Southern Columbia Rolls Past Towanda 62-28

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

Dave Fegley | November 7, 2026

Tigers Open Playoffs With Offensive Explosion

There was little doubt that Southern Columbia wanted to make a statement in its postseason opener, and the Tigers wasted little time doing just that.

Towanda briefly pulled even at 7-7 in the opening quarter, but Southern responded with a scoring barrage, finding the endzone on their first seven consecutive possessions to build a commanding halftime advantage before cruising to a 62-28 victory in the District 4 Class 2A quarterfinals Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

The 15-time state champions compiled 571 yards of total offense, including 442 on the ground, as they continued the momentum from last week’s regular season finale against Selinsgrove.

Southern’s defense also played a significant role in the early separation, forcing four consecutive punts after surrendering Towanda’s first touchdown.

The Tigers’ response to the Black Knights’ early score was immediate. Ayden Hockenbroch connected with Jace Malakoski on a 22-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead, and Grady Garcia added his second rushing touchdown before Joey Williams broke loose for a 68-yard scoring jaunt to make it 28-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The offensive onslaught continued into the second quarter, as Southern scored on the first play of two consecutive possessions. Blaise Kissinger hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Hockenbroch before Garcia found the end zone for the third time.

Williams then delivered another explosive play, sprinting 61 yards for his second touchdown of the evening to extend the advantage to 49-7.

Towanda managed to find the end zone before halftime, but the damage had already been done as the Tigers carried a 49-14 lead into the locker room.

“We threw earlier in the game more to get those guys involved through the air, and the running game was there as well,” said Southern coach Jim Roth.

That balance was evident throughout the night, as Southern’s passing attack was just as efficient as its ground game. Hockenbroch completed all seven of his attempts for 129 yards and two touchdowns, bouncing back from a passing performance the previous week where the Tigers didn’t have as much success.

“Last week our passing game was a little off with the timing and communication, so it was really nice to bounce back with this performance,” Hockenbroch said. “We were talking on the sidelines about things that we could do different before each series in the early part of the game, and it was definitely a lot better this week.”

While the passing game provided another dimension to the offense, the Tigers’ ground attack continued to overwhelm opposing defenses.

For the second consecutive week, both Garcia and Williams eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Garcia finished with 153 yards on 12 carries and four touchdowns, following up his career-high 256-yard performance against Selinsgrove.

Williams, meanwhile, turned in a career night of his own, rushing for 162 yards on just five attempts. His two long touchdown runs highlighted a performance that showcased the senior fullback’s growing ability to make defenders miss in the open field.

“I have been looking to get a little shiftier, and I think the down the field blocking has really been helping me,” Williams said. “Blaise Kissinger as a receiver has been making a lot of great blocks down the field.”

Williams was also quick to credit the work of the offensive line and tight ends for creating the opportunities that allowed him to break free.

“The holes are always there. You can almost tell before the play starts where we can find that hole, and I can trust my o-line to do that as well as the tight ends,” Williams said.

Defensively, Southern had a few hiccups against Towanda’s passing attack, as Reese Sluyter threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Jazik Brown accounted for 165 receiving yards and two scores, including a 78-yard touchdown that briefly evened the game in the first quarter.

However, the Tigers limited the Black Knights to just 94 rushing yards and came away with the victory without committing a turnover.

“We were able to have balanced success with our rushing and passing, so it was a good start to the postseason,” Roth said. “Defensively, we had a couple of breakdowns in pass coverage but overall, I felt our defense looked good.”

The victory also continues an impressive stretch of offensive production for the Tigers. Between their regular-season finale against Selinsgrove and Friday’s playoff opener, Southern has accumulated 943 rushing yards and 1,140 total yards of offense in just seven days.

Special team play was in the favor of Southern which included a punt block from Chase Williams that immediately resulted in one of SCA’s scores.

“We know we need to play with a lot of energy in the playoffs now that the regular season is behind us,” said the defensive end who also provided a sack in the win.

Despite the lopsided victory, the Tigers know the road only gets more difficult from here.

Southern will welcome familiar postseason opponent Troy to Tiger Stadium next Friday in a District 4 semifinal. The two programs have become regular playoff adversaries, with this marking their fifth consecutive postseason meeting.

The stakes are significant, as the winner of each of the previous four meetings has gone on to capture the PIAA championship.

“We are focused on being more physical than the opponent and getting our playmakers involved to make plays,” said offensive tackle Bobby Nenstiel.

For Hockenbroch, the message following Friday’s victory was simple: enjoy the win but quickly turn the page.

“This was just the first step in our playoff run. We need to focus our attention now on Troy,” Hockenbroch said. “At this point, any loss ends the season and none of us want that to happen.”

Roth echoed that sentiment, knowing his team still has work to do if it hopes to make another deep postseason run.

“You take it one game at a time, and we will need to continue to work in different areas to try and get a step better next week,” Roth said. “I was overall pleased with the performance tonight and we just need to continue to keep that focus.”

Southern Columbia 62, Towanda 28

SC — TW

First Downs: 24 — 11

Rushes-yds: 43-442 — 26-94

Passing yds: 129 — 195

Total yds: 571 — 289

Passing (C-A-I): 7-7-0 — 8-15-0

Penalties: 4-50 — 4-55

Fumbles-lost: 0-0 — 1-0

Towanda (5-6): 7-7-7-7 — 28

Southern (10-1): 28-21-7-6 — 62

1st Quarter

S– Grady Garcia 10 run (Lincoln Billig kick), 8:04.

T– Jazick Brown 78 pass from Reese Sluyter (Brayden Spencer kick), 7:42.

S– Jace Malakoski 22 pass from Ayden Hockenbroch (Billig kick), 6:13.

S– Garcia 1 run (Billig kick), 2:37.

S– Joey Williams 68 run (Billig kick), 1:13.

2nd Quarter

S– Blaise Kissinger 17 from Hockenbroch (Billig kick), 11:41.

S– Garcia 2 run (Billig kick), 5:08.

S– Williams 61 run (Billig kick), 3:46.

T– Gage Evans 20 pass from Sluyter (Spencer kick), 1:30.

3rd Quarter

S– Garcia 20 run (Billig kick), 7:20.

T– Sluyter 1 run (Spencer kick), 1:37.

4th Quarter

S– Jacoby Karlovich 1 run (no attempt), 3:10.

T–Brown 42 pass from Sluyter (Spencer kick), 0:33.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Southern: Joey Williams 5-162, 2 TDs; Grady Garcia 12-153, 4 TDs; Gavin Brown 9-44; Jacoby Karlovich 4-23, TD; Cael Williams 2-17; Gavin Trometter 4-16; Lincoln Barnette 2-10; Will Wojtowicz 2-10; Kane Cecco 3-7. Towanda: Gage Evans 9-81; Curtis Maynard 12-35; Jazik Brown 1-8; Reese Sluyter 4-(-30), TD.

PASSING — Southern: Ayden Hockenbroch 7-7-0, 129 yds, 2 TDs. Towanda: Reese Sluyter 8-15-0, 195 yds, 3 TDs.

RECEIVING — Southern: Blaise Kissinger 4-51, TD; Jace Malakoski 2-43, TD; Grady Garcia 1-35. Towanda: Jazik Brown 6-165, 2 TDs; Gage Evans 2-30, TD.

Photos provided by Noah Hockenbroch: