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Last meeting: Canton 17, Northwest 6, Week 1, 2025
Northwest PPG―23.2, PPA―24.5; YPG―288.9
Northwest notes: The Rangers opened the season 4-0 but have lost six straight games since. Still, they have doubled last year's win total and certainly are battle-tested after closing the regular season against undefeated Bloomsburg. Northwest features a strong running attack with three players topping 400 yards. Noah Arnett has run for a team-high 753 yards, averaging 10.9 yards per carry. Loegan Diltz has 532 yards and Robby Voyton 412. Quarterback Cole Cavuto has thrown for 470 yards and seven touchdowns with Ben Bonham catching seven for 164 and three scores. Bonham also sparks the defense, making 108 tackles, including nine for loss. Caleb Ide has 95 tackles and five players have three or more sacks, including Bonham who has five.
Northwest player to watch―Chris Martinez: The senior defensive end is tied with Bonham for the team sack lead and also has six tackle for loss. He highlighted his season with a two-sack effort at Milton.
Canton PPG―13.6, PPA―30.9; YPG―232.7, YPA―267.3
Canton notes: Like Northwest, Canton enters the postseason on a losing streak and after playing an excellent team, losing a week ago at Troy (9-1). They also have doubled last year's win total after going 2-8 in 2025. Sophomore quarterback Owen Moore has topped 1,000 yards but has missed the past two weeks, although freshman Brooks Wesneski has played well in his two starts. Senior Rylan Wesneski had a big game at Troy, catching five passes for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns. Monte Whitehead also has had some big games and caught two passes for 79 yards in last year's comeback win against Northwest. Bailey Gardner and Aaden Dowling have combined for 27 catches and Gardner leads the team in rushing. Linebacker Marcus Solomon has enjoyed a strong junior season and is among area sack leaders with eight. Gardner adds five and Whitehead, Dowling, Moore and Jack Whitehead all have two interceptions. Canton rallied for victories against Cowanesque Valley and Wellsboro, turning a nine-point second half deficit into a 22-9 season opening win against CV. The defense then did not allow a point after the game's opening series against Wellsboro. Six players were in on five sacks that game.
Canton player to watch―Bailey Gardner: A year ago, Gardner was the difference-maker against Northwest, running for 154 yards and a touchdown. He leads Canton in rushing this season; has been a valuable receiver and has totaled 767 yards. The senior leader also returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against Wyalusing.
Winner plays: Montgomery
Outlook: Like most No. 4 vs. 5 playoff games, this one features two teams who look mightily similar. This feels like a coin flip type game. Both teams feature several underclassmen starting, so the winner tonight gets both a semifinal appearance; an extra week of practice and added confidence entering next week and into the future.