District 4 Class AAA championship: Montoursville at Danville preview
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NOTES: Tonight at Danville, 7 p.m.
Last game: Danville 35, Montoursville 14, Week 7 of this year
Montoursville PPG--27.4, PPA--18.0; YPG--287, YPA--263.4
Montoursville facts: The more things change, the more they stay the same in District 4 Class AAA. Montoursville and Danville are playing in the championship for a fourth time in six years and for a second straight season. Montoursville defeated Danville in 2016 and 2018 before Danville exacted revenge a year ago, rallying from a 14-point deficit and winning, 31-21. Montoursville is hoping it can make history repeat itself. In 2018, it lost 52-26 at Danville in Week 7 before returning there six weeks later and winning, 32-0. Like that year, Montoursville (7-5) has heated up at the right time, winning four of its last five games after starting 3-4. The Warriors have been hurt by injuries throughout the season but many who missed time earlier this season have returned. That does not include all-state running back Rocco Pulizzi who has topped 1,000 yards the past three years, but who has missed the last three games. He likely will be a game-time decision tonight. Montoursville's defense has come on strong, allowing 14 points or fewer in each of the last four wins. The Warriors bottled up Milton in last week's 17-14 victory and limited it to seven points until late in the game. Linebacker Brayden Brown has been outstanding the last two weeks, making 19 tackles, intercepting a pass, forcing two fumbles, recovering two and adding a sack. Fellow linebackers Dylan Blackwell and Kayden Frame combined for 17 tackles last week and Blaise Alexander has collected three sacks in two playoff wins. Ethan Wanner made eight tackles against Milton and Matthew Conklin added seven after setting the tone in a 48-14 quarterfinal victory against Athens when he returned the game's opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown. Blackwell and Frame have run well in Pulizzi's absence and combined for five touchdowns against Athens. Frame ran for a career-high 82 yards last week and has four touchdowns this postseason. Quarterback Maddix Dalena has thrown touchdown passes in seven straight games, finding James Batkowski for a 57-yarder last week. Isaiah Fenner leads the team with 30 catches for 475 yards. Montoursville is making its fourth straight final appearance and has reached the district championship in the past six tournaments for which it has qualified.
Montoursville player to watch--Gaven Farquharson: The senior lineman has made a big impact this postseason, making eight tackles in each contest while adding three tackles for loss. The 6-feet, 4-inch, 300-pounder made two tackles for loss against Milton as Montoursville neutralized a strong running game and will play a big role tonight against a team coming off a big rushing performance.
Danville PPG--35.2, PPA--21.8; YPG--366.2, YPA--286.5
Danville facts: A year after reaching the state semifinals, Danville is hoping for a repeat after exacting revenge against Loyalsock a week ago. Danville dominated the line on both sides of the ball in that 42-21 victory and looked focused and energized after receiving a first-round bye. The Ironmen (7-4) have played a similar demanding schedule to Montoursville and their three other losses were against District 4 Class AAAA champion Jersey Shore and AA finalists Southern Columbia and Mount Carmel. Danville features a potent offense which received an added boost with the return of quarterback Zach Gordon against Loyalsock. Gordon was among the district's leaders in yards when he suffered a Week 4 injury and missed the rest of the regular season. He is an excellent passer but showed off his legs against Loyalsock, running for 55 yards and four touchdowns. Workhorse running back Ty Stauffer ran for 199 yards and a touchdown, going over 1,300 this season. Stauffer also ran for 118 yards against Montoursville and is the only player to reach 100 yards against Jersey Shore. Danville is 6-1 when he goes over 100 yards. What makes Danville tough to game plan for is it is equally capable of producing big passing performances. Freshman Madden Patrick went over 1,000 yards while replacing Gordon and Gordon averaged nearly 200 yards per game in his first four starts. Carson Persing is No. 3 on the district's all-time receiving yardage record and is just 15 yards from 3,000 despite being just a junior. He also needs a yard to reach 1,000 for a second straight year and caught seven passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in last year's final. Keep an eye on Aaron Johnson, a dual threat who has been a consistent big playmaker whether running or rushing. Linebacker Mason Raup likely will earn all-state honors for a second straight season and averages 11.8 tackles per game, making a district-high 26 tackles for loss. Lineman Jared Kutcher has 15 tackles for loss and Jesse Davis 10. Davis and Cade Cush recovered fumbles against Loyalsock as Danville scored 28 points after the Lancers scored first.
Danville player to watch--Gabe Benjamin: The middle linebacker is averaging more than seven tackles per game for a second straight season and had eight tackles in last year's championship. Benjamin is an active player who is tough against the run and who has 19 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
Winner plays: Either District 12 champion Neumann-Goretti or District 11 champion North Schuylkill
Outlook: Each team has made nice strides since the first meeting, but Montoursville will have to play one of its best games to exact revenge against a team that is just about full strength for the first time since Week 4. The Warriors embraced the underdog role in 2018 and likely are excited about earning this second chance. Expect this game to more resemble the 2020 final than the 2018 one in terms of excitement.
--By CHRIS MASSE