Around the area: Week 5
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Wyalusing at Montgomery
Montgomery (1-3) played a strong second half against rival Muncy last week and could take some momentum into tonight's game against an evenly matched opponent. The Red Raiders and Wyalusing both are two of the district's younger teams and played a close game last year with the Rams winning, 19-14. Montgomery won its first game two weeks ago against Cowanesque Valley and several players produced strong second halves at Muncy.
Freshman quarterback Parker Persing looked good as Montgomery utilized a short passing game last week and completed 14 of 21 passes. Nevin Beachel ran hard and gained a career-high 92 yards and Caden Finck caught a 13-yard touchdown. Freshman Ethan Tupper caught six passes and sophomore Hayden Wilt added four receptions. Peyton Hartman returned from touchdown and forms a good linebacking combination with all-stater Weston Pick.
Wyalusing has lost two straight since blanking Spencer Van Etten, 14-0, in Week 2. Alex Hunsinger ran for 126 yards on 28 carries in that game and Ayden Hunsinger added 74 yards. Joey Gonsauls returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown against Athens and ran for 106 yards and a touchdown in last week's 44-12.
Central Columbia at
Lewisburg
Lewisburg is hoping to turn things around after three consecutive losses against teams who are a combined 10-2. The Green Dragons (0-4) were seven seconds from victory two weeks ago against Montoursville and lost their opener against Shamokin so their record is a few plays from looking a lot different. Believe it or not, too, this game could have big playoff implications. Eight of the 10 District 4 Class AAA teams qualify for the postseason and Central currently holds the No. 6 seed. Lewisburg could make a major move up from its ninth position with a victory tonight.
Quarterback Wade Young is having a good season and the senior leads the team in rushing and also threw the ball well against Montoursville. He went over 1,000 yards last season and hit Cam Michaels with a touchdown two weeks ago. Quin Michaels returned an interception for a score in that game and Jack Blough added another interception. Blough leads all area tight ends in catches and produced 75 yards against Shamokin.
Central has lost three straight since a thrilling overtime win against Shikellamy in the season opener. The Blue Jays forced overtime with a last-second touchdown in that game and made a game-saving stop on an attempted 2-point conversion of overtime. Greyson Shaud moved to quarterback last week against Montoursville and threw for 171 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Eli Book caught four passes for 94 yards and two scores.
Milton at Holy Redeemer
Milton (3-1) lost its first game a week ago against powerhouse Mount Carmel and is hoping to bounce back Saturday night against an improved Royals team. The Black Panthers are fighting for a home District 4 Class AAAA playoff game and enter the weekend third in the standings, trailing Jersey Shore and Selinsgrove. They played dominant defense the first three weeks, producing two shutouts, and led Mount Carmel at halftime a week ago.
Quarterback Cale Bastian totaled 258 yards against Mount Carmel, running for a career-high 157 yards. Mason Rowe also ran for a 23-yard touchdown. Xzavier Minium is Milton's Swiss Army knife, playing all three skill positions during his scholastic career and scoring as a runner, receiver and defensive back this season. Freshman running back Monty Fisher took a punt back for a touchdown against Midd-West and the defense allowed fewer than 100 yards per game in its first three games.
Holy Redeemer (2-2) is coming off a controversial 22-20 loss at Lake Lehman in which it was penalized 26 times, including getting hit with four unsportmanslike conduct penalties on what it thought was a game-clinching fourth down stop. The Royals (2-2) have made big strides this season, scoring a whopping 123 points in wins against Holy Cross and Tunkhannock. Quarterback Jacob Hunter threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns against Lake Lehman and dangerous receiver Zach Perta caught seven passes for 149 yards and two scores. Webb has thrown for 572 yards this season and Josh Wesneski has run for 202 yars and five touchdowns.
Wellsboro at Towanda
Wellsboro (0-4) is off to its worst start in more than a decade but the record is deceiving in terms of the team's potential. The Hornets have lost three close games in which they either led or were tied at halftime, including one-score losses against Montoursville and Muncy. Their opponents also have been tough and have a combined 13-2 record. Wellsboro still has time to turn things around and reach the postseason for a ninth time in 10 seasons.
Defensive lineman Cameron is having another big season and leads the team with 44 tackles a year after averaging more than 10 per game. Sophomore linebacker Ryder Bowen is coming on strong and made 17 tackles in last week's 23-13 loss against Athens. Hayes Campbell and Joe Brown also added 10 tackles each. Brown leads the area in catches with 19 and quarterback Conner Adams has totaled 562 yards and seven touchdowns. Jack Poirier turned two catches into 138 yards and two touchdowns against Muncy.
Towanda (1-3) has lost three straight since opening the season with an impressive 34-13 win against North Penn-Mansfield. Sophomore running back Rylee Vanderpool ran for a District 4-high 279 yards and two touchdowns that night and quarterback Grady Flynn rushed for three scores.
Bucktail at Sheffield
Bucktail (1-2) will be trying to beat Sheffield for a second time this season after opening the year with a 42-12 win against it. Bucktail has moved the ball well in all three games and is fifth among area teams in yards per game, averaging 338 yards per game. The offensive line has shined and Brody Pentz, Braylon Fantaski and Tanner Pettingill all have more than 220 yards. All three also have produced 100-yard games. Pentz threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in last week's 52-32 loss at Otto-Eldred. He also ran for a career-high 125 yards.
Fantaski is dangerous as a runner or receiver and has hauled in touchdown catches of 90 and 25 yards this season. Brett Mason also caught a 20-yard touchdown last week. The Bucks held Sheffield (0-3) to 193 yards in the first game and Fantaski returned an interception for a touchdown. Bucktail effectively controlled the line and clock that night, rushing for 333 yards. Sheffield's Jeremiah Richardson ran for 91 yards and a touchdown in that game, while quarterback Colby Barr added 40 yards and a touchdown. The Wolverines have been limited to 18 points in their first three games.
Northwest at Warrior Run
Because Warrior Run (0-4) is possibly the district's youngest teams, progress sometimes has to be measured by things other than the scoreboard. And that means last week's loss at Hughesville was a step in the right direction. Warrior Run showed marked defensive improvement, allowing a season-low 216 yards and three offensive touchdowns. Turnovers have been an issue and Warrior Run leads the district with 16, but so many young players are showing promise and getting significant playing time which could pay big dividends down the road.
Sophomore Carter Marr caught five passes for 84 yards against Hughesville and fellow sophomore Colby Lebarron ran for 60 yards and a touchdown. Lebarron is having a strong season and also made a career-high 11 tackles as did freshman Tyler Ulrich. Sophomore Isaiah Betz collected a sack and sophomore Samuel Hall added an interception. Junior quarterback Ryan Newton threw for 126 yards and is pursuing a second straight 1,000-yard season.
Northwest (4-0) is second in the District 4 Class A playoff standings and has been torching opponents with its explosive offense. Quarterback Carter Hontz has thrown for a district-best 13 touchdowns and 941 yards. He also has run for 278 yards and seven touchdowns. Jake Bobersky leads the team in rushing with 297 yards and six touchdowns. Derek Dietz is one of the district's most dangerous receivers and is averaging 38.5 yards per catch, scoring on a 95-yard touchdown. He has totaled 423 yards and seven touchdowns on his 11 catches.
Central Mountain at Shamokin
Central Mountain (0-4) showed defensive improvement last week and intercepted two passes against undefeated Mifflinburg. The Wildcats also are starting to establish themselves more up front and Rocco Serafini has increased his rushing total in each of the last three games. Serafini gained a career-high 160 yards against a Mifflinburg defense which has allowed just 28 points in four games. Junior wide receiver has caught 14 passes and Dominic Longworth and Kevin Grenninger each have had strong receiving games as first-year starting quarterback Brady Myers settles in.
Central Mountain has hurt itself with turnovers, averaging three per game. The defense has played well in losses to Mifflin County and Shikellamy, holding those teams to 37 combined points and Mifflin County to 206 yards.
Shamokin (1-3) has lost three straight games but was two yards from beating Selinsgrove a week ago before falling, 10-7 in overtime when a 20-yard field goal was no good. Shamokin also gave Mifflinburg a battle in Week 3, scoring 14 straight second-half points to tie the game before losing, 35-21. Running back Knowledge Artis-Jones is having a good season and went over 100 yards against Lewisburg in the opener before gouging Mifflinburg for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Central Mountain has won consecutive exciting games against Shamokin, rallying in the second half each time and making a last-second, goal-line stand in a 35-34 win last year.
Cowanesque Valley
at Waverly, New York
CV (0-4) is a young team that is creating some excitement with big plays. The Indians have scored on long touchdowns in three of their four games and sophomore Fletcher Good is having a super season. Good topped 100 yards rushing and receiving last week against South Williamsport and has totaled 534 yards and six touchdowns thus far. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown against Montgomery.
Good forms a strong backfield tandem with fellow sophomore Tim Freeman who ran for 1,136 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. He also threw a touchdown to Good last week. First-time starting quarterback Graham Hess played his best game, completing all five of his passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Waverly is a replacement for Sayre which had more players and similar experience to CV, but yet canceled its varsity season last August 4. Waverly (3-0) has outscored its first three opponents, 118-47, and is coming off a 52-34 win over Newark Valley. Quarterback Joey Tomasso has thrown for 634 yards and six touchdowns and three different running backs have more than 100 yards. Jay Pipher has 18 catches for 343 yards and four touchdowns. Waverly went 10-1 last season.