RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montgomery has won three straight games and is looking to make it four in a row to close out the regular season as the Red Raiders travel to Cowanesque Valley.

Montgomery PPG–29.4, PPA–16.9, YPG–322.3, YPA–212.1

Montgomery notes: Montgomery is enjoying its best season in more than two decades and will try building momentum for the playoffs Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders (6-3) have won six of their last seven games, including three straight, all via mercy rule.

Montgomery defeated South Williamsport for the first time since 2009 last week and strong line play on both sides of the ball made a huge difference. The offensive line has helped Coy Bryson run for 1,244 yards and 14 touchdowns. Bryson ran for 228 yards and three scores against South, doing so on just 14 carries. Quarterback Parker Persing ran for two touchdowns after throwing for 188 yards and three scores the previous week at Holy Redeemer. Hayden Wilt caught two of those touchdowns and Trace Furman and Lincoln Miller have been strong receivers out of the backfield while also providing good lead blocking. The defense is ranked first among area teams in yards allowed and the starters have allowed just seven points during the winning streak. Sophomores Furman and Cam Woltz lead the team in tackles and Seth McClintock had an interception against South. Freshmen Austin Luckenbill and Brady O’Rourke have played well and Ethan Tupper and Connor Jarrett both have three sacks. If the current seeds hold, Montgomery will be on the road next week for the District 4 Class A semifinals and play at Line Mountain. Montgomery is seeking to finish the regular season undefeated on the road, having gone 4-0 thus far.

Montgomery player to watch–Layne Gingery: A monster part of Montgomery’s turnaround from 1-9 to 6-3 has been the stellar play by the offensive line. Gingery is a big part of that success and the junior has helped Montgomery average 238 rushing yards per game.

CV PPG–22.6, PPA–27.9, YPG–291.7, YPA–304.7

CV notes: Like Montgomery, CV (4-5) has made massive strides this season and also has won three straight games. One of the area’s youngest teams entering the season, CV won a last-minute comeback thriller against CMVT to ignite its streak before making a late stand Saturday at North Penn-Mansfield, defeating the Panthers for the first time in the 2000s. Graham Hess threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns in Blossburg, twice finding Jaevon Eick for scores, including on a 43-yard Hail Mary to end the first half. Eick has caught five touchdowns and also intercepted his fifth pass last week. Dave Hess is a Swiss Army Knife in the backfield who has totaled over 1,000 yards, going over 400 rushing and passing. He also threw a 23-yard completion last week. Luke Sottolano is a strong linemen on both sides of the ball and combined with linebacker Tim Freeman for the game-clinching sack. Freeman, a senior who went over 1,000 yards rushing as a freshman, returned for the first time since Week 2 against North Penn-Mansfield and was a big part of the team’s success. Fellow linebacker Kegan Lane is two tackles from reaching 100 tackles during his stellar sophomore season. Lowell Baker averages nearly seven tackles per game and collected a sack last week. Tight end Levi Stahli also excels in the secondary and is one of four CV players to catch at least 10 passes.

CV player to watch–Stevie Olson: The freshman two-way lineman has proven a quick study and has sacks in four straight games. He also has helped the offense average 31.7 points per game during its winning streak.

Outlook: These teams have split their last two games the past two seasons, the road team winning each time. Both have come light years from where they were at the start of the season, so this is an intriguing game between two squads who have strong foundations in place.