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Around the area: Week 9

Muncy (6-2) at Sayre (4-4)

Muncy snapped a two-game losing streak last week and put together a strong performance on both sides of the ball in a 50-6 win against CMVT. If the Indians win tonight and Montgomery loses either one of its last two games, they would earn a share of the NTL-II championship. This will a test for Muncy with Sayre fighting for a District 4 Class A playoff berth and winning three of its last four games. The Indians have nearly clinched the second seed for districts and can earn a home semifinal if they win tonight.

The defense continued playing well and has held seven opponents to 18 or fewer points. Linebacker Mike Kustanbauter leads the area in tackles, averaging a whopping 16.1 per game. He also has six tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. Ethan Gush and Donovan Diehl also are good linebackers and are second and third on the team in tackles. Lineman Dakota Hauseien has played well up front and was outstanding against undefeated Canton. Nate Palmatier has a team-high six sacks and Gavyn Eisenhower and Coty Steele both have been coming on strong. The defense also has forced 14 turnovers with Kolby Moyer intercepting three passes.

Moyer has done a nice job replacing injured Coleman Good at quarterback, topping 200 yards in consecutive games. Dylan Wilt has an area-best five 100-yard receiving games and is tied for third in the area in catches while being second in yards. Christian Good is making a nice impact at wide receiver, catching 11 passes and two touchdowns in his last two games. Kustanbauter leads the team in rushing, Ty Nixon is an emerging threat and Paul Pepper topped 100 yards in a Week 2 win at Cowanesque Valley.

Sayre has made a strong turnaround after going 1-9 last season and routed Cowanesque Valley, 46-13 last Saturday. Sayre features a potent passing attack and quarterback Corbin Brown has thrown for 1,004 yards. When Brown was injured against CV, backup Brayden Horton entered and put on a show, completing 6 of 9 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns. Gage Carnike is a big-play receiver and his two catches produced 119 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Miller also topped 100 yards. Both he and Carnrike have combined for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. The defense also has played well, allowing 25 points in Sayre’s last three wins.

Montgomery (3-5) at

Cowanesque Valley (0-8)

A win tonight would give Montgomery a share of its first league championship since 2000. The Red Raiders are undefeated in NTL-II play and would clinch a share of the title with a victory. They can win the crown outright if they win tonight and next week at Bucktail. Montgomery also could take a big step toward securing a second straight District 4 Class A playoff berth if it wins both games. The Raiders struggled against surging Troy, losing 31-14 last week, but put themselves in NTL title position two weeks ago by rallying past Muncy, 15-14 for their first Old Shoe win since 2014.

Running back Hunter Budman went over 1,000 yards for a second straight season a week ago, running for 135 yards and a touchdown. Budman is third among area rushers and is Montgomery’s leading career rusher in the 2000s. Quarterback Brayden Strouse exited the game in the fourth quarter and is questionable to play tonight. Strouse has started three games, but returned for the first time since the opener against Muncy and was fantastic, leading a game-winning 74-yard drive and completing 13 of 20 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Rhyle Strausbaugh and Tyler Shadle have been versatile weapons as well and Gage Yohn completed all six pass attempts for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-6 win at CMVT.

Strausbaugh ignites the defense is closing in on a second straight 100-tackle season. Kade Showers is having a breakout season at linebacker and linemen Brennan Bailey, Dan Beckley and Jacob Gearhart have put together strong performances during the season’s second half.

Cowanesque Valley is hoping to break out tonight against a team it played tough a year ago. CV struggled defensively in last Saturday’s loss to Sayre, but moved the ball well with quarterback Seth Huyler throwing for a career-high 255 yards. Brandon Paul also had a big game, catching five passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Versatile senior Matt Barber has more than 1,600 career rushing yards and 62 catches. He totaled 133 yards and a touchdown while also intercepting a pass in last year’s Montgomery game. Linebacker Cole Gruver sparks the defense and has a shot at a second consecutive 100-tackle season.

Hughesville (0-8) at

Southern Columbia (8-0)

The Spartans face a Hercluean task tonight, playing the Class AA defending state champions who are seeking their 70th straight regular-season win. Hughesville played one of its best games last week in a 35-20 loss to Bloomsburg and progress will have to be measured by something other than the scoreboard or statistics tonight. Southern has been on a different level than usual and is having one of the best seasons in its program’s illustrious history.

Hughesville played Bloomsburg tough last week, erasing a 14-0 second-quarter deficit and twice tying the game, including in the third quarter. Carter Marquardt played his best scholastic game, running for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Jase Wright continued his strong season and also ran for 92 yards while adding a touchdown. Wright has put together an excellent scholastic career and leads the team in both rushing and receiving as well as tackles. Sophomore running back Colton Yocum appears to have a bright future and is second on the team in rushing with 443 yards and two touchdowns. Starting quarterback Jacob Corson returned for the first time since the season opener a week ago and Hughesville gained 261 yards, its most since Week 3.

Southern appears to be steamrolling its way to another state championship and is 39-1 over the last three seasons. The Tigers are outscoring opponents by a 54-9 averaging and thumped Shikellamy, 69-7 a week ago. Junior Julian Fleming is the top wide receiver recruit in the country and already has broken district records for career touchdowns and yards. He has caught a touchdown in seven straight games and is closing in on a second straight 1,000-yard season. Alabama-bound quarterback Stone Hollenbach has been sidelined the past four weeks but Preston Zachman has been outstanding in his place, completing 67 percent of his passes.

Brothers Gaige and Garvin Garcia form a dynamic backfield tandem and have combined for 1,851 total yards and 33 touchdowns. Gaige needs just seven yards to reach 1,000 for a third straight year and Gavin is averaging 11.6 yards per carry with 14 touchdowns in his freshman season. Junior linebacker Cal Haladay ignites the defense and became the program’s all-time leading tackler last week.

Lewisburg (5-3) at Central Columbia (5-3)

This is a big game in the District 4 Class AAA playoff race with the winner all but clinching a first-round home playoff game. Central is third in the standings and Lewisburg is fourth, holding a slight lead on Shamokin, and the top four will host quarterfinals. Both teams are title contenders and this could be a potential playoff preview. Jersey Shore rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Lewisburg, 25-17 last week and Central put together a dominant performance in a 49-0 win at Warrior Run.

Lewisburg had opportunities to open a big first-half lead at Jersey Shore, but lost four turnovers and then wore down late. Sophomore running back Max Moyers continued his strong season, running for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He leads District 4 in both rushing and scoring with 1,409 yards and 21 touchdowns. Quarterback Nick Shedleski is a three-year starter who recently went over 3,000 career yards and he threw for 150 a week ago. Lewisburg is averaging an area-best 357 yards per game.

Freshman Ethan Dominick is an emerging weapon who caught four passes. Coleman Witherite played well on both sides of the ball, catching three passes for 69 yards while providing blanket coverage at cornerback and intercepting two passes. Senior Ronnie Lentz played his best scholastic game and made a career-high 17 tackles while junior lineman Graden Feldman continued coming on strong and made 11 tackles.

Central has won two straight and its losses are to Mount Carmel, Southern Columbia and Danville teams who are a combined 21-3. The Blue Jays held two first-half leads against Southern in Week 5 and were tied at halftime before losing, 54-27. The Blue Jays returned the majority of their starters from last year’s nine-win team that reached the District 4 Class AA semifinals. The offense is diverse, but starts with running back Isaac Gensemer who is closing in on a third straight 1,000-yard season. The senior workhorse needs just 43 yards to reach that milestone and he ran for 207 yards, along with three scores, in last year’s 45-6 win against Lewisburg.

Quarterback Trae Devlin keeps defenses honest and went over 1,000 yards for a second straight season in last week’s win. He threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 Week 6 loss at Danville. Zander Bradley is a big-play receiver who has caught six touchdowns and Jared Verse turned two catches into 128 yards and a touchdown in that Danville game. The defense allows 224 yards per game and held Warrior Run to just 88 a week ago.

Wellsboro (7-1) at Wyalusing (1-7)

The Green Hornets lost their first regular season game since Week 9 of 2015 a week ago when Canton defeated it, 26-16. Wellsboro still can win a share of the NTL-I championship if it wins its last two league games and either North Penn and/or Canton loses one of their last two league games. Wellsboro also can clinch a first-round home District 4 Class AA quarterfinal if it wins tonight.

Wellsboro played terrific defense against Canton, allowing just 171 yards, but turned the ball over five times, had a punt blocked and allowed a kick return for a touchdown. Defensive end Hunter Brown continues his outstanding season and had a sack, along with a team-high nine tackles. Brown and defensive tackle Robert Brown have led the team in tackles in each of the past four years and anchor the area’s third-ranked unit. Tyler Hancock returned from injury and collected a sack in what has been a breakthrough season. The defense also forced 23 turnovers and leads the area in that category for a second straight season. Freshman Isaac Keane has been a weapon in his debut season and intercepted his fourth pass, while Alex Moore picked off a pass in the end zone.

The offense has struggled to find consistency, but running back Aidan Hauser has been sensational. The junior speedster has produced six touchdowns of more than 80 yards, including a 97-yarder against Canton. He is second among District 4 rushers with 1,235 yards and nine touchdowns and is averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Silas Wagaman caught five touchdowns the first four weeks and Tanner Button returned two punts for touchdowns in a Week 2 win against Troy.

Wellsboro has been outstanding in the second half. It rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to take a brief 16-14 lead against Canton and has outscored its last six opponents 136-26 in the second half, coming back from a 21-point deficit in a 35-28 win at Athens.

Wyalusing has lost seven straight and suffered a huge blow when versatile quarterback Shane Fuhrey was injured in Week 4. Fuhrey had run for 491 yards in those first four games and the offense has been lost without him. Running backs Trent Nickeson and Brandon Dake handle most of the offensive touches now, combining for 790 yards and five touchdowns.

Central Mountain (0-8)

at Mifflinburg (2-6)

The Wildcats have the last two weeks to turn their season around and play the spoiler role. Mifflinburg is fighting with two other teams for the final District 4 Class AAA playoff berth and Central Mountain could deal the Wildcats a crushing blow if it wins tonight. The Wildcats end their season next week against rival Jersey Shore and could cost the Bulldogs a share of the HAC-I title if they win that contest.

Central Mountain’s defense has struggled all season, but quarterback Zane Probst and wide receiver Collin Jones have stood out offensively. Probst is second among area passers with 1,320 yards in his first year starting. He threw for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns against Hollidaysburg and opened his season with a 292-yard, 3-touchdown performance at Williamsport. Jones has developed into one of the area’s most dynamic weapons in his first year playing football, ranking second among area receivers in catches (37) and third in yards (756).

Mifflinburg has lost five straight, but trails No. 8 Warrior Run by just a slim margin in the district standings and the top eight teams advance. Quarterback Gary DeGroat Jr. returned at Montoursville last week after missing the previous two games with a concussion and totaled 200 yards while running for a touchdown. DeGroat torched Central Mountain last year’s 35-28 win, throwing for 172 yards and three touchdowns and running for 101 yards and a score. Rylee Stahl is his favorite receiver and the junior is second among District 4 receivers with 43 catches for 506 yards. He also averages a team-high 7.4 tackles per game. Defensive lineman Bryce Koonsman is tough up front and has a team-high 13 tackles for loss.

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