×

Montoursville dominated meeting of district title contenders

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Montoursville’s Zach Schmalhofer, left, celebrates a touchdown with teammate Dillon Young during a football game at Central Columbia on Friday.

ALMEDIA — Montoursville players intently watched when a local television station broadcast interviews conducted with Central Columbia football players last week. No bold predictions were made, but perception can be everything.

It was not what Central players said. It was how Montoursville perceived the statements. Like Michael Jordan turning innocuous comments into major burns, an already motivated Montoursville team found an extra gear following the interviews.

The Warriors then made their own impressive statement Friday at Blue Jay Stadium. The message was clear: Montoursville has not gone anywhere.

The two-time defending District 4 Class AAA champions put together a dominant all-around performance and ambushed Central, 55-3, in an early-season showdown between district title contenders. A year after graduating some outstanding players, Montoursville appears as strong and driven as ever.

“Those guys are legit, well-coached and a good solid team and seeing those interviews for the preview some of the players were saying, ‘We match up well,’ and our guys didn’t take that very well,” Montoursville coach J.C. Keefer said. “We had a little bit of bulletin board material and there was a little edge going in this week.”

Montoursville gaining extra incentive is like Superman learning he has a hidden power. The Warriors returned a strong core from last year, but both their offensive and defensive lines entered inexperienced. Some pointed at those areas as evidence maybe Montoursville would not be the district’s Class AAA team to beat. So throughout a chaotic offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montoursville kept working.

The Warriors blocked out doubt and remained convinced they would play this season. And given that opportunity, Montoursville is wasting no time quieting the doubters, outscoring Midd-West and Central, 111-10. The Warriors (2-0) outgained Central, 440-54, and allowed just 1 yard per play.

“This whole COVID thing made us just want to work harder in the offseason. I don’t think anybody was doing what we were doing,” linebacker/fullback C.J. Signor said after providing excellent lead blocking and adding a sack against Central. “We were finding a weight room, finding somewhere to get work in all the time. We knew we were going to have some type of season and we were ready for it.”

“They have a little chip on their shoulder because everyone keeps saying we lost everybody and these guys don’t like that,” Keefer said. “They’re here to say, ‘We’re still Montoursville. We’re right here, come play us.’ That’s kind of where our mentality is at. These guys have something to prove.”

Those young offensive and defensive lines have proven a lot the first two weeks. Hunter Hanna, Lane Stutzman, Sam Carson, Thad Anderson and Jeremiah Caseman shined against a strong, experienced Central defensive line with all four starters back, helping Montoursville score on eight of 10 possessions while averaging 10 yards per play. Rocco Pulizzi ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns, Maddix Dalena threw for 137 yards and Dillon Young caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns as Montoursville built a 36-0 lead less than 20 minutes into the game.

Stutzman, Anderson, Gavin Livermore, Jacob Fellinger and Zach Schmalhofer were equally impressive along the defensive line. Central gained just 3 yards on 24 attempts as Montoursville swallowed up ballcarriers and harassed mobile quarterback Garrett McNelis, never letting him scramble. The Blue Jays penetrated the Montoursville 35-yard line just once and the Warriors added three sacks and an interception.

“We lost our whole line last year, so coming in this year we didn’t know if we were going to be as good there,” Signor said. “But as you see, we have it. They’ve all come along together.”

“I think our kids have such a sense of pride about the foundation that has been laid by the guys the last couple years, particularly the last two years because they played with them, that they want to keep it going,” Keefer said. “They want to show everyone that they can keep it going.”

Some great players did graduate. Montoursville’s winning tradition sure didn’t.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today