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It’s mind blowing how fast the high school football season goes. How are we halfway through the regular season already?
Well, with us at the halfway point, let’s take a look at the second-half outlook for all 17 area teams.
1. Williamsport (4-1): Williamsport’s second-half schedule is one of the toughest around. It includes three defending district champions and two district runners-up. Still, this is a fiercely competitive team and it controls its own destiny as far as the top seed in District 2-4 Class 6A goes. The Millionaires have overcome a lot the last few weeks and appear eager for the challenge.
2. Montgomery (4-1): Montgomery cannot take anything for granted, especially with some key injuries, but the toughest part of its schedule has passed. The Red Raiders have a shot to duplicate last year’s 9-1 regular season finish, although a challenging game against Towanda remains. They likely will be battling defending champion Line Mountain (5-0) for District 4 Class A’s top seed.
3. Jersey Shore (3-2): Jersey Shore is in unfamiliar territory, not being 4-1 or 5-0 at the halfway point for the first time since 2018. The schedule is pretty intense with games against Williamsport, Hollidaysburg and Southern Columbia included, but that 2018 team rallied to win a district championship, so it would be foolish to count out the Bulldogs.
4. Montoursville (3-2): A three-game meat grinder of a schedule to start the season has paid dividends the last two weeks and has Montoursville surging into the second half. Montoursville plays three of the four 3A teams currently ahead of it in the standings, so it has ample opportunity to move up from No. 5. Mount Carmel seems the clear favorite, but the Warriors are heating up at a good time.
5. Loyalsock (3-2): Loyalsock is a few plays from being 5-0. It sits at No. 6 in those standings, but also has the chance to move up, especially with its annual Week 10 grudge match at Montoursville. The next five weeks present challenges, but this is a fairly young team which has the opportunity to make some noise if it keeps progressing.
6. South Williamsport (3-2): South also has had several chances in its lone defeats and will have navigated the most demanding part of its schedule following tonight’s showdown in Muncy. With small numbers, depth obviously is a concern, but this is a team which has the capability to win out it prevails tonight since it would be a big favorite in those final four games.
7. Warrior Run (3-2): Last year was a bad year for area injuries and this year has been even worse. No one knows that better than Warrior Run which has been absolutely ravaged. This was a team which looked like one of the best in District 4 Class AA, but now it’s a matter of how well the next men up can play down the stretch which will determine how this season plays out.
8. Muncy (3-2): Muncy showcased how dangerous it can in that 1A field last week at Montgomery. The Indians have a young core but strong senior leaders and have quickly jelled. If one is looking for a dark horse in that Class A field, Muncy might be it, although it faces challenges tonight, next week against fellow three-win Canton, in Week 9 at Athens and its rivalry game against Hughesville.
9. Lewisburg (2-3): Lewisburg brings some extra bounce in its collective step after getting quarterback Xavier Carter back last week. The Green Dragons took some significant injury hits during the first half but weathered the storm and look dangerous going forward. Tonight’s game is a good barometer to see where Lewisburg is at but it is trending in the right direction.
10. Canton (3-2): Canton already has exceeded last year’s win total and has an exciting young nucleus. The Warriors can gain valuable postseason experience in an open 1A field and that helps moving forward, too. The second half schedule is a grind, however, with the final four games against larger school teams, three who are a combined 10-5.
11. Milton (1-4): All four Milton defeats are against teams with winning records, so the Black Panthers have been through the fire. That should help throughout the second half. Except for Week 8 against Southern Columbia, Milton has opportunities in every game. That is to say, it will not be a decided underdog and, because of that, grabbing District 4 Class AAAA’s No. 4 seed is a possibility.
12. Cowanesque Valley (2-3): This reporter believes if all-star linebacker/1,000-yard rusher Kegan Lane was not injured that CV would be 4-1 right now. The Indians are hoping Lane returns later this season but have fought on well. The second half is daunting with games against Towanda, Troy, South Williamsport and Montgomery, but I like what CV has built the last few years.
13. Hughesville (1-4): Hughesville turned things around last week against previously undefeated Northwest and has more opportunities to gain some ground going forward. The top eight teams reach the 2A playoffs, so the Spartans are in a good spot to advance if they can win a few more games.
14. Wellsboro (1-4): Northwest leaving it at the altar for the opener and a Griffin Morral injury in Week 4 at Canton made things tougher but Wellsboro has some good opportunities over the final four weeks, although South Williamsport will be a big test in Week 9. A few wins likely would ensure the Hornets a 3A playoff spot.
15. Central Mountain (0-5): Central Mountain showed promise in its first three games before a major setback at Selinsgrove and last week’s game against No. 1 ranked Class AAAA Shamokin. Every team remaining on the schedule has a winning record, so Central Mountain has its work cut out, but if it can build off what it showed the first three weeks, upset potential is there.
16. North Penn-Mansfield (0-5): The bad news is that the next four games are against district title contenders who are a combined 14-6. The good news is that North Penn-Mansfield may be the district’s youngest team, so while it’s rough right now, the experience gained could provide a big springboard going forward the next few years.
17. Bucktail (0-4): Is there an echo in here? Bucktail nearly matches North Penn-Mansfield in youth but also has an exciting young nucleus. The Bucks have scored at least 20 points in three of their four games and have been competitive in all four. The winds of change are picking up.