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Central Mountain football suffers rout against Mifflinburg at home

By HENRY HUBER 6 min read

MILL HALL - While the winless Wildcats (0-7) showed promise in Week 6, pushing a strong Shikellamy team and falling by just 13 points, that promise didn't transfer over to the following week against Mifflinburg (5-2). Opportunities came and went without impacting the scoreboard until late in the third. And by then, their opponent had amassed 43 points.

Mifflinburg senior captain Landon Moser made up much of the team's early success, totaling three touchdowns and 170 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Brennen Snyder logged passing touchdowns of 37 and 57 yards, the Wildcat offense scored on six of its seven drives and their defense generated two additional scores, all factoring into a dominant, 57-14 win for Mifflinburg on Friday night at Malinak Stadium.

There were positives from the loss, with Central Mountain senior linebacker Kole Corman breaking Logan Houtz's program record for career tackles and the offense showing flashes in both the run and pass game. But those positives, apart from Corman's accomplishment, were largely overshadowed in another tough loss for the Wildcats.

"We had some opportunities we didn't capitalize on, some balls were left out there wide open," said Central Mountain football head coach Travis Thompson.

"They had a great offense. (Moser) ran the ball hard and was tough to bring down. We knew that coming in, and he lived up to the billing. They lived up to it. They're a good team, and they're on the right way."

The breakdowns began just four plays into Central Mountain's opening drive. After Kyle Everett broke off an 18-yard scamper to get the Wildcats past midfield, the very next play saw them cough up the ball.

A jet pass from Everett to Mason Masorti (4 receptions, 56 yards) was swallowed up in the backfield, and a Mifflinburg defender was able to punch out the ball amidst the chaos. Moser picked it up and proceeded to trudge down the left sideline for a 55-yard defensive touchdown, turning a potential scoring opportunity into a deficit for Central Mountain.

"We had some things that went our way, some things that didn't," said Thompson. "That early fumble really stifled our momentum. It was tough to recover from."

Tough to recover from, indeed. Without even having possession, a Mifflinburg squad coming off a 51-point showing against Warrior Run and four straight wins had a 7-0 lead and would be receiving the ball after the half. On top of that, it adjusted to what made Central Mountain's opening drive somewhat successful.

A quick stop and the bulldozing ability of Moser upped the Wildcats' deficit to 14-0 in the blink of an eye. Moser turned four carries on Mifflinburg's first drive into 75 yards, including a 46-yarder and a ten-yard score, and he'd surpass 100 yards before the midway point of the second while the defense kept holding Central Mountain scoreless.

That 80-yard touchdown drive kicked off a span that saw Mifflinburg score on three straight, including a second drive that started on its own seven-yard line. Seth Hartman punched in a four-yard touchdown with seven minutes to go in the half, and Snyder upped Mifflinburg's lead to 29-0 with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Zimmerman.

Corman would force a fumble - recovered by Gavin Heverly - to put an end to Mifflinburg's touchdown streak, but that momentum was short-lived as Central Mountain turned it over right back. Grady Brubaker capped a 22-point quarter for Mifflinburg with a 55-yard pick six with just over a minute left in the half, activating a running clock at the start of the second half and effectively ending it two quarters in.

Despite the seemingly early conclusion, there were positive flashes on display from Central Mountain - both before and after the running clock was implemented.

Trailing 14-0, Everett and Masorti connected on passes of 24 and 29 yards to get the Wildcats in the redzone, and both those passes featured tight coverage, solid accuracy and impressive hands. They were the highlight of a span that saw Everett complete eight straight passes to open to game as well.

They didn't result in six, and Everett later missed Masorti on a potential touchdown with his defender falling down. But Everett would eventually get Central Mountain a passing touchdown with a 27-yard connection with Caleb Stitzer in the back of the endzone, adding to a 45-yard rushing score from Kole Corman.

"We've been working on our pass game in practice," said Thompson when asked about those connections. "We threw the ball much better tonight, especially early on and had some nice receptions. Masorti did a great job getting open. We didn't capitalize on some other balls when we had guys open downfield, but that's stuff to build on."

Moving forward, the road doesn't get much easier for Central Mountain, as it looks to avoid seeing its losing streak reach the thirties in next week's home contest against Montoursville. But the team remains motivated nonetheless, staying hopeful that it can enter the win column some time in 2026.

"It's bittersweet, but we'll rally back," said Corman. "I have 100 percent faith in my team every week. I trust everyone. We're a great brotherhood, we're a family and we'll continue to be that. Win or lose, we'll stay brothers and play tough."

"The wins are coming, we have the athletes to do it," emphasized Thompson. "You've just got to keep fighting forward and keep doing the right things."

Friday's game against Montoursville is set to begin next Friday at Malinak Stadium. For Mifflinburg (5-2), it'll look to carry its four-game win streak forward into another road matchup against Midd-West (1-6).

Mifflinburg 57, Central Mountain 14

Mifflinburg 14 22 14 7 – 57

Central Mountain 0 0 7 7 – 14

1st Quarter

M – Landon Moser 55 fumble return (Jaden Boyer kick), 10:34.

M – Moser 10 run (Boyer kick), 7:04.

2nd Quarter

M – Seth Hartman 4 run (Boyer kick), 7:11.

M – Brennen Snyder to Taylor Zimmerman 37 pass (Boyer kick), 2:49.

M – Grady Brubaker 55 interception return (Snyder to Moser pass), 1:05.

3rd Quarter

M – Moser 3 run (Boyer kick), 6:42.

CM – Kole Corman 45 run (Cahle Fredericks kick), 3:16.

M – Snyder to Brayden Resseguie 57 pass (Boyer kick), 1:25.

4th Quarter

CM – Kyle Everett to Caleb Stitzer 27 pass (Fredericks kick), 8:16.

M – Sebastian Lauver 3 run (Boyer kick), :37.

TEAM STATISTICS M CM

First Downs 18 8

Rushes-yards 40-301 28-169

Passing yards 209 94

Comp-Att-Int 8-12-0 12-20-1

Total yards 510 263

Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-1

Penalties-yards 5-33 3-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING: Mifflinburg, Landon Moser 18-170, 2 TDs; Seth Hartman 5-45, TD; Brennen Snyder 3-33; Sebastian Lauver 4-30, TD; Kolton Kmett 4-24; Dylan Catherman 2-10; Kaine Klose 1-6; Jaymin Waltman 1-3. Central Mountain, Kyle Everett 16-107; Kole Corman 1-45, TD; Alex Johnson 3-7; Mason Masorti 1-6; Gavin Heverly 3-4; Caleb Stitzer 2-3; Royce King 1-(-4).

PASSING: Mifflinburg, Brennen Snyder 7-11-0 185 yards, 2 TDs; Kolton Kmett 1-1-0 24 yards. Central Mountain, Kyle Everett 12-20-0 94 yards, TD.

RECEIVING: Mifflinburg, Brayden Resseguie 4-111, TD; Taylor Zimmerman 2-44, TD; Cameron Schneck 1-29; Gavin Gessner 1-25. Central Mountain, Mason Masorti 4-56; Caleb Stitzer 3-25, TD; Gavin Heverly 2-11; Jacob Rembold 1-4; Alex Johnson 2-(-2).

INTERCEPTIONS: Mifflinburg, Grady Brubaker 1.

RECORDS: Central Mountain 0-7, 0-4 Heartland-I. Mifflinburg 5-2 (3-1 Heartland-III).

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