2024 District 4 3A Title Game Preview and Prediction
Tagged under: District 4, News, pfn, Playoffs
Davin Ridall | November 15, 2024
The stage is finally set, two of the biggest juggernauts in all of District 4 this year are finally set to meet in the biggest game of the year. The 11-0 Danville Ironmen are ready to welcome in the 10-1 Lewisburg Green Dragons, this game being the first meeting between these two sides since last year, and this time it will be the battle for the 2024 District 4 title. Let’s have a look at the argument for each side coming into this matchup.
The Argument for Danville
Second year head coach Carl Majer has brought Danville to their second undefeated regular season in three years, and this is their fifth consecutive year that they are playing for the district title. In fact, they’ll be looking to win it for the fifth straight year. Seniors Madden Patrick and Bo Sheptock orchestrated outstanding seasons offensively, leading them to the undefeated record they currently hold. Patrick and Sheptock both finished fourth in the district in their respective yardage categories and also near the top in touchdowns, Patrick with 21 through the air and Sheptock with 27 on the ground.
The Ironmen have been quite successful against Lewisburg in the past decade, as they’ve gone 6-2 in their last 8 games against them, including 5 straight wins dating back to 2016. The games haven’t been close either, the average margin of victory in those past 5 has been 32.6 points, the closest of those games being a 48-28 win at home in 2017. In addition, Danville is also 4-1 all-time against Lewisburg in the playoffs, the one loss being in 2010. That being said, Danville certainly has recent history on their side along with the fact that they’ve scored almost 100 more points offensively than Lewisburg has and have allowed 42 less points defensively, so Danville statistically has the upper hand in this matchup.
The Argument for Lewisburg
Jeremiah Davis, the senior running back for Lewisburg, is their biggest threat on offense by far. Davis currently sits at 1,908 rushing yards, 3rd in all of District 4 and only 92 yards away from the 2,000 mark. Along with the 1,908 rushing yards, Davis also has 26 rushing touchdowns, which is 2nd in the district. Lewisburg’s lone loss on the year came to one of the only other undefeated teams in District 4, and that was a 17-12 loss on the road against Shamokin. The Green Dragons is fresh off a 39-7 home win over Mount Carmel, which is where we see a possible advantage for Lewisburg.
Lewisburg and Danville have had a total of 6 common opponents this year, those being Montoursville, Loyalsock, Mifflinburg, Bloomsburg, Shikelamy, and Mount Carmel which we just mentioned. Danville barely escaped Mount Carmel at home earlier this year, squeaking out a 22-19 victory on October 4th. Lewisburg just cruised past Mount Carmel, beating them by a whopping 32 points. On that note, Lewisburg has also had a much harder strength of schedule than Danville has, Lewisburg’s being .518 while Danville’s being .431 This season is also Lewisburg’s best record since 2010, where they finished 14-1. Coincidentally, that season was also the only other time these two teams met in the district title game, Lewisburg ended up winning that game on the road 18-13.
Some Other Statistics
Here’s a look at each teams’ 2024 schedule:
Danville Ironmen
08-23
|
@ Bloomsburg (5-6) |
W, 45-7 |
08-30
|
@ Mifflinburg (4-7) |
W, 54-8 |
09-06
|
vs. Montoursville (6-6) |
W, 44-20 |
09-13
|
vs. Central Columbia (2-8) |
W, 54-8 |
09-20
|
@ Milton (4-7) |
W, 49-0 |
09-27
|
vs. Southern Columbia(7-5) |
W, 34-8 |
10-04
|
vs. Mount Carmel (8-4) |
W, 22-19 |
10-11
|
@ Loyalsock (6-5) |
W, 28-3 |
10-18
|
@ Shikellamy (1-9) |
W, 34-12 |
10-25
|
vs. Selinsgrove (5-6) |
W, 49-7 |
11-08
|
vs. Montoursville (6-6) |
W, 35-10 |
Lewisburg Green Dragons
08-23
|
vs. Line Mountain (8-4) |
W, 26-23 |
08-30
|
@ Shikellamy (1-9) |
W, 30-0 |
09-06
|
vs. Bloomsburg (5-6) |
W, 42-10 |
09-13
|
vs. Hughesville (6-5) |
W, 39-20 |
09-20
|
@ Warrior Run (8-4) |
W, 24-0 |
09-27
|
vs. Loyalsock (6-5) |
W, 27-13 |
10-04
|
@ Midd-West (1-9) |
W, 41-7 |
10-11
|
@ Shamokin (12-0) |
L, 12-17 |
10-18
|
@ Montoursville (6-6) |
W, 22-19 |
10-25
|
vs. Mifflinburg (4-7) |
W, 49-28 |
11-08
|
vs. Mount Carmel (8-4) |
W, 39-7 |
Stats Comparison
| Lewisburg | Danville | |
| Points/Game | 31.9 | 40.7 |
| Points Allowed/Game | 13.1 | 9.8 |
| Total Yards/Game | 326.3 | 425.7 |
| Strength of Schedule | 0.518 | 0.431 |
| Overall Record | 10-1 | 11-0 |
| Conference Record | 5-0 | 5-0 |
| Home Record | 6-0 | 6-0 |
| Away Record | 4-1 | 5-0 |
Last 10 Matchups
11/10/23 – Lewisburg (3) @ Danville (42)
09/29/23 – Danville (35) @ Lewisburg (3)
09/30/22 – Lewisburg (0) @ Danville (51)
09/25/20 – Lewisburg (14) @ Danville (35)
10/06/17 – Lewisburg (28) @ Danville (48)
10/07/16 – Danville (7) @ Lewisburg (10)
10/16/15 – Danville (34) @ Lewisburg (13)
10/10/14 – Lewisburg (41) @ Danville (0)
11/08/13 – Lewisburg (6) @ Danville (23)
11/26/10 – Lewisburg (18) @ Danville (13)
Final Thoughts
These two teams have been at the top all year long, and it’ll be very interesting to see which team comes out on top. This game should have no reason to not be competitive, and I expect to see both offenses showing off the firepower that they’ve showed all year. However, personally I can’t see a scenario where Danville loses this game but anything is possible, especially under those Friday night lights.
My Prediction:
Lewisburg – 22
Danville – 26
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