Warrior Run at

Midd-West

Warrior Run (2-0) is seeking its second straight 3-0 start but faces a vastly improved Midd-West team which is two points from also being undefeated. The Defenders have allowed points at a premium, surrendering just seven in both victories. They also have not allowed a first-half point and have forced six turnovers. Cohen Zechman helped put away Montgomery a week ago, returning a fumble for a touchdown.

Tyler Ulrich collected three sacks in a season-opening win at Muncy and both Denyn Beachel and Chase Wirnsberger have 20 tackles. Warrior Run produced six sacks against Muncy and Zechman returned the game’s opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. James Keifer threw for 147 yards and a score last week and Beachel has topped 90 rushing yards in both games.

Midd-West thumped Central Columbia, 27-7 in its opener before building a 21-7 fourth quarter lead against Hamburg last week. The defense allows just 156.5 yards per game. Kyle Shupp ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns against Central and Noah Kratzer ran for 77 at Hamburg.

Towanda at

North Penn-Mansfield

Off to its first 2-0 start since 2016, North Penn-Mansfield will now be trying to reach 3-0 for the first time since that same year. The Panthers have allowed just 14 points in two wins, blanking Sayre, 25-0 last week, while allowing just 95 yards. North Penn-Mansfield also has surrendered just 56 passing yards with Luke Kreger intercepting two passes.

Kreger has run for five touchdowns the first two weeks and is fifth among area rushers with 205 yards. Jeremiah Lawrence ran for a career-high 121 yards at Sayre and is ninth in the area. Skyler Everetts has made 20 tackles and Patrick Youmans 14. Towanda (0-2) was hit hard by graduation and has yet to score this season.

The Black Knights limited Hughesville to 213 yards last week, but three turnovers, including a pick 6, proved costly. North Penn-Mansfield will be trying to beat Towanda for the first time since 2021.

Lewisburg at

Bloomsburg

Lewisburg (0-2) was 17.4 seconds from an impressive win against Shikellamy before a late touchdown ended its hopes. Still, it was a strong bounce-back performance from a team replacing most of the starters from last year’s District 4 Class AAA finalist. Linebacker Ethan Long produced his second straight 13-tackle performance, Xavier Carter intercepted a pass and Mitchell Lorenz, Ace Bynum and David Bozella all had sacks with Bozella making 10 tackles.

Carter is playing well in his first season starting at quarterback and is fourth among area passers with 310 yards and three touchdowns. Jaylen Walker caught two touchdowns last week and is tied for second among area receivers in catches, while Nick Coleman scored as a runner and receiver against Shikellamy.

Bloomsburg (2-0) is looking like a serious District 4 Class AA title contender, outscoring Danville and Central Mountain, 65-10. Coming off a 2,000-yard season, Wyatt Brosious has thrown for at least 270 yards and three touchdowns in both games while not being picked off. Jack Katulis has topped 100 receiving yards in both games and sophomore Jharee Moore-Stewart has run his streak to scoring in all 13 of his varsity football games. He has scored three different ways this year, returning a pick for a touchdown at Danville.

Milton at Southern

Milton (0-2) hits the road for the first time after limiting Montoursville’s offense in last week’s 35-7 loss. The Black Panthers allowed only two scoring drives which were not a result of turnovers, contained the run and were down just 7-0 late in the first half. Turnovers have an issue the first two weeks with Milton losing six, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Monty Fisher is one of the area’s most versatile players and continues showing it this season. After topping 800 receiving yards last year, Fisher has gone back to the backfield and ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Shikellamy. He then showcased his arm late in the Montoursville game, throwing a pretty deep ball to speedy Cole Rhodes who turned it into an 80-yard touchdown.

Brady O’Rourke, Jackson Wertz and Gavin Whiteknight all have made at least 19 tackles and senior Brady Wolfe has added 15.

Southern (1-1) returns most of its starters from last year’s seven-win team and bounced back from a loss against Wyomissing to blank Loyalsock, 41-0. Southern ran for 230 yards with five different backs scoring touchdowns. Chase Miller had a huge game defensively, collecting two sacks, making four tackles for loss and blocking two punts.

Canton at Athens

Canton (1-1) went four quarters without allowing a point before South Williamsport scored 31 straight bridging the second and fourth quarters to defeat it, 31-14 a week ago. Jake Pepper dominated in the opening night win against Northwest, collecting three sacks. Brayden Tucker and Bailey Gardner also had sacks while Grant Jennings and Owen Moore intercepted passes.

Gardner has scored in both games this year, running for 154 yards against Northwest. The junior running back has scored 16 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Rylan Wesneski threw for 79 yards against South and found Ryder Route for a touchdown. Kicker Alexis McRoberts earned all-state honors last year and kicked a 30-yard field goal to help seal the Northwest win.

Athens (2-0) features an explosive offense and has been slinging the ball all over the field. Connor and Shea Davidson combined for 347 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 49-20 win at Northwest. The Wildcats have scored 96 points in their first two games and Connor Davidson already has 426 yards and six touchdown passes. This, after going over 1,000 yards passing and rushing a year ago. Five receivers have caught touchdowns and Davidson totaled 395 yards and six touchdowns in last year’s 48-42 win at Athens.

Wellsboro at

Wyalusing

Wellsboro plays its second straight Saturday night game after dropping a 23-20 thriller against Muncy a week ago. The Hornets nearly erased a nine-point halftime deficit and were a yard from taking a fourth quarter lead but were stopped on four straight plays after setting up with a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Still, there were plenty of positives for Wellsboro (0-2). The Hornets intercepted three passes and two by Marek Mascho set up touchdowns. Cole Knapp also intercepted a pass for a second straight week and Mascho returned a kickoff 40 yards to set up his team’s first touchdown. Quarterback Griffin Morral accounted for three touchdowns and defensive end Hayden Stevens had a sack, while frequently making plays near or behind the line of scrimmage. Wellsboro is hoping to exact a measure of revenge after Wyalusing defeated it, 13-0 a year ago.

Wyalusing (1-1) scored 23 straight second half points against Cowanesque Valley last week, turning a seven-point halftime deficit into a 30-14 win. While the Rams are a run-heavy team, quarterback Reuben Kinney made the most of his pass attempts, twice hitting Andrew Taylor for second half touchdowns. Jon Earle ran for a career-high 121 yards and a touchdown, while Ethan Vanderpool added 70 yards and two scores. Those two and Kinney all ran for 35 or more yards in a 21-14 season opening loss at North Penn-Mansfield.

Bucktail at Moniteau

Bucktail (1-1) earned its first win since 2023 but certainly was not happy about how it happened, driving all the way to Southeastern Pennsylvania only to be handed a forfeit. The Bucks are traveling a long way again this week, this time heading to Western Pennsylvania in search of their first win on the field.

Bucktail had a tough opening night against a strong Cameron County team but features several promising underclassmen. Freshman quarterback Corbin Pentz accounted for 115 yards and a touchdown in his first high school game and sophomore Teagan Stone caught two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, while adding 40 yards on three carries.

Moniteau (1-1) snapped a 19-game losing streak in its season opener when the defense dominated in a 17-0 win against Coudersport. The Warriors surrendered just 39 yards on 46 players, intercepting four passes. Moniteau certainly will be battle-tested entering this game after losing to 2024 Class A state finalist Port Allegany, 66-14 last week.

By CHRIS MASSE