Trending
Hughesville PPG--24.8, PPA--22.6; YPG--278.3, YPA--286.3
Hughesville notes: Hughesville (6-4) secured its first winning season since 2015 in dramatic fashion last week, erasing a 13-point deficit in the final 5 ½ minutes and defeating rival Muncy, 28-27. Jerry Barton produced a game-clinching sack two weeks after Brenden Fisher made a tackle at the 1-yard line to seal a 32-29 double overtime win against Warrior Run. Hughesville has won three straight games and Fisher recovered a fumble for a touchdown against Muncy, helping highlight his big year in which he topped 100 tackles through nine games.
Fellow linebacker Chase Fowler has reached 100 tackles and Luke Stutzman is close behind, while Barton leads the area with nine sacks during a breakout sophomore campaign. The offensive line has come on strong down the stretch and helped Stutzman run for 80 yards and a touchdown against Muncy. Barton, JD Lunger, Cameron Walker, Russell Dewire and Connor Tallman all have five or more pancake blocks this season. Quarterback Blake Davis is the third player in program history to reach 20 touchdown passes in a season and Conor Knight has moved to ninth on the Sun-Gazette area list of career coaches during the 2000s. Knight caught the game-winning touchdown against Muncy and also has five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown against Warrior Run. Jed Abernatha ignited the comeback a week ago, returning a kickoff 76 yards to set up a touchdown after Muncy had gone ahead, 27-14. Kicker Keagan Smith is having a super season and has produced a series of clutch kicks, providing the winning points against Warrior Run and Muncy. He drilled three field goals against Warrior Run and his 42-yarder at Wyalusing is tied for the longest in District 4 this season.
Hughesville player to watch--Jakob Charles: Another underclassman who has emerged to become a threat up front, Charles made nine tackles against Wyalusing. He also has two sacks, as well as a forced fumble. Offensively, Charles has collected four pancake blocks.
Southern PPG--33.6, PPA--17.9; YPG--379.4, YPA--226.5
Southern notes: Southern (6-4) again is heating up at the right time as it tries going after a state record eighth straight state championship. Following a 3-4 start, the Tigers have won three straight games, rushing for 968 yards in the last two. Caden Hopper and Brayden Andrews went over 100 yards in a 53-6 win against Shikellamy last week, while Ayden Hockenbroch and Joey Williams both scored and went over 60. Andrews has rushed for 96 or more yards in six straight games and is closing in on a 1,000-yard season. Four players have rushed for at least 250 yards this season. Hockenbroch, a sophomore, has gone over 1,000 yards passing in his first season starting and three players have more than 200 yards receiving. Linebacker Dominic Fetterolf is one of the leading tacklers in state history, going over 500 earlier this season. He leads the team with 103 tackles this season, averaging more than 11 per game, while adding five sacks. Southern has won nine straight district championships, it last district playoff loss coming against Montoursville in the 2014 semifinals.
Southern player to watch--Brayden Andrews: In addition to the damage he does on the ground, Andrews is like a lot of outstanding Southern backs over the years and also is a strong receiver who has 205 yards and three touchdowns. He also has returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
Winner plays: No. 1 Troy or No. 8 South Williamsport
Outlook: Hughesville is playing with house money since many are projecting a Southern-Troy showdown next week. What an opportunity then for the Spartans. Obviously, Hughesville must play its best game of the season to have a shot and is a decided underdog. But last week the Spartans surprised the area. This week, they try and shock the state.