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Muncy vs. Halifax

Where: Muncy (9-3) vs. Halifax (10-1) at West Perry High School, tonight, 7 p.m.

Muncy road to states: in District 4, beat Sayre, 19-7 and Canton, 9-7

Muncy PPG–23.0, YPG–316.7; PPA–11.3, YPA–214.3

Muncy facts: The Indians are seeking their first state tournament win and have won two district championships in the last three seasons. They also have won either a district or league championship in each of the last three years. Muncy avenged two regular-season defeats in districts and has allowed just 24 points during a three-game winning streak. The Indians held Sayre to 117 yards in the semifinals and Canton to 101 last Saturday. Muncy also has forced six turnovers in those games, including intercepting two fouth-quarter passes against Canton when it was protecting a two-point fourth-quarter lead. Linebacker Mike Kustanbauter is averaging 15.5 tackles per game and has 330 career tackles. He, Donovan Diehl and Ethan Gush have been making a lot of tackles and a stout defensive line has freed them up to make plays. Players like Dakota Hauesien, Mason Hillman, Coty Steele, Gavyn Eisenhower and Cael Hembury have been outstanding these last three weeks and helped limit Canton to 35 rushing yards on 22 carries. The secondary also has been strong, especially since four-year starting safety Coleman Good returned from injury in Week 10. Good also has given the offense a boost, moving from quarterback to running back and rushing for 178 yards and a touchdown in districts. Freshman Ty Nixon also has run well behind a solid offensive line and Kustanbauter provides tough inside running. Quarterback Kolby Moyer has done a nice job replacing Good at quarterback and made several excellent plays on the run against Canton, some coming on a second-quarter touchdown drive. Senior wide receiver Dylan Wilt has been outstanding, catching 43 passes for 946 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has been a three-way threat, intercepting seven passes and returning a kickoff 74 yards for the game-winning touchdown in a 13-10 victory at Hughesville. Muncy’s nine wins are the program’s most in a season during the 2000s.

Muncy player to watch–Christian Good: The junior wide receiver/cornerback has quietly had an excellent season. Good was at the heart of Muncy’s defensive success against Canton, making good hits, intercepting a pass and blocking a punt out of the end zone for a safety. Good also has developed into an offensive weapon and is second on the team with 29 catches for 331 yards.

Halifax road to states: beat Fairfield, 37-6 in District 3 championship

Halifax PPG–28.2, YPG–310.2; PPA–11.5

Halifax facts: The Wildcats are having the best season in program history and will be playing their first game in two weeks after having last weekend off. Halifax is similar to Muncy defensively, featuring a stingy unit that has held all but one opponent to 19 points or fewer. Halifax started the season 8-0 before losing to Williams Valley, 16-14 in Week 9. It followed that up with a hard-fought 20-16 win against Pine Grove before making quick work of Fairfield in the district championship. Broc Grosser is a likely all-state candidate at either wide receiver, defensive back and is a weapon similar to the one Muncy encountered last week when it played against Canton’s Timmy Ward. Grosser has caught 40 passes for 766 yards and nine touchdowns. He is 37 yards from reaching 2,000 for his career and also has run for 197 yards and three scores. The 6-foot-1 senior is a defensive weapon who has 12 interceptions. Grosser has 21 interceptions in his high school career, including 19 the past two seasons. Quarterback London Johnson is another offensive weapon, throwing for 1,576 yards and just one interception. Halifax has nice offensive balance and three running backs have run for more than 400 yards. Jay Zerby is a 200-pound big-play threat who is averaging 10.6 yards per carry, running for 699 yards and 14 touchdowns. Evan Billow has run for 626 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns. Tyler Berzowski has added 422 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Four players have caught at least 15 passes and Zerby has 16. Dalton Marshall is averaging 9.3 tackles per game and Billow has made 10 tackles for loss. Blake Miller has five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Halifax has 21 interceptions, with Berzowski picking off three. Halifax has made a huge turnaround this season, going from 3-7 to district champions.

Halifax player to watch–Dylan Miller: The senior defensive end is strong off the edge and has a team-high six sacks. He has sacks in five different games and also has forced a fumble.

Winner plays: District 2 champion Lackwanna Trail or District 11 champion Tri-Valley

Outlook: The Indians have embraced an underdog role throughout the postseason, so they should be plenty motivated tonight. Muncy’s line play has been excellent the past two weeks and it will need to be again if Muncy hopes to win its first state tournament game.

–by CHRIS MASSE

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