Montoursville took a step forward a year ago, doubling its win total and winning its first playoff game since 2021.

But the Warriors were far from satisfied. They finished 6-6 and Danville eliminated it in the District 4 Class AAA semifinals. What really ate at the team was losing two games by three points each, missing several opportunities to defeat Loyalsock in Battle for the Bridge Game and losing 10-point leads in two other contests.

The returning players knew they could not change those results. All they could do was look to the future and that future started shortly after the 2024 season ended. A dedicated senior group set the example throughout the offseason and commitment there has led to regular season success.

Montoursville thumped Loyalsock, 52-14 in Friday’s Bridge Game, taking the trophy for the first time in four years while completing the regular season 8-2, its best finish since 2020. Obviously, this team wants more and faces a big challenge Friday when it hosts Mount Carmel in the district semifinals, but it still has raised the bar from where it was the last few years.

“That’s something we worked on all offseason. We really upped our conditioning this year,” two-way lineman Noah Rakestraw said after helping Montoursville outgain Loyalsock, 418-138. “We were all in the weight room working and that’s really translated on the field, going from 6-6 to 8-2.”

Montoursville put an exclamation point on its regular season against Loyalsock, scoring on its first eight possessions and building a 31-7 halftime lead. The offensive line dominated, Hayden Harvey (146) and Christian Banks (102) both reached 100 yards and quarterback Elijah Eck went over 1,000 passing yards for the season. The defense limited Loyalsock to 138 yards and Jay Houseknecht set up two touchdowns with long punt returns, while Adam Shearer kicked his area-high sixth field goal.

It was a strong way to enter the postseason with all the parts coming together. But what happened Friday was not about what happened Friday as much as it always about all the work done prior to that.

“This is a really, really great group of seniors. They’re all super tight. They put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Montoursville coach Joe Hanna said. “We wanted to change the trajectory for the program because it hasn’t been going the way we want it to the last couple of years and I think they’ve done that and more.”

Montoursville has won five of its last six games and went undefeated on the road. The defense has allowed one touchdown or none seven times, the offensive line has jelled and Banks surpassed 1,000 yards again with Harvey not far behind at 735, the two combining for 30 touchdowns.

More impressive than the stats is how Montoursville has produced them. This has become a selfless tight-knit group. It’s all for one and one for all.

“I feel like we’re more together than the last three years. I just feel like this year we kind of have a great camaraderie,” two-way lineman Gabe Vanderwall said after a strong game on both sides. “We’ve just come together which is really awesome.”

Now, they are happy to be taking the next step together. Montoursville faces a surging Mount Carmel team which won four straight before coming within in a few seconds of beating the state’s No. 2-ranked Class AAAA team Shamokin, last Friday. The Warriors were excited and happy to hoist the Bridge Trophy Friday but they also knew that the biggest prizes remain out there.

It was a night to remember, but Montoursville wants to make this a season to remember. So, the work continues.

“We have our hands full with Mount Carmel. Any time you win a rivalry game it’s huge, but you have to turn the page and get back to work,” Hanna said. “I think we’re going to put our best foot forward and whoever plays better is going to win. It’s a really tough match-up, but our kids will be ready for it.”

FIGHTING ON: Loyalsock has fought costly injuries since the preseason when dynamic running back Dolan Harman was lost for the season with a torn ACL after rushing for 1,291 yards last fall. They have continued piling up since, especially late in the season with all-state lineman Jeremiah Davis lost for the season, linebacker Tyler Pham sidelined, TJ King, Connor Tallman missing up front and running back Cayden Sones out since Week 3.

Through it all, Loyalsock (5-5) has found its way back to the playoffs and will play at Bloomsburg in the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals. Considering the adversity and a schedule which includes six opponents who finished 8-2 or better, that’s pretty impressive.

“One thing I can say is the kids’ resilience has been outstanding all season,” Loyalsock coach Justin Van Fleet said. “They’ve fought hard every game. They keep working and battling.”

Loyalsock won five of six games before losing to Shamokin and Montoursville the last two weeks. Its only loss during that six-game stretch was a 47-42 thriller against Warrior Run (9-1). Along the way Jalil Coates moved from wide receiver to running back in Week 3 and became an 1,100-yard rusher. Former receiver Danny Dowell went over 1,100 yards passing. The list goes on and on.

And now Loyalsock moves on to the playoffs for a 14th straight season, tops among area teams, an honor it shares with South Williamsport. Don’t expect Loyalsock to back down either.

“I tell them I just need them to give me everything they’ve got for every 10 seconds they’re on the field,” Van Fleet said. “If you dwell on a negative experience or focus on a positive experience too much you don’t learn. We’ve focused on continued improvement and learning and growing and fighting and clawing. At this juncture, we just have to learn from the experiences we’ve had, and I’m proud of the kids for stepping forward.”

THRILLING FINISH: Hughesville and Muncy produced an instant classic for a third straight year and Hughesville won a thriller for a second consecutive year, edging the Indians, 24-21. The Spartans (4-6) closed their season with a flourish, winning consecutive games and holding off a furious Muncy second-half comeback. The Spartans have won the last two games in this series by four combined points and the last three winners have done so by 10 total points.

Hughesville’s defensive line was relentless and collected five sacks while senior Chase Fowler made a play he will never forget, sealing the win with a game-clinching interception on his final scholastic play. Nick Stubbs ripped off a 57-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 to put Hughesville ahead to stay, Chase Shrawder made a remarkable hustle play, turning a Muncy interception into a fumble and Spartan first down and Hughesville entered the offseason on a huge high.

Shrawder also ran for 83 yards and a touchdown. Avery Puderbach came up clutch, drilling a 33-yard field goal which closed the first half. That field goal put Hughesville up, 24-6 but eventually made the difference in the game’s outcome.

Nate Rogers returned an interception for a touchdown for Muncy (5-5) and Andrew Walters found Carter Feigles for a 39-yard touchdown in their final game. Walters also ran for a score and totaled 168 yards.

EXTRA POINTS: South Williamsport broke six program records (read about that Cole Gerber and Levi Butler doing so in the Player of the Week section below) as it steamrolled into the playoffs with a 62-0 win against Northwest. The Mounties (6-4) outgained Northwest, 570-76 while building a 49-0 halftime lead. In addition to Gerber and Butler going off, Cade Lusk (146) and Eli White (129) both went over 100 yards rushing and Caleb Johnson caught two touchdowns. Neeko Bowen added a touchdown catch, while White, Ethan Gardner and Taylor Naugle intercepted passes. Naugle, a freshman, has five picks this year … Wellsboro (6-4) captured the Morton Jones Trophy for the first time since 2021 and has its most wins since 2019 after routing North Penn-Mansfield, 48-10. The Hornets have won three straight games and outgained the Panthers, 517-58 while not allowing an offensive touchdown. Kody Enck intercepted three passes, tying a program record and has six in his last three games. Marek Mascho totaled 219 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for a career-high 147 yards and Hayden Stevens and Levi Champaign each had two sacks. Colton Pellett returned the game’s opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, his third kick return score this year … Bucktail erased a 22-point halftime deficit to tie it in the fourth quarter before dropping a 36-34 heartbreaker against CMVT. Freshman quarterback Corbin Pentz threw for 210 yards, ran for 166 and went over 1,000 yards passing, needing just eight games to do so. Teagan Stone caught five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while Branson Getz hauled in a 70-yard scoring strike to tie the game. Levi Stevenson added two rushing touchdowns … Canton freshman quarterback Owen Moore did not become the starter until later in the season but came within 10 yards of reaching 1,000 after throwing for 185 and a touchdown in a 49-6 loss against defending Class AA state champion Troy. Ryder Route closed out his high school career with a strong effort, catching four passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. Montoursville (8-2): Houseknecht has come on strong throughout his sophomore season and produced 135 yards on six punt and kick returns against Loyalsock. Returns of 38 and 21 yards on consecutive second quarter punts set up short fields in Lancer territory and led to two touchdowns which put Montoursville ahead, 28-0. He also had a key catch on a last-minute field goal drive which closed out a 24-point second quarter.

2. Warrior Run (9-1): A fabulous performance by a surging offensive line helped Warrior Run secure its first nine-win season of the 2000s as the Defenders ran for 376 yards in a 31-10 win at Milton. Tyler Ulrich (191 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Denyn Beachel (146 yards) ran wild and the Defenders exacted revenge after losing last year’s game against Milton, reaching 360 rushing yards for a second time. Ulrich and Beachel each went over 100 yards in both those wins. Cohen Zechman continued shining on special teams returning his third punt this year for a touchdown, this one covering 70 yards. The defense stifled Milton, allowing just 119 yards before a late touchdown pass. Warrior Run takes a six-game winning streak into Friday’s District 4 Class AA quarterfinal against South and will be hosting a playoff game for just the second time in program history.

3. Jersey Shore (7-3): Luke Thompson made his Senior Night one to remember, returning an interception for a touchdown and collecting three sacks while helping Jersey Shore rout rival Central Mountain, 63-26. Carter Rhinehart added an interception and Jacob Gee and Chase Ellison both blocked punts as Jersey Shore scored 42 first quarter points and built a 56-0 second quarter advantage. The Bulldogs earned a home Class AAAA semifinal against Athens as Bo Sechrist ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns. Kash Herritt added 87 yards with two scores and Nolen Pauling threw for 100 yards, hitting Rhinehart for an 84-yard touchdown and Carson Watkins a 15-yard score. Jersey Shore has reached seven wins for a 12th straight year, tops among area teams.

4. Montgomery (9-1): Montgomery earned its first nine-win season of the 2000s, slowing an offense which generated 158 points in three straight wins and defeating Cowanesque Valley, 21-6. The Red Raiders enter Friday’s District 4 Class A semifinals against Muncy riding an eight-game winning streak, but also understanding they need to play better going forward than they did against CV. The defense held an opponent to seven or fewer points for an eighth time with Logan Joy intercepting two passes, Seth McClintock another and Lincoln Miller and Gage Furman both producing sacks. Cameron Woltz made 15 tackles, giving him 91 in nine games and Trace Furman added 13, going over 100 for a second straight year. Josh Knoebel ran for 106 yards and two scores, becoming the first area player this season to rush for 20 touchdowns. Abe Childs also broke the career record for kicking points and has 80 over the past two seasons.

5. Williamsport (5-5): Playing undefeated state-ranked powerhouses the previous three weeks might not have been fun, but the experience gained provided big dividends Friday as Williamsport won a 28-21 thriller at District 2-4 Class 6A top-seeded Wilkes-Barre in a rematch of last year’s championship. The defending champions answered each time Wilkes-Barre scored, going ahead to stay in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tevin Williams returned from injury and delivered a virtuoso performance, throwing for 240 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 75 yards and a score. Fullback Lucas Naughton and tight end Kason Ulmer caught touchdowns, with Giovanni White another while totaling 101 yards. Trey Damschroder had a strong game, catching five passes for 110 yards and the defense made some timely stops against a dangerous offense. Senior Night did not go the way Williamsport hoped in Week 9, but it has a shot at redemption now as it hosts Scranton in Friday’s district semifinals.

Players of the Week

Cole Gerber and Levi Butler, South Williamsport and Griffin Morral, Wellsboro: Gerber and Butler have to be a tag team since they took a blow torch to the program record book. Gerber completed 21 of 27 passes for 296 yards and six touchdowns. The sophomore broke program records for touchdown passes in a game, completions in a game, yards in a season (1,444) and completions in a season (114). Those last two records had stood since 1988 and his six touchdowns last night also tied an area record.

Butler caught 13 passes for 157 yards and two scores. His 13 catches broke South’s single-game record and a junior who did not play football before this season now holds the South single-season catch record with a district-best 63 catches. He also has 728 yards and nine touchdowns.

Morral also put up big numbers, totaling 368 yards and five touchdowns in Wellsboro’s win. The sophomore quarterback threw for 172 yards and four scores, while rushing for a career-high 196 yards and a touchdown. Morral has totaled 1,826 yards with 23 touchdowns and has thrown 30 touchdowns in his first two years.

Game of the Week

Muncy at Montgomery: It’s the Old Shoe II Friday night. Well, the Shoe Trophy isn’t on the line but something more important is–a spot in the District 4 Class A championship. For just the third time since 1999, these rivals collide in the district semifinals with the winner playing at Line Mountain the following week. Those playoff games in 1999 and 2021 with Montgomery winning, 13-6 and Muncy, 14-13. Muncy had dominated the series before this season, winning 20 of 21 games, but Montgomery made a statement when it defeated the defending district champions on the road, 27-7 in Week 6. Muncy gets a second chance now and this game will be played in an electric atmosphere.