Bloomsburg’s Defense Dominates in First-Round Victory

Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs

Stella Jones | November 1, 2025

Having been defeated by Loyalsock earlier this season, the Bloomsburg Panthers achieved their revenge when it mattered most, crushing the Lancers 34 to 13 in the opening round of the District 4-2A playoffs and advancing to the semifinals.

Bloomsburg put up the first points of the game late in the first quarter when Wyatt Brosious connected with Jharee Moore-Stewart on an 11-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers ahead 6–0 after the extra point was blocked. Brosious then would score on a two-yard run, plus convert the two-point attempt after, and that lead grew to 14 to 0. Loyalsock responded with a 32-yard carry to the end zone by Jaylen Coates to narrow the score to 14 to 7, but three yards later, Brosious scored one more time before the half, and the Panthers were on top again at 21 to 7.

In the fourth, after a scoreless third, it was all Bloomsburg. Moore-Stewart rampaged down the field for a 42-yard touchdown run to make it 27–7, then just a few moments later returned a pick 54 yards for the pick-six, extending the lead to 34–7. A 50-yard touchdown connection from Matthew Rickard to Coates found its way into the scorebook late for Loyalsock, but the Panthers fought hard for a 34-13 final.

The Bloomsburg offense stayed on fire all night, ending with 258 yards, 155 rushing and 116 passing, while controlling Loyalsock’s 238 yards. Brosious had a near-flawless night, going 11 for 12 for 104 yards with one touchdown. In addition to rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Moore-Stewart led Bloomsburg with 7 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, with another 2 catches for 60 yards, and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jack Katulis added 7 catches for 41 yards with solid grabs on short yardage to keep Bloomsburg’s possession.

In Moore-Stewart’s opinion, it was the mentality the offensive unit had on Friday that helped the Panthers maintain their composure all night.

“We always hype each other up even when it is going bad,” Moore-Stewart said. “We just have to pick each other up and move on to the next play, go drive for drive, and score.”

With Bloomsburg missing key defensive player Shane Frey due to an injury last Friday against Central Columbia, sophomore Zane Thomas stepped up, along with others, to keep their defense strong all night.

“I never thought about how tough they were, only that it could have been our last game altogether,” Thomas said. “So I just played my heart out.”

Coates was Loyalsock’s leading figure with 31 carries for 149 yards and two total touchdowns; Rickard went 7-of-13 passing for 92 yards with one touchdown. The two teams each racked up six flags, totaling 45 yards.

In securing the win, Bloomsburg not only avenged the earlier loss to the Lancers with a 34–13 defeat but also secured a spot in the next round of playoffs. The Panthers will now play against Southern Columbia next Friday in the District 4-2A semifinals.

—-

RUSHING – Loyalsock: J. Coates 31-149, TD. I. Baker 2-12. M. Rickard 2-(-3). Bloomsburg: J.

Moore-Stewart 7-92, TD. W. Brosious 17-42, 2TD. W. Schrader 4-8. K. Ferguson 1-3.

PASSING – Loyalsock: M. Rickard 7-13-1 92 yd 1TD. Bloomsburg: W. Brosious 11-12-0 104 yd 1TD.

RECEIVING – Loyalsock: J. Coates 5-70,TD. N. Thomas 1-13. J. Meacham 1-9. Bloomsburg: J.

Katulis 7-41. J. Moore-Stewart 2-60, TD. K. Ferguson 1-6. G. Dube 1-9.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews