feel like we have some good running backs and a quarterback that can run around and do a lot of good things," Loyalsock center Brian Losell said. "Our defense has been playing good all year and once the offense has stepped up we've been tough to beat."

So has Hughesville.

The Spartans are allowing fewer than 10 points per game and have been ranked among the district's top offensive teams throughout the year despite having to deal with a series of injuries. The offensive line, which could hold the key to tonight's game, has been outstanding most of the season, helping Hughesville defeat teams like Loyalsock, Lewisburg and Shikellamy, all district semifinalists or finalists. Hughesville held off a spirited Athens upset bid last week and dominated most of the second half.

"Having been there with your backs to the wall and being tested like that prepares you for games like this and that's been key for both teams," Reichner said. "The bottom line is it comes down to who plays well in this game and who limits their mistakes and maybe causes the other team to do some things they don't want to."

When Loyalsock and Hughesville met 10 weeks ago there was no sense of finality following the game. Both teams seemed to understand even back then that they might see each other again. That's the way it works when two proud programs continuously are in the hunt for league and district championships.

That is what makes games like tonight's semifinal so exciting. Fans will pack the stands on both sides of the stadium and likely will see a memorable game. For a high school player, the script could not work out much better.

"It's just going to be an exciting game," Pardoe said. "It's two tough high school teams and everyone is going to come out and play hard."

They always do and that is why these games almost always are great ones.

Tonight could be the best yet.