SEASON SNAPSHOT

2023 Schedule

Aug. 25—vs. Warrior Run

Sept. 1—vs. Wellsboro

Sept. 9—vs. Sayre

Sept. 15—at Montgomery

Sept. 22—at N.P.-Mansfield

Sept. 30—at CMVT

Oct. 6—vs. South Williamsport

Oct. 13—at Cowanesque Valley

Oct. 20—at Northwest

Oct. 27—vs. Hughesville to 18 games.

Now the goal is building on that success. The Indians are 20-3 the past two seasons, winning league championships each time, but want more than another second-place district finish.

“Single A football in District 4 been tough for years. Our kids are excited to hopefully get back and compete at the highest level,” Tetreault said. “They are itching to get back on the field. They’re not happy to have silver medals. They want chance to have the opportunity to get back to gold.”

And while Muncy may have taken some big this at the skill positions, it is loaded up front and that is a quite a place to build a strong foundation. Every starting lineman is back from a unit which cleared the way for more than 40 points and 300 yards last season. They also helped Muncy produce a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard passer.

All-state junior Ken Hampe and Eli Harris are three-year starters, while Brayden Trostle, Gabe Stark and Braydon Kamerer all excelled as well last season. Cam Kamerer and Nick Delany both played well at tight end, so Muncy has a strong blend of size, experience and agility. This unit proved that at Lycoming’s Lineman Challenge over the summer, taking second place and coming within one point of toppling sixtime defending Class AA state champion Southern Columbia.

“It’s great to see them come together and have the confidence in themselves and the techniques they use,” Tetreault said. “Our offensive and defensive lines love the mantra that the game is won in the trenches. They are excited to show how hard they have been working and what they can do because of the work they have put in.”

Those linemen also are excited to block for some exciting playmakers like all-state fullback Austin Johnson. The state’s heavyweight wrestling champion, Johnson has gone over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons and is tough to bring down at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and running a 4.5 40yard dash. Jacob Fowler produced two 100yard games last year and Landyn Wommer is a player who also could make a nice im- pact.

WhileBransonEyergraduated,anEyerwillremainat quarterbackashiscousinStiles takesover.Heisanotherversatilethreatwhohasputtogethera strongoffseason.BecauseMuncy blewoutmanyofitsopponents lastseason,Eyeralsowasableto getsomequalityplayingtimeand possessesbothagoodarmand quickmind.BrysonBarrowsand NateRogersbackupEyerand bothhaveimpressedthecoaches throughouttheoffseason.

“Stilescansteprightinfor Branson.Hehasallthetalent andthetools,”Tetreaultsaid. “He’sbeeninthesystemfortwo years.He’sexcitedtogethisshot andexcitedtoshoweverybody thatit’snotjust(hisbrother)Ross thatisgoodinthefamily.”

SpeakingofRossEyer,Noah Conferissimilarinheightand speedandcouldbecomeoneof StilesEyer’sfavoritetargets. Thosetwoalsowillplaykeyroles inthesecondarywhichmustreplaceallfourstartersfromlast year.

ForplayerslikeEyerandConferwhohavenewoffensiveroles thisseason,ithelpshavingthat experiencedlineoutinfront. Muncyhasbuiltitssuccessover thelastdecadearoundstrongline play,sowhoeverisbehindthem, theyareconfidenttheycanhelp themflourish.

“Welostsomegreatplayers andwehadagoodseniorclass,” Tetreaultsaid.“Butit’sgreatto havethefoundationpiecesup frontwherecantakesomepressureoffaguylikeStilesatquarterback.”

Manyofthelinemenwhowill helpMuncyoffensivelyalsowill dosodefensively.TheIndiansfrequentlyrotatedlinemeninlast yearanddoingsobothkeptthat

2022RESULTS(10-1)

Muncy 56, Warrior Run 6

Muncy 30, Wellsboro 22

Muncy 56, Montgomery 15

Muncy 49, N.P.-Mansfield 19

Muncy 48, CMVT 16

Muncy 21, South Williamsport 14

Muncy 46, Cowanesque Valley 21

Muncy 48, Northwest 21

Muncy 44, Hughesville 16

District 4 Class A Semifinals

Muncy 54, Northwest 6 Championship

Muncy 7, Canton 42

2023 Football Players To Watch

unitfresh,whilealsogiving youngerplayersvitalexperience.

ReplacingShudaisnoteasyat linebacker,butbothFowlerand Wommerhadbigseasonswhile startingforthefirsttimeayear ago.Long-timeLycomingassistantcoachMikeWeberandZach Burrowshavedoneagoodjob buildingastronglinebackingcore eachseasonandhavingFowler andWommertobuildaroundprovidesabigboost.

WarriorRunisateamwhich receivedabigboostlastseason, comingonstrongastheyearprogressed.Muncyopenswiththe Defendersagainthisyearand WarriorRunreturnsnearlyevery starter.TheIndiansmercyruled WarriorRunbyhalftimelast year,buttheyknowbothteams aremuchdifferentthisseason.

AndwhileWarriorRunishungryforredemptioninthisseries, Muncysurehassomethingto proveaswell.

“WarriorRunisgoingtosneak uponalotofpeople,”Tetreault said.“Thosekidsareworking hard.They’relookingtoexact somerevenge,soourkidshaveto bereadytoanswerthecall.”

BransonEyer88492116619

RUSHERATYDSTD

AustinJohnson111107218

EliWeikle625238

JacobFowler444066

DominicGuardini462711

BransonEyer282265

RECEIVERRECYDSTD

RossEyer2976515

NoahConfer61671

AustinJohnson51223

BenRobinson5540

Jack Fowler, LB/RB: One of two linebackers who was starting for the first time last season, Fowler made quite an impact, helping Muncy complete its first ever undefeated regular season. Fowler came on strong as the season progressed and made 109 tackles, including 60 solos. Fowler was in on 11 tackles in each of his last six games and also made five tackles for loss. A good hitter with quality speed, Fowler was in on 29 tackles in two playoff games. Along with Landyn Wommer, Fowler will be one of the team leaders this season and also provides valuable offensive backfield depth. Fowler displayed that when leading rusher Austin Johnson was sidelined last year. The senior ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns against North Penn-Mansfield and also topped 100 yards against Warrior Run. He finished with 406 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 9.2 yards per carry.

Ken Hampe, OL/DL: Only halfway through his high school career, Hampe has become one of the districtʼs top linemen and is receiving significant college interest. The strong 300-pound junior often overwhelmed defensive linemen and helped Muncy average more than 40 points per game. Hampe has started since Day 1 at Muncy, helping it repeat as NTL-II champions and go 20-3 the past two seasons. Both seasons, Muncy featured a 1,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher. Although only a sophomore last season, Hampe emerged as a leader up front because he was the only starter back from the 2021 unit. Hampe and the line frequently imposed their will last year and Hampe played a major role in Muncy running for 799 yards in its last two victories.

Austin Johnson, RB/LB: A state champion wrestler, Johnson also is quite a football player and has done some mighty impressive things the past two years. The 200pound tank with speed can play either backfield position and has topped 1,000 yards in both his seasons. The junior workhorse ran for 1,072 yards and 18 touchdowns in just nine games last season, averaging 9.7 yards per carry. Johnson can run over and by defenders and added 122 receiving yards with three scores, totaling 1,194 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has run for 2,251 yards and 34 touchdowns the past two seasons, scoring 34 touchdowns. Johnson went over 100 yards four times and 180 yards four times last season and scored a touchdown in all but one game.

Landyn Wommer, LB/RB: Wommer filled a big void at linebacker last season and excelled as a sophomore, finishing among the areaʼs leading tacklers. Wommer was second on the team in tackles, making 117 and adding five for loss, as well as an interception. Wommer seemingly was everywhere against Class A state semifinalist Canton in the district final, making 18 tackles. Wommer produced at least 10 tackles in seven of his last 10 games and attacks the run, while also being effective dropping into coverage. Muncy has produced a steady pipeline of all-state caliber linebackers over the last decade and Fowler and Wommer could be next in line. Wommer stood out in a hard-fought win against South Williamsport as well, being in on 18 tackles as Muncy won, 21-14.

BraylonFantaskihelped Bucktaillastyearatwhatever positionwasneeded,beinga standoutwidereceiver,runningbackanddefensiveback.

B By y C CHHRRIIS S M MAASSSSE E cmasse@sungazette.com

Bucktail introduced both a new coach and several first-time starters last fall. It was a transition season, but also a fun one.

While the Bucks finished 2-7, that was a twowin improvement over the previous campaign. Just as encouraging, the state’s smallest football program which does not co-op with another school was highly competitive in several other games. It was a good stepping stone and Bucktail is ready to climb the next rung as it enters the 2023 season.

Coach Frank Sutliff and his staff are back as are nearly all the starters from last season. The Bucks have found a nice home in District 9’s Region 3 League, playing times with similar roster sizes and are eager to establish themselves