District 4: Class 1A-4A 2025 Playoff Preview

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

Davin Ridall | October 31, 2025

It seems like only yesterday we were preparing for the first week of the season. Now, Halloween is right around the corner, trees are losing all their leaves, and the weather is getting much colder, which means playoff time is here once again. The playoffs are where records are thrown out the window and where teams are bringing their absolute best. It’s when we get to see which teams are built for the bright lights, and which ones aren’t. It’s time to look at the teams here in District 4 who’ve made the cut, and what their next tests will be.

Class 1A

The single-A features seven schools, and usually the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. This year will only feature three teams as Sayre, Northwest Area, Bucktail, and Canton all opted out of this year’s playoffs. That leaves us with Line Mountain at 10-0, Montgomery at 9-1, and Muncy at 5-5.

(1) Line Mountain – BYE WEEK

This year marked the tenth season of Brandon Carson’s tenure as Line Mountain’s head coach, and what a perfect way to commemorate that by finishing this season with a perfect 10-0 record. This perfect regular season record is the first one that the Eagles have achieved since 2003 when Sam Stroh was the head coach. Statement victories over teams like Juniata, Upper Dauphin, Steelton-Highspire, and Middletown Area, propelled Line Mountain to being one of only two teams in District 4 to finish with a perfect regular season, the other one being Shamokin. Senior quarterback Kaiden Maurer led the way for the Eagles on offense, throwing for the third most passing yards in the dirstrict with 1,884, and 29 touchdowns which led all of District 4. Maurer also led the team in rushing yards with 527 as well as six touchdowns on the ground, while their junior running back Kaden Dunkelberger had 516 rushing yards and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 11. Senior Dalton Schadel was the Eagles’ standout reciever this year, racking up 876 yards which is third in the district, as well as 12 receiving touchdowns. Line Mountain will have a time to rest this week while they await the winner of Montgomery vs Muncy, who they will face in the District 4 single-A championship next week.

(2) Montgomery vs (3) Muncy – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Montgomery entered this season with a brand new head coach in Joel Knoebel, and they really couldn’t have asked for a better season than this one so far. The Red Raiders finished the regular season with a 9-1 record which is by far their best one since the 80’s when Dale Shaffer was their head coach. Montgomery’s only blemish this year was a 17 point road loss to Warrior Run who is the number two seed in the 2A class, but other than that, the Red Raiders have won every other game they’ve played, including seven by at least three scores. Their offense has been led by their strong backfield, which featured sophomore running back Josh Knoebel who rushed for 840 yards and 16 touchdowns, and junior running back Trace Furman who rushed 770 yards and 10 touchdowns. Their senior quarterback Parker Persing also added production on the ground with 463 yards and eight touchdowns, along with 476 yards and another eight touchdowns through the air. On the other side of the matchup, Muncy also entered this year under new leadership with Chris Persing taking over for Sean Tetreault. This year the Indians took a step back from their usual success only finishing the regular season 5-5, including losing four out of their last games. Muncy had their senior quarterback Andrew Walters leading the way for them, as he totaled 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air, as well as adding 422 yards and another 11 touchdowns on the ground. Their receiving game was very well spread out, including junior Nathan Rogers, and seniors Dominic Guardini, Carter Feigles, and Gavin Barrows. Montgomery took down Muncy earlier this year 27-7 on the road, this being their first victory over the Indians since 2018. This time around however, the matchup will be in Muncy.

Class 2A

The double-A class is the biggest class in District 4, featuring twelve schools. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs and this year those teams are Southern Columbia, Warrior Run, and Troy all at 9-1, Bloomsburg at 8-2, Wellsboro and South Williamsport at 6-4, and Loyalsock and Cowanesque Valley at 5-5.

(1) Southern Columbia vs (8) Cowanesque Valley – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

After a bit of a down year last season, Southern Columbia seems to have found their mojo again, improving from going 6-4 in the regular season last year to going 9-1 this year. Other than an expected loss to Wyomissing in week 1, the Tigers have dominated basically every team they have faced this season. The Tigers’ offense like it seems to be every year has been powered by their rushing attack, leading the way is senior running back Brayden Andrews who has rushed for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Their other running backs include sophomore Grady Garcia, who has rushed for 554 yards and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 12, as well as junior Joey Williams, who has rushed for 524 yards and seven touchdowns. Leading the passing attack for the Tigers this year is junior quarterback Ayden Hockenbroch, who’s thrown 816 yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as adding 211 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The Tigers have had the legendary Jim Roth leading the way for nearly 40 years, however on the flip side, Cowanesque Valley entered this season with only a second year head coach in Jacob Lane, and the Indians did improve on their 4-6 record last year to a 5-5 record this year. The Indians have alternated between quarterbacks this season, having both junior Dave Hess and senior Levi Stahli getting reps at the position. Hess finished the regular season with 518 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns, as well as rushing for 711 yards and another nine touchdowns. Stahli on the other hand has thrown for 462 yards and six touchdowns this season. Junior running back Kegan Lane has been the focal point of the Indians’ rushing attack this year, as he has racked up 1,050 rushing yards along with 11 rushing touchdowns. This matchup will be the first time that these two schools have faced each other.

(2) Warrior Run vs (7) South Williamsport – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Warrior Run ended last season with an 8-5 record, making it all the way to the district title game before falling to the eventual state champion Troy Trojans. That 8-5 record was their best record in over two decades, but this year, the Defenders have already surpassed that win total and now have a chance to get to double digit wins in a season for the first time in their school’s history. Warrior Run’s only loss came in week 4 at the hands of Bloomsburg when they pulled off a 42-28 upset victory on the road, but they did have a couple other scares this year including a tight 29-24 road victory over Lewisburg and a 47-42 road win over Loyalsock in a thriller. Warrior Run’s passing attack has come from the connection between senior quarterback James Keifer and senior receiver Conner Zechman. Keifer threw for 1,316 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Zechman totaled 859 recieving yards and 12 recieving touchdowns. Their rushing attack has been led by junior running back Denyn Beachel who rushed for 1,166 yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as senior running back Tyler Ulrich who led the team in rushing touchdowns with 13, along with 569 rushing yards. On the other side, South Williamsport isn’t a stranger to the playoffs, considering they’ve made it there every year since Chris Eiswerth took over as head coach in 2012. After a rough 1-3 start to the year, the Mountaineers won five out of last six games including solid wins over Cowanesque Valley and Muncy, their only loss over that stretch coming to Montgomery. The Mountaineers offense has been led by sophomore quarterback Cole Gerber, who’s thrown for 778 yards and nine touchdowns this year. Their rushing attack has come from sophomore Cade Lusk who rushed for 660 yards and 10 touchdowns this year. Warrior Run and South Williamsport haven’t faced each other since 2017, where the Mountaineers crushed the Defenders 55-20 at home.

(3) Troy vs (6) Wellsboro – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Fresh off a 2A state title in 2024, Troy not being the atop the class at this time is a little bit surprising. That isn’t meant to discredit what the Trojans have done this year, they’re still 9-1 with their only loss being by one point on the road to Waverly Wolverines, who were the New York state champions two seasons ago. Aside from that loss, their offense has averaged 52.5 points per game which would be third in the entire state. Even if you factor in the loss to Waverly, Troy is still averaging 48.6 points per game which is sixth in the state. That offense has been powered by their two seniors, running back Brendan Gilliand who rushed for 908 yards and quarterback Mason Smith who rushed for 849 yards. Both of them had 15 rushing touchdowns, not to mention another senior running back Kael Millard who totaled 502 yards and 8 touchdowns as well. Mason Smith also threw for 744 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, Wellsboro seemingly found themselves again this year after three straight seasons with two or fewer wins. The Hornets were led this year on offense by sophomore quarterback Griffin Morral who threw for 1,208 yards and 15 touchdowns, along with 612 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Junior running back Marek Mascho also added 530 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The first meeting between these two teams this year ended in a 53-7 home victory for the Trojans.

(4) Bloomsburg vs (5) Loyalsock – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Last season Bloomsburg won four out of their last five games to finish 5-5 and get into the playoffs, and this year they’ve kept that momentum in full force, finishing the regular season 8-2 which is their best record since 2012 when they also went 8-2 in the regular season. Their two losses on the year are ones worth talking about, as their most recent one was a 61-0 blowout loss on the road to Southern Columbia, while their other loss was a 32-23 home loss to the team they are about to face, Loyalsock. Other than those two games, the Panthers’ offense has score 30 or more points in every single game. Their offense was led by their senior dual threat quarterback Wyatt Brosious, who finished second in all of District 4 in passing yards with 2,138, along with 21 passing touchdowns. Brosious also led the team in rushing, finishing with 740 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. The receiving game was very well spread out. Senior Jack Katulis led the team in recieving yards with 788 along with four touchdowns, while sophomore Jharee Moore-Stewart led the team in receiving touchdowns with eight as well as racking up 624 receiving yards. Senior Krue Wheadon was also among the team leaders, totaling 435 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile for Loyalsock, their season has been an interesting one. The Lancers began their season with two blowout losses to Mifflinburg and Southern Columbia, before winning five out of their next six games, including a road win over Bloomsburg, before ending the season with two more blowout losses to Shamokin and Montoursville. Their 5-5 record is their worst regular season finish since Justin Van Fleet became the Lancers’ head coach back in 2012. Senior quarterback Danny Dowell led the charge on offense for Loyalsock, throwing for 1,137 yards and 14 touchdowns, as well as adding 426 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Their rushing attack was led by senior running back Jalil Coates, who finished the regular season with 1,116 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Senior Nahmir Thomas has been the Lancers’ leading receiver this season, as he’s racked up 536 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. As mentioned earlier, Loyalsock beat Bloomsburg 32-23 on the road earlier this season.

Class 3A

The triple-A class contains eight schools and this year, only the top four teams made it into the bracket. Those teams ended up being Mifflinburg and Montoursville at 8-2, Mount Carmel at 5-5, and Danville at 4-6, while Milton and Lewisburg both missed the cut, and Midd-West and Central Columbia both opted out.

(1) Mifflinburg vs (4) Danville – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Coming off of back to back seasons of first round exits the past two years, Mifflinburg took District 4 by storm this year, finishing with an 8-2 record and earning the number one seed. Leading the way on offense for the Wildcats is senior quarterback Chad Martin, who finished atop all of District 4 in passing yards with 2,208, and tied for first in passing touchdowns with 29. Along with the passing, Martin has been very efficient when using his legs this season, currently sitting at 353 rushing yards as well as six more touchdowns on the ground. The Wildcats also had plenty other playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, including fellow senior Landen Murray who finished second in the entire state in receiving yards with 1,085 as well as 15 receiving touchdowns. Their rushing attack featured junior Landon Moser and sophomore Seth Hartman, both who rushed for over 400 yards this year along with six and eight touchdowns respectively. Mifflinburg’s two losses this season have come at the hands of Hollidaysburg, who is an undefeated 5A powerhouse, and Southern Columbia, who is the number one seed in the District 4 2A class. Now taking a look at their opponent, the Danville Ironmen who came into 2025 fresh off a 13-1 season that featured a district title as well as making it to the state semifinals before losing their first game. This season has been quite the step down for them, finishing the regular season 4-6, which is already more losses than the Ironmen had in the last three season combined. Now to be fair, a drop off is expected after a generationally talented quarterback and running back both graduate, those being Madden Patrick and Bo Sheptock. The loss of Patrick led to senior reciever Carter Raup getting most of the teams reps at quarterback, which did include over 1100 passing yards and six touchdowns. Most of Danville’s offense came from senior Landon Kehoe who rushed for 512 yards and nine touchdowns, as well as racking up 423 receiving yards and three touchdowns. These two teams have met once before this season, the game resulting in a 42-14 road victory for Mifflinburg, now this time around the matchup will be in Mifflinburg.

(2) Montoursville vs (3) Mount Carmel – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Montoursville entered this season as their third one under the direction of head coach Joe Hanna, and this year the Warriors put together their best regular season finish since 2019, going 8-2 and earning the second seed in this year’s playoffs. Now what prevented the Warriors from getting the top seed this year? Back in week 4, the Warriors fell 35-7 at home to fellow District 4 opponent, Mifflinburg, who is the only team sitting above the Warriors. Their other loss came at the hands of Southern Columbia, who is a team that Mifflinburg also lost to this year. The Warriors offense this year has been a heavy dose of their two headed monster in the backfield, senior Christian Banks and junior Hayden Harvey. Banks finished the regular season with 1,114 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, while Harvey tallied 735 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Eli Eck also had a very solid year for himself, finishing with 1,037 passing yards and 11 touchdowns through the air, as well as adding two more scores on the ground. On the other side of the matchup, the Red Tornadoes have had a quite disappointing year for their standards. Aside from 2020 when their last four games were forfeited, Mount Carmel’s 5-5 record is by far their worst one since 2016 where they also finished the regular season 5-5. To be fair, all five of the Red Tornadoes losses have come to top tier teams, in fact the combined record of the five teams they lost to is 42-8, which does include a 27-0 home loss to Montoursville. Their offense has been very balanced this year, including senior quarterback Gavin Marshalek who threw for 897 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Their rushing attack featured three backs that all rushed for over 400 yards and 5 or more touchdowns, including junior Jaylen Delaney who rushed for 698 yards and 9 touchdowns, as well as their other backs Cooper Karycki and Mikal Kimsal. These two teams have already met earlier this year in Mount Carmel, now this time around the matchup will be in Montoursville.

Class 4A

The 4A class contains only six schools, with the top four qualifying for the playoffs. With Columbia Montour Vo-Tech opting out, the top four teams ended up being Shamokin at 10-0, Athens at 9-1, Jersey Shore at 7-3, and Shikellamy at 5-5.

(1) Shamokin vs (4) Shikellamy – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Back-to-back undefeated regular seasons is something we haven’t seen out of Shamokin since 1990 and 1991 when Dave Zielinskie was the head coach. Well, over two decades later, the Indians have done it once again. Aside from a midseason double overtime thriller against Jersey Shore, and a close call against Mount Carmel in the last week of the season, Shamokin has handled every single team they’ve faced pretty easily, including the team they’re about to face the Shikellamy Braves. This Indians offense has been heavily powered by their rushing attack, led by senior running back Zakeem Clinton who finished the regular season with 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Junior quarterback Logan Steele has also been part of this rushing attack, as he totaled 902 rushing yards and a whopping 19 rushing touchdowns, both of which are career highs. Steele did also add 474 yards and seven touchdowns through the air, but those numbers are not even close to the passing numbers he had last season, likely due to his star receiver Chase Pensyl having graduated this past year. Shikellamy has had a rather impressive year for themselves so far, finishing the regular season 5-5 after going 1-9 the past four years. This year the Braves success has come thanks to senior quarterback Brody Rebuck, who threw for the fifth most yards in the district with 1,723, along with 14 touchdowns through the air. Rebuck also added 547 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, which led the team in both categories. The Braves’ best receiver has been junior Thomas Pollock who racked up 905 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. As mentioned before, these two teams met earlier this season, Shamokin having took down Shikellamy 52-21 on the road in week 3, now this time the matchup will be in Shamokin.

(2) Jersey Shore vs (3) Athens – Friday 10/31 @ 7:00 PM

Jersey Shore back in the playoffs, which is nothing new considering they’ve done it every single year since 2012. However, this year seems a little off for the Bulldogs. This is the second year in a row that Jersey Shore finished the regular season 7-3, however their losses have been a little more extreme than in past. Taking a look at their first loss against Shamokin where they led 21-7 at halftime and ultimately lost 43-42 in double overtime, this one isn’t too much of a surprise. The other two losses are the ones that raise some eyebrows. Last season the Bulldogs lost to Hollidaysburg on the road by only two points, however this year the Bulldogs got blown out by them at home 52-7. Their loss to Scranton Prep last season was only by eight points at home, but this year they lost 51-19 on the road. Those losses were enough to drop Jersey Shore out of the 4A rankings entirely as the year wound down, however the Bulldogs have taken care of every other team they’ve played, including scoring 42 or more points in six out of their seven victories. That high powered offense has been led by sophomore quarterback Nolen Pauling who threw for 1,682 yards and 15 touchdowns, and senior running back Bo Sechrist who ran for 1,167 yards and 18 touchdowns. Pauling also added 474 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to his totals. On the other side, Athens emerged seemingly out of nowhere and finishing the regular season 9-1, which is their best record since 2015 when Jack Young was their head coach. Athens’ only blemish this year was a home loss to the defending 2A state champion Troy Tojans, the final score being 51-35 but the game was much closer than the score indicates. The Wildcats had strong rushing performances this year from senior running back Karson Sipley, and junior quarterback Conner Davidson. The big story for Athens right now is that their starting quarterback Conner Davidson is currently serving a two game suspension back in week 9. That suspension will keep him out of this game, which will require freshman quarterback Shea Davidson to play in his place. Jersey Shore will be hosting this game due to the way the power rankings played out, even though they have a worse record than Athens.

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