North Penn-Mansfield

at Warrior Run

Tonight’s game is a battle between two 4-1 teams who are ranked among the District 4 Class AA’s top eight teams. Warrior Run holds the top spot and North Penn-Mansfield is No. 6 after dropping its first game a week ago. The Defenders erased a one-point fourth quarter deficit and Jackson Albright then stopped Xavier Carter a few inches from the goal line in the final seconds as they edged Lewisburg, 29-24 a week ago.

Warrior Run reached last year’s district championship for the first time and has kept progressing despite significant graduation losses. An experienced offensive line continues jelling and helped Denyn Beachel and Tyler Ulrich both top 100 rushing yards last week. Beachel has more than 90 yards in all five games and Ulrich has scored six touchdowns the last two weeks. Cohen Zechman is fifth among area receivers in catches and quarterback James Keifer is fifth in passer rating.

The starting defense allowed just two touchdowns during a 3-0 start and Ulrich and Zechman have defensive touchdowns. Albright is tied for second in the area with four sacks and David Stiner has five tackles for loss. Linebacker Chase Wirnsberger leads the team in tackles.

North Penn-Mansfield already had eclipsed last year’s win total and started 4-0 for the first time since 2014. The Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Canton and put together a last-minute, game-winning drive in a 24-17 win against Towanda.

After earning all-state wide receiver honors last fall, Luke Kreger has made a smooth transition to running back. He was the area’s leading rusher through four games and has scored touchdowns four ways this season. He and Colton Pellett returned kickoffs for touchdowns a week ago against Athens, Pellett doing so for a second straight week.

Athens at Wellsboro

Wellsboro (3-2) is riding a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2021 and is seeking its first District 4 Class AA playoff appearance since that same season. The Hornets are seventh in the standings and the top eight teams qualify. Wellsboro has allowed just 33 points during its streak and produced a touchdown last week as Griffin Morral returned an interception for a touchdown.

Wellsboro built a 37-0 lead in that win at Cowanesque Valley and Morral also threw for and ran for touchdowns. Kody Enck caught a touchdown for a third consecutive game and Marek Mascho and Reed Richardson ran for scores. Mascho has three interceptions and Hayden Stevens two sacks, while Jordan Hines averages five tackles per game.

Wellsboro has its work cut tonight against Athens (4-1) and its explosive offense. The Wildcats lead District 4 in scoring, averaging 48.2 points per game. Junior quarterback Connor Davidson is seeking his second straight year of over 1,000 yards passing and rushing. He eclipsed that passing mark last week and is tied for second among District 4 quarterbacks with 14 touchdown passes.

Davidson spreads the ball around and five receivers have more than 100 yards. Athens also showed it can effectively run the ball in last week’s 54-13 win against previously undefeated North Penn-Mansfield as Karson Sipley ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

Athens did not allow an offensive point at North Penn-Mansfield. The lone points came on two Panther kick return scores and Athens imposed the mercy rule by halftime.

Milton at Mifflinburg

Milton (1-4) faces a similar challenge as Wellsboro does when it heads to Mifflinburg and encounters its high-powered offense. The Black Panthers have made nice strides the last two weeks, shutting out South Williamsport and leading Danville in the fourth quarter before losing, 28-17. Quarterback Monty Fisher has settled in after playing wide receiver last year and opening this year at running back, gashing Danville for 204 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Fisher has run for 366 yards the past two games and Jaeden Canelo ran for 71 yards against South. Cole Rhodes has caught two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder against South. The defense is stocked with exciting underclassmen as well as senior anchor Brady Wolfe who is one of eight players averaging more than eight tackles per game. Sophomore Brady O’Rourke has three sacks and 9 ½ tackles for loss.

Mifflinburg (4-1) is ranked No. 10 in the 3A state rankings after losing its first game a week ago, 49-14 at Hollidaysburg. Mifflinburg opened eyes throughout the first four weeks, routing four straight strong opponents and imposing the mercy rule against Montoursville by halftime in Week 4. Quarterback Chad Martin went over 1,000 yards for a third straight year last week and produced 300-yard games against Danville and Mount Carmel in consecutive weeks. Jackson Griffith has 23 catches and Landen Murray is a big-play threat, averaging 21.5 yards per catch, while taking three of his 13 carries for touchdowns.

Senior standout Xzavier Croll solidifies the line on both sides of the ball and has seven tackles for loss. Griffith and Landon Moser, who ran for 116 yards at Montoursville, each have two interceptions. Mifflinburg has a comfortable hold on first place in the Class AAA standings halfway through the season.

Central Mountain at Shikellamy

It wasn’t just Central Mountain (0-5) scoring its first touchdown last week which displayed the team’s growth. It also was the fight it showed against undefeated Shamokin. In a game many expected Shamokin to have won by halftime, Central Mountain avoided the mercy rule until the third quarter and held the Indians to their second lowest point total.

Obviously, the Wildcats would like more than moral victories but Shamokin scored 76 points against it last year, so this was significant improvement against an excellent team. Linebacker Dalton McDermott made 20 tackles, joining Kole Corman as Wildcats who have reached that number this season. He also leads the team in rushing, topping 80 yards against Williamsport and Selinsgrove. Ricky Rohrbach has 10 catches the last three weeks and scored the team’s first touchdown when he hauled in a 50-yard strike from Mario Serafini.

Shikellamy (3-2) is one of District 4’s most improved teams and had Jersey Shore on the ropes throughout the first half a week ago, leading 7-6 in the second quarter. Quarterback Brody Rebuck went over 4,000 career passing yards in that game and wide receiver Thomas Pollock, a junior, went over 2,000 yards when he pulled away from the defense on a 78-yard touchdown catch.

Shikellamy handed defending District 2-4 Class 6A champion Williamsport its lone loss, scoring the final 28 points in a 35-14 win two weeks ago. The offense has scored at least 29 points in all three wins and Shikellamy mounted a last-minute drive to beat Lewisburg, 29-27 in Week 2. Rebuck opened his season with a 301-yard effort in a 33-15 win at Milton.

Towanda at Canton

Both teams have been hit hard by injuries and are hoping to build some momentum tonight. Canton (1-4) played without its top two leaders in yards, Bailey Gardner and Rylan Wesneski last week, dressing fewer than 20 players at Montgomery.

Gardner twice has gone over 150 yards rushing this season, so that was a particularly tough blow. The Warriors have lost four straight since opening the season with a 17-6 win against Northwest. They played hard against then-undefeated North Penn-Mansfield two weeks ago, turning a 10-point second quarter deficit into a four-point fourth quarter advantage before losing, 24-14. Blane Wesneski made a career-high 13 tackles in that game, including two for loss. Freshman Owen Moore had 10 tackles, Monte Whitehead nine and Jake Pepper collected his fourth sack while both forcing and recovering a fumble.

Towanda (0-5) played without injured quarterback Rylee Sluyter in last week’s 44-0 loss against defending 2A state champion Troy. When Sluyter is under center Towanda has been a different team, nearly defeating North Penn-Mansfield in Week 3 when he ran for 136 yards and a touchdown.

Bucktail at Otto-Eldred

Bucktail (1-4) broke out offensively at Smethport last Friday and freshman Corbin Pentz threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Aiden Ditty caught three of those scores and sophomore Teagan Stone caught six passes for a career-high 111 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman Levi Stevenson caught three passes for 80 yards and Jaden Intallura added two for 65. The running game and defense struggled, but the strong finish to the game and passing game’s development gives Bucktail something positive to build on as it moves forward.

Otto-Eldred (1-4) finished 7-2 last year but this is a younger team this time around. The Terrors have allowed 40.6 points per game but showed their own firepower in a 48-22 win against Coudersport. Quarterback Shane Magee threw for 202 yards, ran for 140 and accounted for six touchdowns that day, five through the air. A year ago, Magee threw for 2,049 yards, 29 touchdowns and just four interceptions in nine games.

Magee is on pace to top 1,000 yards passing and rushing, producing 736 through the air and 509 on the ground as well as 12 touchdowns. Dawson Welch (28) and Wyatt Bendinger (27) have combined for 55 catches, 692 yards and eight touchdowns.