FRANK C. LAURI/Special to the Sun-Gazette The Milliionaires had a Week 1 victory at Wyoming Valley West and now host Hazleton in their home opener in Week 2 tonight. Williamsport beat Wyoming Valley West, 31-20. Tonight’s matchup against Hazleton is the first of back-to-back home games before Williamsport heads to Shikellamy in Week 4.

Hazleton PPG–7, PPA–46;YPG–191, YPA–422

Hazleton notes: Like a year ago, Hazleton (0-1) opened its season with a tough game against perennial District 11 contender Nazareth. So, one should not look at the 46-7 margin when assessing this team. Hazleton gave Williamsport a battle in last year’s District 2-4 Class 6A semifinals, losing 15-6. Neither team has scored more than 24 points in any of the last three meetings and both had 5-5 records during the last regular season. Last year’s leading rusher Asthon Karlick is back after running for 650 yards and eight touchdowns. So is quarterback Freddy Corrado who split time at that position but now has the job to himself after throwing for 94 yards against Nazareth. Xavier Heck could be poised for a big season and opened his sophomore campaign with 93 yards a week ago, adding two catches for 20 yards. Jose Lopez could play a key defensive role this season and intercepted a pass against Nazareth.

Hazleton player to watch–Xavier Heck: Heck started as a freshman at linebacker last season and was among the team’s leading tacklers. He was unable to compete in the playoffs but showed why he could be one of District 2’s breakout players in 2025 when he ran for 141 yards on just 10 carries in a late-season game against Dallas.

Williamsport PPG–31, PPA–20; YPG–296, YPA–456

Williamsport notes: The defense struggled at times, but also intercepted four passes, helping Williamsport hold off upset-minded Wyoming Valley West in its opener. Now it returns home to host a long-time rival in what could be a district playoff preview, with these two, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre all vying for the title which Williamsport won last year. The Millionaires are trying to become the first repeat district champions in program history but will need better play up front to do so. The Millionaires struggled to get the run game going last week, but Tevin Williams shined at quarterback, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown. Giovanni White showcased his Swiss Army Knife skills, returning a punt for a touchdown, catching a 70-yard scoring strike and rushing for another touchdown. He, Trey Damschroder, Brayden Ungard and Kason Ulmer could form a strong receiving group. White, Damschroder, Williams and Jacob Evelhair all intercepted passes.

Williamsport player to watch–Lucas Naughton: The senior linebacker is back after suffering a shoulder injury late last season. He forms a strong linebacking tandem alongside Anthony Manley. Both were among the area’s leading tacklers a year ago, both topping 100.

Outlook: The last few games in this series have been fairly low scoring and close. There may be some more explosiveness tonight but expect the margin to remain tight.