South Williamsport at Muncy preview
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South PPG--22.7, PPA--12.5; YPG--333.8, YPA--192.2
South facts: One of the area's best small school rivalries is renewed tonight. South and Muncy had played every year during the 2000s until last season when its game was canceled. The home team has won the last two games in this series and the Mounties (4-2) have won three straight to move to No. 4 in the District 4 Class AA playoff standings. The top four teams host quarterfinal games and South has played in five of the last nine championships. South has surrendered more than 20 points just twice and last Saturday's 40-8 win at CMVT was the third time it held an opponent to single digits. Lane Lusk is 117 yards from becoming South's 10th straight 1,000-yard rusher and Clayton Swarthout is seventh among area rushers after scoring on both carries against CMVT and producing 96 yards. Quarterback Landon Lorson has thrown three touchdowns the last two weeks and went over 2,000 career yards last week. The offensive line is all underclassmen, but has helped South average 271 rushing yards per game. Jake Casella and Mickai Welch have had big games the past two weeks and combined for four tackles for loss against CMVT. Lusk and Swarthout are among the team's leading tacklers and Austin Bowersox and Kyle Benson are strong in the middle of the defense. Linebacker Kaiser Kistner intercepted his second pass a week ago and is one of several promising young players South has utilized this season. Fellow sophomore Ryan Casella is an excellent linebacker and offensive lineman who missed most of last week's game with an injury. South is closing in on its 10th straight district playoff berth and is tied with Loyalsock for the area's longest current postseason streak.
South player to watch--Grant Bachman: While South is a run-heavy team, Bachman can make opponents pay when it goes to the air. The team's leading receiver the past two seasons, Bachman is tied for 10th among area receivers in catches and hauled in a 15-yard touchdown last week. He also intercepted a pass and has nine interceptions the past three years.
Muncy PPG--40.8, PPA--13.8; YPG--411.2, YPA--222.5
Muncy facts: Ranked No. 3 in the Class A state rankings, Muncy (5-1) has won five straight games and scored the final 40 points in last week's 40-6 victory at Northwest. Muncy has held four opponents single digits and is undefeated in league play. Linebackers Bailey Hadzinikolov and Jason Shuda are having strong seasons and each was in on 13 tackles against Northwest. Hadzinikolov is seeking his second 100-tackle season in three years and Ty Nixon added nine tackles last week. Ben Robinson put an exclamation point on that win, returning an interception 55 yards for touchdowns. Muncy is the only team averaging more rushing yards per game than South with the rivals being Nos. 1-2 among area teams. Austin Johnson already has tied Lewisburg's Max Moyers for the area freshman touchdown record (12). He and Nixon are both among the area's top 10 rushers and quarterback Branson Eyer has gone over 350 yards. All three gained more than 60 yards last week. Ross Eyer and Chase Crawley each are averaging more than 16 yards per catch and have combined for two touchdowns with Hadzinikolov adding two scores. Branson Eyer leads the area in passer rating and has more topped both 2,500 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing. The junior has not been intercepted this year was 10 for 10 with five touchdowns over a two-week stretch earlier this season. Muncy is second in the district playoff standings, trailing only Canton. All four teams advance to districts and the top two finishers earn semifinal home games, although that hasn't mattered much to Muncy which is 6-0 on the road in districts while winning four championships in five years.
Muncy player to watch--Isaac Harris: The anchor of Muncy's stout offensive line, Harris also is a terrific defensive end who is strong against the run and effectively pursues the passer. The senior leader made nine tackles and added a sack last week. He also made 13 tackles in last year's nailbiter against state champion Steelton-Highspire.
Outlook: These teams share similar hard-nosed mentalities and this will be one of the week's most physical games. Although both teams love pounding the football, look for the winner to be the one which enjoys more aerial success.