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February 2018 | Inside Pennsylvania

FROM THE EDITOR

ith the 2026 high school football season just days away, the new season represents a year of both change and continuity. Just one new coach takes over this fall and even he isn’t a stranger. Shawn Sheptock, a former all-state player and state champion at Mount Carmel, assumes the mantle at Danville. Sheptock has been on the staff in Montour County for the past three seasons and a part of two teams that have won District 4 titles. Jim Roth enters his 43rd season at Southern Columbia, coming off his PIAA-record 15th state title. Already the winningest coach in Pennsylvania history, Roth — at 521-74-2 in his career — enters the season second nationally in career wins among active coaches. Oh, and the Tigers return a boatload of skill players from a team that went 15-1 and won another 2A state crown. After program-defining seasons, District 4 champions Mifflinburg and Line Mountain — who both won district titles for the first time in two decades in 2025 — look to reload following the departure of record-setting senior classes. Speaking of record-setters, Shikellamy speedster Thomas Pollock enters his fourth and final season as the program’s most prolific receiver. While the Braves will break in a new quarterback, Pollock — who already owns Shikellamy career marks for catches and yards — looks to put the numbers out of reach for years to come. At Shamokin, senior star Logan Steele — already committed to Wake Forest — looks to cap his stellar career and the Indians’ upward climb with a possible deep state playoff run after 25 wins and a pair of district titles in the past two years. On the change front, the even year means reclassifications, both in district playoff alignment and where teams sit in their respective leagues. Some teams have moved up and down, while others have stayed put. The Heartland Athletic Conference will also be a bit different, with one tweak to the three-division league. The season kicks off Friday, Aug. 28, representing the culmination of months of hard work by players, cheerleaders, band members and countless others, setting the stage for a return of Friday Night Lights. Welcome back, football fans.

William Bowman, Editor

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SINGULAR FOCUS, SINGULAR ATHLETE SH AMOK IN Q B LOGAN STEELE R EAD Y FOR SENIOR SEASON

CONTENTS 8 9 16 18 22 28 32

PRESE A SON ALL-STARS C AN’T- MISS GAMES FE ATURE: THOMA S POLLOCK DANVILLE LEWISBURG LINE MOUNTAIN MIDD -WEST

36 40 42 44 50 54 62

MIFFLINBURG MILTON MOUNT C ARMEL SELINSGROVE SHAMOKIN SHIKELL AMY SOUTHERN COLUMBIA Magazine Editor

William Bowman

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64 66 67 68 70

WARRIOR RUN BLOOMSBURG CENTR AL COLUMBIA RE ALIGNMENT IN PL ACE FOLLOWING PIA A UPDATE SPOTLIGHT: BANDS AND CHEER SQUADS

ON COVER AND ABOVE: Shamokin quarterback Logan Steele

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

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Chip Minemyer Advertising Director

Design Editor/Photo Illustrator

Aron Agerton Photographers

Robert Inglis Brant Bowman Frank Dimon Writers/Contributors

Todd Hummel Michael Bullock Harold Raker

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Inside PA (ISSN 1935-4738) is published at 200 Market St., Sunbury, PA 17801.

INSIDE PA: 570-988-5473 Ofﬁce 570-988-5347 Advertising Sales 570-988-5464 Subscriptions Inside PA magazine is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner, without permission, is prohibited. Copyright 2017 by Community News Group LLC. All rights reserved. Single issue: $5.00. Subscription: $23.70 annually (U.S. only). POSTMASTER: Send address change to Inside PA magazine, 200 Market St., Sunbury, PA 17801. Advertising rates and speciﬁcations available online at InsidePaMagazine.com. Inside PA was founded March 2007. A publication of The Daily Item, a member of Community News Group LLC.

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PRESEASON

ALL-STARS OFFENSE

POS NAME QB Logan Steele RB Grady Garcia RB Denyn Beachel RB Jaylen Delaney WR Jaylen Walker WR Thomas Pollock TE Jace Malakoski OL Jackson Albright OL Robert Whitmer OL Garrett Williams OL Aidyn McHale OL Sam Hummer K Jaden Boyer

DL DL DL DL LB LB LB LB DB DB DB DB P 8

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CLASS Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr.

DEFENSE

Chase Williams Max Karycki Xavier Paul Landon Tucker Noah Ringes Landon Moser Jason Klokis Willie Bender Colin Steinhart Corbin Stahl Luke Malfara Ryan Bickert Liam Tomko

Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr.

SCHOOL Shamokin Southern Col. Warrior Run Mount Carmel Lewisburg Shikellamy Southern Col. Warrior Run Shamokin Warrior Run Southern Col. Danville Mifflinburg

Southern Col. Mount Carmel Shamokin Mifflinburg Shamokin Mifflinburg Mount Carmel Shikellamy Shamokin Shikellamy Line Mountain Shamokin Danville

Mount Carmel’s Michael Kimsal tries to break through the Shamokin line on a carry during a game in Coal Township in 2025.

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

CAN’T-MISS GAMES Story b y Todd H ummel

s the first year of the new classifications arrives, looking ahead is more challenging. Can’t really rely on last year’s schedules and switch home and away, this season. There are a lot of interesting new matchups. Southern Columbia and Williams Valley face off in Week 2, while Line Mountain heads to Glendale, a Class A school in District 6, part of back-toback weeks with western Pa. teams for the Eagles. Northern Bedford, out of District 5, comes to town in Week 3. Let’s take a look at some of the games to watch in this regular season: AUG. 28 Lewisburg at Danville The Green Dragons have opened the past few years with Line Mountain, but now it’s a Heartland Athletic Conference crossover. The train derailed last year in Montour County, but there’s a new engineer this season in Danville. Shawn Sheptock, brother of Bloomsburg University coach Frank Sheptock, takes

over the Ironmen, and we should see a different brand of football. Carter Raup and Landon Kehoe won’t be around to bail out the Ironmen, but a reorganization will do wonders for Danville. Jaylen Walker will be one of the best pass receivers in the area. A good early test for both programs. Shikellamy at Mifflinburg Year two of Mike Hoover will be a lot of Thomas Pollock — not clear quite yet who will be getting him the ball — and the Braves feel they’re a darkhorse in Class 4A and HAC-I. The Wildcats are coming off one of the best seasons in school history and their first outright District 4 football title. There is still plenty of talent, but the big-play flair and clutchness that Chad Martin and Landen Murray and the crew showed last season, that’s where the learning curve comes in. The young Wildcats will have a lot to prove early on. Schuylkill Haven at Mount Carmel The Red Tornadoes struggled with their run defense last season, and what

a way to open the season with a visit from Colton Reber and the Hurricanes. All Reber did in his junior season was run for 2,875 yards and 38 touchdowns. He finished the season with 47 total touchdowns. Mount Carmel has as good a chance as anybody in a wideopen District 4 Class 3A race. There are some holes, but plenty of young offensive talent in the eastern end of Northumberland County. SEPT. 4 Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech at Midd-West The Rams are a good matchup for the Mustangs, and it’s a good chance for a victory. Midd-West will have to stop Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech’s passing game, which must replace junior Myles Koser who transfered back home to Danville. Selinsgrove at Mifflinburg Not the gauntlet the Seals have faced the past two seasons, but this will be a real test for a Selinsgrove team looking to take a INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Selinsgrove’s Peter Scorsone intercepts a pass in front of Danville receiver Jagger Simpson in Selinsgrove in 2025.

step forward after struggling with injuries and a tough schedule. The early-season Wildcats will be perfect for Selinsgrove — talented enough to be a challenge — and still young enough to possibly be ripe for an upset. The Seals could use a win to forget a one-win season. SEPT. 5 Southern Columbia at Williams Valley One of the most underrated places to watch a football game, the Vikings’ home stadium will be a tough place to visit for the Tigers. This is one of those games that’s been expected in the PIAA playoffs, but hasn’t quite happened. Williams Valley had as much controversy off the field last season as success on the field (12-2). Junior Fletcher Thompson is going to be a tough stop for a revamped Tigers defensive front. Southern Columbia’s offensive line will get another test after Wyomissing in the opener. SEPT. 11 Shikellamy at Shamokin Jersey Shore will certainly have 10

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something to say, but a possible District 4 Class 4A championship preview for later in the season.The Braves have to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them in this game, and if anybody has the speed to at least hang with the Indians, it’s Shikellamy. Montoursville at Southern Columbia This is one of the games that decided the HAC-II title last season and this shouldn’t be any different. The Warriors might be missing more than the graduated Christian Banks in their backfield if wrestling needs take Hunter Harvey off the football field. The passing game should still be pretty good for Montoursville. Will it be enough to knock off the Tigers? The skill positions are deep for Southern Columbia this season, but can it revamp the defensive line? SEPT. 12 Hughesville at Lewisburg This Heartland III matchup could go a long way in determining if either is a contender this season. Both teams have plenty of returning talent, and an earlyseason league win will be a confidence

Brant Bowman/Inside PA

builder for one of these teams. SEPT. 18 Danville at Milton Another good early pop quiz. How will Danville adjust under Sheptock? How much has a very young Milton team matured for 2026? Could either team be a sleeper in Class 3A? All of these questions could be answered, and more. Mount Carmel at North Schuylkill This has been the Red Tornadoes’ opener the past few seasons, and the Spartans have exposed some holes in the Mount Carmel defense. They won’t have to figure out how to stop Luke Miller this season — he’s running track at St. Joseph’s. This begins a stretch of the Spartans, Danville and Southern Columbia for Mount Carmel. We’ll see quickly if it is a contender in Class 3A. Jersey Shore at Shamokin What more can be said about this game over the last two years? Only an injury to Bulldogs quarterback Nolen Pauling in the district championship game prevented us from having four straight classics in the series. There is no reason

to think these two teams won’t play two more classics this season. After three seasons, I do wonder if the Bulldogs figure out a way to stop Logan Steele. SEPT. 25

Mount Carmel at Danville This is an easy one to list in here. Sheptock will coach against his alma mater for the first time. The Ironmen are an interesting team this season, and we’ve covered why earlier, but I’ll be interested to see where Sheptock has the Ironmen at this point in the year. This is the point where injuries really did a number on Danville’s depth last season. Lewisburg at Warrior Run It will be our first big look at the newlook Defenders, coming off two of the best seasons in school history. Now the bulk of those players have graduated, but Denyn Beachel and the three big linemen — Jackson Albright, Garrett Williams and Cayden Robinson — return. The Green Dragons could be one of the dark horses in Class 3A, and this one will probably go a long way in determining who wins Division III in the HAC. OCT. 2

Southern Columbia at Mount Carmel This has been a fun one for 30 years, and this year’s edition shouldn’t be different. We don’t get a rematch in the playoffs since the Red Tornadoes are still in Class 3A, so this will have to do. Some of the best returning skill position players in the area will be featured in this game, so of course, it will probably be a defensive struggle. Warrior Run at Mifflinburg The Wildcats are back down in Division III, and this might determine the champion. Both teams are in the same boat,young, talented rosters with some youth in key spots.By the time this game rolls around, that youth will have grown up. Some of the area’s best returning linemen will be competing in this game, which will go a long way to determine the winner. Lewisburg at Loyalsock If the above game isn’t the key game in HAC III, then this will be the one. The Lancers graduated a lot of talent from last year’s team that rode Jalil Coates to a playoff berth. Is there somebody to pick up that slack? The Green Dragons should

have one of the most explosive passing attacks in the area. OCT. 9 Steelton-Highspire at Line Mountain This one has been for the division title the past two seasons, and this year should be no different. The Eagles have an odd start to the season. After opening with Tri-Valley, they play Western schools in Glendale and Northern Bedford. We will find out if it prepares this young group of Eagles for the rigors of the MidPenn Conference season. With District 4 Class A wide open thanks to graduations, Line Mountain could be rounding into shape to defend its Class A title at this point of the season. Shikellamy at Selinsgrove It’s the Rally in the Valley, and the Seals will be looking for revenge. We’ll know by this game if Selinsgrove has bounced back from its one-win season. The smallin-numbers Seals can’t afford the injury bug that hit them last season.The Braves should be in position for a home playoff game by the time we reach this point in the season. It’s always tough to crack into the top two with Shamokin and Jersey Shore there as well. Loyalsock at Warrior Run Separated by about 15 miles, these two teams have quietly engaged in some entertaining football games. Last year was no different in the regular season, a 47-42 shootout for the Defenders. I think both coaches would like to avoid another combined 89 points. OCT. 16 Selinsgrove at Danville This closed the season the past two years, and this crossover game should be a fun one. It’s a battle of two schools looking to return to previous glory. The Seals are just three seasons removed from a PIAA Class 4A semifinal appearance, and the Ironmen had a string of five straight District 4 Class 3A championships snapped a season ago. Bloomsburg at Lewisburg Quarterback Wyatt Brosious is going to be a big hole to fill for the Panthers, so it will be interesting to see if Bloomsburg can build on last year. In a perfect world, the Green Dragons will have themselves in position for

a Division III title with this game, and the Little Brown Jug will now be a league contest. OCT. 23

Blue Mountain at Shamokin This is a game that regularly appeared on the Indians’ schedule back in the 1990s, but the Eagles return in 2026, and it should be a really good inter-district contest. The Eagles lost twice to eventual state champion Southern Lehigh — the same team that ended Shamokin’s season last year — and the Eagles have enough returning to be a contender in District 11 Class 4A. Southern Columbia at Jersey Shore The Tigers make the trip to Thompson Street Stadium. There are any number of years people would get excited for this one, and who wouldn’t, when the top two programs in District 4 clash. The Bulldogs probably feel they have something to prove because the Tigers have something Jersey Shore hasn’t managed yet — a state title. OCT. 30 Mount Carmel at Shamokin It’s the Coal Bucket, enough said. It will be tough to top last year’s edition — Shamokin rallied with two scores in the final minute to win — but these schools always play tight games, and in a stretch in which both schools are good, it hasn’t disappointed. Don’t think Mount Carmel forgets that Shamokin has won two in a row after losing for 29 straight seasons. Mifflinburg at Lewisburg Rivalry week in the area, as the Little Brown Jug will be contested at Bucknell University. These two teams should be in the midst of the HAC-III race and jockeying for position in the Class 3A playoffs. A home playoff game could be on the line in this one. Milton at Warrior Run Since it’s not Harvest Festival, can’t call it the Tomato Bowl, but these two teams aren’t particularly fond of each other. The young Black Panthers hope to make strides this season, and a win in the final game of the season would go a long way.

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

SINGULAR FOCUS

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

SINGULAR ATHLETE Shamokin quarterback ready for senior season

Story b y Todd H ummel | P h otos b y R ob ert Ing lis

arc P ersing g ot th e Sh amok in j ob in th e middle of th e summer of 2023 , and look ing over h is roster at th e time, h e k new h is young er classes h ad a ch ance to b e someth ing special, even th en. “ We k new th ese last two classes would b e strong ( th e 2025 class and 2026 class) ,” P ersing said. “ Th ey were coach ed well b y th eir youth coach es, and th ey all h ave a pretty strong f ootb all b ack g round. ” B ut h e h ad no idea th at a prog ram-ch ang ing player lurk ed on h is roster th at year: A 5-f oot-8, 1 3 5-pound f resh man wh o was g oing to ch ang e th e f ortunes of th e Sh amok in f ootb all prog ram. Oh , h e’ d h ave some h elp, b ut th e q uarterb ack -saf ety b ecame th e leader of a g roup th at h as won th e past two D istrict 4 Class 4 A ch ampionsh ips with j ust two losses. Th e g roup now h as its sig h ts set on a th ird straig h t title and mayb e even more. “ H e’ s 1 -of -1 ,” P ersing said of Log an Steele. “ H e’ s truly a once-in-ag eneration player. ” Turning around th e Sh amok in prog ram is someth ing th at Steele and th e rest of th e Sh amok in seniors h ad b een th ink ing ab out since th ey started playing Little Indian f ootb all as young sters. “ We’ ve b een playing f ootb all tog eth er since I was eig h t years old. Our dads coach ed us at th e time, and th ey push ed us as h ard as th ey could,” Steele said. “We’ve definitely kept that winning mentality. We j ust don’ t lik e to lose. ”

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Shamokin’s Logan Steele throws a pass during a game against Loyalsock in Coal Township in 2025. P ersing says th e only time h e’ s seen that confidence waver came during Steele’ s soph omore year. Sh amok in went to Th ompson Street Stadium in J ersey Sh ore undef eated, b ut f ell b eh ind 1 3 -0 and 20-7 to th e B ulldog s. “ Th e one g ame in th ree years th at I’ ve seen doub t in h is eyes was in the first half (of that game),” Persing said. “ H e snapped out of it in th e second h alf . “ Th e rest is h istory. ” In th ree seasons with th e Indians, Steele h as th rown f or 3 ,000 yards and 3 5 touch downs. H e h as also rush ed f or 2,000 yards and anoth er 3 5 TD s. H e h as b een j ust as productive on th e oth er side of th e b all. Steele enters h is senior year with more th an 1 50 career tackl es and 1 9 interceptions — including nine last year — five of wh ich h e h as returned f or scores. B ut b ack to th at g ame at J ersey Sh ore two years ag o. “ Th e b ig g est th ing f or me ( in th at g ame) was h aving leaders lik e Ch ase P ensyl and B lak e H ock enbroch,” Steele said. “I was definitely nervous. “ Th at g ame was prob ab ly th e most 14

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nervous I’ ve ever b een — starting on th e road in a place lik e th at. We h adn’ t b eaten th em yet. Th e g ame f elt a little dif f erent to me. I was moving a little slower th an I normally did. ” B ut a pep talk f rom th e seniors g ot Steele rig h t as h is coach said, and Steele f reely admits th e same th ing . “ Th ey really g ot me in th e rig h t state of mind,” Steele said. “ We went b ack out th ere ( in th e second h alf ) and dominated. ” Th at second h alf , wh ich ended in a 3 0-28 win, made Sh amok in the first District 4 team to win at Jersey Shore in five years, and the first Heartland Athletic Conference D ivision I team to pull of f th e f eat in seven years. And it also proved to Steele and th e Indians th at th ey aren’ t ever out of a g ame. Th ey rallied to b eat J ersey Sh ore in th e reg ular season in 2025 af ter f alling b eh ind, and scored twice in the final minute to win the Coal B uck et over rival Mount Carmel to close out a second 1 0-0 reg ular season in a row. “It really flipped a switch of resilience f or us af ter th at. We don’ t ever really g ive up,” Steele said. “ We j ust

mak e th ing s h appen. ” And th e leadersh ip Steele received th at nig h t in J ersey Sh ore h as transf erred over to h im. H is voice over th e past two seasons h as b een loudest f or an Indians team with plenty of b ig personalities. “ Log an commands respect, and I th ink th e k ids see th e way h e approach es th ing s,” P ersing said. “ We talk all th e time th at h e always h as to stay positive among h is teammates b ecause th ey look up to h im so much . H e’ s always g iving th e young er players pointers. We’ ve h ad long talk s ab out wh at h e wants h is senior year to b e. ” As g reat of a q uarterb ack as Steele h as b een, h e mig h t b e b etter on def ense at saf ety. H e intercepted nine passes last season, including a pick-6 in the state quarterfinals ag ainst South ern Leh ig h . Sometimes h is prowess on def ense isn’ t q uite as spectacular as some of h is of f ensive work , b ut it’ s j ust as impressive. Go b ack to Steele’ s soph omore year wh en b oth th e Indians and Lewisb urg were undef eated. Lewisb urg ’ s J eremiah D avis h ad at least 1 00 yards in every g ame th at year on h is way to topping 2,000

yards, ex cept f or th at meeting with th e Indians. Steele and P ensyl, h is running mate at saf ety, put on a clinic on stopping th e run f rom th e secondary. Th e h oles were th ere th at g ame f or D avis, b ut th e Indians h ad someth ing no oth er team h ad th at year, including PIAA Class 3A semifinalist D anville: Th e k ind of speed at saf ety f rom Steele and P ensyl to k eep D avis f rom b reak ing b ig runs. “ I th ink playing q uarterb ack g ives me a dif f erent perspective ( at saf ety) ,” Steele said. “ I k now h ow oth er q uarterb ack s th ink . I’ m th ink ing h e’ s prob ab ly g oing to look me of f lef t, and th en g o th e oth er way. It also h elps me in wh at to look f or wh en I’ m watching film.” And h e’ s no long er 1 3 5 pounds, eith er. Steele h as b een all f ootb all, all

th e time since h is soph omore year. “ Wh en you g et older, your priorities ch ang e, b ut Log an’ s No. 1 priority h as always b een f ootb all,” P ersing said. “ H e’ s g ot h is water b ottle with h im all th e time in th e h allway during sch ool, and h e’ s always eating th e rig h t th ing s. H e’ s done everyth ing rig h t f or f our years. ” With all th e distractions availab le — electronics, social media, etc. — Steele’ s sing ular f ocus on f ootb all is a rarity in 2026. “ It’ s really h ard ( not to g et distracted) ,” Steele said. “ B ut you h ave to h ave a love of th e g ame, and kn ow your g oals, and you can make th ose sacrifices without really thinking about it. ” H is discipline and f ocus h ave resulted in a sch olarsh ip to play at Wak e Forest.

“ Th e staf f was amazi ng at Wake Forest, and th ey really sh owed me wh at th ey h ad planned f or me,” Steele said. “At my official visit, I went with th e players, and we really g ot along . Getting to kn ow th e players, th ey let me kn ow wh at g oes on down th ere. “ Th eir b uild-in-th e-dark mentality, I love it. ” Steele is ex pecting to play saf ety, and th e D emon D eacons staf f told h im h e mig h t return k ick s and punts as well. B ut wh erever h e ends up, P ersing is g oing to b e sad wh en Steele walks off the field as a Shamokin Indian the final time. “ H e’ s th e k ind of player every coach is h oping f or,” P ersing said. “ H e’ s a once-in-a-career type of player, and we are g oing to mak e th e most of th is season as much as we possib ly can. ”

Shamokin quarterback Logan Steele throws a stiff arm against Bellefonte in a PIAA Class 4A playoff game in 2025.

Brant Bowman/Inside PA

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

A part of

omething SGreater Pollock chose football over soccer and never looked back Story b y Todd H ummel | P h oto b y R ob ert Ing lis

or th ose not super f amiliar with j unior h ig h sports, th e j unior h ig h soccer season is played in th e spring . Th e timing allowed Th omas P ollock to play b oth f ootb all and soccer g rowing up, f ootb all in th e autumn and soccer in th e spring . So only a f ew week s af ter scoring 1 4 or 1 5 g oals — P ollock couldn’ t rememb er th e ex act numb er — in h is eig h th -g rade soccer season, h e truly th oug h t th e pitch was h is f uture as a f resh man at Sh ik ellamy. “ ( Former Sh ik ellamy) Coach ( J on) Steese said to me th at I mig h t as well j ust play ( soccer) ,” P ollock said. Listed at 5-f oot-8, 1 1 5 pounds on th e B raves f ootb all roster as a f resh man, P ollock th oug h t h is siz e would impede any k ind of f ootb all success. “ Lik e, at my siz e, I didn’ t th ink I could play f ootb all,” P ollock said. “ So, I was j ust g onna play soccer. ” P ollock and h is f amily were returning f rom vacation in th e summer of 2023 wh en f ormer

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Selinsg rove standout Log an Leib y, wh o h ad some pretty g ood receivers in b ecoming th e Seals’ all-time leading passer and th ird all-time in th e state wh en h e g raduated — tex ted P ollock . Leib y, th en an assistant at Sh ik ellamy, ask ed h im to come to one preseason practice with th e f ootb all team. “ H e j ust wanted me to g ive it a sh ot,” P ollock said. It’ s q uite th e scenario to consider: A ch oose-your-own-adventure b ook type of ch oice f or b oth P ollock and th e Sh ik ellamy ath letic prog ram — wh at k ind of impact could P ollock ’ s ath letic g if ts h ave played f or th e soccer prog ram and wh ere would th e f ootb all prog ram b e with out P ollock . Th at one practice convinced P ollock , even with h is siz e, f ootb all was h is f uture. “ I g uess th at’ s all it took . It was not th at h ard to convince me ( to play f ootb all) ,” P ollock said. “ Th e drills and th e stuf f I was doing ( during practice) — th e coach es j ust said I sh ould prob ab ly k eep coming . ”

From th e moment h e stepped on the field, Pollock impacted the Sh ik ellamy f ootb all team. H e caug h t a 78-yard touch down pass on th e second drive of th e opening g ame ag ainst Central Columb ia in h is f resh man season — the Braves’ first victory in an opener in six years at th at point. “It was actually the first catch of my career, I th ink ,” P ollock said. “ I was j ust so ex cited. ” It was certainly a h arb ing er of th ing s to come f or P ollock . H e enters h is senior season with 1 74 catch es f or 2,662 yards and 22 touch downs. H e’ s already Sh ik ellamy’ s all-time leading receiver and will b e one of th e top receivers in D istrict 4 h istory wh en h e wraps h is career th is f all. With 3 3 8 yards, h e’ ll j oin South ern Columb ia’ s J ulian Fleming , D anville’ s Carson P ersing , B loomsb urg ’ s J oh n K ling erman and Warrior R un’ s Sam H all as th e only receivers with 3 ,000 career receiving yards in D istrict 4 h istory. H e’ d b e th e 27th player in P IAA h istory to reach th at milestone.

Th e numb ers are incompreh ensib le to P ollock . “ I h ad no idea I’ d b e th is g ood at f ootb all. I assumed at my siz e, I’ d b e a role player,” P ollock said. “ J ust do my j ob , and j ust do wh at th e upperclassmen tell me to do. ” Th ing s will b e dif f erent f or P ollock th is season. Th e only q uarterb ack h e’ s k nown in h is career — B rody R eb uck — h as g raduated. “ I love th at g uy,” P ollock , wh o said h e would lik e to j oin R eb uck , wh o is wrestling at Lock H aven, nex t year to play f ootb all f or th e B ald Eag les, said. “ H e was a g reat q uarterb ack and an amaz ing g uy. ” B ut P ollock says not to worry; wh oever wins th e B raves q uarterb ack j ob — j unior B rady K urtz or soph omore B ob b y Felmy — will h ave th e rapport h e and R eb uck h ad. “ We work ed really h ard in th e of f season. I h ung out with b oth of th em outside of sch ool to g et to k now th em b etter,” P ollock said. “ We ran routes, a lot. We’ re g etting th at connection down. ” P ollock , wh o h ad 71 catch es f or 1 ,1 21 yards and 1 0 scores last season, h asn’ t set any personal g oals f or th e 2026 season. “ I want team success. I already h ad th e 1 ,000-yard season and I was all-state last year,” P ollock said. “ I’ m look ing f or th e b ig team g oals. ” With th e g raduation of R eb uck , wh o led th e team in passing yards and rush ing yards last season, f ans could th ink Sh ik ellamy mig h t tak e a step b ack th is season, b ut eig h t starters return on b oth sides of th e b all, and P ollock says don’ t sleep on th e B raves h eading into 2026. “ We all stand b eh ind Coach ( Mik e) H oover and th e staf f ,” P ollock said. “ Th ey are really g reat men, and we’ ll stick th roug h anyth ing with th em. And th e vib e is 1 00% dif f erent around th e prog ram. ”

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

SOMETHING TO

PROVE Ironmen reset under new boss

h awn Sh eptock h as b een part of th e V alley’ s f ootb all scene f or more th an th ree decades, first as an all-state player and a state ch ampion under Wh itey Williams at Mount Carmel, and most recently as an assistant coach . For the first time in his career, h e is tak ing over th e top spot, look ing f or a q uick reset at D anville, wh ere h e h as b een on th e staf f f or th e past th ree seasons. Af ter g raduating recordsetters on b oth sides of th e b all from the 2024 state semifinalist — including Sh eptock ’ s son B o — Sh eptock tak es over an Ironmen team th at now must ag ain replace its top passer, rush er, receiver and tack ler f rom a team that lost to Mifflinburg in the District 4 Class 3A semifinals. “ We h ave players wh o h ave

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Story b y William B owman come up th roug h sch ool and h ave seen th e success of th e prog ram,” Sh eptock said. “ B ut none of th em h ave b een in th ose g ames. We’ ve g ot to prove it to everyone, prove it to th emselves. “ J ust b ecause D anville h as b een successf ul in th e past doesn’ t mean anyth ing . We h ave to develop our prog ram now. ” Sh eptock h as spent th e b etter part of 20 years as an assistant, including stops at Sh ik ellamy, Mount Carmel, B erwick and th en D anville. H e was th e def ensive coordinator f or D anville teams th at won 25 g ames over two seasons, b ef ore stepping away f rom th e D C role a year ag o. “ I’ ve always dreamed of b eing a h ead coach , and th ere were oth er opportunities, b ut th e timing was never rig h t,” Sh eptock

said. “ I didn’ t want to miss my k ids playing and b e so involved I couldn’ t enj oy it. ” B ut wh en h is young est son B o, a th ree-time all-state player, g raduated in 2024 , Sh eptock k new th e timing mig h t b e rig h t wh en th e D anville j ob opened up. “ Wh en B o and I were at D anville, I h ad to mak e sure to separate f ootb all and b eing a dad,” h e said. “ Wh en we lef t f ootb all, it was done. I was a dad. It would h ave b een more difficult to be a head coach with B o th ere. Now I can f ocus on everyth ing . ” Th at f ocus involves tak ing over a prog ram th at h as averag ed more th an eig h t wins a season dating b ack to 2009 and th e past th ree h ead coach es winning D istrict 4 titles. Last year’ s 4 -7 mark , wh ich

DANVILLE | IRONMEN PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 3A

HEARTLAND DIVISION II COACH: SHAWN SHEPTOCK 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Lewisburg Shamokin at Central Columbia* at Milton* Mount Carmel* Montoursville* at Southern Columbia* Selinsgrove at Bloomsburg at Shikellamy *-PHAC-II GAME 2025 RESULTS (4-7)

L Bloomsburg 30-10 L Mifflinburg 42-14 L At Montoursville 33-21 W At Central Columbia 43-7 W Milton 28-17 L At Southern Columbia 41-21 L At Mount Carmel 61-13 L Loyalsock 34-20 W Shikellamy 26-21 W At Selinsgrove 21-12 4 3A PLAYOFFS L DISTRICT At Mifflinburg 56-14 L At Mifflinburg 56-14 5-YEAR WIN TREND

Jagger Simpson caught 17 passes as a freshman in 2025. ended a string of five consecutive D istrict 4 3 A crowns, was j ust th e team’ s second losing season since 201 5 and one of j ust th ree since 2009 . And in a loaded 3A field wh ere j ust f our teams reach th e postseason, g etting one of those semifinal spots f eels lik e a g ood starting g oal. Of f ensively, th e Ironmen will b e young . Sh eptock ex pects to start th e season with eith er a f resh man or soph omore at q uarterb ack . Macon P atrick , th e young er b roth er of f ormer standout Madden P atrick , and J acob Litwin, b oth

f resh men, are in th e mix , along with soph omore J ag g er Simpson. Simpson completed th ree passes as a f resh man, b ut is th e top receiver coming b ack af ter mak ing 1 7 catch es as a ninth -g rader. Even with players such as Mason K ing ery, B en K oser and B rax tyn Girardi, wh o h ave played some q uarterb ack in th eir careers, Sh eptock is look ing f or some ath leticism in th e position, h e said. D anville will also likely find a role f or j unior Myles K oser, wh o is b ack in h is h ome district af ter spending two seasons as th e q uarter-

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Brant Bowman/For Inside PA

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b ack at Columb ia-Montour V o-Tech . “ We do h ave some ex perience, b ut we’ re look ing f or someth ing dif f erent,” Sh eptock said. “ In our ideal of f ense, we are look ing f or someone more ath letic in th at position. I rememb er wh en we lost in the state semifinal to North western Leh ig h ( in 2024 ) , h ow th eir ath letic q uarterb ack h urt us. H aving an ath letic q uarterb ack mak es you toug h er to def end. ” Surrounding th e new q uarterb ack will b e plenty of speed and sk ill. Simpson and Girardi —

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2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Carter Raup 93-161 6 8 1,284 RUSHING Att Yards TD Landon Kehoe 68 512 9 Jack Rarig 40 212 0 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Kole Harvey 35 657 6 Landon Kehoe 31 423 3 RETURNEES IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

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an all-state saf ety — of f er some ex plosiveness, along with state track q ualifier Kayvion Seabrook. K ing ery caug h t 1 0 passes wh ile playing b oth outside and q uarterb ack , and Anth ony Westley returns f rom inj ury to of f er more speed. “ We are ath letic and f ast; th at will b e a streng th ,” Sh eptock said. “ We h ave a lot of ath letes wh o can contrib ute, and th at mak es us toug h er to def end. ” One area wh ere Sh eptock and h is coach ing staf f h ope to do some serious work is creating some depth along th e of f ensive and def ensive lines. D anville mig h t h ave been the first program to ever start a player at q uarterb ack one week and th en lef t tack le th e f ollowing week in returning j unior B en K oser. B y th e end of th e season, Aiden Georg e

went f rom th e starting tig h t end to starting center. “ D epth is someth ing th at h as h urt us in th e past, so we’ ve b een trying to g et more g uys ready to play,” h e said. “ We h ad to improve in th e weig h t room. I th ink we’ ve done th at. We can’ t develop siz e, b ut we can develop streng th . ” For his first venture as a h ead coach , Sh eptock said h e’ s look ing to q uick ly b uild a f oundation f rom past success and f ailure. “ We’ re trying to put some mental toug h ness in place, h ow to respond wh en th ing s aren’ t work ing , work ing th roug h wh at’ s h ard,” h e said. “ I’ ve b een part of two of th e winning est prog rams in P ennsylvania, so I k now th e pressure th at comes with it. I’ ve ex perienced it as a coach and a player, so I k now wh at it can b e wh en it comes tog eth er. ”

Brant Bowman/For Inside PA

New Danville coach Shawn Sheptock addresses his team during a summer workout at Ironmen Stadium.

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BACK on TRACK Green Dragons look to take step forward Story b y Todd H ummel

ne q uick look at th e record in th e Lewisb urg g raph ic sh ows 2025 was a step b ack f rom a D istrict 4 Class 3 A ch ampionsh ip appearance f or th e Green D rag ons in 2024 . H owever, closer inspection sh ows th e Green D rag ons were closer to a playof f team th an most two-win teams, th anks to th ree one-score losses in 2025. R eversing th ose f ortunes

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

will g o a long way in g etting Lewisb urg b ack into th e 3 A playof f s, and a wide-open H eartland Ath letic Conf erence-D ivision III race. Ja ylen Walke r returns at wide receiver f or Lewisb urg , and will b e one of th e top pass catch ers in th e area. H e caug h t 3 6 passes f or 559 yards and 1 0 scores last season. A f our-year starter, Walk er h as 79 catch es f or 1 ,4 51 yards and 1 9 touch downs as h e

enters his final season. Wh o will b e g etting h im th e b all mig h t b e dif f erent. Q uarterb ack X avier Carter th rew f or 1 ,1 21 yards and 1 3 touch downs last season, and does return, b ut is b eing push ed b y j unior Je tt Ja mieson. Ja mieson g rew an inch — up to 6-f oot-5 — and added 1 5 pounds to h is f rame. If Ja mieson wins th e j ob , Carter will move around on th e of f ense

Frank Dimon/For Inside PA

Lewisburg’s Jaylen Walker tries to run between Warrior Run’s Maxwell Fogelman (11) and James Keifer at Milton High School’s Alumni Field in 2025. and j ust mig h t b e needed to h elp in th e running g ame. Th e now-g raduated Nick Coleman took over th e tailb ack role midway th roug h th e season, and led th e team with 64 3 yards, including 1 71 ag ainst Loyalsock and 1 75 ag ainst Montoursville. D ane Sh uey ( 206 yards, 1 TD ) and Carter ( 1 3 6 yards, TD ) are th e oth er leading returning rush ers. Wh en Coleman moved to tailb ack , Sh uey moved onto th e of f ensive line b ecause of inj uries, and is

one of th e returning players up f ront f or Lewisb urg at g uard. Wyatt Nob le and Lucas Cassidy, along with H unter and Cole H ollenb ach , return up f ront f or th e Green D rag ons. In addition to Walke r and possib ly Carter at th e ski ll positions, Sean P erez and Owen Fellon are b ack f or Lewisb urg . P erez played a lot as a f resh man in th e defensive backfield, while Fellon, now a j unior, played a lot at tig h t end as a f resh man, b ut missed most of

last season with an inj ury. Lewisb urg b ring s at least two players b ack at each level of th e def ense, b ut lost potentially its b est young def ender b ef ore th e season. Ace B ynum was th ird on th e team in tackl es last year as a f resh man, b ut h e moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, in th e of f season. B ynum’ s f ath er, Sh elton, is now th e director of f ootb all streng th and conditioning at Colorado State, f ollowing Ji m Mora f rom U Conn. Th e exp erience in th e

def ense will b e in th e b ack end, even with th e loss of Coleman, a f our-year starter in th e secondary. Todd D ersh em, Walke r, P erez and Carter all return in th e defensive backfield. Carter started at saf ety as a soph omore memb er of th e 2024 Class 3A finalists. Dershem is th e team’ s top returning tackl er with 3 9 . Th e Green D rag ons coach ing staf f will h ave to find a replacement for leading tackl er Eth an Long at lineb acke r. Long h ad 1 21 INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

LEWISBURG | GREEN DRAGONS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 3A

HEARTLAND DIVISION III COACH: ERIC WICKS 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 24 Oct 30

at Danville at Shikellamy Hughesville* Southern Columbia at Warrior Run* at Loyalsock* Midd-West* Bloomsburg* at Milton Mifflinburg* *-PHAC-III GAME 2025 RESULTS (2-8)

L L L W L L W L L L

At Line Mountain Shikellamy At Bloomsburg At Hughesville Warrior Run At Loyalsock At Midd-West Shamokin Montoursville At Mifflinburg

5-YEAR WIN TREND

Frank Dimon/For Inside PA

Lewisburg’s Todd Dershem (11) try to tackle Shamokin’s Colin Steinhart at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in 2025. tackl es and a team-h ig h 1 3 . 5 tackl es f or a loss. Fellon and Sh uey will move into f ull-time roles at lineb acke r. Sh uey h ad 4 . 5 tackles f or a loss in a part-time role on th e def ensive line. Fellon h ad a sack in th ree

g ames last season. Lewisburg will have to find a pass rush , especially f rom th e f ront. Lewisb urg h ad 1 3 sacks last season, and lost th e players th at produced 9 . 5 of th ose sacks. D arion Ja ckso n and Elij ah Carter

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AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

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are th e returning def ensive linemen, b ut exp ect th ose of f ensive linemen mentioned earlier — Nob le, Cassidy and th e H ollenb ach s — to g et some play at th e def ensive f ront. Lewisb urg will h ave two Saturday g ames th is season, b oth coming in b ack- tob ack weeks in Septemb er. H ug h esville will visit Ch risty Math ewson-Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1 2, wh ile th e South ern Columb ia g ame on Sept. 1 9 will b e at Alumni Field at Milton H ig h Sch ool. Lewisb urg will also play at Milton on b ack- to-b ack weeks in Octob er. Th ey will h ost B loomsb urg on Oct. 1 6, and will f ace th e B lack P anth ers as a visitor on Oct. 23 .

38-13 29-27 35-24 36-0 29-24 14-7 35-7 38-0 38-14 24-0

10* 6*

5* 2

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Xavier Carter 87-163 3 13 1,162 RUSHING Att Yards TD Nick Coleman 93 643 3 Dane Shuey 50 206 1 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Jaylen Walker 35 581 9 Nick Coleman 17 186 1 RETURNEES IN BOLD

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INTO THE

UNKNOWN Eagles look to retool for title run Story b y Mich ael B ullock

aden D unk elb erg er h as fielded plenty of inquiries — even with in h is own f amily. And many of th e inq uisitive types — including a g ood numb er of individuals wh o’ ve b een involved with Line Mountain’ s f ootb all prog ram — are mig h ty, mig h ty curious. “ H ow are th ing s g oing ? ” “ Are our Eag les g oing to b e as successf ul as we’ ve b een th e past f ew years? ” “ Wh at will we look lik e every time we step on the field?” Well, b ased on some sig nificant graduation losses — including plenty of siz ab le young sters — Line Mountain’ s coach ing staf f h as b een b usy

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

adapting th e playb ook to th e personnel on h and. Th at could mean plenty of th ing s, including some stuf f f rom th e past. “ A lot of Line Mountain g raduates wh o h ave run ( th rowb ack ) of f enses lik e th at come up to me and ask , ‘ H ey, wh at’ s th e g ame plan f or th is year? ’ ” th e running b ack said. “ Th ey’ re all saying , ‘ Is it g onna b e pretty much lik e wh en I played? ’ “ In my f amily, and we’ re a b ig sports f amily th at lik es to talk ab out th ose th ing s, th ey’ ve all said it’ s g onna b e lik e old-f ash ioned Line Mountain. ” And th ose wh o vividly rememb er th e Eag les of th e 1 9 70s and 1 9 80s — f or th e most part —

will recall squads that fielded a f ew b ig s up f ront. At th e same time, th ose Line Mountain outfits featured an endless string of ath letes wh o could run … and h it lik e truck s. Welcome b ack . “ It’ s a little of th e unk nown not h aving th at set of b read and b utter ( plays) ,” coach B randon Carson said. “ We’ re not g oing in th ere k nowing we’ re g onna pound th e b all. We’ re not g oing in th ere k nowing we’ re g onna h ave a g reat passing attack . “ It may b e some of th e unknown, but I’m confident in the ath letes we h ave th at we’ re g oing to b e ab le to do multiple th ing s to b e successf ul. ”

LINE MOUNTAIN | EAGLES PIAA DISTRICT 4

Af ter watch ing th ree all-state players g raduate along with most of th e of f ensive f ront, th e Eag les ( 1 1 -1 , 8-0) will ch ase th eir second consecutive Mid-P enn Capital D ivision title and anoth er D istrict 4 Class A crown b y trying to k eep opposing def enses g uessing . D unk elb erg er, th e lone senior pack ing plenty of on-field experience, could line up j ust ab out anywh ere. Same h olds f or soph omore H ank Malf ara, Line Mountain’ s leading returning pass catch er. Ath letic young sters Liam Troutman, Garrett Cock eril, Luk e Malf ara, Niam B raswell and P reston D erk also will g et th eir sh are of of f ensive touch es. Carson’ s candidates up f ront won’ t b e as larg e collectively as th eir predecessors — j unior Tyson Smeltz is th e lone returnee — b ut Cade Feg er, Lucas Laudenslag er, Wyatt H of f man and Elij ah B radley won’ t need to occupy opponents long since speed is all around th em. “I’m definitely interested to see h ow it turns out,” said D unk elb erg er, th e Eag les’ leading returning rush er. “ We h ad some g reat talent in our senior class, b ut I f eel we h ave some talent th at g ot oversh adowed b y th e ( g uys) in th at oth er g rade. ” Well, Line Mountain’ s spotlig h t is ab out to sh ine b rig h tly on th ose young sters th at played q uite a b it a season ag o or spent 2025 waiting impatiently f or th eir opportunity. Come late Aug ust, at Tri-V alley, th e new-look / old-f ash ioned Eag les will g ive it a g o. “We’re all fired up,” junior

CLASS A

MID-PENN CONFERENCE/Capital COACH: BRANDON CARSON 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

at Tri-Valley at Glendale Northern Bedford at Upper Dauphin* Camp Hill* at Susquenita* Steelton-Highspire* Halifax* at Juniata* Newport* *-MID-PENN/CAPITAL GAME 2025 RESULTS (11-1)

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Line Mountain’s Luke Malfara tries to intercept a pass intended for Halifax’s Teegan Carroll during their game in Herndon in 2025. Luk e Malf ara said. “ It’ s b een on my mind since b ack in March … j ust Week 1 and th is season. All my teammates and me, we’ re ready. ” Ask Carson and h e’ ll tell you h e ex pects h is def ense to b e b etter in 2026. Wh ile th e Eag les can park some b ig eaters up f ront, such as Smeltz , th e rest of Line Mountain’ s unit can really g o af ter th e b all b ef ore smack ing opposing b ack s, receivers and q uarterb ack s. D unk elb erg er and Luk e Malf ara are th e top returning tack lers — and b oth are lik ely to b e utiliz ed in multiple ways. Feg er made tremendous strides a season ag o as a f resh man, and h e’ ll man an inside b ack er spot. Oth ers such as Cock eril, H ank Malf ara, D erk , B raswell and Troutman will mak e g ood use of th eir speed and q uick ness. Fresh man lineb ack er Caden Carson, th e coach ’ s son, h as b een work ing with th e Eag les’ f ront-line def ense and will g et h is

ch ances inside. “ Mak ing th em f eel every h it,” Luk e Malf ara said. “ Our def ense wants to g et af ter it. ” Th ose on def ense — lik ely to g et all sorts of reps — will g et th eir b reath ers wh en th e Eag les h ave th e f ootb all of f ensively. So, Carson b elieves h is sq uad h as plenty of depth . P lus, Line Mountain’ s junior varsity had a terrific run in 2025. “ I’ m ex cited f or everyth ing th is year,” D unk elb erg er said. “ H ow we’ re running of f ense; h ow we’ re running def ense. It’ s completely dif f erent ( in many ways) , b ut it’ s so much f un as to h ow we ch ang ed things. … I feel very confident we can mak e anoth er g ood run. ” So are plenty of f ormer f ootb all-playing Eag les. “ I’ m ex cited ab out th ese g uys,” B randon Carson added. “ We may h ave a lot of soph omores and j uniors, b ut we h ave some b attletested g uys — and we’ ll b e ready to g o. ”

W W W W W W W W W W

Lewisburg Newport At Juniata Halifax At Upper Dauphin Steelton-Highspire At Middletown At James Buchanan Camp Hill At Susquenita

38-13 62-7 35-0 62-14 33-20 36-34 27-26 54-8 49-13 63-14

Li in

DISTRICT 4 A PLAYOFFS

Montgomery

20-14

PIAA CLASS A PLAYOFFS

Lackawanna Trail

31-20

5-YEAR WIN TREND 11*& 9*

4* 2 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds K. Maurer 142-221 8 34 2,224 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Kaiden Maurer 83 634 6 K. Dunkelberger 87 524 11 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Dalton Schadel 51 959 13 Bryce Smeltz 28 545 9 RETURNEES IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

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AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

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SHAPING W E N LEADERS Mustangs to rely on seniors to lift program Story b y Mich ael B ullock

ince many of Midd-West’ s seniors h ave b een with h im since th e j unior h ig h level and earlier, J ef f J anovich is really counting h eavily on h is 1 0-man class. For several f ootb all-related reasons. “ Th e senior class th is year h as b een a b reath of f resh air,” J anovich said, wh o is h eading into h is th ird season in ch arg e since succeeding Lance Adams at th e h elm of th e prog ram entering its ninth season in varsity f ootb all. “ Th ey’ re involved. Th ey’ re acclimated to everyth ing ,” J anovich continued. “ It’ s ex citing to see th e leadersh ip sh ape th ey’ ve g rown into. Th ey’ re ready to win th is year. “ It’ s g oing to b e a dif f erent year. It’ s g oing to b e an ex citing year, f or sure. ” H aving g one winless as f resh men still adj usting to th e

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

varsity level, J anovich ’ s seniors claimed one victory as soph omores b ef ore doub ling th at win count to two a season ag o. P erh aps more successes await th e Mustang s, wh o were 2-8 overall and 0-5 in th e H eartland Ath letic Conf erence’ s D ivision III last f all. In th e twoyear realig nment, th e Mustang s are b ack in D ivision III with conf erence g ames ag ainst Mifflinburg, Lewisburg, Bloomsb urg , H ug h esville, Warrior R un and Loyalsock . “ R ig h t now, f our ( wins) sh ould b e th e minimum, in my opinion,” J anovich said. And wh en H amb urg pays a visit to th e Midd-West Sports Complex later th is month , th ing s could b e mig h ty interesting since th e H awk s claimed a 22-21 win a season ag o. J ust 26 seconds remained or th e Mustang s may h ave opened th e season 2-0.

With a h andf ul of returning starters on th e of f ensive side of th e f ootb all, J anovich and h is coach ing staf f h ave altered th e Midd-West attack to fit the current personnel. Th e of f ensive f ront returns only tack le and P H AC-III allleag ue selection Graydon V an H orn. J ared D evine is b ack at tack le af ter missing th e 2025 season with an inj ury, wh ile B arry P enepack er will slide in at center af ter playing tack le. J anovich also h as several candidates ch alleng ing f or th e starting nods at g uard. B ig g er and f aster th is time around — h e’ s also more adept at reading def ensive sch emes — j unior Witten Carter is MiddWest’ s No. 1 q uarterb ack . Carter sh ared time as a soph omore with two oth ers wh o’ ve g raduated, b ut now th e j ob is h is af ter th rowing f or 1 9 3 yards and a touch -

MIDD-WEST | MUSTANGS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 4A

HEARTLAND DIVISION III COACH: JEFF JANOVICH 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Hamburg Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech at Warrior Run* Loyalsock* Bloomsburg* at Hughesville* at Lewisburg* Mifflinburg* at Central Columbia at Holy Redeemer *-PHAC-III GAME 2025 RESULTS (2-8)

W L L L L L L L L W

At Central Columbia At Hamburg Warrior Run At Loyalsock Hughesville Bloomsburg Lewisburg Milton At Mifflinburg Holy Redeemer

27-7 22-21 48-20 40-20 18-7 48-13 35-7 47-0 62-0 34-26

5-YEAR WIN TREND

2 1 1 1 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Midd-West’s Noah Kratzer, left, and Mason Fultz bring down a Hughesville player during a game in 2025. down a year ag o. Soph omore J acob Ack er is Carter’ s understudy. Opting to utiliz e th e spread of f ense most of th e time, J anovich & Co. will f eature more typical sets th an b ef ore. Noneth eless, senior all-star Noah K ratz er returns af ter rush ing f or 3 00-plus yards during an inj ury-plag ued

season. P h ysical b ack s J iovaunni D rumh eller — D rumh eller h as plenty of speed, J anovich said, — and Maverick Smith will also g et th eir sh are of touch es. “ We’ re counting on leverag e and ath leticism th ere,” J anovich said. Wh ile veterans Mason Fultz and K onnor K ull-

man return on th e f lank s, th e Mustang s also sport a h ome-run th reat in D ’ Ang elo D rumh eller, wh o averag ed nearly 20 yards on six catch es last year. J anovich also h ad oth er candidates wh om h e b elieves will mak e th e competition crisp once training camp f inally opened.

*-Playoffs

&-District Champion #-PIAA Champion

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Brady Janovich 31-67 7 2 327 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Kyle Shupp 131 472 4 Noah Kratzer 62 314 5 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Mason Fultz 13 128 2 D. Drumheller 6 116 0 RETURNEES IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Mifflinburg’s Kaiden Kmett, left, moves in on Midd-West’s Witten Carter at Wildcat Stadium in 2025. V an H orn and K ratz er b oth all-leag ue ch oices on b oth sides of th e b all — are th e most ex perienced memb ers of Midd-West’ s def ensive f ront. P enepack er and Smith started some in 2025, wh ile Devine figures to be part of th e rotation now th at h e’ s h ealth y. Fultz g ained all-leag ue recog nition at outside linebacker, but one significant move h as a b ig g er, stron—

g er Aiden R ose sh if ting to outside b ack er f rom strong saf ety. Everyone else will b e new. An exp erienced secondary f eaturing D rumh eller, K ullman and R . J. Wilt as th e f rontrunners f or starting spots, b ut some of th e newer candidates could land in th e rotation. Wh ile th e def ensive b acks can really run, th ey also possess terrific lift, Janovich said.

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Alth oug h th e players have been identified, now comes the difficult part. “ Th ey h ave to g o in every Friday nig h t and b elieve th ey can stick with wh oever is on th e oth er sideline,” J anovich said. “ And you’ ve g ot to put th e team over your own stats, over your own playing time, over everyth ing else b ef ore we can h ave success as a unit. “ I’ ve b een really h appy

Frank Dimon/For Inside PA

with and pleased with th e participation ef f orts, b ut th e way th ese ki ds h ave really g ath ered around each oth er is definitely different than th e last 1 0-1 2 years. ” Midd-West’ s anticipated turnout was h overing around 4 0, up f rom last year, and th at’ s adding even more ex citement to wh at th e Mustang s b elieve th ey h ave percolating . Added J anovich : “ I’ m ready f or it to g et g oing . ”

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FIGHTING TOOTH &

CLAW

Wildcats look to reload after title run Story b y H arold R ake r

he lone downside to Mifflinb urg ’ s f antastic 2025 season is th at much of th e talent th at led to th at success vanish ed af ter diplomas were h anded out in Ju ne. Wildcats coach Cody B otts, h owever, h as made it clear th at h e does not intend f or h is program to be a flash in the pan. H is g oal, h e said recently, is to h ave a ch ampionsh ip-calib er team year in and year out. B ut h ow realistic is th at g oal af ter th e loss of more th an a doz en seniors and most of th e of f ensive production f rom a team th at posted arg uab ly th e g reatest season in

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

sch ool h istory a year ag o? Last year’ s Wildcats won th e school’s first District 4 Class 3A championship and finished 10-3 af ter a narrow state-playof f loss to Scranton P rep. B ut th at was accomplish ed with a roster th at included a senior wide receiver, Landen Murray, th e like s of wh om B otts admitted th e sch ool may never see ag ain, and a b ruising , strong -armed senior q uarterb ack , Ch ad Martin. B otts is exci ted ab out a 2026 team th at Wildcats f ans sh ould enj oy watch ing th is f all. “ Our senior class was pretty

loaded with talent, and anytime you lose th at many ki ds in a senior class, it take s a toll on th e team,” h e said, q uickl y adding , “ b ut culture is th e ke y. ( It’ s ab out) b uilding perspective. ’ ’ B otts, a two-way lineman f or h is predecessor, Ja son D ressler, said th at h aving g raduated f rom Mifflinburg (and Lycoming Colleg e) , one of h is g oals was to turn th e prog ram around and surround h imself with th e rig h t people as coach es. Wh at h appened last season and wh at h e b elieves lies ah ead are all part of th at plan. B otts already h as h is q uarter-

MIFFLINBURG | WILDCATS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 3A

HEARTLAND DIVISION III COACH: CODY BOTTS 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Shikellamy Selinsgrove at Bloomsburg* at Hughesville* Loyalsock* Warrior Run* at Central Mountain at Midd-West* Montoursville at Lewisburg* *-PHAC-III GAME

2025 RESULTS (10-3)

W W W W L W L W W W

Loyalsock At Danville At Mount Carmel At Montoursville At Hollidaysburg Milton Southern Columbia At Central Columbia Midd-West Lewisburg

47-13 42-14 48-20 35-7 49-14 49-7 21-14 65-3 62-0 35-0

DISTRICT 4 3A PLAYOFFS

W W

Danville Montoursville

56-14 35-12

PIAA CLASS 3A PLAYOFFS

Scranton Prep

28-21

5-YEAR WIN TREND 10*&

9* 6

5* 4*

Brant Bowman/For Inside PA

Mifflinburg sophomore Seth Hartman runs for yards as Danville’s Carter Raup gives chase during a HAC-II game at Ironmen Stadium in 2025. b ack, soph omore B rennen Snyder. “ B rennen is a th ree-sport g uy wh o h as h ad success as a f resh man in every sport h e’ s played,’ ’ B otts said, ref erencing th e b aseb all and b aske tb all teams.

“ H e’ s b een in toug h situations; h e’ s b een in some b ig situations. So we f eel real g ood ab out h is ab ility to make plays,” B otts said. R ef ering to Martin, th e coach said, “ You’ re not g oing to g et many 23 5-pound

q uarterb ack s wh o are running over lineb ack ers. We were very f ortunate to h ave h im, b ut B rennen is g oing to mak e some pretty special plays on Friday nig h ts. ’ ’ No one will b e aske d to

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 &-DISTRICT CHAMPION 3

*-PLAYOFFS

#-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Chad Martin 148-238 7 33 2,739 RUSHING Att Yards TD Landon Moser 104 661 10 Seth Hartman 90 518 7 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Landen Murray 58 1,493 20 Jackson Griffith 45 703 6 RETURNEES IN BOLD INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

replicate th e accomplish ments of Murray — a twotime all-stater — h e said. “ We won’ t b e ab le to th row th e b all 80 yards downfield and expect him to catch it. ’ ’ H e said th e passing g ame will be fine, but will just look dif f erent. Th e receivers cupb oard is f ar f rom b are. “ I don’ t th ink we’ re g oing to line up and j ust ki nd of call out wh en we want to score, b ut I do th ink we h ave a really g ood g roup of young ki ds wh o are really g ood ath letes,” h e said. In addition to a larg e g roup of underclassmen, B otts said h e will count on a pair of talented senior receivers. “ Senior Ja ckso n Marr started b oth ways last year, and h e will g et a h eavy dose of everyth ing we’ re doing of f ensively,’ ’ B otts said. Th e oth er is Grady B rub ake r ( 6-4 , 220) , a talented b aske tb all player

wh o h as not played f ootb all since j unior h ig h . “ H e’ s a b ig ki d and h e’ s g oing to h opef ully make a b ig splash ,’ ’ B otts said. H e is also ex cited ab out a trio of soph omores: B rady Th reet, H ayden Sh owalter and B rayden R esseg uie. B oth running b ack s return: Senior Landon Moser ( 6-3 , 225) rush ed f or 664 yards and 1 0 touch downs last year, and j unior Seth H artman added 51 8 with seven scores. Soph omore D ylan Cath erman will also b e in th e mix . Alth oug h B otts said h is team lost nine def ensive starters, “ I th ink our b ig g est need wh ere we need to step up is our of f ensive line. ’ ’ “We lost four or five starters, and we prob ab ly averag ed 265 to 270 across th e b oard, and we don’ t h ave th at anymore,” h e said. “ Th e ki ds we do h ave we f eel really g ood ab out as f ar

as th eir streng th and th ey’ re g oing to b e very f ast — j ust dif f erent f rom wh at we could do in th e past. ’ ’ B otts and th e staf f were still work ing on th e f ront line personnel as camp approach ed, b ut h e said it would include senior Lucas Miller and j uniors Isaiah K urtz and Liam Tressler. Th e g ood news on def ense is th at arg uab ly th e b est pair of Landons in th e district, Tucke r and Moser, are b ack. B otts said j unior outside lineb ack er Moser ( 4 7 tack les, 5 f or loss and 3 interceptions) “ is a D ivision I type of k id; h e’ s our stud. H e g ot b ig g er and b etter, and h e’ s g oing to h ave a ph enomenal season. ” Senior inside lineb acke r Landon Tucke r ( 5-1 1 , 220) , an all-state selection, log g ed 53 tackl es ( 51 solo) last year along with 1 6 tackl es f or loss and f our

q uarterb ack h urries. “ H e was virtually unb lock ab le at times last year; h is ski ll set is very impressive,” th e coach said. K urtz and soph omore H udson Troup will also play in th e middle. Q uarterb ack Snyder ( “ our b est def ender,” B otts said) , will also patrol th e secondary, j oined b y senior cornerb ack Marr, wh o h ad a pick- 6 in th e district title g ame. B rub ake r will play somewh ere on def ense. Th e Wildcats will move f rom P ennsylvania H eartland Ath letic Conf erence D ivision II to D ivision III, wh ere th eir conf erence opponents will b e Lewisb urg , B loomsb urg , H ug h esville, Loyalsock, Warrior R un and Midd-West. B otts said h e is not f amiliar with Warrior R un nor H ug h esville, b ut Lewisb urg is a h ug e rival and B loomsb urg and Loyalsock are always a ch alleng e.

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The Associated Press

By Mark

The Associated

Bill to combat NDAs for data centers HEAT EXTREME advances

s heat : Dangerou Stay Cool d on Valley towns en sc de to

**Record

*Forecast

ano Scicchit By Eric inews.com

Wednesday

July 1 2026* 1931**

erics@cnh

2025

A legislaBURG — HARRIS barring nondisclo tive proposal nts as a qualifier n cresure agreeme tax exemptio to for a sales data centers ated to recruitadvanced through Pennsylvania vania House on the Pennsyl y Tu e s d a with broad INSIDE support. House ■ State Bill 2359 Dems n Bowma passed by angered om By William y dailyitem.c a vote of Saturda by GOP bbowman@ arnce Day 171-31. All Independe recess with s heat wave 2025 on dangerou A no budget oppositi 2026* 2010** central Susque81 deal/A2 deal/ rives in the on Wednesday, votes but 95 97 THER ■ State deadly hanna Valley one were potentia lly ACCUWEA House bringing expecte d to last cast by Reboard s, conditions the Independence publican meets on ut RIES througho includi ng ADVISO weekend. SerUAPs, IN EFFECT Day holiday state Reps. Weather safety Berof The National heat warnAaron Ber risks/B1 All corners are vice’s extremeeffect at noon nstine, R. the Valley into extreme ing goes and runs through Lee James, under an from ay tures Wednesd Jim Rigby Rowe. heat warning day Tempera to 8 p.m. Friday. three days are noon Wednes and David Daily Item now advances Friday next The measure where, also on over the top out at or above to 8 p.m. adviRobert Inglis/TheDays in to Senate ina heat otter heat and state expected the chamber’s the Pinekn 8 p.m. at with the upper tee sory from p.m. lemonade 100 degrees, as high as 108. Tuesday, 8 ent Commit t an ice cold Friday to dex to reach shade will offer Local Governm . d, drinks one Democra . Saturday g to 10-1, with move a pro, 3, Winfiel y evening Even the said, and voted Tuesda Carman Accordin experts r on, to hot for of high Gardne National little relief, nd on a in oppositi moratorium enthe U.S. combinationwith ex- Northumberla Service, a perfect ents to posed 18-month Weather paired l governm also usly hot temperatures of time outside municipa ally on data center dangero with center will at s periods & cooling A tended County condition values act individu in order to update INSIDE trouble. in Union of be open heat indexare could spell tion of the governing applications United Church Item ordinance ONLINE up to 108 during is open “It’s the combinay of people St. Paul’s or install related rules for data The Daily longevit The shelter and then and expected nurse d a n a B2 Christ. l heat and heat r zoning e ents. Tuesday y forecast/ Jesse Scholl, trauma r thumb the extreme 8 a.m to Ag- until 8 p.m. outside,” ■ Three-da updates at center developmare the latest T he No period. er’s for Agency on of will be open from through warning ■ Watch .com The moves votes on bills who is Geising , said. “ObCounty Area Heat indexes of the hours manager Wednesday 102 dailyitem program climb to be a lot of in a series restricti ons and will extend ity centers 8 p.m. will ing could heat commun using the viously, therethe big 250th celproposi ng as coolwarn- Friday. during the its adult period. “Please consider extreme heat celebrating, vacations, and until the early evening Page A2 ay advisory with Saint A2 due to the and on Wednesd of See NDAS, RS,, Page ebration, are spending time ing shelters, along of Christ rest SHELTE ings to begin the See key Church people be more through n will Paul’s United which will be and last rg, outside. Hydratio .” the week. it y in Lewisbu for everyone A2 com mun Five adult berland See HEAT, Page NOTICES Northum PUBLIC centers in be open this week inside include: County will INDEX Notices

Potentially deadly temps possible

100 101

Thursday

July 2 2026* 2018**

2025

99 96 86 Friday

July 3 2026* 1934**

2025

99 96 88

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INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

BIGGER,

STRONGER,

FASTER Black Panthers look to bounce back in tough HAC-II

earch ing f or a particular word th at seems to b e on th e tips of numerous Milton tong ues? Well, “ dominant” seems to b e mak ing th e rounds. “ We want to b e ph ysical and dominant and mak e teams wear out b y th e f ourth q uarter,” said j unior lineb ack er Sch uyler H umph rey, wh o landed all-leag ue props last season f rom th e P ennsylvania H eartland’ s D ivision II coach es af ter totaling 87 stops, including 4 . 5 f or loss. “ We want to b e a lot b etter th an last year,” added energ etic j unior edg e rush er B rady O’ R ourk e, anoth er all-leag ue pick wh o posted 1 05 tack les — 1 8. 5 f or loss and 7. 5 q uarterb ack sack s — in an all-state season. “ We want to b e in every g ame we play, we want to control th e line of scrimmag e, and we want to ph ysically dominate oth er teams. ” Easier said th an done — particularly with in a P H AC-II landscape littered with land mines — b ut th at’ s wh y Matt Wilson’ s B lack P anth ers ( 3 -7, 1 -5) h ave b een living in th e weig h t room and doing everyth ing

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Story b y Mich ael B ullock possib le to g et b ig g er, strong er and f aster since last season ended. H ere’ s anoth er plus: Seven young sters wh o landed allleag ue nods return on th e def ensive side of th e f ootb all f or a Milton prog ram th at spent many nig h ts trying to stop opposing of f enses since th e B lack P anth ers strug g led to move th e b all — despite th e ef f orts of doeveryth ing Monty Fish er. H ence, th e P anth ers’ collective optimism. Yet … “ We return a lot of g uys on th e def ensive side, and I try not to b low th eir h eads up. I try to k eep th em in ch eck ,” Wilson said. “ We lost g ames ( last season) , so we h ave to improve and work on th ing s. … Our wh ole coach ing staf f is ex cited f or th at side of th e b all. ” In addition to O’ R ourk e and H umph rey, Wilson’ s P anth ers return b eef y lineman Carter Letteer up f ront, senior inside b ack er J ack son Wertz and j unior lineb ack er J ack R eynolds. Wertz match ed O’ R ourk e with 1 05 stops.

Gavin Wh itenig h t, th e oth er senior on Milton’ s roster, is lik ely to play closer to th e line of scrimmag e since h e’ s a g ood run-stopper, despite h is lack of ph ysical siz e. And th en th ere’ s j unior ath lete Luis Santos, who may find himself in th e b ox at times and playing strong saf ety at oth ers. H e’ s a 1 9 5-pound truck with terrific speed and athleticism, Wilson said. “ As a staf f and as a sch ool district, we’ re more impressed with Santos th an any k id we h ave,” Wilson said. “ H e never played a down of football as a kid. His first down of f ootb all was in eig h th g rade. … H e h as so b oug h t into th e weig h t room and trying to b e b etter. ” So h ave H umph rey and O’ R ourk e. “ O’ R ourk e was a menace on th e outside coming of f th e edg e,” added Wilson, ref erencing th e 225-pounder. “ H e g ot b ig g er. H e g ot strong er. H e’ s k illing th e weig h ts. H is mindset is out of th is world. H e wants to dominate every sing le play. ” A h ug e Oh io State f an, O’ R ourk e

MILTON | BLACK PANTHERS PIAA DISTRICT 4

h as tried to model h is g ame af ter f ormer B uck eyes edg e rush ers J oey B osa, Nick B osa and Ch ase Young . H is OSU partisansh ip is understandab le once you learn h is g randf ath er, Larry O’ R ourk e, was a teammate of th e lik es of Archie Griffin, Randy Gradish ar, B ob B rudz insk i, Neal Colz ie and Tim Fox . It also ex plains wh y O’ R ourk e’ s Milton j ersey sports th e No. 9 since h is energ etic g randdad wore No. 9 9 at Oh io State b ef ore th e P h iladelph ia Eag les draf ted h im in 1 9 75. B rady O’ R ourk e also is wound up b ecause th e B lack P anth ers are planning to b ounce h im around so opposing of f enses can’ t run away f rom h im. Opponents already are trying to find him and set b lock ing sch emes during presnap calls — so h e doesn’ t wreck play af ter play. “ I’ m pumped,” O’ R ourk e admitted. “ You can’ t really pick up on anyth ing . If I’ m moving around, it g ives me a lot more opportunities ( to mak e stops or g et to th e q uarterb ack ) . … Moving around is awesome. I’ m really ex cited. ” Wilson also b elieves h is attack is g oing to b e more ef f ective — even with Fish er

CLASS 4A

HEARTLAND DIVISION II COACH: MATT WILSON 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Bloomsburg at Hughesville at Mount Carmel* Danville* at Montoursville* Northwest Central Columbia* at Southern Columbia* Lewisburg at Warrior Run -PHAC-II GAME 2025 RESULTS (3-7)

Frank Dimon/For Inside PA

Milton’s Jackson Wertz and Cole Rhodes (10) try to tackle Montoursville’s Hayden Harvey at Alumni Field in 2025. b eg inning h is colleg e career at Lock H aven. All-leag ue selection B lak e K oz ick i will play tack le and center, respectively, wh ile Letteer and Wertz will fit somewhere. Soph omore K amryn Wilson h as th e lead on th e q uarterb ack position, wh ile Santos and B rody Lock e will b e part of Milton’ s running -b ack -b ycommittee approach .

J ensen Souder and J aCori Brown are set on the flanks. H umph rey and O’ R ourk e will play tig h t end or H -b ack wh enever th ey line up of f ensively. B ottom line is Wilson j ust wants h is of f ense to sh are th e b all, adding intrig ue wh ile preventing opposing def enses f rom lock ing in on one or two players. “ It’ s g oing to b e all h ands on deck with everyb ody ch ipping in,” Wilson said. “ Our vision is we need to win, and th e b est way to win is if everyb ody’ s ch ipping in and we’ re not really f ocused on th e one trying to do all th e stuf f . ” Estab lish ing dominance will h elp. “ We’ re a step ah ead of wh ere we were last year,” H umph rey said. “ I th ink everyone’ s determined to b ring winning b ack to Milton. ”

L L L W L L W W L L

Shikellamy Montoursville At Southern Columbia South Williamsport At Danville At Mifflinburg Central Columbia At Midd-West At Mount Carmel Warrior Run

33-15 35-7 35-0 25-0 28-17 49-7 55-0 47-0 48-25 41-10

5-YEAR WIN TREND 9*

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Monty Fisher 36-98 6 7 429 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Monty Fisher 182 1,484 17 Jaden Canelo 42 164 0 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Cole Rhodes 7 213 3 Jensen Souder 13 134 2

RETURNERS IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

LEARNING FROM LAST

SEASON Red Tornadoes look to grow from playoff loss Story b y H arold R ake r

alk ing ab out h is team’ s prospects f or th e new season, a h ig h sch ool coach says th at h e is returning most of th e starters f rom th e previous year. One pessimistic f an mutters sarcastically under h is b reath , “ So, wh at’ s th e g ood news? ” For 1 1 th -year coach J oh n D arrah and h is Mount Carmel Area R ed Tornadoes, th at is th e g ood news. Th e veterans will not f org et their final game of 2025, a wild 4 3 -4 2 triple-overtime loss to Montoursville in th e D istrict 3 A semifinals, which sent the boys in red into th e of f season on a sour note. Some players would want to wipe such a g ame f rom th eir memories, b ut, f or D arrah , th at 2025 finale could prove beneficial. “ You always learn someth ing f rom a g ame, wh eth er it’ s a win or a loss, and I th ink we k new we were playing some of our b est

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

f ootb all at th e end of th e year,” D arrah said. “ We played well enoug h to win th at g ame, b ut th e mistak es and turnovers, and th e penalties didn’ t h elp us. ’ ’ H e said th e turnovers — including a pair of lost f umb les — were th e deciding f actor. “ It doesn’ t always matter h ow well you ex ecute if you’ re g oing to g ive th em ex tra possessions,’ ’ h e said. “ We need to work on protecting th e b all. ’ ’ B ut with a lot of underclassmen, including f resh men, playing in th at g ame, h is returning players h ave th e ex perience and k now th e pressures and th e level of ex ecution necessary j ust f rom h aving b een in a g ame lik e th at. Turnovers coupled with some significant injuries contributed to the team losing four of its first five games, putting its playoff ch ances in dire j eopardy. Yet th e ex perience may lead to b etter g ames ah ead. Th e R ed

Tornadoes won f our in a row b ef ore th at season-ending loss. P romising f resh man running b ack / lineb ack er Mich ael H ig g ins went down f or th e season in week th ree, and soph omore b ack / lineb ack er J ason K lok is and b ack up q uarterb ack / def ensive b ack J ames Spears each missed g ames due to inj uries. Th e b ig g est g raduation loss is at q uarterb ack , wh ere Gavin Marsh alek th rew f or 3 ,503 yards and 3 4 touch downs in h is f our-year career, including 2,786 yards and 27 TD s as a starter th e past two seasons. D arrah and h is coach es were watch ing a preseason b attle b etween Spears and j unior Alek z andr Luk osk ie to step under center. Alth oug h Mich ael K imsal g raduated, th e running b ack g roup is deep. In addition to th e returning H ig g ins, th e running b ack s/ wing b ack s will include seniors Cooper K aryck i and

MT CARMEL | RED TORNADOES PIAA DISTRICT 4

Log an Sh uder and soph omores Lance Glenney and Tyson Toms and j unior K lok is. D arrah runs a lot of twotig h t end sets with wing b ack s of ten with out wide receivers. Th e tig h t ends will b e returning seniors Max K aryck i and J osh B lessing and j unior Ch ance Swatsk i. J unior Aiden B rok enshire and first-year senior Laden Williams will also see action. Th e receiver corps will include returning standout senior J aylen D elaney and classmates K enny Miller, Log an Sh uder and B radley Clark and j unior J ax son B ob lick . B rok ensh ire and Max K aryck i will also line up as receivers. Th e R ed Tornadoes h ave b een b lessed f or th e past f ew years with larg e, ath letic linemen on b oth sides of th e b all. Fans th is season mig h t b e ask ing , “ Wh ere’ s th e b eef ? ’ ’ Ack nowledg ing a f allof f in siz e, D arrah said, “ We don’ t h ave many 3 00-pound linemen lik e we h ave h ad in past seasons, b ut I lik e th e ag g ressiveness of our k ids; th ey’ re not h ug e, b ut th ey’ re very ag g ressive. ’ ’ Soph omore Sam R ob ert ( 5-f oot-1 1 , 270 pounds) will man center, soph omore Ch ristian B ib b us ( 5-1 0, 21 0) will b e at g uard along with oth ers including B lessing ( 5-1 0, 205) , j unior J ason D illow ( 5-1 0, 1 9 5) , and soph omore Toms ( 59 , 1 80) ; and tack les will include senior Aaz az iel Lilly ( 6-1 , 1 9 0) soph omore D ominick Lentini ( 5-1 0, 265) . Senior Aiden Williams ( 5-1 1 , 1 9 5) will also

CLASS 3A

HEARTLAND DIVISION II

COACH: JOHN DARRAH 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Schuylkill Haven at Pottsville Milton* at North Schuylkill at Danville* Southern Columbia* at Montoursville* Central Colimbia* Central Mountain at Shamokin *-PHAC-II GAME

2025 RESULTS (5-6)

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Mount Carmel’s Aidan Brokenshire tries to run past Mifflinburg’s Isaiah Kurtz on a kick return in Mount Carmel in 2025. b e in th e mix on th e line. D ef ensively, th e interior up f ront will see Lentini, Max K aryck i — already a th ree-time all-state selection — Lilly and B ib b us; outside lineb ack ers will b e Swatsk i, B rok ensh ire and H ig g ins with K lok is, B lessing and sometimes H ig g ins on th e inside. In th e secondary, th e players will b e D elaney, Cooper K aryck i, Spears, Glenney, Luk osk ie, Sh uder and possib ly j unior J ax on B ob lick . With a new two-year cycle in th e P ennsylvania H eartland Ath letic Conf erence sch edule, Mount Carmel remains in D ivision II, but loses Mifflinburg, which dropped to D ivision III, Th e R ed Tornadoes will still play Montoursville and arch -rival South ern Columb ia.

Th e long time opening nig h t opponent, rival North Sch uylk ill, h as moved to week f our with th e R ed Tornadoes opening with a new opponent, Sch uylk ill H aven, f ollowed b y anoth er one, P ottsville. D arrah said h e b elieves th e usual teams will b e g ood ag ain th is season, b ut h is concern remains with h is own team. “ I f eel g ood g oing into th is year,” h e said. “ Last year, early in th e season, we had some difficulties. “ We h ad inj uries, young k ids, some never played f ootb all b ef ore. “ We h ad our strug g les, b ut at th e end of th e season we were a dang erous team and playing some g ood f ootb all. We h ave some really g ood senior leadersh ip and we are ready to g et rolling . ’ ’

L W L L L W W W W L

North Schuylkill At Central Columbia Mifflinburg At Southern Columbia Montoursville Hughesville Danville At Central Mountain Milton At Shamokin

62-20 48-20 48-20 49-16 27-0 41-13 61-13 35-13 48-25 26-21

DISTRICT 4 3A PLAYOFFS

At Montoursville

43-42, 3OT

5-YEAR WIN TREND 12*

10*

5* 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds G. Marshalek 62-108 3 12 964 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Jaylen Delaney 104 850 12 Michael Kimsal 88 497 6 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Jaylen Delaney 21 403 4 A. Brokenshire 11 276 3

RETURNEES IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

IT’S A BRAND NEW DAY Seals feeling hopeful with larger roster, lighter schedule

t’ s not a f amiliar position f or th e Selinsg rove f ootb all prog ram, b ut inj uries and one of th e toug h est sch edules in P ennsylvania h ad th e Seals suf f er th roug h a one-win season in 2025, th eir worst in 1 4 years. Selinsg rove played f our teams that finished the regular season unb eaten in 2025: Sh amok in, H ollidaysb urg , B erwick and Twin

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Story b y Todd H ummel V alley. Sh amok in ( 4 A) and H ollidaysb urg ( 5A) b oth reach ed th e state quarterfinals while Twin Valley reached the 4A semifinals. “ It’ s not of ten you can add South ern Columb ia to your sch edule, and it g ets easier,” Selinsg rove coach Matt Wenrich j ok ed. H owever, more importantly,

th e Seals’ roster numb ers h ave increased g reatly, Wenrich said. Selinsg rove will h ave more th an 50 players to start th e year, af ter spending most of last season in th e mid 3 0s. Th e Seals h ave h ad plenty of numb ers at th eir summer work outs as well, th e coach said. “ I th ink I h ad more k ids at th e summer stuf f th is year and in th e

Selinsgrove’s Andrew Gesumaria runs for a touchdown against Williamsport in 2025. weig h t room th an I did on th e roster last season,” Wenrich said. Growing h is roster and g etting k ids b ack out f or th e team are th ing s th at Wenrich work ed h ard on th is past of f season. “ Some of it is our class siz es are g etting b ig g er, and I f eel lik e all I do sometimes ( in th e middle sch ool) is recruit k ids f or f ootb all,” Wenrich said. “ P lus we h ave Coach ( J oh n) Aument and Coach ( P ete) V oss in th e h ig h sch ool, wh o are constantly talk ing with and ch eck ing in with k ids. ” H is def ensive coordinator — R yan K eiser — will also b e teach ing in th e h ig h sch ool starting th is season, and teach power weig h ts class. Th e Seals will b e ex perienced, b ut still young — Wenrich still only h as f our seniors on th e roster.

Th at ex perience starts under center, wh ere senior R occo Amato will enter h is th ird season as th e starting q uarterb ack . “ R occo h as g otten b ig g er and f aster in th e of f season. I’ d lik e to see h im more willing to run with th e f ootb all th is season,” Wenrich said. “ H e seems so much more ath letic; I th ink h e’ ll b e ab le to g et some yards h imself . ” Amato h as h is top two targ ets b ack in P ete Scorsone and J onath an Neidig , b oth j uniors. Neidig h ad 27 g rab s f or 23 0 yards and a score, wh ile Scorsone h ad eig h t catch es f or 1 89 yards and two scores. Wenrich said th at b oth h ave put in th e work in th e weig h t room in th e of f season. With th e g raduation of B rett R ice, th e Seals spread around th e carries. Gab e P aradis and Cale B adman

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

return to th e team af ter a year away. Max Sh eltman is b ack f rom last year’ s kn ee inj ury, and th e g roup of f resh men wh o g ot some play last year — Ja rren H acke nb erg , Je t H ollenb ach and Colton Feg ley — are a year more mature af ter more varsity playing time th an intended b ecause of inj ury. “ It’ s g oing to b e running -b ack -b ycommittee,” Wenrich said. “ We’ ve g ot a lot more depth b ack th ere th an we h ad in previous years. ” Selinsg rove h as th ree starters b ack on th e of f ensive line — Owen H of f man, Eth an P ortwood and Landon Mag nuson — as well. “ Eth an P ortwood is th e b ig g est, strong est k id on th e team. Owen H of f man is th e h eart and soul; h e’ ll run th roug h a b rick wall if you ask h im,” Wenrich said. “ We h ave position b attles at th e oth er spots. We INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

SELINSGROVE | SEALS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 4A

HEARTLAND DIVISION I COACH: MATT WENRICH 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

Juniata at Mifflinburg at Jersey Shore* Central Mountain* at Williamsport* at Shamokin* Shikellamy* at Danville Tamaqua Southern Columbia *-PHAC-I GAME 2025 RESULTS (1-9)

L L L W L L L L L L

At Juniata Twin Valley Jersey Shore At Central Mountain Williamsport At Shamokin At Shikellamy Hollidaysburg At Berwick Danville

18-7 62-0 49-6 27-3 29-23 57-12 48-7 42-14 56-0 21-12

5-YEAR WIN TREND 13*&

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Selinsgrove’s Rocco Amato looks for room to run against Twin Valley in Selinsgrove in 2025.

sh ould h ave a lot of depth up f ront. ” Wenrich also said to k eep a watch on senior Andrew Gesumaria. “ H e’ s g oing to b e an of f ensive utility k nif e,” Wenrich said. Th at will b e h ug e f or an of f ense th at scored 1 4 or more points j ust th ree times last season. H of f man returns to lead th e Selinsg rove def ense along with Neidig and Scorsone in th e secondary. H of f man led th e team with 84 tack les last season. Scorsone h ad f our interceptions. “ I f eel a lot more com-

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

f ortab le ab out th e def ense th is season. Th at depth at running b ack will also play over into th e lineb ack ing corps,” Wenrich said. Sh eltman, wh o started on th e def ensive line as a f resh man two seasons ag o, will return to h is def ensive end spot af ter missing the final four g ames with an inj ury. Wenrich h opes to h ave some of th at of f ensive line depth pay of f in th e same way on th e interior of h is def ensive line. “ Th e more g uys we can find for our defensive line will allow us to k eep our of f en-

sive line f resh ,” Wenrich said. “ Th e f ewer g uys we h ave g oing two ways ( up f ront) , th e b etter it will b e f or us. ” Even af ter an unch aracteristic down year, th ere is optimism around a young team th at Wenrich said “ g ot a lot more exp erience th an th ey normally would h ave at th at ag e, last season. “ It sh ould b e a b ig step f orward f or us th is season; we still only h ave f our seniors. It’ s a young team,” Wenrich said. “ Th e turnout is nearly doub led, and th ere is j ust a much b etter f eeling around th e team. “ Th ere h as b een so much b uy-in. ”

5* 1 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 *-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Rocco Amato 60-131 7 2 610 RUSHING Att Yards TD Brett Rice 159 764 7 Isaac Thomas 23 88 0 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Jonathan Neidig 27 233 1 Peter Scorsone 7 159 2 RETURNEES IN BOLD

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Kings of the

HILL

Indians ready for favorite role Story b y Todd H ummel

h e numb ers, as th ey say, don’ t lie — 25-2, b ack- to-b ack D istrict 4 Class 4 A ch ampionsh ips and a b erth in th e state quarterfinals in 2025. All-staters Zake m Clinton and Iza k Glover g raduated and took th eir talents to th e P ennsylvania State Ath letic Conf erence — Clinton to Slippery R ock and Glover to Lock H aven — b ut th ere is still more th an enoug h talent b ack in

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Coal Townsh ip f or th e Indians to ch ase a th ird straig h t district title. “ We still f eel like we h ave some h eavy h itters coming b ack, ” Sh amoki n coach Marc P ersing said. “ We f eel like in th e maj ority of th e g ames we play th is season, we’ ll h ave th e b est f ootb all players on the field.” Speed and versatility will b e th e name of th e g ame f or Sh amoki n on b oth sides of th e b all.

It all starts with Log an Steele, wh o could line up anywh ere f rom q uarterb ack to wing to wide as th e No. 1 receiver f or th e Indians. Steele, a Wake Forest commit, will make th e of f ense g o — h e ran f or 1 ,1 26 yards and 21 scores, along with th rowing f or 666 yards and anoth er 1 0 TD s. “ We want def enses to h ave to account f or h im anywh ere on th e field,” Persing said. “Anytime we

SHAMOKIN | INDIANS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 4A

HEARTLAND DIVISION I COACH: MARC PERSING 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

at Pottsville at Danville Shikellamy* Jersey Shore* at Central Mountain* Selinsgrove* Williamsport* Hanover at Blue Mountain Mount Carmel *-PHAC-I GAME

2025 RESULTS (13-1)

Shamokin’s Logan Steele carries the ball as several Shikellamy defenders pursue in 2025. g et th e def ense to b e more h ectic b ef ore th e snap is a win f or us. ” Add Colin Steinh art and R yan B icke rt to th e Indians wh o will b e moving around as well. Steinh art led th e team with 3 1 g rab s f or 4 21 yards and five TDs. “ H e’ s anoth er ath lete wh o will move around on th e of f ensive side of th e b all,” P ersing said. “ H e played out wide and some tig h t end last year, and h e’ ll line up at wing at times as well. ” In f act, so will th e rest of th e f ront line of th e b oys b aske tb all team: X avier P aul and Cru Sch royer. “ We h ave a couple of strong , ph ysical ki ds th at are ab out 6-f oot-2, 6-3 th at can g o g et th e f ootb all,” P ersing said. Anoth er one of th ose moving parts on of f ense

will b e B icke rt, th e D istrict 4 200-meter ch ampion and th e runner-up in th e 1 00. H e’ ll h ave a b ig g er role on th e of f ense af ter starting th e past two years in th e def ensive backfield. “ R yan h as b een very patient th e past two years, playing b eh ind some g uys on of f ense,” P ersing said. “ We really exp ect h im to h ave a b reako ut year. H e’ s g oing to b e a receiver and sometimes line up in th e backfield with Logan.” One g uy wh o mig h t not b e moving around much on th e of f ensive side of th e b all is Noah R ing es. Th e senior ran f or 4 1 7 yards and six touch downs in a limited role, b ut th ose times th e past f ew seasons th at you saw Clinton come in to nail down some Sh amoki n wins in th e sec-

Inside PA file photo

ond h alf , th at role will f all to R ing es th is season. And Clinton’ s six sacks and f earsome attack of f th e edg e will also like ly f all to R ing es to replicate as well. Ringes finished with six sacks and 1 5 tackl es f or loss last year despite missing the first five games of th e season. “ Noah h as h ad a f antastic of f season. H e’ s b ig g er, f aster and strong er,” P ersing said. “ We really exp ect h im to step in and take th at role Zake m h ad. ” Th e speed and versatility will also carry over on def ense. With Glover and h is 4 00-pound f rame of f to Slippery R ock, th e Indians won’ t h ave nearly as much size up f ront. P ersing calls Nate K aleta, a j unior, Sh amoki n’ s next D ivision I player.

W At Pottsville 34-14 W Lake-Lehman 49-7 W At Shikellamy 52-21 W Jersey Shore 43-42 OT W At Central Mountain 35-7 W Selinsgrove 57-12 W At Williamsport 42-7 W At Lewisburg 38-0 W Loyalsock 42-7 W Mount Carmel 26-21 D4 4ADISTRICT PLAYOFFS 4 4A PLAYOFFS W Shikellamy 37-7 W Jersey Shore 37-0 PIAA 4A PLAYOFFS PIAA 4A PLAYOFFS W At Bellefonte 42-13

Southern Lehigh

30-27

5-YEAR WIN TREND 12*&

13*&

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Logan Steele 46-112 8 10 RUSHING Att Yards Zakem Clinton 186 1,575 Logan Steele 129 1,168 RECEIVING Rec Yards Colin Steinhart 32 436 Jayce Ginck 8 131

Yds 693 TD 20 21 TD 5 3

RETURNEES IN BOLD INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Shamokin’s Noah Ringes tries to run past Shikellamy’s Corbin Stahl during a District 4 Class 4A semifinal game in Coal Township in 2025. “ H e’ s b een b lossoming rig h t in f ront of our eyes. H e’ s b een taki ng care of h is b ody, worki ng h ard in th e weig h t room and at speed and ag ility,” P ersing said. “ H e’ s g oing to h ave some options g oing into h is senior season. ” Leading tackl er Liam Montg omery returns to th e lineb acki ng unit, and Steele and Steinh art, along with B icke rt, will anch or a secondary th at intercepted 26

passes last season. Steinh art and Steele each intercepted nine passes in 2025. Steele’ s pick -6 in th e state q uarterfinals gave the Indians a 1 0-point lead over eventual state ch ampion South ern Leh ig h b ef ore th e Spartans rallied to end Sh amok in’ s season, wh ile Steinhart had five interceptions in a rout of J ersey Sh ore in th e D istrict 4 Class 4 A title g ame.

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AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

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ALL

Braves’ resurgence isn’t over despite graduation losses Story b y Todd H ummel

h e numb ers put up b y B rody R eb uck last season f or Sh ik ellamy were undeni-

ab le. All-time leading passer. Led th e team in rush ing yards and rush ing touch downs in 2025. P lus, 1 7 tack les f or a loss at lineb ack er. So, yes, R eb uck was a b ig loss f or th e B raves. “ B rody was a mach ine f or us last year,” second-year coach Mik e H oover said. “ All th ose ath letes around B rady last year are b ack , and mayb e th e new q uarterb ack isn’ t a 220-pound b ulldoz er, b ut th ey’ ll b e ab le to mak e plays on th e outside on pulls ( in th e z one read) and desig ned runs, th oug h . ” Th e most important th ing th e new Sh ik ellamy q uarterb ack can do is g et th e b all to th e ath letes on th e outside — seniors Th omas

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

P ollock and Corb in Stah l. P ollock , already Sh ik ellamy’ s all-time leading receiver, can b ecome j ust th e fifth player in District 4 history to top 3 ,000 career receiving yards. Th at q uarterb ack b attle — b etween j unior B rady K urtz and soph omore B ob b y Felmy — won’ t b e decided until th e Sunday b ef ore th e opener ag ainst Mifflinburg at the end of the month , b ut H oover says wh oever doesn’ t win th e j ob will still h ave a role in th e of f ense. Felmy was th e q uarterb ack th roug h youth and j unior h ig h f ootb all, b ut moved to receiver in h is f resh man season. H e caug h t 27 passes f or 274 yards and a touch down, wh ile K urtz spent last season running th e j unior varsity of f ense and as R eb uck ’ s b ack up. Sh ike llamy kn ows it needs more out of its running g ame and

the backfield without Rebuck’s numb ers. Th e young Sh ike llamy running b acks were decimated b y inj uries in 2025, b ut th e g roup of Gavin K eef er, Tristian Smith , K yler Campb ell and Elias R oj as will g et a look at running b ack th is season. One plus f or th at g roup: Th e B raves’ of f ensive line returns four of five starters, and put the work in during th e of f season in th e weig h t room. Th ey started a power weig h t club , and H oover said th at really h elped with th e of f season turnout. “ Our b ig g uys were in th e weig h t room, our ath letes were in th e weig h t room; we j ust did th e work ,” H oover said. “ We aren’ t h ug e ( siz e-wise) , b ut we g ot b ig g er, more ath letic and we’ re f aster th an we were last year. ” P IAA j avelin medalist Willie B ender returns at g uard along

Shikellamy’s Thomas Pollock carries the ball during a game against Central Mountain in Sunbury in 2025.

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

SHIKELLAMY | BRAVES PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 4A

HEARTLAND DIVISION I COACH: MIKE HOOVER 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

at Mifflinburg Lewisburg at Shamokin* at Williamsport* Jersey Shore* Central Mountain* at Selinsgrove* at Loyalsock Warrior Run Danville *-PHAC-I GAME

2025 RESULTS (5-6)

W At Milton W At Lewisburg L Shamokin W Williamsport L At Jersey Shore W Central Mountain W Selinsgrove L At Bloomsburg L At Danville L Southern Columbia D4 4A PLAYOFFS D4 4A PLAYOFFS L At Shamokin

33-15 29-27 52-21 35-14 42-14 14-7 48-7 32-21 26-21 61-28 37-7

5-YEAR WIN TREND

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Shikellamy’s Corbin Stahl breaks up a pass intended for Selinsgrove’s Jonathan Neidig in Sunbury in 2025. with J ack son K ash ub a at tack le. Th e only newcomer will b e Everett P urdy, wh o moves to center. Sh ik ellamy returns its top tack ler on def ense — B ender — and K ash ub a, wh o h ad th ree sack s last year, will move b ack f rom the defensive line to fill R eb uck ’ s spot at inside lineb ack er. Outside lineb ack er Ch ase Swartz ( f our sack s) returns as well. P ollock , Stah l and Maddox H oover all return in an ex perienced and ath letic secondary. Mik e H oover says th e B raves were search ing f or def ensive tack les as preseason camp started, b ut he’s confident Shikellamy will b e strong on th e def ensive side of th e b all with 56

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

th e return of Noah J oh nson. J oh nson, a senior, will play lineb ack er, and h e missed most of th e year last year af ter an inj ury in th e second week of th e season ag ainst Lewisb urg . “ H e’ s a sleeper and h e works h arder th an anyb ody. H e’ ll b e h ug e f or us th is season,” th e coach said. “ H e was OK as a soph omore, b ut h e worke d really h ard b ef ore h is j unior season, and h e made h ug e strides, b ut th en h e g ot h urt. “ H e worke d j ust as h ard th is of f season, and I th ink h e’ ll b e a dif f erence-make r. ” H oover says th at h e doesn’ t exp ect th e B raves to take much of a step b ack th is season, b ut th ey will also have to figure out a way to b eat Je rsey Sh ore

and Sh amoki n to reach th e h eig h ts th ey exp ect. It’ s an interesting ch ang e f rom j ust 1 8 month s ag o f or th e Sh ik ellamy prog ram. Th e players and th e communities of Sunb ury and North umb erland are on b oard since Mik e H oover h as tak en over. “ I b elieve f rom th e g round up — youth to varsity — everyb ody h as really b oug h t in ( to th e prog ram) ,” H oover said. “ It’ s really ab out h aving f un, and th at’ s th e most important th ing : Th at th e ki ds h ave f un. “ If th ey are h aving f un, th ey are involved and invested in th e prog ram. It’ s reflected in the community and it was reflected in our weig h t room participation in th e of f season. ”

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Brody Rebuck 144-266 12 14 2,022 RUSHING Att Yards TD Brody Rebuck 147 591 16 Luke Keally 55 202 1 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Thomas Pollock 71 1,121 10 Corbin Stahl 17 310 2 RETURNEES IN BOLD

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BACK ON

TOP Tigers look to veterans for another title run Story b y Todd H ummel

outh ern Columb ia entered last season with more q uestions ab out its mental state th an anyth ing on th e f ootball field. H ow would th e Tig ers b ounce b ack f rom h aving th eir P IAA title streak snapped b y Troy in 2024 ? D id a talented g roup of players h ave th e mox ie to g et b ack to th e top of th e mountain? South ern Columb ia answered th ose q uestions emph atically with anoth er Class 2A ch ampionsh ip, b ut th at b eg s th e q uestion: Wh at do th ey do f or a f ollow-up? All-star linemen J oh n Q uinton and Greg Fulmer will b e toug h to replace along with leading rush er B rayden Andrews and top tack ler Talon P iatt, b ut th e Tig ers h ave plenty of talent b ack to mak e a return to Ch amb ersb urg in D ecemb er. Q uarterb ack Ayden H ock en-

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

b roch is entering h is th ird year as a starter, and added a g old medal in b aseb all th is past spring . H ock enb roch th rew f or 1 ,273 yards and 1 7 touch downs, and didn’ t th row an interception in the Tigers’ final 15 games after th rowing th ree in an opening nig h t loss to Wyomissing . Mayb e th e b ig g est improvement in H ock enb roch ’ s g ame last season came with h is leg s. H e ran f or two touch downs — f or 1 3 and 3 1 yards — in th e state semifinals against Lansdale Cath olic. In th e ch ampionsh ip g ame win over Farrell, h e h ad a 21 -yard rush on second-and-1 2, and a 6-yard g ain on f ourth and-1 , along with a 2-point conversion run to g ive South ern Columb ia a 1 4 -7 lead on its way to a 4 3 -22 victory. “ We’ ll prob ab ly run Ayden a little more th is year. H e didn’ t h ave

a ton of yards, b ut h e ran well in some critical situations ( last year) ,” South ern Columb ia coach J im R oth said. “ H e b ecame j ust more ef f ective as a runner as th e season went on. ” H ock enb roch ’ s top two receivers return in B laise K issing er ( 1 9 catch es, 3 86 yards and 7 touch downs) and tig h t end J ace Malak osk i ( 1 8-3 02, 2 TD s) , and R oth ex pects more b alance in th e of f ense th is season. “ We’ ve b een h eavier with play-action passing over th e last f ew years, b ut I th ink someth ing we’ ve done in past years — th e straig h t drop b ack and th e q uick g ame — is someth ing we’ ll do more of th is season j ust to g et th e b all in th ose g uys’ h ands in space,” R oth said. “ Even with J ace, if we g o to two receivers, h e’ s g oing to move outside as th at second receiver. So th at’ s

SOUTHERN COLUMBIA | TIGERS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 2A

HEARTLAND DIVISION II COACH: JIM ROTH 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 5 Sept. 11 Sept. 19 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 3

Wyomissing at Willams Valley Montoursville* at Lewisburg* Central Columbia* at Mount Carmel* Danville* Milton at Jersey Shore at Selinsgrove *-PHAC-II GAME

2025 RESULTS (15-1)

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Southern Columbia’s Blaise Kissinger runs after making a catch during the PIAA Class 2A semifinals against Lansdale Catholic at Lehighton High School in 2025. anoth er way we’ ll b e ab le to g et h im th e b all. ” Th at’ s not to say th e South ern Columb ia running g ame won’ t b e potent in its own rig h t once ag ain. Th e two returning running b ack s are h alf b ack Grady Garcia, a j unior, and senior J oey Williams at f ullb ack . Garcia ran f or 1 ,1 3 7 yards and 20 touch downs, wh ile Williams h ad 9 52 yards and 20 scores. Garcia came on as th e season wore on last season, and R oth ex pects a b ig season out of h im. “ I really th ink th e state ch ampionsh ip th at h e h ad ( 1 1 0 yards, 3 TD s) really set h im up f or th is year,” R oth said. “ H e’ s improved h is b lock ing q uite a b it. ” Th e race to replace Andrews at th e oth er h alf b ack spot will come down to senior Gavin B rown and soph omore K ade Cecco. B rown is recovering f rom a torn ACL suf f ered early in wrestling season in D ecemb er, b ut if B rown is h ealth y, it mig h t b e h is

j ob . R oth ex pects Cecco to fill one of the outside lineb ack er spots open on def ense. Fulmer was th e only loss on th e of f ensive f ront f or th e Tig ers. J aden Carter started playing one-way on def ense as th e P IAA playof f s wore on last season, and Cam Traug h took over at g uard, including f or th e entire state ch ampionsh ip g ame. South ern Columb ia’ s run late in th e season was k eyed b y its def ensive line led b y Q uinton and Ch ase Williams. Williams returns f or h is senior season af ter leading th e Tig ers with six sack s and 27 tack les f or a loss. Malak osk i will tak e over at th e oth er def ensive end spot f ull time af ter b eing part of a rotation th e past two seasons. Carter will anch or th e middle th is season with B loomsb urg transf er B ob b y Nenstiel and a Columb iaMontour V o-Tech player — R eg g ie Moody — returning

to h is h ome district. P iatt’ s 1 04 tack les will b e toug h to replace, b ut th ird-leading tack ler Nolan Wittig ( 84 stops) returns inside f or South ern Columb ia with Cecco, Gavin Trometter and J onath an D avis competing f or th e oth er lineb ack er spots. Th e secondary is exp erienced as well with K issing er ( 1 1 passes def ensed) b ack at cornerb ack and K aden Zach man ( 5 interceptions) returning at saf ety. K eeg an D ieh l ( nine passes def ensed) will b e th e oth er cornerb ack af ter rotating last season, and starting at saf ety in th e state ch ampionsh ip wh en Zach man g ot h urt in practice th e week of th e g ame. We’ ll g et a q uick read on th e Tig ers. Th ey open once ag ain with Wyomissing , and th en h ead to Williams V alley f or a 1 p. m. Saturday g ame with th e V ik ing s, f ollowed b y th e H eartland Ath letic Conf erence-D ivision II opener ag ainst Montoursville.

L At Wyomissing 49-27 W At Loyalsock 41-0 W Milton 35-0 W Mount Carmel 49-16 W At Central Columbia 48-0 W Danville 41-21 W At Mifflinburg 21-14 W At Montoursville 26-16 W Bloomsburg 61-0 W At Shikellamy 61-28 D4 2A PLAYOFFS 4 2A PLAYOFFS DISTRICT W Cowanesque Valley 41-20 W Bloomsburg 41-21 W Troy 42-0 PIAA 2A PIAA PLAYOFFS 2A PLAYOFFS W Steelton-Highspire 55-26 W Lansdale Catholic 24-7 W Farrell 43-22 5-YEAR WIN TREND 15* &#

15* &#

15* &# 13* &# 7*

2021 2022 2023 2034 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds A. Hockenbroch 83-165 8 16 1,358 RUSHING Att Yards TD Brayden Andrews 184 1,529 23 Grady Garcia 136 1,137 20 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Blaise Kissinger 20 393 7 Jace Malakoski 18 302 2 RETURNEES IN BOLD INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

THE BIG BLUE

Big, veteran line out to prove Defenders still formidable Story b y Mich ael B ullock

ound up heading into the final season of h is h ig h sch ool f ootb all career, J ack son Alb rig h t cannot wait until h is Warrior R un D ef enders tee it up ag ainst neig h b oring Muncy. And to say Warrior R un’ s mountainous two-way lineman h as several reasons to g et th e 2026 campaig n in f ull motion would b e an understatement. Alb rig h t is ready to g o. “ I’ m pumped,” said Alb rig h t, wh o was tag g ed an all-leag ue perf ormer b y th e P ennsylvania H eartland’ s D ivision III coach es on b oth sides of th e f ootb all. “ I’ m really ex cited f or our team. We h ave a lot of linemen coming b ack . “ Everyone h as doub ts ab out us, th at we’ re not g onna b e as g ood as last year,” Alb rig h t added. “ I j ust want to prove all th e h aters wrong and sh ow th at all my h ard work paid of f . ” Well, th ere’ s anoth er point Alb rig h t wants to reemph asiz e. “ We’ ve g ot some b ig b oys up f ront,” Alb rig h t continued. B ig doesn’ t q uite cover it wh en any discussion reg arding th e D ef end-

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

ers’ of f ensive f ront b eg ins to unf old. Wh ile center Carter R ob inson ch eck s in at 220 pounds, tack les Garrett Williams and Cayden R ob inson tip th e scales at 280 and 265, respectively. Two of Warrior R un’ s g uards — Tyler Sh iposh and J aden Alb rig h t — weig h 250 and 29 0. As f or J ack son Alb rig h t, a h uman eclipse committed to th e B ig Ten Conf erence’ s R utg ers Scarlet K nig h ts, h e stands 6-f oot-5 and weig h s a mere 3 1 5 pounds. “ P rob ab ly our b ig g est line we’ ve ever h ad,” said coach D errick Zech man, wh o last season piloted th e D ef enders ( 1 0-2, 4 -1 ) to a sh are of th e P H AC-III ch ampionsh ip, th e most victories in any Warrior R un season and a b erth in th e P IAA D istrict 4 Class 2A semis. Now, with th ose af orementioned b ig eaters in place, Warrior R un is look ing f or more. “ I don’ t th ink th ere’ s anyb ody we play th at can compete with our line,” said senior b ack D enyn B each el, wh o piled up 1 ,3 00-plus rush ing yards in 2025. “ I don’ t even th ink

it’ s close. Our line sh ould dominate every sing le team we play — if I’ m b eing h onest. ” As f or running b eh ind Alb rig h t? “It definitely makes my job a lot easier. H e deck s everyb ody in f ront of h im,” said th e 1 85-pound B each el, wh o ran f or 1 3 scores and totaled eig h t g ames of 1 00-plus yards. “ Our line is j ust … g reat. ” “ It’ s a lot of f un ( b lock ing f or h im) ,” said Alb rig h t, wh o really wants to line up along side h is b roth er b ef ore h e truck s of f to R utg ers. “ I k now I can trust h im ( B each el) to do th e j ob . H e’ ll g et yards no matter wh at. H e’ s g ood. H e’ s patient. H e reads b lock s. ” “ I really enj oy running th e b all; it’ s j ust someth ing I love to do,” B each el admitted. “ I’ m really ex cited to g et out ( th ere) j ust with th e g ains I’ ve made with my speed and my streng th . And with our returning line, we sh ould h ave a g reat run g ame th is year. ” Wh ile Warrior R un’ s of f ensive f ront wants to g enerate space f or B each el to use h is improved speed in th e running g ame, th ey also need to provide protection so first-year

WARRIOR RUN | DEFENDERS PIAA DISTRICT 4

starting q uarterb ack Log an Stevenson has time to find Liam Moore and oth ers. Th e passing g ame may take some time to develop until Stevenson g ets comf ortab le. In addition to Moore, h e’ ll h ave availab le targ ets such as Jo nath an Casell, Zayas R eynolds, B ryson Weig el, Ch ase Wirnsb erg er and Lancaster McCaske y transf er Emiliano Torres. Stevenson is succeeding remarka b ly ef f ective dualth reat q uarterb ack Ja mes K eif er. “ In th e pass g ame, th at’ s our No. 1 priority,” said Albright, the first Warrior R un product to land a D ivision I f ootb all sch olarsh ip. “ Ob viously, with h im b eing anxi ous and new to th is, our j ob is to g ive h im th e most time possib le and ke ep h im clean. We’ ll b e ab le to do th at. ” “ Log an h as ski lls,” Zech man added. “ H e can th row th e b all. ” Even th oug h Warrior R un’ s of f ensive f ront is g etting plenty of preseason attention, th e D ef enders D -line returns f our players wh o landed all-leag ue nods. Tack les Alb rig h t and Cayden R ob inson, as well as ends Williams and

CLASS 2A

HEARTLAND DIVISION III COACH: DERRICK ZECHMAN 2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30

at Muncy Central Mountain Midd-West* at Bloomsburg* Lewisburg* at Mifflinburg* Loyalsock* at Hughesville* at Shikellamy Milton *-PHAC-III GAME

2025 RESULTS (10-2)

Frank Dimon/For Inside PA

Warrior Run’s Liam Moore, left, intercepts the ball in front of South Williamsport’s Caleb Johnson during the District 4 Class 2A playoff game at Defender Stadium in 2025. D avid Stiner. Wh ile Stiner may g et reps at lineb acke r — same h olds f or j uniors Wirnsb erg er, B ryson Weig el, Carter Little and R eynolds — B each el has been a fixture on the def ensive side of th e b all. Moore h eadlines a tran-

sitioning secondary, b ut oth ers such as Stevens, Mitch ell, Caswell and R eynolds will h ave ch ances to play. Same f or Torres. “ We like to h ave some depth at some positions,” Zech man revealed. Warrior R un also returns ki cke r Carter McCormick, an all-P H AC-III selection. Stevenson h as th e lead on th e punting j ob h eading into h is j unior season. “ Winning ’ s b een g ood,” Zech man admitted. “ It’ s a lot of work, b ut th e ki ds are committed. “ Our exp ectations are th e same. I kn ow it’ s a new year, a new team, b ut th e f oundation h as b een laid with th e seniors th at already lef t – and th at’ s winning . ” A monstrous of f ensive f ront j ust adds to th ose possib ilities.

W W W L W W W W W W

At Muncy 21-7 Montgomery 24-7 At Midd-West 48-20 Bloomsburg 42-28 At Lewisburg 29-24 NP-Mansfield 55-6 Hughesville 42-7 At Loyalsock 47-42 Central Columbia 55-0 At Milton 31-10 DISTRICT 4 2A PLAYOFFS District 4 2A Playoffs W South Williamsport 41-7 L Troy 48-34 5-YEAR WIN TREND 10* 7* 7*

8* 6*

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

*-PLAYOFFS

&-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2025 STAT LEADERS PASSING C-A Int TD Yds James Keifer 109-170 2 24 1,710 RUSHING Att Yards TD Denyn Beachel 182 1,318 13 Ty Ulrich 107 635 14 RECEIVING Rec Yards TD Cohen Zechman 62 1,136 14 Ty Ulrich 23 285 3 RETURNEES IN BOLD

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

BLOOMSBURG | PANTHERS PIAA DISTRICT 4

CLASS 2A

HEARTLAND DIVISION III

ROLL

ON A

Panthers hope to continue winning ways Story b y Mich ael B ullock

ike K og ut kn ew h ow many of h is players walke d during g raduation ceremonies — including all-staters Wyatt B rosious and Ja ck K atulis — and those departures definitely h urt. Yet rath er th an toss h is B loomsb urg prog ram into a reb uild, K og ut opted to tinke r with h is sch emes and fit the personnel he will h ave into a tidy, h opef ully productive, packa g e. And h e b elieves h is creativity will pay of f rath er h andsomely. “ Th ere’ s a lot of people saying , ‘ You lost B rosious and K atulis, you can’ t replace th at,’ ” K og ut said. “ Collab oratively, I th ink we can. ” With six all-leag ue selections returning f rom a sq uad ( 9 -3 , 4 -1 ) th at claimed a sh are of th e P ennsylvania H eartland’ s D ivision III title and reach ed th e D istrict 4 Class 2A semis — th e

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

P anth ers h adn’ t won nine g ames, a division title and a playof f scrap since 201 1 — K og ut b elieves a def ensive unit th at’ s b ig g er, strong er and f ueled b y ag g ression can do more th an compete, it can contend. P articularly since all th ree lineb acke rs — middle lineb ack er Zane Th omas and outside g uys Wyatt Sch rader and Sh ane Frey — return along side ath letic def ensive b ack s Jh aree Moore-Stewart and Ju lius Serrano. D ef ensive lineman Malcolm Tag b a also is b ack. Wh ile K og ut h as some players in mind f or th e corner spots, B ryce Moore, K eston P eters, B raxt on Martinez, Mark K atulis and Central Columb ia transf er D emir Wood provide B loom def ensive coordinator Steve Weig le with some options in th e trench es. “ I like our identity. I

like wh ere we’ re g oing ,” K og ut said of h is def ense. “ I really love our streng th , our ag g ressiveness and our mindset to b e ag g ressive. ” A creative of f ensive mind, K og ut h as h ad to reconfigure his attack to fit personnel such as Moore-Stewart and Serrano — B loom’ s f astest players. Th ey could line up anywh ere. Frey is moving in at q uarterb ack, wh ile Sch rader will g et th e P anth ers across th e

line to g ain. Ch ristian Acke rman returns at center, wh ile Moore and Th omas are b ack at th e g uard positions. Not as deep up f ront, th e trio of Tag b a, P eters and K atulis will rotate at th e tackl e spots. Several young sters, meanwh ile, are vying f or playing time at tig h t end. “ We h ave th e talent,” K og ut said. “ In a nutsh ell, we h ave th e ing redients to do really well. ”

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CENTRAL COLUMBIA | BLUE JAYS PIAA DISTRICT 4

UP CLASS 3A

HEARTLAND DIVISION II

FROM THE GROUND

Jays look to rebuild with young faces Story b y Mich ael B ullock

ollowing a dif f icult f irst season as Central Columb ia’ s coach , K y Seesh oltz and h is B lue J ays coach ing staf f took a deep dive inside th e strug g ling f ootb all prog ram. Essentially, wh at Seesh oltz & Co. were attempting to discover was h ow to g o ab out f inding ways to put th eir young sters in th e b est positions to enj oy success. Yet wh ile th ey didn’ t overh aul th eir of f ensive and def ensive sch emes entirely, wh at th ey eventually came up with was a simplif ied process th at would lead to positive g ains wh ile allowing th e J ays to play at an enh anced tempo in all ph ases. Will it lead to positive re-

sults? We’ ll b eg in f inding out in late Aug ust. “ We’ ve really h ammered out wh at are our seven running plays, wh at are our seven pass plays, wh at are our def ensive f ronts and our coverag es th at we’ re g onna b e really g ood at,” said Seesh oltz , th e Central alumnus wh ose f irst sq uad was winless in 2025. Wh at adds to th e J ays’ deg ree of dif f iculty is residing in th e P ennsylvania H eartland Conf erence’ s rug g ed D ivision II with th e lik es of reig ning Class 2A state ch amp South ern Columb ia, D anville, Montoursville, Mount Carmel and Milton. “ We’ re surrounded b y a b unch of g reat teams,” Seesh -

oltz admitted. “ We’ re trying to b ecome lik e th em. For me, it’ s a day-to-day b asis. … It’ s all ab out th e nex t day. ” With a h andf ul of two-way reg ulars returning — linemen Mateo J imenez and Owen Zanoline, b ack s D ominic K eller and Log an R ob b ins, and q uarterb ack / wideout Cole H orrax — th e J ays ( 0-1 0, 0-6) h ave a solid f oundation in place. Seesh oltz also is anticipating immediate h elp f rom th e lik es of D ylan B lak e, B lak e Edg ar and R . J . Cressler. In addition, several f resh men may b e ready to pitch in. And with Loyalsock on tap f or Central’ s opener, a positive result would b e welcomed. “ We’ re j ust ex cited to g et g oing ,” Seesh oltz said.

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Realignment in place following PIAA enrollment update Story b y William B owman

h e P IAA’ s two-year realig nment cycle k ick s in th is f all, meaning some minor tweak s in b oth the District 4 classifications and one sh if t in divisions among teams in th e H eartland Ath letic Conf erence. Th irty-f our sch ools in D istrict 4 will field a football team in 2026, with seven in Class A, nine in Class 2A, 1 0 in Class 3 A and seven in Class 4 A. Williamsport remains th e district’ s lone Class 6A sch ool; th ere are no 5A teams. Also important to rememb er as th e season starts, only f our teams will q ualif y f or th e D istrict 4 playof f s in Class A th roug h 4 A, down f rom eig h t in Class 2A, wh ere D istrict 4 h as produced th e last nine P IAA ch ampions. Th e teams are seeded b ased on a power rank ing b uilt f rom a math ematical f ormula comb ining win-loss records, streng th of sch edule and opponents’ win-loss records. Seven teams are in D istrict 4 Class 4 A th is f all — six were in 4 A over th e past two cycles — b ut th e teams h ave ch ang ed. Milton and Midd-West are b oth in 4 A, sh if ting up b ased on enrollment, wh ile Ath ens moves down to 3 A. J ersey Sh ore, with an enrollment of 280, h as opted to play up f or th e nex t two years af ter coming in j ust b elow th e P IAA limit of 282 f or Class 3 A. Columb ia-Montour V o-Tech , Selinsg rove, Sh amok in and Sh ik ellamy all stay put in 4 A. In Class 3 A, D istrict 4 will h ave 1 0 teams in th e mix f or f our playof f spots, up f rom eig h t. Ath ens comes down f rom 4 A wh ile Loyalsock , Cowanesq ue V alley and Wellsb oro move up f rom 2A. R emaining f rom th e last two years will b e Central Columb ia, D anville, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Montoursville and Mount Carmel. Class 2A also sees some move-

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Mifflinburg’s Landon Tucker takes down Central Columbia’s Josiah Hosler for a loss during their game at Central Columbia last fall. ment. Af ter a doz en teams were in 2A f or two seasons, nine D 4 teams f all into th e P IAA’ s 2A enrollment figures for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. All nine were in 2A last year, with B loomsb urg , H ug h esville, North Penn-Mansfield, Southern Columbia, South Williamsport, Troy, Towanda, Warrior R un and Wyalusing all remaining in 2A, b attling f or f our playof f spots. It is a similar story in Class A, wh ere all seven teams remain in place: B uck tail, Canton, Line Mountain, Montg omery, Muncy, North west and Sayre. HAC REALIGNMENT Th ere is only one ch ang e in th e P ennsylvania H eartland Ath letic Con-

ference lineup this fall: Mifflinburg is sh if ting f rom H AC-II to H AC-III, wh ich impacts th e leag ue’ s smaller two divisions. H AC-I remains th e same with Central Mountain, J ersey Sh ore, Selinsg rove, Sh amok in, Sh ik ellamy and Williamsport. In HAC-II, with Mifflinburg’s departure, th e six -team division f eatures Central Columb ia, D anville, Milton, Montoursville, Mount Carmel and South ern Columb ia. H AC-III teams will now play six conf erence g ames with th e addition of Mif f linb urg . Th e division now f eatures B loomsb urg , H ug h esville, Lewisb urg , Loyalsock , Midd-West, Mif f linb urg and Warrior R un.

DISTRICT 4 ALIGNMENT CLASS 6A (579 and above) Williamsport 621

Central Columbia Cowanesque Valley Wellsboro

217 217 211

CLASS 4A (282 to 412) Shikellamy 400 Shamokin 319 Selinsgrove 305 Milton 303 Midd-West 298 Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 291 Jersey Shore* 280

CLASS 2A (142-199) Towanda Troy North Penn-Mansfield Hughesville Bloomsburg Warrior Run Wyalusing Sout Williamsport Southern Columbia

199 191 188 184 179 165 164 163 147

CLASS 3A (200-281) Mount Carmel Athens Danville Mifflinburg Lewisburg Montoursville Loyalsock

CLASS A (1-141) Line Mountain Muncy Northwest Canton Sayre Montgomery Bucktail

141 135 128 107 101 91 41

None

Class 5A (413 to 578)

260 254 245 232 222 218 218

*Jersey Shore opted to play up

Robert Inglis/Inside PA

Shikellamy’s Maddox Hoover breaks up a pass intended for Shamokin’s Ryan Bickert during a District 4 Class 4A semifinal game in Coal Township in 2025.

HEARTLAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Division I Central Mountain Jersey Shore Selinsgrove Shamokin Shikellamy Williamsport Division II Central Columbia Danville Milton

Montoursville Mount Carmel Southern Columbia Division III Bloomsburg Hughesville Lewisburg Loyalsock Midd-West Mifflinburg Warrior Run

MID-PENN CONFERENCE Capital Division Camp Hill Halifax Juniata

Line Mountain Newport Steelton-Highspire Upper Dauphin

Frank Dimon/For The Daily Item

Warrior Run’s Denyn Beachel, left, runs behind the block of lineman Garrett Williams during the District 4 Class 2A playoff game at Defender Stadium in 2025.

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

FANS, BANDS and CHEER P h otos b y R ob ert Ing lis/ Inside P A

The Shikellamy High School marching band performs a pre-game show in Sunbury.

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT

Southern Columbia High School football cheerleaders excitedly root on their team during the final seconds of the state final win over Farrell at Cumberland Valley High School.

S Above: Line Mountain cheerleaders hold up a sign for the football team to run through before the start of a game. Left: Members of the Mount Carmel High School marching band perform during a football game last year.

Fans of the Line Mountain High School football team cheer at the start of a game against Lewisburg.

INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT | AUGUST 2026

Make Sure You Can Hear The Big Moments! Call y to Toda Your dule e h c S

E FRE k Wee Two l! Tria

AUGUST 2026 | INSIDE PA GAME NIGHT