2026 District 4 Preview

Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 4, News, pfn

Davin Ridall | August 27, 2026

Football is back in District 4! With the 2026 season right around the corner, it’s time to take a look around the district and give a little preview on what we should expect from every team. Along with that, there are plenty of storylines to keep your eye on this season. Can Southern Columbia go back to back and win their 16th state title? Will this be the year that Shamokin finally gets over the hump and reaches the state title? Who should we expect to win the district title in the 3A class with so many competitive teams? In 2A is there anyone who can hang with Southern Columbia? It’s time to take a look at this year’s District 4 preview and see what the district has to offer.

There were four teams that changed classification in 2026. The teams that changed are the Athens Wildcats who moved from 4A to 3A, the Loyalsock Lancers who moved from 2A to 3A, the Milton Panthers who moved from 3A to 4A, and the Midd-West Mustangs who also moved from 3A to 4A.

Projected favorites by class:

Class 1A: Montgomery
Class 2A: Southern Columbia
Class 3A: Montoursville
Class 4A: Shamokin

Games of the week:

Week 1: Montoursville @ Troy
Week 2: Athens @ Troy
Week 3: Mifflinburg @ Bloomsburg
Week 4: Jersey Shore @ Shamokin
Week 5: Mount Carmel @ Danville
Week 6: Montoursville @ Danville
Week 7: Steelton-Highspire @ Line Mountain
Week 8: Jersey Shore @ Hollidaysburg
Week 9: Southern Columbia @ Jersey Shore
Week 10: Mount Carmel @ Shamokin

Some teams to keep an eye on:

Montgomery Red Raiders: They are coming off of their best season since the turn of the century, and only losing in the district title game by 6 points, as well as returning majority of their talent from 2025.

Athens Wildcats: The Wildcats also return majority of their talent from last season, this year they’ll be competing in 3A instead of 4A, this team could make a lot of noise.

Montoursville Warriors: The Warriors are the projected favorite in the 3A class, with a good amount of their talent returning in 2026, but this year they will be under new leadership in Reese Holmes.

Mount Carmel Red Tornadoes: The Red Tornadoes bring back a lot of star talent, and last season they were a lot better than their record showed, if this team can find its footing early, they can be a real threat in the 3A class.

Class 1A

Bucktail Bucks
Head Coach: Kevin Ransom
2025 Record: 1-9

The Bucks have gone winless the past two seasons aside from their matchup against Renaissance Academy which was a forfeit victory for Bucktail. They’ll be entering their third season under head coach Kevin Ransom, and they will look to improve on their disappointing 2024 and 2025 campaigns.

Our expectation is to simply improve week to week on the field, in the classroom and as people in our community.

Canton Warriors
Head Coach: Tyler Sechrist
2025 Record: 2-8

The Warriors have been skidding since losing in the state semifinals to Steelton-Highspire back in 2022. Canton’s 2-8 record from last season is the worst one that they have had since Tyler Sechrist took over as head coach back in 2016. The Warriors will be looking to improve from their 2025 campaign and to take steps towards getting back to their usual competing ways.

We are excited about the 2026 season. We have a good mix of senior leadership and young players with lots of potential that will be asked to contribute this season.

Line Mountain
Head Coach: Brandon Carson
2025 Record: 11-1

Line Mountain is fresh off of their best season in over two decades, finishing last season 11-1 which included an undefeated regular season, and a District 4 title over Montgomery. The 2026 Eagles are going to look much different than their extremely successful 2025 group. Line Mountain loses a whopping nine starters from last season, most notably quarterback Kaiden Maurer, not to mention a tenth starter, junior center Evan Schaffner who is out for the season due to injury. It will be interesting to see whether or not this 2026 group has what it takes to remain competitive with the best of the 1A class.

Lost a great class last season who won 6 total championships over the past 3 seasons. They will be hard to replace. We do have a good core of returning players and a bunch of guys ready to step in and compete. Expectations remain high. I do not expect a drop off.

Montgomery Red Raiders
Head Coach: Joel Knoebel
2025 Record: 10-2

Joel Knoebel took over as the head coach of Montgomery in 2025 and in his first year, he brought the Red Raiders to their first 10 win season since 1987. With much of their talent from 2025 returning, Montgomery enters the 2026 season as the frontrunner to win the Class 1A District 4 title, which would be their first in school history.

Offensively Montgomery returns all 3 running backs responsible for over 2,700 yards of rushing both Trace and Josh went over 1,000yds last season. Beyond those 3 there are 5 other returning starters in different positions. Will be looking at who our Quarterback will be early on to lead the offense, currently 2 great candidates in Briar Persing and Gage Furman. Replacement of two graduated linemen will create great inter team competition as the season gets started amongst a very young talented pool of athletes. Every indication points to a much more balanced attack thru the air and ground this season based of preseason workouts.

Defensively, Montgomery returns 8 starters, which were at the core of last year’s stellar defense. 2025 was our second year running the 3-4 defense and the gains were astronomical. The defense was ranked best in District 4 for points allowed at 7.4/game and 4th overall in all of PIAA regardless of division. We will look to build on that success as we return all five of our top tacklers to include All-State S Trace Furman who will solidify the secondary and ILB Cam Woltz the defensive play caller, both have crested the 100 tackle mark the past two years. Other notable returners include OLB Lincoln Miller, who led the team in sacks and forced fumbles totaling 5 each, and CB Logan Joy, who led the team with 6 INTs. While our defense is very stingy last season with points allowed we also created 30 turnovers, blocked 4 kicks and scored a safety. We will continue to look for opportunities to limit our opponents offensively through playing a physically and mentally disciplined style of defense that limits big plays while massing on the football with the intent of causing turnovers.

Muncy Indians
Head Coach: Chris Persing
2025 Record: 5-6

The Indians had a pretty rough ending to their 2025 campaign under first year head coach Chris Persing. After beginning the season 5-2, Muncy dropped four straight games to close out the season, including getting shut out 33-0 by Montgomery in the district playoffs. The Indians lose quite a few starters in 2026, including quarterback Andrew Walters, so replacing him along with many other key roles will be a big task for the Indians this season.

We will have quite a few younger players picking up significant roles for the team this year. We are excited to see how quickly they pick up the speed of high school football and the mental toughness required for a whole season because even though they are young, they are athletic. It has the potential to be a nice blend of veterans and young guys. We return some good players on both sides of the ball and how quickly all 11 guys on each side of the ball do their job consistently will go a long way in determining our teams success from week to week.

Northwest Area Rangers
Head Coach: Greg Mullins (First Year)
2025 Record: 2-8

Northwest Area enters the 2026 season under new leadership, with Greg Mullins taking over after Stephen Nestorick’s two year tenure came to a close. The Rangers improved slightly a season ago, improving their 1-9 record in 2024 to a 2-8 record in 2025, they’ll be looking to improve on that record once again this season.

We are looking to get back to our identity. Small school, small town, gritty, disciplined and relentless.

Sayre Redskins
Head Coach: Guy Kapichok (First Year)
2025 Record: 0-10

The Redskins 0-10 record from a season ago marked their first winless season since 1996, ending Ricky Lindblad’s three year tenure as their head coach. Now with Guy Kapichok leading the way, Sayre hopes to bounce back in 2026 with their relatively young roster that only features three seniors.

We have three seniors Hudson Malinowski, big 230 pound tailback, quarterback Declan Berry, and tight end Nolan Chandler. All of them are looking to improve this year. Our entire offensive line returns, they were all juniors so we will be big up front. We’re looking to shorten the game a little bit, and then defensively we’re just gonna play cover three and try keep guys in front of us. We got to keep contained and tackle a little bit better.

Class 2A

Bloomsburg Panthers
Head Coach: Mike Kogut
2025 Record: 9-3

Bloomsburg’s 9-3 record from 2025 was by far their best season in recent memory, which featured an 8-2 regular season finish and a playoff win over Loyalsock. Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Bloomsburg loses quite a bit of talent, most notably all state quarterback Wyatt Brosious who graduated this past year, so replacing him is the biggest priority. The Panthers do bring back a lot of very talented players such as running back Jharee Moore-Stewart, and linebackers Zane Thomas and Shane Frey. Bloomsburg will also benefit from a very favorable schedule in 2026, not having to face teams like Southern Columbia and Shikellamy.

Changes to our schedule:
LOST: Central Mountain, Shikellamy, Southern Columbia
ADDED: Milton, Mifflinburg, Northwest
We hope to build off of our success we experienced in 2025
Low to mid-30’s on roster
Strongest overall team I have been a part of-toughness and tenacity a must
Many spots open for competition
Lost many good players/great leaders-we need players to emerge as leaders
Team Camp at LVC will be a great experience for us again in preparation

Hughesville Spartans
Head Coach: Howard Rainey
2025 Record: 4-6

Hughesville finished 4-6 last season, just missing out on the District 4 playoffs. While they struggled with some of the more explosive offenses in the district such as Mount Carmel, Bloomsburg, and Warrior Run, they also showed a lot of fight against very solid competition, including an 8 point loss to 10-2 Montgomery, and back to back wins to close out the year against Wyalusing and Muncy. Hughesville has a much younger roster this year than they did last year.

For this season we are a much younger team. We will be starting a large number of underclassman. This year we are looking to get back to a winning record and finish in the top 4 of our division. As far as our expectations, we will expect our players to play at the best of their ability. We are expecting our players to give 100% even when they make a mistake. Our team is physically the strongest they have been since I started coach here.

North Penn-Mansfield Panthers
Head Coach: Jon Minnich (First Year)
2025 Record: 4-6

North Penn-Mansfield started 4-0 last season with wins over Wyalusing, Sayre, Towanda, and Canton. After that 4-0 start, the Panthers dropped six straight games to close out the season, finishing below .500 for the seventh straight year. This year they bring in first year head coach Jon Minnich to try and get the Panthers back into contention.

I’m just hoping that I can turn things for a positive. I want to make things good for these upcoming seniors and try to create some momentum for the kids we have coming up.

South Williamsport Mountaineers
Head Coach: Chris Eiswerth
2025 Record: 6-5

The Mountaineers had one of the more underrated offenses in the district last season, averaging 46 points per game in their six victories. The problem came in their losses where four out of the five featured them scoring 14 or fewer points. This South Williamsport squad doesn’t lose very much, as they are returning a whopping 18 starters in 2026, including quarterback Cole Gerber and wide receiver Levi Butler, both of whom set school records in 2025.

South Williamsport football returns nine starters on offense and nine starters on defense! Offensively Cole Gerber returns at quarterback where he had a record setting year as a sophomore throwing for nearly 1500 yards Levi Butler returns at wide receiver after a record setting year with 63 catches! In the backfield South returns Cade Lusk rushed over 1000 yards , junior Eli White and sophomore Garrett Larson on the offensive line Kamdyn Bubb Camden Hannan Kasim Davenport Neeko Bowen Gavin Lumbard return ! Defensively at tackle and defensive end defensive tackle Kamdyn Bubb Camden Hannan, Neeko Bowen Isaiah Snyder and Kasim Davenport return at inside linebacker Colton Paulhamus Cade Lusk and Gavin Lumbard return at outside linebacker Garrett Lorson and Dominik good return! At safety, Taylor Naugle, corners return Samir, Moy and Caleb Johnson the punter and Kicker is Kaiden Paulhamus. He returns ! We had a great off-season in the weight room and we’re poised for an exciting year.

Southern Columbia Tigers
Head Coach: Jim Roth
2025 Record: 15-1

As long as Jim Roth is leading the way for this group, Southern Columbia will likely always be competing for the state title, and 2026 is no exception. Fresh off of a 15-1 record and his 15th PIAA state title, Roth has his team ready to chase title number 16. The Tigers return much of their talent on both sides of the ball, with most of their key losses coming on the defensive side such as Ethan Makowski, Talon Piatt, and John Quinton. Southern Columbia’s biggest regular season tests likely come in the first two weeks of the year, with their opening contest against Wyomissing, and a road game against District 11 powerhouse Williams Valley. Regardless, it’s hard to look at this team as anything other than the favorites to win the class 2A district title.

Strong senior class, good nucleus returning, should be solid up front on both sides. Offense has 8 returning starters. Goal is always the same, to play a long season and win the last game!

Towanda Black Knights
Head Coach: Jamie Wecker
2025 Record: 3-7

Towanda had a very steep drop off last season, regressing from a 9-3 record in 2024 to a 3-7 record in 2025. They struggled to compete with much of the higher end talent they faced. However this was a very young squad last year, so a large chunk of their talent returns this season with an extra year of experience under their belts.

We are pretty excited to see what we can be this season. The kids have put in a lot of work since football ended last year, and we’ve seen some real gains both physically and mentally. Although last season didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, I think we gained a lot of valuable experience. The silver lining in last season is that we were very young, and so most of those kids who played together last year are back again. So, hopefully having that experience, and going through the ups and downs of 2025 helps us play with more confidence this year. We are going to be playing some really good football teams this year, and I know the kids are pretty pumped up about getting out there and seeing how they match up.

Troy Trojans
Head Coach: Jim Smith
2025 Record: 11-2

It was pretty surprising to see the Trojans get eliminated the way they did in 2025, getting crushed by Southern Columbia 42-0 in the district title game after not only sitting at the top of the 2A rankings all season, but also being the defending 2A state champions. Heading into 2026, the Trojans have big shoes to fill after starting quarterback Mason Smith and starting running back Brendan Gilliland both graduated this past year. Troy has some big tests early on in the season with home contests against Montoursville, Athens, and Montgomery, so we will see if Jim Smith’s group can get back to their ways of state title contention this year.

We have a good group of returning experienced players. That should help bring our younger players up to speed. We have big shoes to fill as we lost some very talented playmakers in the offensive backfield . The team has worked hard in the offseason in preparation . We have some talented football teams on our schedule . We have had some great seasons over the last several years and understand we have a target on our backs. We are excited for the challenges ahead.

Warrior Run Defenders
Head Coach: Derrick Zechman
2025 Record: 10-2

The Defenders are coming off of arguably their best season in school history, finishing 10-2 and giving the Troy Trojans everything they had in the district semifinal. This team is going to look very different on the offensive side of the ball in 2026 after the loss of star quarterback James Keifer and star receiver Cohen Zechman. This group still has plenty of talent, including senior running back Denyn Beachel, along with a relatively favorable schedule, so the Defenders will be looking to build off the momentum they gained last season.

We are looking to build off momentum from last season when we finished with a school record with 10 wins. We lost some key seniors from last season but return 6 starters on each side of the ball but also have players had some varsity action last year. We look to be balanced on offense with the running and passing game again this season. We have a very experienced line returning as we only lost one starter from last year. We expect our defense to be very strong again and create chaos. We look to be strong on special teams as well which has been very key to our team the last 3 seasons. We return our punter and kicker this year. We are excited for the season and excited to see some of these younger players that will be starters this season.

Wyalusing Rams
Head Coach: Jeff Hindman (First Year)
2025 Record: 2-8

The Rams enter 2026 with a lot of roles that need to be filled after losing several key starters. Wyalusing will also be entering this season with first year head coach Jeff Hindman taking over after the departure of Richard Rogers. Wyalusing will need to fill all of the positions that they lost, especially their quarterback, if they want to improve on their 2-8 record from a season ago.

Wyalusing is looking to replace key starters on both offense and defense including QB, RB, LB, CB, S. We have smaller junior and senior classes this year so we are a young team looking to see who wants to step up to fill these roles. Coach Hindman faces his first year as head coach after three years as an assistant under Coach Rich Rogers. We have returning starts on both offense and defense including seniors Jesse Lamb, JJ Latini Jacob Gromley and Juniors Conner Earle and Andrew Taylor.

Class 3A

Athens Wildcats
Head Coach: Shawn Bradley
2025 Record: 9-2

The Wildcats had their best season in terms of record in over a decade in 2025, finishing 9-2 but getting walloped by Jersey Shore in the 4A playoffs 73-14. There are two things to note for the Wildcats, the first being that now they will be competing in the 3A class rather than the 4A class. The second thing being that they were without starting quarterback Conner Davidson in that game. Now, Davidson being in the game likely doesn’t prevent the Wildcats from losing that game considering the score, but with him and many other key starters returning, this is a team that we could absolutely see competing for the 3A district title, and possibly some of the best teams that this class has to offer.

Offense:

We have the potential to be an explosive offense if our kids continue to work hard. We have some experienced athletes returning at key positions, but we also lost some very good football players to graduation. We are hoping some of our younger kids develop quickly and we can continue to improve offensively. Need to be tougher and more consistent in order to compete with Troy and the solid programs in D4 3A.

Defense:

DISCIPLINE. CONSISTENCY. TOUGHNESS. Need to be tougher and more disciplined to prevent the big plays that have plagued us against better teams. That being said, this group does have the ability to fly to the football and create some havoc on the defensive side of the ball if they so choose. I am excited to see what the identity of our defense becomes.

Special Team:

Zach Fisher is now a 3 year starter for us at kicker and punter. He is an invaluable asset with his XP/FG consistency and ability to put us in positive field position in many different ways. Lucas Persun (snapper) and Shea Davidson (holder) also give us very reliable assets in our special teams group.

Central Columbia Blue Jays
Head Coach: Ky Seesholtz
2025 Record: 0-10

The Blue Jays are still far away from being any kind of threat in the 3A class. Fresh off of an 0-10 season in 2025, Central Columbia is hoping to take some strides in the right direction in 2026 with they very young and inexperienced roster that they have.

We’re very excited to for the 2026-2027 season. Our boys have put a tremendous amount of work since the first week of November. The word for the season is Family as we are all in this together as one.

Cowanesque Valley Indians
Head Coach: Jacob Lane
2025 Record: 5-6

The Indians seem to be trending in the right direction under third year head coach Jacob Lane. Their 2025 campaign featured a 5-5 regular season finish and a playoff appearance, and in those five wins they outscored their opponents a whopping 238-8, including four shutouts. Cowanesque Valley has a good opportunity to improve even more in 2026 with a handful of starters returning.

As we enter the 2026 football season, there is a lot to be excited about at Cowanesque Valley. We have a group of returning players who have gained valuable experience, a group of younger players ready to step into bigger roles, and a coaching staff committed to continuing to build the Indians football program the right way.
Our expectations are high, but our expectations go far beyond wins and losses. We expect our players to represent Cowanesque Valley with pride, toughness, discipline and accountability every single day.

Our expectations are simple:
Be a great student-athlete.
The classroom comes before the football field. We expect our players to take care of their responsibilities as students.
Be accountable.
Do your job. Be where you’re supposed to be. Take care of your teammates and don’t make excuses.
Play for the team.
We are bigger than any one player. Egos kill growth. Our goal is to create a true WE > ME mentality.
Play with pride.
When you put on the Cowanesque Valley uniform, you represent your teammates, your coaches, your families, your school and your community.
Play to the echo of the whistle.
We want a team that finishes. Finish the play. Finish practice. Finish the game. Finish the season.

At the end of the season, our success will not be measured only by our record.
We want to develop young men who understand commitment, responsibility, leadership, sacrifice and perseverance.
Football is a great game, but it is also a classroom for life.
If we can look back at the end of the year and know that our players became better teammates, better students, better leaders and better people, then we have accomplished something meaningful.
The Expectation
The expectation is not perfection.
The expectation is effort, accountability, and improvement
Every player has a role. Every player matters. Every rep matters.
We will embrace the work, embrace the challenge and embrace the opportunity to represent the Cowanesque Valley Indians.

Danville Ironmen
Head Coach: Shawn Sheptock (First Year)
2025 Record: 4-7

After five straight seasons of at least 8 or more wins, including three straight years of at least 12 wins, the Ironmen experienced a pretty significant fall off in 2025, going just 4-7 and getting eliminated in the first round of the district playoffs. A fall off was to be expected though after losing star quarterback Madden Patrick and star running back Bo Sheptock. The Ironmen struggled last season largely due to a lack of consistency at the quarterback position, which is something they will hope to fix this year. Danville also enters the 2026 season under new leadership, with Shawn Sheptock taking over as head coach after the departure of Carl Majer.

Danville did not have a very strong season last year. The team has been working hard this offseason to make changes and improve on last season’s performance. This offseason has been one of competition. Players have been working hard to improve personal and team performance. As a group we look to improve on all aspects of the game, compete, and play football for an entire game.

Lewisburg Green Dragons
Head Coach: Eric Wicks
2025 Record: 2-8

The Green Dragons took a major step back last season, following up a 10-2 season that featured a district title appearance with a 2-8 record in 2025. They’ll be looking to rebound in 2026 with a lot of starters returning on both sides.

With having a tough last season, we feel confident that we will be better this coming season. The team has really focused on working hard together as a unit. As a team we understand it takes everyone on our roster to be the dominant team we want to be.

Loyalsock Lancers
Head Coach: Justin Van Fleet
2025 Record: 5-6

2026 marks Justin Van Fleet’s 15th season as Loyalsock’s head coach, and no matter the circumstances Loyalsock has always found a way to be in the mix with Van Fleet at the reins. The Lancers lost some very high end talent this year, including Jalil Coates, Nahmir Thomas, and Danny Dowell who was the MVP of the 2026 District 4 All Star Game. Loyalsock will be competing in the 3A class in 2026 instead of the 2A class. The Lancers also have a good amount of veterans returning to the team this year on both sides of the ball.

We are looking for a strong team with many key contributors returning. We suffered through many injuries last season and therefore have players with starting experience at all levels on offense and defense.

Mifflinburg Wildcats
Head Coach: Cody Botts
2025 Record: 10-3

Coming off of the best season in school history, going 10-3 and winning their first ever District 4 title, the Wildcats will be looking to build off of last season’s success. It’s going to be a lot tougher this year, having to fill the holes left by All-State quarterback Chad Martin, and All-State wide receiver Landen Murray, however this team still has a ton of talent all around.

Offensively, we’ll certainly have a different look in 2026 after graduating one of the most explosive quarterback-wide receiver combinations in program history with All-State quarterback Chad Martin and All-State wide receiver Landen Murray. Those are two outstanding players that will be difficult to replace, but we’re excited about the talent and athleticism we have returning.

One player we’re excited to add to the mix is Brennen Snyder. As a three-sport athlete, Brennen has the ability to create explosive plays every time he touches the football. His versatility and athleticism give us another dynamic weapon and allow us to be creative in how we get him involved.

We also return both of our starting running backs in Landon Moser and Seth Martin, who each rushed for over 500 yards last season. Having two experienced backs who understand our offense gives us confidence that we’ll continue to be physical and productive in the running game.

Up front, we’ll have some new faces. We graduated the majority of our offensive line, so we’ll be relying on a talented group of young linemen to step into bigger roles. While they’ll gain experience as the season progresses, we’re excited about their potential and believe they’ll continue to develop into a strong unit.

At wide receiver, we may not have one player replacing the production of Landen Murray, but I really like the depth and athleticism of this group. Hayden Showalter, Grady Brubaker, and Jackson Marr are all capable playmakers who I believe will make a significant impact this season. They each bring something a little different to the offense, and we’re excited to watch them continue to develop.

One of the strengths of our offense will be at tight end, where we return both Brady Threet and Luke Brubaker. Those two were instrumental in our success a year ago, especially with the way they set the edge in our run game. Their experience, toughness, and willingness to do the dirty work make them extremely valuable to what we do offensively.

Overall, our offense will definitely look different from a year ago, and you’ll likely see us do some different things from week to week based on our personnel. While we’ve graduated some outstanding players, I feel very good about the group we have returning. They’re a hardworking, athletic group that’s eager to prove themselves, and I’m excited to see what they’re capable of accomplishing in 2026.

Defensively, we’ll have a much different look in 2026 after graduating eight of our 11 starters from last year’s unit. While replacing that much experience is never easy, I’m excited about the talent, athleticism, and competitiveness of the group we’ll have on the field this fall.

Everything starts up front with All-State nose guard Landon Tucker. Landon has proven, down after down, that he can disrupt opposing offenses. He’s a physical presence at the line of scrimmage, commands double teams, and allows the players around him to make plays. He’s one of the leaders of our defense, and we’ll continue to build around him.

I’m also looking forward to Brady Threet stepping into a much larger defensive role, whether that’s at defensive end or outside linebacker. Brady is an extremely physical player with a high football IQ, and his versatility gives us flexibility in how we use him defensively.

At linebacker, we’re fortunate to return one of the best players in the area in Landon Moser. He plays the game the right way, flies to the football, and brings tremendous leadership to our defense. Alongside him, I’m excited to watch Isaiah Kurtz and Hudson Troup step into larger roles in the middle of our defense. Both have had outstanding offseasons, adding over 20 pounds while continuing to improve their strength and physicality. They’re downhill linebackers who love contact and fit the style of defense we want to play.

In the secondary, Jackson Marr gained valuable experience last season and came up with several big plays in key moments. I’m looking forward to seeing him take another step in his development and become a leader in our defensive backfield.

Overall, I’m really excited about the athleticism we’ll have on defense. While we may be younger and less experienced than we were a year ago, I believe we’ll be faster across the board. We have a group of players who love to compete, play with great effort, and fly to the football. As they continue to gain experience throughout the season, I expect this defense to develop into a fast, physical, and aggressive unit that reflects the identity of our program.

We’ll have some new faces on special teams this season after graduating Landen Murray, who was a dangerous playmaker in the return game. While we’ll miss his ability to change a game with the ball in his hands, we’ve got several young, athletic players competing for those opportunities. It’s a group that’s hungry to prove themselves, and I’m looking forward to seeing who emerges throughout camp and the season.

We’re also excited to have Jaden Boyer back for his senior year after a solid junior season. Jaden gained valuable experience last fall, and I expect him to continue building on that this year. He’s put in a lot of work during the offseason, and we’re looking forward to seeing that translate on Friday nights.

As with every season, our goal on special teams is to be fundamentally sound, win the field position battle, and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. With a mix of experienced players and young athletes competing for roles, I think this group has the potential to make steady progress throughout the season.

Montoursville Warriors
Head Coach: Reese Holmes (First Year)
2025 Record: 9-3

The Warriors’ biggest x-factor last season was their rushing attack, highlighted by Christian Banks and Hayden Harvey. Now with Banks graduated, will we be able to see similar production from Harvey that we saw out of Banks a season ago? Montoursville will also need to adjust to first year head coach Reese Holmes, after Joe Hanna’s resignation. The Warriors still have one of the more talented rosters in the 3A class, even with some of their key losses.

We are looking forward to a great season. We know there is a lot of hard work ahead competing in this league, but we believe we are up to the challenge. We have been working hard all off-season and we are hopeful that pays off come fall. We have a good mix of experienced players and talented youth.

Mount Carmel Red Tornadoes
Head Coach: John Darrah
2025 Record: 5-6

The Red Tornadoes need to get off to a better start than they did last season, as in 2025 they started 1-4 before finally finding their footing. They do lose Gavin Marshalek at quarterback, along with a couple other key starters, however they have a bunch of talent returning at other positions. With some very tough matchups such as Schuylkill Haven and North Schuylkill early on in the season, this group will have a lot to prove to get themselves back into their usual contending ways.

Mount Carmel Area brings back a plethora of skill players including all-staters Jaylen Delaney & Max Karycki. The Big Red should be fairly deep on both sides of the ball after several young players were thrust into action last season.

Wellsboro Hornets
Head Coach: Matt Hildebrand
2025 Record: 6-5

Wellsboro made the District 4 playoffs for the first time 2021, finishing with a 6-4 record in the regular season. They’ll be looking to build off of that momentum and improve on their accomplishments from last season. The Hornets do lose seven seniors from last season so replacing them will be a challenge.

Last year we made district playoffs for the first time in a while, that was a big accomplishment for us last year coming in. This year we look to build upon that success we had last year. We had a large group of our junior class playing football for us last year, many of those guys have been playing since their freshman year. We have a lot of guys that grew up on the football field over the years. One of our biggest things this year is how much experience we bring to the table. Overall we are very excited for this season.

Class 4A

Columbia Montour Vo-Tech Rams
Head Coach: Mark Varner
2025 Record: 4-6

The Rams were a very senior heavy team in 2025, so a lot of their starting roles will need to be filled by new players in 2026. One of their starters that was not a senior but will also need to be replaced is quarterback Myles Koser, who transferred to Danville. Vo-Tech will have some big roles to fill if they want to improve on their 4-6 record from a season ago.

We expect to be competitive, grind every game, play hard, and be in every game at the end with a chance to win. That’s always been our philosophy here at Vo-Tech, play four quarters and be in games at the end.

Jersey Shore Bulldogs
Head Coach: Tom Gravish
2025 Record: 8-4

For the past two seasons, Jersey Shore has been a force to be reckoned with. The one issue for the Bulldogs has been the Shamokin Indians, as they have gone 0-4 in their past four matchups against them, two of those games being the district title. Jersey Shore loses a lot of senior talent, highlighted by star running back Bo Sechrist, who was one the very best running backs in District 4 last season. Despite the losses, Jersey Shore still brings back a lot of experience for their 2026 roster, and is still one of the strongest contenders in the entire 4A class.

We are looking forward to a great season! Our team had a really great offseason improving our strength, speed and skill development. We had a great summer working at the PSU, West Virginia & BEA 7 on 7 and Big Man Camps. I believe our TEAM togetherness and conditioning will be our strengths.

Midd-West Mustangs
Head Coach: Jeff Janovich
2025 Record: 2-8

Midd-West’s 2-8 record from a year ago was the first time the Mustangs finished with more than one win in a season since 2019. This season, the Mustangs will be competing in the 4A class rather than the 3A class. They’ll be hoping to build off of last season and try to improve on a somewhat competitive 2025 campaign.

This season we believe will be a great year forward for us. A lot of returning starters, kids stepping up into new roles and surprising everyone.

Milton Panthers
Head Coach: Matt Wilson
2025 Record: 3-7

The Panthers are the second District 4 team that moved from 3A to 4A this season. Despite their 3-7 record, Milton was much more competitive last season than the scores may show, and they have a good opportunity to build off of that this season. Running back Monty Fisher will be a key loss for them offensively, but they have returning talent behind him and on the rest of the offense as well.

We want to build off of last year. We went 3-7, not ideal or what we wanted but we were competitive in most of our games. A lot of young guys got experience, so we hope that bodes well for us this season. We return a lot of starters on Defense, so that is a good sign for us. On offense we will have a sophomore play caller, but we want to help him by having a stable running game. I definitely feel we will better than our 3-7 record of last year.

Selinsgrove Seals
Head Coach: Matt Wenrich
2025 Record: 1-9

The Seals are coming off of their worst season since 2011, finishing 1-9 with their lone victory coming against Central Mountain. Selinsgrove had one of the toughest schedules in all of District 4 last season, having to face teams like Twin Valley, Shamokin, Jersey Shore, Hollidaysburg, and Berwick. Selinsgrove also dealt with injuries to key players last year which did not help their cause, so they will be hoping to stay healthier this season and improve on their 1-9 record from 2025.

We expect to be competing in every game this year. We only have four seniors, but we have a lot of younger kids that got a lot of experience last season. Our roster is much bigger this year than it was last year, going from around 35 kids to just under 60, so there’s a lot of kids fighting for Friday night time, which makes practices more competitive and makes everybody better.

Shamokin Indians
Head Coach: Marc Persing
2025 Record: 13-1

The Indians season came to another heartbreaking close in 2025, losing to the eventual state champion Southern Lehigh Spartans in the state quarterfinals by a mere three points. 2026 will be star quarterback Logan Steele’s senior season, so this will be his last year leading the way for Shamokin. The Indians have one of the most talented rosters not only in the district, but in the entire state, which should be pretty obvious considering their back to back district titles. This may very well be Shamokin’s last chance to compete for a state title with the very talented group that they have, expect this team to be chasing the same goal they have had for the past three seasons come November.

The 2026 Indians are looking to improve upon a phenomenal 2025 campaign. Although it will be difficult to replace the likes of Zakem Clinton, Izak Glover and Chase Anderson, there are familiar names ready to have an even bigger season this year than last. Wake Forest commit Logan Steele looks to dominate all 3 phases of the game for the third consecutive year while the linebacker core of Liam Montgomery, Noah Ringes, Xavier Paul, Brayden Cavanaugh and Cooper Rossnock look to make opposing offenses lives a nightmare. Colin Steinhart and Ryan Bickert look to make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball and improve upon the teams combined 26 interceptions. Bobby Whitmer, Nate Kaleta, Brandt Krieger and Tyrone Garrison look to improve upon a year that saw the Indians run for over 4,400 yards.

Shikellamy Braves
Head Coach: Mike Hoover
2025 Record: 5-6

After another 1-9 finish for the Braves in 2024, first year head coach Mike Hoover brought some new life to this squad in 2025. Shikellamy finished the regular season with a 5-5 record and a playoff appearance, which was their first since 2019. The Braves return a lot of starters in 2026, however they will have to fill the void left by quarterback Brady Rebuck, who was the leader of an offense that was very pass heavy.

This team is led by a host of Braves with Senior leadership who most saw Friday night lights as Freshman as they look to use that experience to mentor the underclassman surrounding them to contribute and build on from last year’s season!

Class 6A

Williamsport Millionaires
Head Coach: Kevin Brown (First Year)
2025 Record: 6-6

The Millionaires had some very impressive wins on their resume last season, including a road win at Wilkes Barre and a home blowout win over Scranton in the playoffs. Williamsport also struggled against higher caliber opponents such as Berwick, Shamokin, Jersey Shore, and Hollidaysburg. Williamsport faces all of the same teams they did last season, and they bring back most of their talent from 2025, however the Millionaires will be under new leadership in 2026, with first year head coach Kevin Brown taking the reins.

We want to be competitive in every game we play. We want to play hard, play fast, play with intensity, play with heart but don’t let emotions take over our game.