Zechman returned the game’s opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, Stiner produced a crucial sack on a late fourth-and-goal and the defense allowed just 95 yards as Warrior Run defeated defending District 4 Class A champion Muncy, 21-7 Friday at Scott McLean Field.

Zechman’s kick return ignited a 21-point first half flurry as the Defenders built a 21-0 lead before the defense continued dropping the hammer in the fourth quarter, repeatedly making game-altering stops.

“It was a great job blocking up front. They made a huge hole. They perfectly blocked and executed it. All the credit goes to them,” Zechman said after adding an interception, as well as four catches for 58 yards. “It was great. It felt amazing. It gave us a lift early and we just built off that.”

Warrior Run and Muncy both are coming off historic seasons with the Defenders reaching their first district final and Muncy its first state semifinal. Both teams graduated some decorated players and questions surrounded both coming in.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Andrew Walters falls into the end zone to put Muncy on the board during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

Zechman found a perfect way to start providing some answers, making his first senior season touch a memorable one.

Zechman, who generated 134 yards on three returns, caught the ball at the 10-yard line before bursting up the middle. He followed his blockers and cut toward the middle before making another cut back down the left sideline and outran the coverage from there. Zechman was never touched during the return, giving Warrior Run a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the season.

“Credit to coach McCormick. He does a phenomenal job with our special teams and Cohen made a good read and the blocking was phenomenal,” Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman said. “To start the season off with an opening kickoff, it doesn’t get much better. That fired everyone up and it set the tone early. That was huge.”

Following a three-and-out on Muncy’s first series, Warrior Run linemen Jackson Albright, Garrett Williams, Kaleb Nicholas, Cayden Robinson and Carter Robinson continued fanning the flames, paving the way for a 10-play, 58-yard scoring drive which consumed six minutes. Denyn Beachel (21 carries, 88 yards) scored the first of his two touchdowns from four yards out and Warrior Run built a 14-0 advantage.

It was not the start a new-look Muncy team wanted, obviously, but it held its ground from there. The Indians allowed just a 30-yard scoring drive after the early flurry and were five yards from making it a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Dominic Guardini picks up yardage during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

For a team which graduated so many players, including four all-staters, it’s a step-by-step process and, in defeat, Muncy took some. A stingy defense which allowed just 185 yards after Warrior Run’s first possession provides a quality foundation and Muncy could become a better team for what it experienced Friday.

“We asked them at halftime to just keep giving the effort they were giving. I think you saw that translate and we started to do a little better on offense,” first-year Muncy coach Chris Persing said. “The effort for the entire game was great, and our defense played really well, so I think there were some real nice building blocks.”

Stiner did his best to dismantle those blocks, bursting onto the scene in his first varsity start. Warrior Run knew Stiner could play, but many others did not simply because he was stuck behind defensive ends Isaiah Betz and Stone Allison, two of the district’s best, the last two seasons.

Warrior Run coaches showed how highly they regarded Stiner, giving him Allison’s No. 0 jersey and he validated that optimism time after time. Stiner prevented Muncy from making it a one-score game in the fourth quarter when he sacked Andrew Walters on a 4th-and-goal from the 5-yard line. He recovered a second quarter fumble which set up Beachel’s second touchdown and he set up real estate in Muncy’s backfield, making three tackles for loss, while adding three quarterback hurries.

“I was so excited,” Stiner said. “Watching Stone and Isaiah, they taught me a lot.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Dominic Guardini is slammed to the ground by Warrior Run’s Maxwell Fogelman during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

Stiner stands only 5-foot-8 and weighs 180 pounds but opponents overlook him at their own peril. He flies off the ball and was a constant disruptor, playing a big role in Warrior Run collecting six sacks. Jackson Albright dominated the interior and Stiner recovered a fumble Albright forced when he sacked Walters late in the first half as the Defenders marched 30 yards and went ahead, 21-0.

Stiner was then involved in the second half’s biggest play after Muncy had recovered a fumble at the Defender 10 following its first touchdown. Muncy went for it on fourth down at the 5, but Stiner again exploded into the backfield and, along with Max Fogelman, pinned Walters in no-man’s land near the right sideline before Stiner finished the play and produced the sack.

“I just saw him scrambling. I just threw guys and hit him. That’s what I like to do,” Stiner said. “I’m pretty fast off the ball. I’m not very big. They don’t think anything of me and I just show them what I can do.”

“He’s a little spark plug. He’s undersized, but he doesn’t back down and he’s going against our big dudes in practice every day. It makes him better,” Derrick Zechman said. “He takes on blocks which is very rare for someone that size. He’s aggressive and he loves the contact.”

His teammates seem like they do as well. Warrior Run surrendered just 1.9 yards per play and forced two turnovers. A year after earning first team HAC-III honors at safety Zechman intercepted a pass near midfield. First team linebacker Tyler Ulrich then produced two straight sacks on Muncy’s final possession, helping Warrior Run clinch victory.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Carter Feigles is brought down by a pair of Warrior Run defenders during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

It was a super collective defensive effort as all three levels flourished. The front seven stuffed the run and frequently harassed the passer, while the secondary covered well. Most important, the Defenders never broke on three different occasions when Muncy crossed the 25-yard line. They allowed no points in those situations with Tyler Shiposh ending the first half with a sack and preserving a 21-0 advantage.

“Our defense is always there. Our defensive coordinator, Coach (Joe) Bowman does a great job with the game plan,” Cohen Zechman said. “The front seven did awesome tonight. They were always getting to the quarterback. He didn’t have much time. We just have that mentality of bend but don’t break. They were down there a few times and we held them.”

Muncy, however, built some momentum and showcased its potential when it put together a 61-yard third quarter scoring drive. Walters and Dominic Guardini made the series’ biggest play when Walters zipped a 20-yard completion to Guardini who made a nice catch in traffic at the 2-yard line. A play later near disaster struck but Walters turned into gold, scooping up an errant snap and running for the touchdown which made it, 21-7.

Less than eight minutes into the game, it seemed unlikely that Muncy would still have a shot at victory entering the fourth quarter but the defense kept making plays and never let Warrior Run sustain another long drive. The only Defender points came on that 30-yard drive following Stiner’s fumble recovery when James Keifer found Liam Moore for 17 yards on third-and-13 to the 4-yard line. Beachel took it from there and ran the next play in four yards for the touchdown.

But the run defense stiffened and held Beachel 43 yards following Warrior Run’s first possession, while sophomore Layken Harris intercepted a pass. Cornerback Carter Feigles was outstanding in man coverage and the defense allowed only 69 second-half yards.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy quarterback Andrew Walters throws a pass during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

Two-way junior lineman Nixon Lamper fueled that stifling defense and built off his excellent sophomore season on both sides of the ball. Lamper dominated at times in the second half and totaled a sack, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.

“Nixon proved why people who watch football think he’s a good player against a good team. He has good size and moves well which is nice,” Persing said. “It was nice to see him in that environment have some success. He asked me if I read what was written about him (in the preseason) and I was like, Yeah, they respect you and now it’s time to earn that,’ and he did a good job of earning that tonight. He played really well on both sides of the line.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Bryson Barrows picks up yardage during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy Indian quarterback Andrew Walters runs a keeper during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Warrior Run Defenders quarterback James Keifer hands off to Denyn Beachel (2) during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Warrior Run’s Cohen Zeckman returns the opening kickoff to put the Defenders on the scoreboard during a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent The Muncy Indians enter Stanley T. Schuyler Stadium at the beginning of a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Warrior Run Defenders enter Stanley T. Schuyler Stadium at the beginning of a high school football game between Muncy and Warrior Run at Muncy on Friday.