2024 Northern Tier League Large School Division Preview
Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 4, Gameday Hub, News
Ed Weaver | August 20, 2024
2023 was another solid year for the Northern Tier League. In the Small School Division, District IV Class 1A champion South Williamsport made it all the way to the Eastern Finals, where they ultimately fell to champion Steelton-Highspire.
In the Large School Division every team was chasing the Troy Trojans, who had an undefeated season before falling to 14-time, and Class 2A state champion, South Columbia.
2023 Final NTL Large School Division Standings
| TEAM | DIV | LG | OVR | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | 6-0 | 7-0 | 12-1 | L1 |
| Canton | 5-1 | 8-1 | 8-3 | L3 |
| Wyalusing | 4-2 | 6-2 | 6-5 | L1 |
| Towanda | 3-3 | 4-3 | 6-5 | L2 |
| North Penn-Mansfield | 1-5 | 4-6 | 4-7 | L1 |
| Athens | 1-5 | 3-5 | 3-8 | L1 |
| Wellsboro | 1-5 | 2-7 | 2-8 | L6 |
2023 Record: 3-8
Head Coach: Shawn Bradley
Season Outlook:
The Wildcats graduated 15 seniors following the 2022 season, the last season for long-time head coach Jack Young. The Wildcats were a young team in 2023 with just 7 seniors on the roster. Athens suffered growing pains under Coach Bradley last season, but the Wildcats are looking to improve on last year’s record.
“The kids and the coaches have done a lot of work,” Coach Bradley said during NTL Football Media Day. “Compared to where we were last year we had a great summer of off-season work. We did quite a few 7-on-7s and have the majority of our passing game installed. The kids have put a lot of work in and deserve to win some ball games. We only have 3 or 4 seniors again this year but our junior and sophomore classes have the depth so we’ll continue to build for the future.”
2023 Record: 8-3
Head Coach: Tyler Sechrist
Key Starters Lost:
Hudson Ward
Mason Harold
Micheal Davis
Jason Mahosky
Rylan Sakers
Raiden Lyon
Returning Starters:
Ben Fitch
Holden Ward
Michael Beers
Zach Colton
Aydin Holcomb
Dawson Burgess
Isaiah Colton
Alexis McRoberts
Bailey Gardner
Jake Pepper
Key Newcomers:
Ryder Route
Rylan Wesneski
Monte Whitehead
Lakota Frisbie
Blane Wesneski
Quincy Wesneski
Elijah Kilmer
Season Outlook:
The Warriors have been a perennial force in the NTL Large School Division the last few years and had their best two years since the 1990’s in 2021 and 2022, which saw the Warriors make it all the way to the Eastern Finals in Class 1A. Last year Canton started the year off 8-0 before dropped three straight games, including a 52-0 loss to rival Troy. The Warriors return starting QB Ben Fitch, who threw for 1,279 yards and 9 TDs last season, along with “jack of all trades” Holden Ward.
The battle for the NTL’s Large School Division will be between the two Old Shoe rivals, Canton and Troy.
“We return a good amount of leadership and experience both on offense and defense,” said Coach Sechrist. “Some younger players will be looked upon to step up and fill some roles that were left by last year’s senior class. We are excited for the start of 2024 season of Canton Warrior football.”
2023 Record: 4-7
Head Coach: Jed Wright
Season Outlook:
The Panthers struggled in 2023 under first year head coach Jed Wright, going 0-3 to start, but won four of their final seven games to qualify for the post-season. Gone is 1,000-yard passer Karson Dominick, but Cooper Shaw will step in under center this year to lead the Panthers’ new-look offense.
“Our numbers are up and we have lots of positive energy and the momentum is going in the right direction,” offensive line coach Phil Leid said. “We have some new staff members and having our senior leadership and some kids coming back out for the team will play to our advantage without a doubt. We’re putting in a new offense this year and the kids have really bought in to mastering it during the summer.”
2023 Record: 6-5
Head Coach: Jamie Wecker
Key Starters Lost:
Tim Potter
Returning Starters:
Tristan Conklin
Varrius Farrell
Eden Flynn
Sawyer Robinson
Wil Shrawder
Hayden Space
Riley Vanderpool
Jace Gunther
Key Newcomers:
Caden Delameter
Reese Sluyter
Cameron Allis
Domonik Miller
Curtis Maynard
Gage Evans
Keegan Stroud
Matt Harbst
Season Outlook:
“We’re hoping to use last season’s success as a springboard to a bigger and better season this year. Our kids have set their expectations pretty high, and they have been working hard to achieve them. With quite a few returning starters, we hope our experience helps us to compete for the league championship and make a run into the playoffs.”
2023 Record: 12-1
Head Coach: Jim Smith
Key Starters Lost:
Jed Feldmeier
Clayton Smith
Cameron Harwick
Jackson Taylor
Shawn Wood
Nick York
Bill Rosanelli
Returning Starters:
Evan Woodward
Kael Millard
Brendan Gilliland
Mason Smith
Lincoln Chimics
Ty Spencer
Avery Sens
Camden Coyle
Charles Oldroyd
Jack Burbage
Eason Teribury
Key Newcomers:
Undecided
Season Outlook:
“We have a good core group of players on both sides of the ball with a lot of experience. We have lofty goals and are not afraid to dream big. It’s important we get our holes filled as we graduated great leaders and talented players. Bringing up the less experienced players to a high level will be important if we want to achieve at a high level. Our non league schedule is not one of a typical Class AA school. We will be tested by a couple very large schools comparatively to us. We understand that in District 4 lives one of the best programs in the country in any classification. Our team understands it’s not about a perfect season, it’s about being able to be the best we can be. As with any team a lot has to go right to have the type of season we had one year ago. We have to work hard, stay healthy and have a little luck. We are excited for the challenges that are ahead.”
2023 Record: 2-8
Head Coach: Matt Hildebrand
Key Starters Lost:
Hayes Campbell
Will Gastrock (returning senior, injury)
Returning Starters:
Max Mascho
Marek Mascho
Jayden Dumm
Dylan Copp
Ryder Bowen
Evan Ingerick
Lincoln DeCoursey
Hayden Stevens
Jacob Thurstin
Jacob Dean
Key Newcomers:
Griffin Morral
Kody Enck
Season Outlook:
Not much has gone right for Wellsboro the last two seasons. Lack of numbers and the injury bug making it hard for them to get the necessary reps during the week to translate to success on the field on Friday evenings, which led to a combined three wins in two seasons. The bright spot for the young Hornets is their underclassmen saw plenty of valuable minutes last season as they only lost one senior to graduation.
Offensively the Hornets are still “young” under center, but RB Ryder Bowen, who averaged 4.7 yards per carry, is primed for a strong senior season behind an offensive line with another year under their belts.
2023 Record: 6-5
Head Coach: Richard Rogers
Season Outlook:
The Rams had their first winning season since 2015 in 2023 under first year head coach Richard Rogers and look to build off last year’s success and carry it into 2024. The Rams graduated 9 seniors from last year’s team but return a nice mix of underclassmen contributors to lead them in 2024.
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