Every player contributed to Muncy |’s exciting victory on Friday News, sports, jobs

Friday’s Class A first-round state tournament game at Scranton High School was part captivating contest and part battle of wills. Muncy paid the price all offseason and has continued to do so since games started counting last August. It all came together and by the end of the game Muncy was standing tallest.

Every player did their part and Muncy put together a game-winning 68-yard drive in the final two minutes before Austin Johnson ran for the game-winning 2-point conversion as it defeated District 2 champion Lackawanna Trail by 47 -46. Stiles Eyer hit Johnson for a 32-yard touchdown before Johnson ran for the game-winning 2-point conversion. He then helped win the game when he intercepted a pass at the 11-yard line as Muncy (11-2) earned a spot in the state quarterfinals against District 3 champion Delone Catholic.

“It’s really great to know that we were able to come through in those situations and trust each other, that we had chemistry and were able to come through and win those games. It cleanses my soul,” Eyer said after throwing for 181 total yards and three touchdowns. “It was heartfelt to see everyone come through and do their jobs, complete their assignments and rally as a team, not as individuals.”

SEAN MCKEAG/Special to the Sun-Gazette Muncy’s Paxton Derr plays Lackwanna Trail Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs. Muncy and Johnson won 47-46.

Muncy was all heart against Lackwanna Trail. The Indians proved how talented they are a long time ago, but this game showed just how strong they are. In a thriller that produced 93 points, 44 first downs, 1,074 yards and five lead changes, Muncy kept grinding and found a way to reach the state Elite 8 for just the second time in program history.

“We kept getting knocked down, but we kept getting back up and fighting.” safety Dominic Guardini said after intercepting two passes. “The heart of this team is unreal. As much as everyone wants it, it makes it so much fun to be with all these people who care so much.”

“Lackawanna Trail is very well coached and our team was not affected at all. It was great to see them play for four quarters, never giving up and never deviating from the game plan.” Muncy coach Sean Tetreault said. “We constantly preach to our children to believe in yourself. It was great to see that they had the mentality of not letting anything hold them back.”

This was clearly reflected during the winning ride. Lackawanna Trail went ahead 46-39 with 1 minute, 50 seconds left and had Muncy on the ropes two hours from home. Once again the Indians thundered back like Rocky Balboa and all eleven players formed a unit as they reacted quickly.

Eyer completed a 26-yard pass to Landyn Wommer before finding Paxton Derr for 10 yards. He followed Austin Johnson for the 32-yard touchdown just 35 seconds after Trail scored. Muncy players wanted to go for two and Tetreault trusted them when Johnson rushed in for the go-ahead goal with 75 seconds left.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Muncy’s Nassir Miller put the pressure on Line Mountain’s Kaiden Maurer in the District 4 Class A championship two weeks ago. Last week, Miller and countless other players helped the Indians win.

“We were calm. We said we have time and three timeouts and we know our running backs are athletic and can make plays. Eyer said. “Knowing that our line could come together and everyone could do their job, we felt confident that whether it was running or passing the ball, we could be successful and drive down the field.”

Guardini made a key stop on Lackawanna Trail’s subsequent series and Eyer dropped the hammer a play later, intercepting his seventh pass this season. Linemen Ken Hampe, Evan Trostle, Nick Delany, Tyler Humphrey, Nixon Lamper and tight end Cam Kamerer then led the charge and Johnson ran for a first down that sealed the win and a berth in the quarterfinals, marking a shot into history since Muncy has never done that. reached the Final 4.

“It was surreal. They scored and it was hard to swallow but then we went down and scored in 35 seconds and they held on and were able to squeeze it out and it was a great feeling. Guardini said. “Every time something happened, we kept saying we knew this was going to be a tough game, and we got back up and kept pushing.”

“They never let the momentum swing too far. They stayed the same.” Tetreault said. “They were very alert and knew what had to be done.”

All that work since last January led to a moment like Muncy experienced on Friday. That’s where the Indians owned that moment. As exciting as that win was, Muncy remains dissatisfied.

More moments await and another tough challenge lies ahead against another excellent opponent who is also coming off a dramatic comeback victory.

The work continues.

“The fact that I get to live in the moment and experience it is crazy enough and the opportunity to do something no Muncy team has ever done before is even better,” Guardini said. “We have to keep working and the way everyone is supporting each other is fantastic. No one is putting anyone down and that makes it great to play for each other.”

HISTORICAL RUN

Undefeated Troy defeated Warrior Run 59-14 Friday at Mansfield University to capture the District 4 Class AA championship. Still, Warrior Run (8-5) made history this season, reaching its first district final and winning multiple playoff games in the same season, doing so both times on the road.

Warrior Run also tied the highest win total of the 2000s. It was quite a season for a team that has made a huge turnaround, going from a 19-game losing streak in 2022 to the district semifinals last year and the championship this season .

Sam Hall capped his stellar high school career in impressive fashion, catching seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown while ripping off two long kick returns for a total of 247 all-purpose yards. Hall also surpassed 1,000 yards for the second time and will graduate as the area’s all-time leader in receiving yards (3,194) while ranking second in catches (174) and third in touchdown receptions (33).

Fellow senior Eli Butler ran for 50 yards and a touchdown and finished his season with 1,642 total yards and 22 touchdowns scoring four ways. Stone Allison added another sack to finish with 11 1/2 on the year.

SO CLOSE

Lewisburg went all out to dethrone Danville, the state’s top-ranked Class AAA team, but the Ironmen scored with :47.2 seconds to win a 28-24 championship thriller and secure a fifth straight title to set. The Green Dragons erased deficits twice in the fourth quarter, going up 17-14 and 24-21 respectively, as linemen Nate Malusis, Garrett Glathar, Hayes Schumacher, Andrew Smith, Mateo Casale and tight end Tyler Downs paved the way for 290 rushing yards.

Jeremiah Davis ran for 267 yards and three touchdowns as Lewisburg capped a spectacular season at 10-2. The Dragons posted a four-win improvement for the second straight season while winning the program’s first league title since 2010 and winning 10 games in a season for the first time since that year. The championship performance showed just how far Lewisburg had come this past season, as it was less than a minute away from winning the district title against a team that defeated Country 42-3 in last year’s semifinals.

STILL GOLD

It wasn’t the ending Williamsport wanted, as State College defeated it 75-14 in the first round of the 6A state tournament, but the Millionaires still enjoyed an excellent season. Williamsport (7-6) captured its first district championship since 2016, improving by two wins and laying the foundation for more success in the future.

A week after returning an interception for a touchdown in the district title win at Wilkes-Barre, Samir Williams struck on special teams, taking a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Jamel Bailey made a big impact on both sides of the ball in his first season at Williamsport, running for 40 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

That of Dr. Mass

final rankings

1. Muncy (11-2); 2. Lewisburg (10-2); 3. Jersey Coast (8-4); 4. Williamsport (7-6); 5. Warrior’s Flight (8-4)

Players of the week

Stiles Eyer and

Austin Johnson, Muncy

Two senior leaders came up big for Muncy, connecting on the late touchdown and making key plays all night. Eyer threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 39 yards and another score. He also helped seal the victory with his last-second interception. Johnson ran for 284 yards and three touchdowns, also catching the 32-yard touchdown and running in the game-winning 2-point conversion. Johnson totaled 316 yards and four touchdowns.