TOWANDA – Just a little over two short years ago, Warrior Run entered the 2022 season on an 18-game losing streak, having not won a game on the field since 2019. The streak would get to 22 games before being snapped.

And now, just a little over two years later, that same Warrior Run program is headed to its first District 4 championship game in program history.

The Defenders continued one of the most impressive turnaround stories in the area in recent years as behind the six combined touchdowns of Samuel Hall and Eli Butler, Warrior Run went into Towanda and topped the previously only twice-beaten Black Knights 43-20 in the Class AA semifinals.

The sixth-seeded Defenders will return to the Northern Tier next week to face top-seeded Troy in the district title game.

“There were two years in a row we went without winning a game and this year’s seniors didn’t win a game when they were freshman, so they’ve been on the other side of it and then to go out like this and get to a district championship game, I couldn’t be prouder of these kids that got the program to where it is now,” said Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman. “There were a lot of tough times but we made progress every year and to get to this, it’s amazing.

It’s crazy to even think about, but I’m not surprised because I knew we had the team and roster to do this at the beginning of the year. But there sure have been some detours on the way. I didn’t think we’d get there how we did with how the season ended, losing three out of our last four games. But their resilience, being beat down, losing some heartbreakers and they kept fighting and working. Last week, we started getting healthy at the right time and tonight we had everyone full go and we haven’t had that since Week 4.”

It was a full go and then some for Hall and Butler, whose athleticism and play-making ability that made the difference for the Defenders on Friday.

Hall scored three first half touchdowns, including one in which he barely eluded hitting the ground thanks to some acrobatic moves, and another in which he hauled in a one-handed catch. Butler also added three touchdowns, with his two second half scores largely icing the game.

“The offense came out firing on all cylinders, Sam Hall making plays, the offensive line taking over, Eli Butler and Colby LeBarron running, and the defense did a really solid job getting turnovers and stops in the red zone. We got momentum early and didn’t let it go,” said Zechman.

In addition to Hall’s and Butler’s offensive exploits, Warrior Run’s defense also created three Towanda turnovers, and stopped the Black Knights three times in the red zone without points – twice on downs and once with a turnover. The Black Knights were plagued by miscues all night, as they committed seven fumbles, though they only lost one.

The Defenders struck early when James Keifer hit Hall on a short pass that Hall turned into a 63-yard touchdown pass as he eluded a handful of defenders and broke a few tackles, barely avoiding hitting the ground before getting free and dashing down the right sideline for the touchdown.

Warrior Run stopped the Black Knights on downs at the Defender 19-yard line on Towanda’s ensuing drive. Later in the first quarter, Towanda went three-and-out at their own 25, and then the snap for a punt went over the punter’s head and into the end zone, where he fell on it for a safety.

Butler then returned the subsequent free kick 60 yards all the way down to the Towanda 11, and one play later burst up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 15-0.

The Black Knights appeared to be on their way to answering, but on the 13th play of their next drive, Keifer stepped in front of his receiver and picked off Riley Vanderpool’s pass in the end zone for a touchback.

Keifer then engineered an 80-yard drive in just five plays, with Hall accounting for the majority of that on a 54-yard touchdown run on an end-around to extend the Defender lead to 22-0.

Towanda was finally able to finish a drive, as Vanderpool capped a 10-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 2:12 left in the half to make it 22-7.

But the Defenders answered almost immediately, as they took advantage of a pair of penalties on the Black Knights and needed just three plays to score another touchdown, this one on a one-handed touchdown catch in the end zone by Hall with a defender draped all over him and his other arm.

They nearly had another touchdown before the end of the half as Butler picked off Vanderpool and ran it back 58 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a block in the back penalty on the return, and Warrior Run settled for a 29-7 lead at the half.

That lead was built despite the Defenders running just 14 official offensive plays in the first half, compared to 43 for Towanda. But Warrior Run made things difficult for Vanderpool, the Black Knights’ duel threat quarterback, who had just 45 rushing yards in the first half. Vanderpool would finish with 150 on the ground after moving to running back for most of the second half. Vanderpool would finish with 300 all-purpose yards, but the two interceptions hurt the Black Knights.

Holding the comfortable lead at the half, Warrior Run did not throw the ball at all in the second half, as the Defenders chewed clock by running the ball on all 20 of its plays in the second half, with 14 of those coming from Butler, who ran for 99 of his 136 yards in the second half. He finished with 230 all-purpose yards on the night.

Butler burst loose for a 36-yard touchdown run at the 4:38 mark of the second half to extend Warrior Run’s lead to 36-7, and he put the cap on the evening with a one-yard touchdown run with 7:42 remaining.

Warrior Run 43, Towanda 20

(District 4 Class AA semifinals)

Warrior Run 15 14 7 7 — 43

Towanda 0 7 7 6 — 20

First quarter

WR–Samuel Hall 63 pass from James Keifer (Hunter kick), 10:32.

WR–Team safety, 4:37.

WR–Eli Butler 11 run (kick blocked), 4:17.

Second quarter

WR–Hall 54 run (Hunter kick), 7:26.

T–Riley Vanderpool 2 run (Wheaton kick), 2:12.

WR–Hall 29 pass from James Keifer (Hunter kick), 1:16.

Third quarter

WR–Eli Butler 36 run (Hunter kick), 4:38.

T–Riley Vanderpool 21 run (Wheaton kick), 0:31.

Fourth quarter

WR–Eli Butler 1 run (Hunter kick), 7:42.

T–Vanderpool 36 pass from Reese Sluyter (run failed), 4:40.

TEAM STATISTICS

WR T

First downs 14 24

Rushes-yds 29-228 43-150

Passing yards 108 172

Comp.-Att.-Int. 4-5-0 12-23-2

Total yards 336 322

Fumbles-lost 0-0 7-1

Penalties-yards 8-75 8-70

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Warrior Run, Eli Butler 20-136 3 TDs; Colby LeBarron 7-39; Samuel Hall 1-54 TD; TEAM 1-(minus 1). Towanda, Riley Vanderpool 28-150 2 TDs; Caden Delamater 5-24; Rylee Sluyter 3-12; Gage Evans 3-0; Reese Sluyter 2-2; TEAM 2-(minus 38).

PASSING–Warrior Run, James Keifer 4-5-0 108 2 TDs. Towanda, Riley Vanderpool 9-19-2 114; Reese Sluyter 3-4-0 58 TD.

RECEIVING–Warrior Run, Samuel Hall 3-99 2 TDs; Eli Butler 1-9. Towanda, Tahshon Garner 4-51; Rylee SLuyter 3-48; Will Shrawder 3-32; Riley Vanderpool 1-36 TD; Reese Sluyter 1-5.