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Area teams all set for Week 1 of football tonight

By Chris Masse 13 min read

All the weights lifted; all the camps and speed training sessions attended ... all the time and sacrifice starts culminating tonight.

High school football is back at last. And 17 area teams have high hopes as the season starts. Everyone is 0-0 and hope springs eternal. Each season teams write their own stories. Tonight is the first chapter in what they hope are storybook campaigns.

The is the first stop on a long journey and the following is a brief look at the 12 games featuring area teams tonight.

Williamsport at

Wyoming Valley West

The Kevin Brown era opens in Kingston as Williamsport tries equaling strong starts from the past two seasons. Both those years began with victories against Wyoming Valley West, including last year’s 31-20 road victory. The Millionaires went 6-6 last year, reaching a second straight District 2-4 Class 6A championship.

This could be a team on the rise with only two senior starters graduating from last year’s team. Quarterback Tevin Williams returns following a super sophomore season and the line returns nearly in tact. Linebacker Anthony Manley and defensive end Cordoza Minor help fuel a potentially strong defense.

Brown has stressed staying poised and determined when times grow tough. Opening on the road against a long-time rival is a good opportunity for Williamsport to show it can be both.

Valley West has endured hard times the last few years and went 1-10 last year, although it did reach the postseason. Quarterback Damien is an exciting player who threw for 1,603 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore last season and fellow junior Malique Campbell ran for 545 yards, while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. The receiving core is young, but if the defense improves Valley West could be a District 2 sleeper.

Hughesville at

Montgomery

This rivalry game has produced some exciting contests over the last five years and tonight’s has the making of another one. Montgomery defeated Hughesville, 14-6, a year ago and enjoyed one of its best seasons ever, going 10-2 and reaching the District 4 Class A championship. Hughesville finished 4-6, but built momentum by winning its final two games, including a thriller at Muncy.

Montgomery reached 10 wins for the first time in the 2000s, captured the NTL-II title and came as close as any Red Raider team to winning a district crown this century, dropping a 20-14 heartbreaker at Line Mountain in the final. They return many starters from that team and complement that experience with some exciting youth. Josh Knoebel and Trace Furman both went over 1,000 yards rushing; Furman earned all-state defensive back honors, Connor Jarrett is a difference-maker up front and Logan Joy excellent in coverage.

Hughesville also returns quality experience and has one of its biggest lines during Howard Rainey’s five-year tenure. Connor Anstadt is one of the district’s most versatile players and can line up pretty much anywhere offensively. Jerry Barton has been a beast up front defensively the past two seasons and linebacker Chase Shrawder and Maliki Emmil both are coming off impressive junior campaigns.

An interesting note here is that the road team has won four of the five games in this opening night series.

Warrior Run at Muncy

Another entertaining opening-night rivalry, Warrior Run and Muncy have split their last four August games with the Defenders taking the last two. Muncy hung tough against the HAC-III co-champs last year after falling behind by 14 points early, cutting it to seven before losing, 21-7.

Warrior Run used that game as a springboard and set a program record with 10 wins. The Defenders reached the District 4 Class AAA semifinals and entered that game on a seven-game winning streak. Included in that streak were thrilling comeback wins at Lewisburg and Loyalsock. Although, Warrior Run must replace several explosive skill players, it retains one of the district’s best lines, ignited by Rutgers-bound Jackson Albright.

Muncy went 5-6 a year ago, reaching the Class A district semifinals despite losing most of the starters from a 2024 state semifinalist team. It was a potentially nice launching pad for a team which is now more comfortable with systems which were new a year ago. Nixon Lamper is one of the area’s top two-way linemen, as well as a four-year starter. Nate Rogers can make things happen in all facets and Jaxson Thomas and Layken Harris could form a strong backfield tandem.

North Schuylkill

at Jersey Shore

Jersey Shore has been loading up its schedule for years and this one is no different, starting against the District 11 heavyweight. Despite a steady rash of costly injuries which began last offseason, Jersey Shore still went 8-4 and reached an eighth straight District 4 Class AAAA championship. Now, the Bulldogs are eager to try and break through after dropping three straight district finals, following a five-year reign as champions.

Jersey Shore must replace Sun-Gazette Player of the Year Bo Sechrist, among other decorated players. Still, the cupboard is far from bare with explosive quarterback Nolen Pauling back as well as Kash Herritt and Zeke Sechrist, who could be eager to take out his frustration on opponents after missing his junior year with a torn ACL. Because so many players were thrust into vital roles last season, Jersey Shore has some invaluable experience and quality depth.

North Schuylkill also went 8-4 last year, losing to Northwestern Lehigh in the District 11 semifinals. The Spartans have not had a losing season since 2007 and have won at least eight games in eight straight years. Together, these programs have produced 30 consecutive winning campaigns.

South Williamsport at North Penn-Mansfield

South heads north for a second straight year after opening last season at Athens. The Mounties are especially excited for the season ahead with most of its core back. In fact, most on his team are three and two-year starters. Running backs Cade Lusk, Garrett Lorson and Eli White all went over 450 yards last year, while Cole Gerber set the program single-season yardage record and Levi Butler the single-season catch record.

South also returns most of the offensive linemen who made all that statistical success possible. The Mounties rallied to win five of their final six regular season games last year, reaching districts for a 14th straight season, tied with Loyalsock for the longest active streak among area teams.

North Penn-Mansfield is on the other side of the coin as far as experience, but first-year coach John Minnich likes the foundation the program is laying, not just at the varsity level, but also in junior high and youth football. The Panthers had some highs and lows last year, starting 4-0 but finishing 4-6. The backfield is potentially exciting with Jeremiah Lawrence and Sudan Benner forming a thunder and lightning duo. Watch out for two-way lineman Kyle Earley as well.

Montoursville at Troy

Like Williamsport, Montoursville also is debuting a new coach. Ironically, it is former Williamsport offensive coordinator Reese Holmes taking over. Holmes helped the Millionaire offense put up some big numbers last year and Montoursville is hoping it can build off last year’s success when it reached the District 4 Class AAA championship.

To do so, Montoursville must navigate a daunting early-season schedule which starts tonight against the 2024 Class AA state champions. The Warriors are replacing the majority of their starters from last year, but also have a nice mix of returning players in key spots with exciting prospects. Quarterback Elijah Eck went over 1,000 yards last season and receivers Jay Houseknecht and Brayden Burkett could be ready to bust out. Watch out for two-way lineman Branson Fogleman who could be poised for a strong year.

Troy also is breaking in several new starters, replacing all-state running back Brendan Gilliland and dynamic quarterback Mason Smith. Still, the cupboard is far from bare for a team which is 27-2 the past two seasons. The Trojans again are big up front, so this will be a big early-season test for Montoursville.

Loyalsock at

Central Columbia

Loyalsock overcame a rash of injuries to make its 14th consecutive District 4 playoff appearance last season and so many young players gaining experience, as tough as it was then, could be a blessing now. Because so many Lancers either started or received ample time, Loyalsock could be deep in several areas, including the line where seven players started games offensively.

The biggest questions are who will fill the voids left by players like 1,000-yard quarterback Danny Dowell, 1,000-yard rusher Jalil Coates and 500-yard receiver Nahmir Thomas? If those voids are filled and Loyalsock has better luck on the injury front, it could make some noise as it moves back to the Class AAA field after two years in 2A. Connor Tallman could be one of the area’s premier linemen, Ivan Baker topped 100 tackles a year ago and both Wyatt Emerick and Tommy Pham were among the team’s leading tacklers.

Central was in a major rebuilding mode last year and was one of the district’s youngest teams by far. The Blue Jays went 0-10, struggling mightily offensively. The learning curve now is less steep since most of those players return and the junior high has been strong, so look for the Blue Jays to possibly be a surprise team this year.

Lewisburg at Danville

Two years ago, these two met in a classic District 4 Class AAA championship which Danville won in the last two minutes. Both were hit hard by graduation following those seasons and endured losing campaigns a year ago, but are eager to bounce back. Lewisburg has a strong foundation in place, returning four of five offensive linemen and having a plethora of exciting playmakers.

Lewisburg’s offense could have a new look this season with the Green Dragons trying to utilize all their playmakers in multiple ways. That means standout wide receiver Jaylen Walker could see a lot of carries in the backfield and quarterback Xavier Carter could line up virtually anywhere with Jett Jamieson under center when Carter is not. The Dragons finished 2-8 last year but lost three games by 12 combined points and three after holding fourth quarter leads, so one could say they have unfinished business.

Danville started slow last year but made strides down the stretch and earned the district’s final playoff berth, losing to Mifflinburg. The Ironmen had won the previous five district championships, so this is a strong program and they will be eager to make last season an anomaly.

Cowanesque Valley

at Canton

This game originally was scheduled for CV but delays in its new field being built forced a switch to Canton. This has the potential be an exciting game between NTL-II teams which bring a lot back from last year.

CV went 5-6 a year ago and put together a dominant late-season stretch in which it outscored three straight teams, 160-8. The Indians reached the postseason for a third time in five years and have a dynamic backfield in 1,000-yard rusher Kegan Lane and do-everything senior Dave Hess who has topped 1,000 career rushing and receiving yards. Stevie Olson is one of the area’s premier linemen and finished among the area’s sack leaders a year ago.

Canton fielded one of its youngest teams of the 2000s a year ago and missed districts for the first time since 2017. The experience that it has now has Canton feeling ahead of schedule from where it was last August. With the junior high strong, it also points to a potential bright future. The Warriors reached five straight District 4 Class A championships from 2018-22 and coach Tyler Sechrist seems the same selflessness that defined those teams in his current group. Sophomore quarterback Owen Moore nearly reached 1,000 yards in his debut season and Bailey Gardner is one of the NTL’s top running backs.

Bloomsburg at Milton

Milton must replace 2025 area rushing champion Monty Fisher, as well as standout lineman Alex Krall, among others, but the cupboard is far from bare. Actually, the Black Panthers could be quite exciting, featuring several young playmakers mixed in, several who started and/or played a lot as freshmen, including Jacori Brown and Jensen Souder.

Brady O’Rourke is one of the area’s best defensive ends and wreaks havoc coming off the edge. Fellow linebacker Jackson Wertz and Schuyler Humphrey also had big seasons a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Kamryn Wilson is a player to watch and two-way starter Luis Santos has provided excellent offseason leadership as Milton looks to build on the strides it made over the last seven weeks a season ago.

Bloomsburg reached the District 4 Class AA semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Southern Columbia and must replace fantastic quarterback Wyatt Brosious who went over 3,000 total yards last year. Still, this remains an exciting team which went 9-3 and has one of the district’s most dangerous all-around weapons in Jharee Moore-Stewart, a junior who has scored 36 touchdowns four ways, while going over 1,000 yards receiving.

Mifflin County at

Central Mountain

Central Mountain is hoping its the start of a new era tonight as it tries snapping a 22-game losing streak. The Wildcats put together a terrific offseason and feature one of the state’s best linebackers in senior Kole Corman who needs 30 tackles to break the program’s career record. He already holds records for tackles in a season and game (twice).

Kyle Everett made quality progress at quarterback in his first year starting and sophomore Alex Johnson could develop into a strong playmaker as Central Mountain looks to utilize him as both a rusher and receiver. Central Mountain has some experience, but many of those players are underclassmen, so the hope is that this year is a launching pad as the Wildcats look to try and soar the next few years.

Mifflin County has defeated Central Mountain in consecutive openers and went 6-5 a year ago, reaching districts. The Huskies, though, must replace their leading passer, rusher and two of its top four receivers from last year. Watch out for Lucas Hartung who caught 44 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns.

Bucktail at Cameron County

Bucktail also is hoping to win its first game on the field since 2023 after receiving a forfeit victory against Renaissance Academy last year. The Bucks return most of their starters and, if the line holds up, could be quite exciting.

Sophomore quarterback Corbin Pentz topped 1,000 passing yards in just eight games a year ago and fellow sophomore Levi Stevenson ran for 112 yards in one of two games against Cameron County. Junior Teagan Stone is a Swiss Army Knife who had 100-yard receiving and rushing games, while also making a start at quarterback. Aidan Ditty caught three touchdowns against Smethport and Bucktail closed its season with a near upset, dropping a 36-34 thriller against CMVT.

Cameron County swept two games from the Bucks last season, finishing 6-5. Kamden Fragale totaled 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns.

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