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Wildcats edge out Montoursville in boys soccer behind Killinger goals, strong defense

By HENRY HUBER 6 min read

MILL HALL - In soccer, one sequence can often make or break an outcome. Strong defensive battles can either end in a tie or be decided by which unit budges latest, leading to tense moments down the stretch as opponents work tirelessly to shatter defenses.

Such was the case for Central Mountain boys soccer's home opener against Montoursville on Saturday morning. The Wildcats and Warriors saw over 50 minutes of game time pass with the score still deadlocked at 0-0 before the home team turned a four-minute span into a two-goal cushion.

Nearing the midway point of the second half, Central Mountain junior Gabe Killinger broke through with back-to-back goals to break the stalemate and give his team a comfortable, 2-0 cushion. Continued stout defense from goalkeeper Cooper Confer and his defenders did the rest, as the Wildcats escaped with a 2-1 win to improve to 2-0-1 on the season.

While the Wildcats had a lot to replace heading into 2026, the new-look squad has adjusted well so far. Head coach Billy Hook is happy with what the defense has accomplished over their first three games. Up until the last ten minutes of Saturday's game, the unit hadn't given up a goal, led by strong play from Confer.

"Defensively, we have a bunch of new guys in there from last year learning on the fly, so there's still gonna be some hiccups. But I think they're handling it extremely well," said Hook. "Cooper Confer is easily the MVP today. He's been waiting patiently (to start), and he's jumping into it fantastically."

The most notable frame of Confer's performance was the first half. Although Central Mountain narrowed the shot discrepancy late, it was Montoursville controlled possession early, particularly nearing the last 20 minutes before break.

One Warrior shot on goal through the first ten minutes turned into four through the next 12, and the attacks kept coming until late. Ultimately, Confer was able to maintain the shutout despite the onslaught, finishing the half with five of his six saves on the day and adding multiple well-timed approaches to the performance.

"They got a lot of free balls in," said Confer on the first half. "I knew when to come out and just did that and saved it. Trusted my instincts."

"(He handled it) maturely. Big saves and was immediately standing up and talking, giving directions," said Hook on Confer's first half. "He made a save with just a few seconds left in the first half and our assistant Alex said, 'You better hug him at halftime.' As you should."

With an adjusted approach to its attacks in the second, it was Central Mountain that dominated possession across midfield in the second. Through the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Wildcats outshot Montoursville 7-0. They turned up the pressure ten minutes into the frame, and that's where Killinger would leave his mark.

After seeing a well-placed header saved and a promising two-versus-one thwarted, Killinger logged his first score fresh off the latter. Alton Counsil, who almost assisted him previously, stole it from a Montoursville defender deep in the box. And rather than take the shot himself, he set up a better shot for his teammate, who sent it into the back left corner of the net to give Central Mountain a 1-0 lead.

"I actually got taken out by the goalkeeper and didn't see how the ball popped out or whatever happened," said Killinger on the play. "But I saw Alton over on the other side and knew I needed to make the run in behind. As soon as I did that, he passes me the ball. All I had to do was redirect it right into the corner."

That score occurred at the 28:11 mark. And less than four minutes later, the junior capitalized on another scoring opportunity.

On Central Mountain's third and final corner of the day, Ben Brinker put the cross right on the money for his teammate to head it in to the right of Fry. That header earned Killinger his first multi-score performance in the last two seasons.

"It really means a lot because I've been really underperforming recently," said Killinger on what it meant to score two goals. "I'm starting to see progress."

"Last year, he only had one goal, and you could tell he was bothered about it," said Hook on Killinger. "He's a good player, and he deserves more. But you can see the way he's handling it so far this year, stepping out and getting through there. I'm hoping he's going to score a lot more for us."

Just like that, the Wildcats went from enduring a stalemate to protecting a comfortable cushion. That cushion endured for 15 minutes of game time before Montoursville put the pressure back on late.

A corner kick from Simon Dietrich finally caught the sturdy Central Mountain defense off guard, going over its wall defense and into the perfect position for senior CJ Lucas. Lucas headed it into the top left of the net to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 and halt the Wildcats' quest for a third shutout.

With that, the pressure was back on. Montoursville created more opportunities, including two more corners within the next four minutes and a close free kick with five to go. But the Wildcats held on against their opponent's remaining attacks, doing what they could to keep calm and run out the clock and ultimately managing to do so.

There were blemishes, but it was a strong third performance for the new-look core, one which should return one of its strongest scorers in Yayfran Sanchez next week. Moving forward, Central Mountain turns its focus to Heartland-I foe Selinsgrove (2-0), facing the Seals at home at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

For Montoursville (0-2), losing two in a row stings, but the losses came against two tough opponents in Selinsgrove and Central Mountain. Head Coach Adam Mertes hopes to see his learn from the mistakes they've experienced early on as the team pushes to improve through the weeks leading up to October.

"We made a couple of mistakes, and they capitalized on those mistakes. But I like how our guys responded in the closing 15 to 20 minutes to make this a game," said Mertes. "I think if they keep responding like that, good things are going to happen as the season goes on."

Montoursville returns to action on Tuesday, facing Hughesville on the road at 6 p.m.

Central Mountain 2, Montoursville 1

CM - Gabe Killinger (Alton Counsil), 51:49. CM - Killinger (Ben Brinker), 55:16. M - CJ Lucas (Simon Dietrich), 70:16.

Shots: M 15, CM 13. Shots on goal: M7, CM 7. Corners: M 6, CM 3. Saves: M 5 (Mason Fry); CM 6 (Cooper Confer).

Records: Montoursville 0-2; Central Mountain 2-0-1.

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