The PHAC Mid-Season Report

Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News

Dave Fegley | September 28, 2023

Teams fighting for division titles

It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through the 2023 high school football regular season, but as the saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

There is still time for teams to move up or down the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference standings, and some teams as expected have really shined thus far.

In Division 1, it appears that Jersey Shore and Selinsgrove will share the title after a devastating event occurred in their meeting during the third week of the season. Senior Max Engle collapsed near the end of regulation and the teams decided to conclude the contest with a 21-21 tied score. Unfortunately, he passed away a week later leaving his family, friends, teammates, coaches, and the entire Bulldog community in mourning.

If Southern Columbia wins on the road against Montoursville on Friday, that will wrap up the Division 2 championship. The Tigers have already beaten their two biggest challengers in Danville and Loyalsock by a combined margin of 76-24.

The biggest surprise so far has been in Division 3. Milton now controls its own destiny after defeating defending champion Mount Carmel Area. Two weeks ago, the Black Panthers upset the Red Tornadoes 12-7.

Just like the current NFL and college play, high school is becoming more and more of a passing game on the gridiron.

Danville junior quarterback Madden Patrick has thrown for 1,020 yards and 17 touchdowns despite missing a game. His top target, senior Aaron Johnson has 496 receiving yards and has caught seven of those TD tosses.

Mount Carmel’s Cole Spears (973) and Mifflinburg’s Chad Martin (959) are closing in on the 1K mark through the air.

Warrior Run’s Carter Marr and Shikellamy’s Thomas Pollock have both registered nearly 500 receiving yards and Mifflinburg’s Tony Dressler has 36 receptions. Central Mountain wide receiver Connor Foltz has 29 catches.

Although the aerial attacks are on full display, the teams that have had the most success are the ones that have played stout defense and have run the ball with success. The Tigers, Bulldogs, and Seals are all giving opponents fits as they force quick punts with their strong defenses and their offenses have been able to run the ball consistently.

Southern head coach Jim Roth continues to run his Wing-T offense by spreading the wealth around to all three of his backs. Tiger senior Louden Murphy has already scored touchdowns in five different ways this season. Selinsgrove’s Tucker Teats has rushed for 707 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jersey Shore’s Tate Sechrist has rushed for 680 yards and has found the end zone 13 times on the ground.

Below is a list of the current standings in each division. Every team has played five games thus far, except for Montoursville who had a bye last week due to Bald Eagle Area dropping them from their schedule, but no team has played more than three divisional games yet.

PHAC Division 1 Standings:

T1.) Jersey Shore (2-0-1)

T1.) Selinsgrove (2-0-1)

3.) Shamokin (2-1)

T4.) Central Mountain (1-2)

T4.) Mifflinburg (1-2)

6.) Shikellamy (0-3)

PHAC Division 2 Standings:

1.) Southern Columbia (3-0)

2.) Montoursville (2-0)

3.) Danville (2-1)

4.) Lewisburg (1-2)

5.) Loyalsock (0-2)

6.) Central Columbia (0-3)

PHAC Division 3 Standings:

1.) Milton (2-0)

T2.) Hughesville (2-1)

T2.) Mount Carmel (2-1)

4.) Warrior Run (1-1)

5.) Bloomsburg (1-2)

6.) Midd-West (0-3)

District 4 Impact

The PHAC doesn’t have any District 4 Class 1A schools in the current cycle. In 2A, Southern Columbia (5-0) is the top-seed currently and the six-time defending PIAA champions will hold homefield advantage if they win out. Mount Carmel Area (3-2) is currently seeded third and is hoping to have a rematch with the Tigers come district championship time after losing to them last season in the final.

The top six seeds in the 3A are all from the PHAC. Danville (4-1), Loyalsock (3-2), Montoursville (3-1), and Mifflinburg (3-2) would all host quarterfinal games if they remain in their respective spots over the final five weeks of the regular season. In 4A, Selinsgrove (4-0-1) holds a slight lead over Jersey Shore (4-0-1) in the power rankings system. Barring a colossal upset, the Seals and Bulldogs will meet again this season in the district title.

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