District 4 Mid-Season Review 2026

Tagged under: District 4, News, pfn

Davin Ridall | October 2, 2026

Five weeks of the 2026 season have come and gone, and there’s plenty to talk about so far around District 4! We’ve had plenty of parity so far, some teams emerging after years of disappointment, some teams falling short of expectations, and some teams doing a little in between. So if you haven’t been paying attention up to this point, or you just want a recap of everything, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about the first half of 2026 season in District 4.

Stat Leaders

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Most Improved Team

Mount Carmel Tornadoes (3A)
Current Record: 5-0 (2-0 Conference)
2025 Record: 1-4 (1-3 Conference)

Most Disappointing Team

Wellsboro Hornets (3A)
Current Record: 1-4 (1-2 Conference)
2025 Record: 3-2 (3-1 Conference)

Games of the Week

Week 1: Schuylkill Haven (41) @ (48) Mount Carmel
Week 2: Bloomsburg (28) @ (21) Loyalsock
Week 3: South Williamsport (6) @ (12) Montgomery
Week 4: Shikellamy (48) @ (44) Williamsport
Week 5: Loyalsock (27) @ (32) Mifflinburg

Class 1A

The Contenders

Line Mountain Eagles

Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: Brandon Carson

Line Mountain was a team that was heavily questioned coming into the 2026 season. They were fresh off of an 11-1 season that ended in a district title and a state playoff appearance. The Eagles graduated so much talent following the 2025 season that it became uncertain whether or not they could replicate the success that they had. Needless to say, so far they have definitely looked just as strong as last season’s squad, once again beginning the year 5-0 with wins over teams like Tri Valley, Upper Dauphin, and most recently a 69-6 drubbing of Camp Hill. This team may not have the star power that it had a season ago, but their committee approach this year has worked like a charm. We’ll see if this team can keep up the hot streak as they enter the second half of their schedule with teams like Steelton-Highspire and Newport still on the horizon, but as of now, this team is without a doubt a top contender in 1A.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Susquenita (2-3)
vs Steelton-Highspire (3-1)
vs Halifax (1-4)
@ Juniata (0-5)
vs Newport (4-1)

Montgomery Red Raiders

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Joel Knoebel

Last season we labeled the Red Raiders as a spoiler, as they were under brand new leadership with Joel Knoebel in his first season as head coach. With that said, last year Montgomery had their first double digit win season since 1987, finishing 10-2 and reaching the district title where they lost to Line Mountain by just 6 points. At the beginning of the year, this team was viewed as the favorite to win the district in the 1A class, and so far they have not disappointed. With some strong wins over teams like South Williamsport and Muncy, this team looks just as dangerous as we thought they would, with their only loss so far coming on the road against Troy. The Red Raiders have a very favorable schedule the rest of the way, so there is a very real possibility that they finish the regular season 9-1 for the second year in a row, and they will definitely be looking to chase their first district title in school history.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Wyalusing (0-5)
@ Sayre (2-3)
vs Towanda (2-3)
@ North Penn-Mansfield (0-5)
@ Cowanesque Valley (2-3)

The Pretenders

Northwest Area Rangers

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Greg Mullins

This was one of the more surprising teams in the district, fresh off of a 2-8 season in 2025, Northwest Area has already doubled their win total from last year, beginning 4-1. The Rangers have already won more games this year than they did in 2024 and 2025 combined, so this is quite an improvement for the program. With that said, this is not a team that will be making noise in the district playoffs, as they have had an extremely favorable schedule up to this point, the teams that they have faced have a combined record of 2-24. Their most recent game was alarming enough to qualify them as a pretender, getting shut out by Hughesville who was 0-4 coming into the game. This is not to discredit what Northwest Area has done this season, and they still have plenty of winnable games in the second half of the season, this team just isn’t at the same level as the contenders in their class are.

Remaining Schedule: 

@ Milton (1-4)
vs Hanover Area (0-5)
@ Greater Nanticoke (1-4)
vs Lake Lehman (2-3)
@ Bloomsburg (5-0)

Canton Warriors

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Tyler Sechrist

The Warriors had their worst season in over two decades last year, finishing the 2025 season with a 2-8 record, which was their lowest since 2005 when they also went 2-8. Canton has gotten themselves back on track this year, starting 3-2 with wins over Cowanesque Valley, Wellsboro, and a 41-0 shutout over Wellsboro. The reason they sit here in the pretenders is a similar reason to Northwest Area. Canton lacks any quality wins in the grand scheme of things, and their two losses this year have been to South Williamsport and fellow 1A team Montgomery, and Canton has lost those games by a combined score of 104-14. This team has definitely taken steps in the right direction after a very disappointing 2025 campaign, but Canton is not quite ready to be considered as a contender yet.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Sayre (2-3)
@ Muncy (3-2)
vs Athens (4-1)
@ Towanda (2-3)
@ Troy (4-1)

Spoiler Alert

Muncy Indians

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Chris Persing

Muncy was labeled as a contender last season, after they started 4-1 under first year head coach Chris Persing, however in the second half of the season, things sort of unraveled for the Indians, as they lost 5 of their last 6 games to finish 5-6. Muncy has done around the same in the first half of 2026 as they did in 2025, so far they have blowout wins over Wyalusing, Sayre, and Towanda, and two close losses to Warrior Run and Montgomery. The Indians were very much in both of their losses, the two games were decided by a combined 17 points, but losing to both quality opponents on their schedule is why they can’t be qualified as a contender. This team has the talent to stay with the top teams in the class, we just haven’t seen them pull through against any of them yet.

Remaining Schedule:

vs South Williamsport (3-2)
vs Canton (3-2)
vs North Penn-Mansfield (0-5)
@ Athens (4-1)
@ Hughesville (1-4)

The Rest

Sayre Redskins: 2-3

Bucktail Bucks: 0-4

Class 2A

The Contenders

Southern Columbia Tigers

Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: Jim Roth

I mean is anyone really shocked about this one, the defending state champions are on a roll once again, beginning the season 5-0 and looking like the strongest team in the class. The Tigers are ranked #1 in the entire state in 2A for a reason, they look just as dominant, if not more dominant, than the team that won the state title last season. The Tigers opened up the year with three wins against high quality oponents in Wyomissing, Williams Valley, and Montoursville, and then followed that up with two more blowout wins over Lewisburg and Central Columbia. The Tigers will have two more big tests in the second half of their schedule, including a road matchup this week against undefeated Mount Carmel, along with another road game against 4A power Jersey Shore.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Mount Carmel (5-0)
vs Danville (3-2)
vs Milton (1-4)
@ Jersey Shore (3-2)
@ Selinsgrove (2-3)

Bloomsburg Panthers

Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: Mike Kogut

The Panthers had a very big role to fill in the offseason after losing All-State quarterback Wyatt Brosious to graduation at the end of 2025 season. It seemed like a tall task heading into this year, but as of now this Bloomsburg team hasn’t missed a beat, going undefeated through the first five games of the season. A 5-0 record is one that Bloomsburg hasn’t achieved since 2010, and a year later in 2011 was the last time the Panthers reached the District 4 title game. Bloomsburg also hasn’t finished the regular season with an undefeated record ever in the school’s history, and they have a pretty good shot to do it this year with a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Obviously the biggest concern for Bloomsburg, or any 2A team in the district, is when the playoffs roll around, will they be able to compete with and possibly dethrone the Tigers of Southern Columbia.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Central Columbia (0-5)
vs Hughesville (1-4)
@ Lewisburg (2-3)
vs Danville (3-2)
vs Northwest Area (4-1)

Troy Trojans

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Jim Smith

It all went downhill for the Trojans at the end of last season, a 42-0 loss to Southern Columbia in the district title game that ended their hopes of repeating as state champions. With how the 2025 season ended, as well as the number of seniors Troy had to replace, their opening week loss to Montoursville seemed like a possible disastrous 2026 season was coming. Since that loss, Troy has really come into their own, racking up four straight wins including some quality opponents like Athens and Montgomery. The roles that needed to be filled this offseason really haven’t shown any reason for concern, and this offense has started to pick up the pace, most recently hanging 49 points on Wellsboro. While Troy’s state title window may not be as open as it was the past two seasons, the Trojans have still proved themselves as being one of the class’s top teams.

Remaining Schedule:

@ North Penn-Mansfield (0-5)
vs Cowanesque Valley (2-3)
@ Sayre (2-3)
@ Wyalusing (0-5)
vs Canton (3-2)

The Pretenders

South Williamsport Mountaineers

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Chris Eiswerth

The Mountaineers have started much stronger this season than they did a year ago, currently sitting at 3-2 with three dominant victories against North Penn-Mansfield, Sayre, and Canton, all by a combined score of 159-0. Their running game has looked very good this year, and this offense has been clicking on all cylinders in the games they’ve won. While this team is much improved from their 2025 squad, this team just does not have the star power to be able to compete with the teams at the top of this class. South Williamsport’s last double digit win season came in 2023, which was the last season that they were in 1A. Since the transition to 2A, the Mountaineers haven’t made it out of the first round of the district playoffs, so I don’t think this team is quite ready yet to be considered a top contender.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Muncy (3-2)
@ Wyalusing (0-5)
@ Cowanesque Valley (2-3)
vs Wellsboro (1-4)
@ Central Columbia (0-5)

Spoiler Alert

Warrior Run Defenders

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Derrick Zechman

Warrior Run had their best season in school history in 2025, finishing with a 10-2 record and making it to the District 4 semifinals before falling at home to Troy. It was uncertain at the start of the 2026 season if the Defenders would be able to replicate that success. Through the first three weeks of the year, Warrior Run looked just as dangerous as they did last year, ripping off three straight wins over Muncy, Central Mountain, and Midd-West. In their week 4 matchup against undefeated Bloomsburg is where things began to unravel, as both Logan Stevenson and Denyn Beachel went down with injuries which they are still recovering from. That is the biggest reason why Warrior Run is labeled as a spoiler, if those two can come back and get back to that production, Warrior Run will be in good shape, but without those two, the Defenders could be in trouble.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Mifflinburg (3-2)
vs Loyalsock (3-2)
@ Hughesville (1-4)
@ Shikellamy (3-2)
vs Milton (1-4)

The Rest

Towanda Black Knights: 2-3

Hughesville Spartans: 1-4

North Penn-Mansfield Panthers: 0-5

Wyalusing Rams: 0-5

Class 3A

The Contenders

Mount Carmel Red Tornadoes

Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: John Darrah

How about that for a complete 180 from last season, going from 1-4 through the first five games of 2025, to 5-0 through the first five games of 2026. Before the season started, the biggest key for Mount Carmel was that they needed to find their footing early on in the season, as they had some very tough matchups right out of the gate. Needless to say they have done that and then some, they are currently averaging 48 points per game, which is not only the best in the district, it’s also top 10 in the entire state. To put it simply, this offense is clicking on cylinders that we haven’t seen from the Red Tornadoes in years, and they are doing purely with the running duo of Jaylen Delaney and Cooper Karycki, who are first and third in the district respectively in rushing yards. They have some huge tests the rest of the way, so we’ll see if this Mount Carmel team can keep up its hot streak.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Southern Columbia (5-0)
@ Montoursville (3-2)
vs Central Columbia (0-5)
vs Central Mountain (0-5)
@ Shamokin (5-0)

Athens Wildcats

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Shawn Bradley

Athens had their best regular season in over a decade last year, going 9-1 before getting stomped by Jersey Shore in the first round of the 4A district playoffs. Now Athens is competing in the 3A class, with essentially the same team that they had last had last year, and just like in 2025 the Wildcats have started 4-1. Aside from an uncharacteristic loss to Troy in week 2, this team looks like the contender that we thought they would be, with blowout wins over Wyalusing, Cowanesque Valley, and Towanda, along with a close win against South Williamsport. Athens’ only concern up to this point has been their lack of quality 3A teams on their schedule, the only one they’ve faced so far being Cowanesque Valley, so we’ll see how this Athens squad will do against the rest of the contenders in this class come playoff time.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Wellsboro (1-4)
vs North Penn-Mansfield (0-5)
@ Canton (3-2)
vs Muncy (3-2)
vs Sayre (2-3)

Mifflinburg Wildcats

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Cody Botts

The defending district champions started a little bit slow, losing two of their first three games to open the season, but the Wildcats look to be hitting their stride at the midpoint of the regular season. Like a few other teams in the district, Mifflinburg was tasked with replacing a couple All-State talents coming into this season, specifically Chad Martin and Landen Murray, and it seems like the new talent is finally starting to come together. They’ve racked up back to back wins over Hughesville and Loyalsock, and their two losses this season have come to undefeated Bloomsburg and 4-1 Shikellamy. The Wildcats have a mostly favorable schedule in the second half of the season, they will have a big test against fellow 3A contender Montoursville in week 9, come late October this Mifflinburg team will be looking to defend their district title.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Warrior Run (3-2)
@ Central Mountain (0-5)
@ Midd-West (1-4)
vs Montoursville (3-2)
@ Lewisburg (2-3)

Montoursville Warriors

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Reese Holmes

The Warriors were another team that brought back most of their talent from the 2025 season, their biggest loss coming in the form of star running back Christian Banks. Despite that loss, Montoursville hasn’t really missed a beat on offense, and they once again look like a very strong contender in the 3A class. This team has only had one truly alarming game, getting blown out by Southern Columbia on the road 48-13, but other than that they have a tough road win over Troy, a very close loss to 4A power Jersey Shore, and back to back shutout victories over Milton and Central Columbia. On top of that, Montoursville also entered the 2026 season under new leadership, with Reese Holmes taking over for Joe Hanna, and he’s done a very good job getting the best out of this squad. They have one of the tougher schedules in the district in the second half of the year though, with matchups against Mount Carmel, Mifflinburg, and Loyalsock still to come.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Danville (3-2)
vs Mount Carmel (5-0)
@ Central Mountain (0-5)
@ Mifflinburg (3-2)
vs Loyalsock (3-2)

The Pretenders

Danville Ironmen

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Shawn Sheptock

After a very underwhelming season in 2025, Danville moved on from head coach Carl Majer, having Shawn Sheptock taking his place. So far Danville has looked much improved from a season ago, starting 3-2 with some nice wins over Lewisburg and Central Columbia, as well as a shutout win over Milton. However, with all of that said, this team just is not ready to be put back into the contenders quite yet, with their two losses this year coming to top tier contenders and neither of them were close. Now last week they did face Mount Carmel without their starting quarterback Macon Patrick, but with the Red Tornadoes having a 42-0 lead at one point in the game, it probably wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. On top of that, Danville’s second half schedule is loaded with contenders, going up against the likes of Montoursville, Southern Columbia, Bloomsburg, and Shikellamy.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Montoursville (3-2)
@ Southern Columbia (5-0)
vs Selinsgrove (2-3)
@ Bloomsburg (5-0)
@ Shikellamy (4-1)

Spoiler Alert

Loyalsock Lancers

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Justin Van Fleet

The Lancers are another team that changed classes before the start of the year, last season Loyalsock competed in the 2A class, and this season they are competing in the 3A class. Even with all the pieces that they lost this offseason, Loyalsock’s bunch of young players have really made a difference so far this season, like their quarterback Dyson Dupont. Both of Loyalsock’s losses in the first half of the season were to contenders, which is why Loyalsock is listed as a spoiler rather than a contender, however both of those losses were one score games that were back and forth the entire way. This team definitely has the talent to make some noise come playoff time, but we will see where this team stands after the second half of the regular season, with very tough matchups still on the horizon.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Lewisburg (2-3)
@ Warrior Run (3-2)
vs Shikellamy (4-1)
vs Hughesville (1-4)
@ Montoursville (3-2)

The Rest

Cowanesque Valley Indians: 2-3

Lewisburg Green Dragons: 2-3

Wellsboro Hornets: 1-4

Central Columbia Blue Jays: 0-5

Class 4A

The Contenders

Shamokin Indians

Current Record: 5-0
Head Coach: Marc Persing

Similar to Southern Columbia, is anyone really surprised by this? Shamokin is undefeated through the first five weeks of the season, with wins over teams like Jersey Shore and Shikellamy under their belt, as well as some other blowout victories. It is something to note that this season might be Shamokin’s last chance to compete for a state title with the squad that they have, as most of their high end talents are seniors this year, and with how open the 4A class is this season, and also because of the fact that they sit at #1 in the state’s 4A rankings, this is probably the best chance that this team has to win a state title. There are still plenty of tough matchups to come for the Indians, with contests against Williamsport, Blue Mountain, and the famous Coal Bucket game against Mount Carmel still to come, but right now, this team looks like the very best that this class has to offer.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Selinsgrove (2-3)
@ Williamsport (4-1)
vs Hanover Area (0-5)
vs Blue Mountain (4-1)
vs Mount Carmel (5-0)

The Pretenders

Jersey Shore Bulldogs

Current Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Tom Gravish

Talk about a disappointing last two weeks, with back to back losses to Shamokin and Shikellamy, Jersey Shore is skidding into the midpoint of the 2026 season. Specifically their most recent loss to Shikellamy was the most alarming, giving up 30 unanswered points in the second half to lose 56-27. This team has a lot of very talented juniors leading the way, so they should be running it back next season with a lot of the same players. As for this season though, the Bulldogs have plenty of big tests ahead, so it’s not easy to judge where this team will be come playoff time. Will they still be in the district playoffs at the end of year? Definitely yes, but now with there being two squads in Shamokin and Shikellamy sitting ahead of them, it’s hard to see this team making it anywhere in late October and early November.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Williamsport (4-1)
@ DuBois (3-2)
@ Hollidaysburg (3-2)
vs Southern Columbia (5-0)
vs Central Mountain (0-5)

Spoiler Alert

Shikellamy Braves

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Mike Hoover

Huge win for the Braves last week against Jersey Shore, as previously mentioned they scored 30 unanswered points to rout the Bulldogs 56-27. This Shikellamy team is probably the most talented one that we’ve seen from the Braves in quite some time, starting the season 4-1 for the first time since 2010. Yes they have a big win over Jersey Shore, along with a big win over Mifflinburg in the first week of the season, the problem is that their only loss came to the one team that sits ahead of them in the standings, Shamokin. It’s difficult to see anybody dethroning Shamokin this year, especially in District 4, but anything can happen, and Shikellamy does have a lot of talent of both sides of the ball.

Remaining Schedule:

vs Central Mountain (0-5)
@ Selinsgrove (2-3)
@ Loyalsock (3-2)
vs Warrior Run (3-2)
vs Danville (3-2)

The Rest

Selinsgrove Seals: 2-3

Midd-West Mustangs: 1-4

Milton Black Panthers: 1-4

Columbia Montour Vo-Tech: 0-6

Class 6A

(One Team)

Williamsport Millionaires

Current Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Kevin Brown

As mentioned in previous years, Williamsport is the only 6A team in District 4, and when the playoffs come around, they go and compete in the District 2 6A bracket, so they aren’t labeled as anything in the District 4 review. However, if they were to be labeled as any of the categories that we have, Williamsport would 100 percent be a contender. This offense has been clicking on all cylinders in 2026, and on top of that, they’ve been doing it the past two weeks without star quarterback Tevin Williams. Williamsport’s lone loss came to Shikellamy two weeks ago where, as we said before, they were without their quarterback, and they only lost that game by 4 points in a 48-44 thriller. The Millionaires have a some very tough tests coming the rest of the way, with matchups against teams like Jersey Shore, Shamokin, and Hollidaysburg.

Remaining Schedule:

@ Jersey Shore (3-2)
vs Shamokin (5-0)
@ Berwick (2-3)
@ Hollidaysburg (3-2)
vs Wilkes-Barre (1-4)

Upcoming Games to Watch

Week 6: Southern Columbia (5-0) @ Mount Carmel (5-0)

Week 6: Williamsport (4-1) @ Jersey Shore (3-2)

Week 7: Steelton-Highspire (3-1) @ Line Mountain (5-0)

Week 8: Shikellamy (4-1) @ Loyalsock (3-2)

Week 9: Muncy (3-2) @ Athens (4-1)

Week 9: Montoursville (3-2) @ Mifflinburg (3-2)

Week 10: Mount Carmel (5-0) @ Shamokin (5-0)

Week 10: Loyalsock (3-2) @ Montoursville (3-2)