Steckert’s four touchdown’s help Southern Lehigh march past Juniata, into State Semi-Finals
SHAMOKIN – Last Friday, on the same field that Saturday’s Class 4A quarterfinal was being played, Juniata’s Jasper Shepps caught three touchdown passes, hauled in an interception on defense, and was almost a one-man wrecking crew as the Indians benefited from five turnovers in a 27-7 upset of previously unbeaten Shamokin. This week, with Southern […]
Troy advances to 2A State Semi-Finals, rolls Bedford 42-16
LOCK HAVEN – All season long, and even going back the last couple of seasons, Troy’s offense has thrived on big plays. A big part of the Trojans’ success has been due to their ability to put up chunk plays and largely run away from their opponent on the scoreboard, oftentimes before halftime. On Friday, […]
Troy Blasts Warrior Run 59-14 To Claim First District 4 Title Since 2013
MANSFIELD – After ending one of the all-time greatest streaks in Pennsylvania high school football history last week by knocking off Southern Columbia, Troy had to guard against a letdown in Friday’s District 4 Class AA championship game against an upstart Warrior Run team that was making its first-ever appearance in a district championship contest. […]
Hall and Butler, who combined for all six of Warrior Run’s touchdowns, lead the Defenders over Towanda 43-20 in a District 4 Class AA semifinal.
TOWANDA – Just five years ago, Warrior Run won its first ever District 4 playoff game. And after that historic win at the end of the 2019 season, the Defender program proceeded to lose 22 consecutive games. Just over two short years ago, the Defenders broke that losing streak in the fifth game of the […]
Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech clinches first winning record in 17 years with win over Bucktail 36-6
ALMEDIA – One of the most notable streaks in District 4 was broken on Friday night when Shamokin defeated Mount Carmel to take home the Coal Bucket for the first time since 1995, ending a 27-game winning streak for the Red Tornadoes in the Coal Bucket game. One of the lesser known but no less […]
South Williamsport holds off Northwest Area 21-14
SHICKSHINNY – South Williamsport has built one of the best programs in District 4 this side of Southern Columbia over the last decade plus. But coming off a state semifinal appearance in Class A last year, the Mounties had a massive rebuilding job to do this season, with the added challenge of moving up to […]
Brown Accounts For Six Touchdowns In Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech’s win over Holy Redeemer
KINGSTON – Riding a three-game losing streak after starting the season 4-1, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech was aiming to put together a complete game on Saturday as it traveled to Luzerne County to face Holy Redeemer after having a bad quarter or bad half the last two weeks, which led to two narrow losses to Cowanesque Valley […]
Warrior Run Rolls Past Central Columbia 30-12
SOUTH CENTRE TWP – Warrior Run was coming off a pair of very tough losses the last two weeks to teams they are battling with for playoff position in District 4 Class 2A. The Defenders dropped a one-point game to Loyalsock two weeks ago, then followed that up with a double overtime loss to Hughesville […]
Hanover Area wins wild, high-scoring game against Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 56-44
ALMEDIA – When you are playing mostly freshmen and sophomores on both sides of the ball, it can take a little while for them to develop and gel together to the point where they can put together a complete performance. Hanover Area has been struggling with that so far this year. With a 0-7 record […]
Brosious sparks Bloomsburg to 39-29 win over Shikellamy
SUNBURY – Having entered the week in seventh place in the District 4 Class 2A standings in which eight teams qualify for the playoffs, Bloomsburg could ill-afford a loss to a 1-6 Shikellamy team, a 4A team that would give the Panthers some extra playoff points in the standings with a win. Things started well […]
Late Touchdown by Graham Hess lifts Cowanesque Valley to victory over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 29-24
WESTFIELD – Having squandered a two-score lead after giving up a pair of second half touchdowns and subsequent two-point conversions to Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech, Cowanesque Valley found itself trailing 24-21 with 7:25 left in the game after having led 21-8 in the first half. The Indians, which entered the game 1-5, proceeded to put together their […]
Central Columbia Knocks Off Milton in Overtime Thriller 42-36
SOUTH CENTRE TWP – Having entered the Week 7 game on a five-game losing streak after winning its season opener back in August, Central Columbia could have easily folded at a few different times during Friday’s game against Milton, which was close throughout. In particular, the Bluejays could have folded after starting running back Ty […]
Bloomsburg shuts out Midd West 43-0
BLOOMSBURG – With about six or so teams vying for the last four spots in the District 4 Class 2A playoffs and them all being bunched together in the standings, Friday’s game against Midd West was of particular importance for Bloomsburg. Off to a 1-4 start to its season after dropping a pair of close […]
Riley Vanderpoll Has Big Night, Runs for 226 Yards, Five Total Touchdowns As Towanda Wins Over Canton Area 40-14
TOWANDA – Canton has developed quite the winning tradition over the last handful or so years. The Warriors have made a pair of state semifinals over the last three years, and en route to doing so, have dominated much of the Northern Tier conference. Heading into Thursday night’s game at Towanda, the last time Canton […]
Columbia Montour Vo-Tech runs past Holy Cross, 24-14
ALMEDIA – Facing a fourth-and-17 from just over midfield with the game tied 8-8 late in the second quarter, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech coach Mark Varner, as he often does in such situations, elected to go for it rather than punt the ball away to Holy Cross. Having completed just one of his first 12 pass attempts, […]
Danville’s Bo Sheptock puts on a show in win over Milton Area 49-0
MILTON – As it seeks its fifth consecutive District 4 Class 3A championship this year, Danville’s schedule ramps up a bit in the second half of the season, with games against Southern Columbia, Mount Carmel and Selinsgrove dotting the next five weeks. So, it was important for the Ironmen to not only not look ahead […]
South Williamsport holds off Wyalusing rally for 21-19 win
WYALUSING – Even though both South Williamsport and Wyalusing still have half of their seasons still to come following Thursday night’s matchup and will still largely hold their postseason fate in their own hands either way, Thursday night’s game was an important one nonetheless in what is shaping up to a very competitive race for […]
Braxtyn Brown rushes for more than 300 yards as Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech races past Renaissance Academy Charter
ALMEDIA – After playing what he described as “maybe the best half of football we’ve ever played execution-wise” in its 44-14 win at Montrose, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech coach Mark Varner wanted to see his team come out and similarly execute at home against Renaissance Academy Charter. Varner’s Rams did just that, as Braxtyn Brown carried the […]
Warrior Run pull away in 4th to beat Bloomsburg 38-24
BLOOMSBURG – It’s been a while since Warrior Run last started a football season 4-0. So long, in fact, that available records don’t go back that far. What is known for sure, however, is that the Defenders haven’t started 4-0 in at least the last 20 years. However long that may be beyond the last […]
Robert Schoppy’s late field goal gives Mount Carmel Area 35-34 win over Mifflinburg
MIFFLINBURG – What a difference a week makes. Just one week after losing by 46 points on the same field to a Danville team that is largely thought of as the top Class 3A team in District 4, having won the last four straight district titles, Mifflinburg went head-to-head with Pennsylvania’s all-time winningest program, and […]
Dylan Johns leads Wyalusing past Wellsboro
WELLSBORO – In a battle of attrition, it’s often the first team to blink that ends up on the wrong end of the result. That was what happened to Wellsboro on Thursday night as it hosted Wyalusing. After battling to a scoreless tie for over 44 minutes of game time, and both teams having limited […]
Canton Area wins back-and-forth battle with South Williamsport with late TD pass
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – Canton and South Williamsport have combined for the last three District 4 Class A titles, with each making a trip to the state semifinals in each of those years. And on their respective ways toward the state’s final four over the last year seasons, have played a handful of memorable contests against […]
Danville cruises to 54-8 win over Mifflinburg
MIFFLINBURG – Danville has very high expectations for this season, both in District 4 and beyond. The four-time defending District 4 Class 3A champions are not only looking for their fifth straight district title, but also hoping to take that next step in the postseason. Teams that have such aspirations generally don’t want to let […]
Hughesville beats Montgomery 14-7
MONTGOMERY – The line between winning and losing can be very thin sometimes, and that was no more evident than in Saturday night’s season opener between neighbors Hughesville and Montgomery. In what was a relatively even game, one blown coverage resulting in the longest play of the game just seconds before halftime ended up being […]
Braxtyn Brown rushes for 325 yards, CMVT dominates Shenandoah Valley 48-17
ALMEDIA – A lot of football coaches will tell you that in order for their team to be successful, they must effectively run the football. That adage is especially true for Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech, whose offense is a ground-and-pound, slug-it-out type of system, rather than one that often makes quick strikes and generates a lot of […]
Central Columbia rushes for over 300 yards, defeating Midd-West, 41-0
MIDDLEBURG – Friday night’s season opener between Central Columbia and Midd West was a matchup of a pair of teams that managed just a single win between them last season. So, it essentially provided a golden opportunity for one of the teams to have an equally or more successful season that it did in 2023 […]
South Williamsport moves on to Class A Semifinals after beating Cambria Heights
WILLIAMSPORT – In South Williamsport’s two losses this season, the Mounties committed a total of nine turnovers. Over the last two weeks, the Mounties avenged both of those losses with wins over two-time defending district champion Canton and a blowout win over Muncy in the District 4 Class A championship game last weekend to give […]
Southern Columbia beats Bald Eagle Area in PIAA Class 2A Football Quarterfinal, 18-8
CATAWISSA – For the second straight week, Southern Columbia found itself in a grind-it-out battle on Friday in the 2A state quarterfinals. A week after being in a scoreless tie with Troy before scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns, the Tigers once again battled through a scoreless tie against Bald Eagle Area in the first […]
Garrett Garcia leads Southern Columbia to District 4 Title
TROY – Not many teams have the speed to match up with Southern Columbia. Heading into Friday’s District 4 2A championship game, Troy believed it had just that, and the Trojans had the numbers and the film to back that up. Unfortunately, Troy was never able to show it. A steady rain and muddy field […]
Danville Quarterback-Receiver Combo Sets Record in Win Over Lewisburg
DANVILLE – Difference makers are what separate the good from the great teams and are what can carry a team deep into the postseason. While there are still a few more weeks to go to qualify as “deep” in the postseason, Danville appears to have a few of those such difference-makers. Both Aaron Johnson and […]
Southern Columbia wins 62-20 over North Penn-Mansfield
CATAWISSA – A staple of Southern Columbia’s dominance over the years, particularly in its current streak of six consecutive state AA championships, is that it seldom lets an overmatched opponent hang around for very long. On Saturday night, as the Tigers began the quest for an unprecedented seventh straight state championship, that trend continued. The […]
Mount Carmel Area Ends Wyalusing Season 43-21 in 1st Round of District 4 Playoffs
MOUNT CARMEL – Not content with just a first-round appearance in the state playoffs, Wyalusing tried to make history on Saturday afternoon. And while the Rams weren’t able to pick up the win over the home team, Mount Carmel, in the first round of the District 4 AA playoffs, what they were able to do […]
Northwest Area over Bucktail 36-30
FARWELL – Friday’s District 4 Class A first-round matchup was sure to produce a first. Bucktail was hosting its first-ever District 4 playoff game, and just its second-ever overall playoff game, with an Eastern Conference semifinal in 2011 being the only other. It was also Bucktail’s first appearance in the District 4 playoffs since 2017. […]
Braxton Brown leads Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech past Montgomery 46-26
ALMEDIA – The Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech Rams have gotten some big performances from junior running back Braxtyn Brown this year. Those performances have carried the Rams to some wins, but in other contests, a few breaks turned the momentum in the direction of their opponents, leading to some close losses. On Saturday, in their home finale, […]
South Williamsport over Northwest Area
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – You can count on less than one hand the number of teams in District 4 that have more wins than South Williamsport over the last decade. The Mounties have been one of the top programs in the district at that time, and guiding the program through that period has been one man, […]
Mount Carmel Area runs all over Shikellamy in 69-13 win
SUNBURY – Over the offseason, Mount Carmel installed a new offense. Although it still features plenty of the traditional ground game that the Red Tornado program has been known for over the years and it came following a very successful stretch over the last handful of years, there has no doubt been a learning curve. […]
Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech star Running back rushes for over 200 yards in win over Montrose
BLOOMSBURG – Last week, when going up against what at times was a deceptive rushing attack featuring multiple handoffs on certain plays against Cowanesque Valley, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech gave up several big plays, and also lost the turnover battle in a game that was partially played in the rain. With Montrose being the opponent this week […]
Troy wins 51-0 over Northwest Area
TROY – Since the 2019 season, Troy now has a 39-11 record, and most of the Trojans’ success in that time frame has been a result of a strong ground game on offense. But this year, things are different for the Trojans. Although the running game is still strong, Troy now has a strong passing […]
Fletcher Good leads Cowanesque Valley to win over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech
ALMEDIA – Turnovers, and specifically turnover margin, are often the most important deciding factor in close football games. That proved to be true once again on Saturday as Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech committed one more turnover than Cowanesque Valley, but also committed half of its turnovers at key points in the second half, and that ultimately ended […]
Mount Carmel Area dominates Hughesville in a 54-14 win
MOUNT CARMEL – Hughesville has never beaten Mount Carmel, but the Spartans were at least hoping to be more competitive against the Red Tornados as they came into the Silver Bowl on Friday than they have been in the teams’ last six meetings over the last five seasons. In those last six contests dating back […]
With running game in gear, Muncy rolls to 56-18 win over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech
ALMEDIA – There are several reasons why Muncy has played in the last five consecutive District 4 Class A championship games, including winning three straight from 2018-20, and one of them is the Indians’ consistent running game and its deep stable of running backs. That depth and strong ground game was on display on Saturday […]
Mount Carmel Area shuts out Midd West 55-0
MIDDLEBURG – Beating a team like Mount Carmel is no easy task, even if a team plays a relatively mistake and turnover-free game. Illustrating that point, only four teams – North Schuylkill, Southern Columbia, Bloomsburg and Milton – have done so on the field since the 2018 season. But turning the ball over and making […]
Warrior Run Cruises to 54-8 win over Northwest Area
SHICKSHINNY – There are always teams that are better than their record may indicate. Although a team is what its record says, there are many variables involved. Warrior Run has been one of those teams this season. The Defenders played well but dropped a pair of one-possession heartbreakers to open the season. After starting the […]
Milton Area Rolls Past Holy Redeemer, 66-0
MILTON – Milton was coming off perhaps one of the biggest wins in program history last week in which it knocked off the state’s all-time winningest program in Mount Carmel for the first time ever. By contrast, Holy Redeemer entered Friday’s matchup 0-4 and as an inexperienced and overmatched squad compared to the Black Panthers. […]
North Penn-Mansfield beats Northwest Area 39-15
SHICKSHINNY – Four turnovers in a game, much less a single half of football, will usually doom a team. That’s just what happened to Northwest on Friday, as the Rangers fumbled away the opening kickoff, and then committed three more turnovers before halftime. And North Penn Mansfield took advantage of all four. The Tigers, which […]
Muncy’s Running Backs Deliver In Sayre Win
MUNCY – Muncy is a battle-tested program, having played in numerous big games over the past several years, including the last five consecutive District 4 Class A championship games. More recently, the Indians have also dealt with a few game delay situations in recent years. By contrast, Sayre did not even have a varsity team […]
South Williamsport rushes for over 400 yards in 58-18 win over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech
ALMEDIA – When one thinks about running games and the ground-and-pound offense in District 4, names such as Southern Columbia and Mount Carmel no doubt come to mind. For the better part of the last decade, though, South Williamsport has been every bit as good as those two coal region teams when it comes to […]
Mount Carmel Area routs Warrior Run 41-6
MOUNT CARMEL – If Warrior Run can get its passing game going, then it has the potential to put up chunks of yards in a hurry. Mount Carmel made sure the Defenders weren’t able to do so on Friday night, as the Red Tornados recorded three interceptions in the first half alone, and four for […]
Davis scores four touchdowns in Canton’s 41-6 win over Wellsboro
WELLSBORO – Canton has been a bit of a juggernaut in both District 4 and the eastern half of Pennsylvania in Class A for the last two seasons. Coming off back-to-back appearances in the state semifinals, the Warriors lost several key players from those last two outstanding squads and are playing plenty of players with […]
Northwest Area routs Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 40-8
SHICKSHINNY – Northwest had to make a trip out to the literal opposite end of District 4 last week to open the season against Cowanesque Valley. The result of that game likely made what was an already long bus ride home even longer. Not happy with the result of last week’s game, the Rangers came […]
