HS Football, Week 1 Preview: Hurricanes, Red Tornadoes to meet for 1st time
Schuylkill Haven's Colton Reber weaves his way through the Minersville defense during the Hurricanes' Sept. 18 victory at Rotary Field (Photo by Justin Reed / Skook News).
Schuylkill Haven’s visit to Silver Bowl headlines Week 1
In the long, storied history of Pennsylvania’s winningest high school football program, Mount Carmel has never played Schuylkill Haven.
Until tonight.
The Red Tornadoes and Hurricanes will square off for the first time ever when Schuylkill Haven travels to Jazz Diminick Field at the Silver Bowl in a non-league showdown at 7 p.m.
The matchup of two PIAA state championship-winning programs is one of 13 games involving Schuylkill League teams this weekend as the 2026 season officially gets under way.
Also on the docket for Friday night is Shamokin at Pottsville (WPPA 1360 AM/105.9 FM), Jim Thorpe at Blue Mountain (T-102), Halifax at Minersville, Line Mountain at Tri-Valley, Mahanoy Area at Panther Valley, Nativity at Montrose, North Schuylkill at Jersey Shore, Palmerton at Marian, Pine Grove Area at Northern Lebanon, Tamaqua at Lehighton and Williams Valley at Upper Dauphin.
Saturday, Shenandoah Valley travels to Col-Mon Vo-Tech for a noon start.
Schuylkill Haven is coming off a campaign in which the Hurricanes won 12 straight games before falling 34-31 to Williams Valley in the District 11 Class AA championship game. Mount Carmel went 5-6 last season, suffering a heartbreaking 43-42, triple-overtime loss to Montoursville in the District 4 Class 3A semifinals.
Getting a chance to play at the storied Silver Bowl is a great experience for his team, Schuylkill Haven coach Mike Farr said.
“We’ve never played Mount Carmel in a regular-season game,” Farr said. “We’ve scrimmaged them.
“It’s a great environment, it’s a great football town. Possibly the legacy of Coal Region football. It will be nice to have our kids go play in that environment.”
For more preview coverage of Week 1, get a look at the Shamokin at Pottsville game, visit https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/08/28/hs-football-pottsville-set-for-opener-against-powerhouse-shamokin-area/
Be sure to check out Alfredo Mercuri’s interview with Crimson Tide head coach Mike Brennan on the Mike Brennan show posted on our site and available prior to Friday’s game on WPPA 1360 AM/105.9 FM.
Also, find out which teams our T102 Sports Now panel believes will win their Week 1 games on Touchdown Tips: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/08/28/touchdown-tips-week-1-2026/
Here’s a capsule look at this weekend’s games involving local teams:
Week 1 Capsules
Friday’s games
Jim Thorpe at Blue Mountain
2025 records/accomplishments: Blue Mountain 7-5, lost to Southern Lehigh in D-11 4A semifinals. Jim Thorpe 4-7, lost to Allentown Central Catholic in D-11 4A quarterfinals
Last year: Blue Mountain won 47-0
Listen live: T102 (101.9 FM)
Live updates: Follow T102 Sports Now content editor Leroy Boyer on Twitter @pubsportsboss
About Blue Mountain: Eagles return nine starters on offense, eight on defense. … QB Cohen Kirby (1,630 yards, 18 TDs, 2 Int), RB Brody Foose, RB Frankie Russo, WR Chase Guers, WR Kole Luckenbill, WR Lucas Pritiskutch and offensive linemen Vaughn Helverson, Ryan Clemas, Hunter Reichart, Kurt Krammes are key figures in what should be a pretty potent offense. Blue Mountain must replace DE William Shaner, DT Dylan Foose, LB Reese Miller on defense.
About Jim Thorpe: Olympians lost their dual-threat QB Cole Lazorick, who threw for 1,721 yards and 16 TDs and ran for 606 yards and six more scores. WR Bobby Levins (32-389, 6 TDs) and WR Spencer Gothard (21-380, 5 TDs) are back for head coach Mark Rosenberger’s club.
Schuylkill Haven at Mount Carmel
2025 records/accomplishments: Schuylkill Haven 12-1, lost to Williams Valley in District 11 AA title game. Mount Carmel 5-6, lost 43-42 to Montoursville in D-4 3A semifinals
Last year: Did not play
About Schuylkill Haven: First-ever meeting against Mount Carmel. …. Hurricanes have a lot of key pieces to replace, including QB Max Heim, RB/LB Niko Castillo, RB/LB Niko Carestia and two-way linemen Chase Williams, Wyatt Keefer and Ethan Kline. …. Colton Reber is back after rushing for 2,875 yards and 38 TDs. He’s a workhorse. Bradyn Diehl takes over at QB and has some young pieces around him in RB Logan Goad (33-419, 5 TDs), RB/WR Chase Yoder (38-270). Up front is key. Can they create a hole for Reber to break long runs as they did last year?
About Mount Carmel: Red Tornadoes opened last season 1-4, then won four straight before losing to Shamokin in Coal Bucket game. Fell 43-42 in 3OT to Montoursville in District 4 3A semifinals. Head coach John Darrah is in 12th season. Mount Carmel returns an experienced club with some talented weapons. WR/DB Jaylen Delaney (104-850, 12 TDs/21-403, 4 TDs), TE/DL Max Karycki (5-85, 3 TDs, 94 tackles on defense) and RB Cooper Karycki lead the way, while WR/LB Aidan Brokenshire, LB Jason Klokis, LB Josh Blessing and LB Mikey Higgins also return. …. Mount Carmel will have a new quarterback, with sophomores James Spears and Alekzandr Lukoskie and freshman Gabriel Higgins battling for the starting nod throughout the preseason.
Halifax at Minersville
2025 records/accomplishments: Minersville 9-3, lost to Williams Valley in D-11 AA semifinals. Halifax 8-4, was District 3 AA runner-up, losing to Steel-High 52-13 in title game.
Last year: Minersville 35-6
About Minersville: Minersville has to replace Tremendous 33 Team Offensive Player of the Year and UCF freshman Dante Carr, who threw for 1,822 yards and 29 TDs while rushing for 1,396 yards and 19 scores. Also gone are area’s leading receiver WR Paiten LaPoint (47-733, 12 TDs), TE Ty Atkinson (24-416, 8 TDs) and WR Matt Dube (24-369, 7 TDs). That’s a lot of offense. … Derek Derenzo will step in at QB after rushing for 809 yards and 8 TDs a year ago as the Miners’ tailback. Justin Cutler (14-162) is back at WR. Derenzo will be good in his role, but there are several younger players who will need to step up, especially on defense.
About Halifax: Halifax is coming off a strong year that saw the Wildcats win six straight games after a 1-3 start, then beat Lancaster Catholic 30-14 in the District 3-AA playoffs.
Line Mountain at Tri-Valley
2025 records/accomplishments: Line Mountain 11-1, District 4 A champs, lost to Lackawanna Trail 31-20 in PIAA Class A first round. Tri-Valley 7-5, District 11 A champions, lost to Lackawanna Trail in D-2/11 A subregional championship game.
Last year: Did not play.
About Line Mountain: Eagles won their first District 4 Class A crown in more than 20 years last season. Most of that team is gone as head coach Brandon Carson’s club must replace 10 starters on offense and nine on defense, including All-State QB Kaiden Maurer, receivers Dalton Schadel and Bryce Smeltz, fullback Ethan Lenker and the entire offensive and defensive lines. RB Kaden Dunkelberger (82-502, 11 TDs), RB Liam Troutman (38-293) and WR Henry Malfara (31-473, 8 TDs) return to lead offense. Sophomore Preston Derk is expected to be new QB.
About Tri-Valley: Dawgs bring back an experienced squad led by QB Trey Porter (928 yards, 12 TDs) and RB Parker Hatter (134-768, 10 TDs). RB/LB Landon Horoschak, WR Doyle Flory, RB Donovan Keith, TE Lucas Schwartz and linemen Cayne Shadle, Mason Wagner and Riley Morgan also return and should play critical roles. Kicker Nathan Hillard gives Tri-Valley a scoring weapon any time the Dawgs get in the red zone.
Mahanoy Area at Panther Valley
2025 records/accomplishments: Mahanoy Area 2-8. Panther Valley 4-7, lost to North Schuylkill 53-27 in District 11 3A quarterfinals
Last year: Panther Valley 20-0
Game notes: Each team must replace key cog of last year’s team, Kyler Quick for Mahanoy Area, Brody Breiner for Panther Valley. …. QB JD Kowalick and RB Quintin Rucker are back for Bears, who look to be much improved in second year under head coach Mick Connolly. …. Panther Valley brings back WR Chase McArdle (54-445, 2 TDs), bruising FB Carson Jones and its entire offensive line: Jerry Harrison, Spencer Black, Carlos Maldonado, Jayden Ramos, Brody Vermillion. Junior Cy Maynard, sophomore Corrigan Crampsie are competing for starting quarterback job.
Nativity at Montrose
2025 records/accomplishments: Nativity 4-7, lost to Lackawanna Trail in D-2/11 A subregional. Montrose 3-7
Last year: Did not play
About Nativity: Owen Holley takes over at QB for Green Wave. Get used to hearing the name Felty on every play … RB Connor Felty, RB Cooper Felty, WR Cole Felty. Speedy RB Bentley Werez also returns, as does FB/LB Danny Trezise and OL Marshall Dolbin. Nativity has a solid 11-12 guys but needs to stay healthy.
About Montrose: Montrose is located in Susquehanna County, roughly 108 miles up Interstate 81, a 2-hour, 10-minute trip. The Meteors only scored 110 points last year, with wins over Susquehanna, Holy Redeemer and Renaissance Academy. Montrose returns nearly its entire lineup intact, with nine defensive starters. QB Weston Nabywaniec is back, along with RB Tim David and RB Sawyer Aukema.
North Schuylkill at Jersey Shore
2025 records/accomplishments: North Schuylkill 8-4, beat Panther Valley 53-27, lost to Northwestern Lehigh 49-21 in District 11 3A playoffs. Jersey Shore 8-4, lost to Shamokin 37-0 in District 4 Class 4A championship
Last year: Did not play
About North Schuylkill: It’s a new era at North Schuylkill as Joe Tomtishen takes over for Wally Hall, who had 115 wins in 13 seasons. There’s a lot of change on the field, too, as QB Caden Mengel, RB Luke Miller and most of their blockers (Aiden Zilker, Kaiden Knox, Dave Martinez, Gavin Wall, Cameron Hutnick) graduated. Miller rushed for 2,563 yards and 31 TDs, while Mengel threw for 1,108 yards and 13 TDs and ran for 508 yards and 8 TDs. QB Brock Holmes, RB Angel Ortiz, speedy WR Daniel Brake are players to watch for Spartans.
About Jersey Shore: Bulldogs have had a pretty good run over the past decade and return another experienced club this season. Last year, Tom Gravish’s squad only lost to Shamokin twice, 5A Hollidaysburg and Scranton Prep. QB Nolen Pauling (1,914 yards, 17 TDs passing; 527 yards, 10 TDs rushing) returns to lead an offense that scored 42 or more points seven times. RB Kash Hermitt (11 TDs) will be the top ballcarrier. … It’s 74.4 miles from Fountain Springs to Jersey Shore, travel time about 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Palmerton at Marian
2025 records/accomplishments: Marian 7-4, lost to Tri-Valley 3-0 in D-2/11 A subregional. Palmerton 3-8, lost 42-0 to NW Lehigh in 11-3A quarterfinals
Last year: Did not play
About Marian: Billy O’Gurek enters third year as Colts head coach looking to return to the postseason for third straight year. …. Leading rusher Rory Dixon decided not to come out for his senior season after carrying the ball 641 times for 3,257 yards and 37 touchdowns over the past three seasons. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards all three seasons, gaining 1,005 yards as a freshman, 1,229 yards as a sophomore and 1,023 yards with 15 TDs last season as a junior. Dixon will wrestle at NCAA Division I Davidson College in North Carolina. How does Marian replace him? …. Colts have lots of weapons: QB Greg Tirpak (57-100, 941, 6 TDs), RB Tyler Price (43-320, 19-309), FB Jason Ashfield (32-111), TE Rocco Griguoli (14-207) and three returning starters up front.
About Palmerton: Blue Bombers had an injury-plagued season a year ago that thrust several underclassmen into key roles. Result was a 3-8 season with wins over Saucon Valley, Wilson Area and Salisbury. …. Chris Walkowiak’s club will revolve around a group of seven veteran linemen who provide consistency on both sides of the ball. RB Michael Garey (420 yards, 5 TDs) and WR Ben Negley (24-302, 4 TDs) are top offensive returnees. Sophomores TK Gursky and TJ Weller are vying for starting quarterback job.
Pine Grove at Northern Lebanon
2025 records/accomplishments: Pine Grove 1-9. Northern Lebanon 1-9.
Last year: Northern Lebanon 35-8
About Pine Grove: Pine Grove has won just seven games over the last four years with Dave Shiffer at the helm, going 7-34. The big problem for the Cardinals in that stretch has been reaching the end zone. Pine Grove scored eight points or less in eight games last season, was shut out five times and was outscored 212-0 over the last four contests. RB Logan Troup (154-597, TD), FB/TE Zack Kurtz and WR Teagan Schneck-Haines give Pine Grove some hope offensively.
About Northern Lebanon: Vikings have a new coaching staff after dropping their final nine games of last season. Northern Lebanon did score 31, 23, 27 points in its final three games against Octorara, Daniel Boone and ELCO.
Tamaqua at Lehighton
2025 records/accomplishments: Tamaqua 4-8, beat Saucon Valley 22-15, lost to Notre-Dame Green Pond 59-16 in District 11 3A playoffs. Lehighton 5-6, lost to Blue Mountain 42-7 in District 11 4A quarterfinals
Last year: Lehighton 27-16
About Tamaqua: Game could be a tale of two tailbacks. Blue Raiders bring back RB Terrence McDowell (315-1,740 yards, 19 TDs) who had 85 more carries than anybody else in area. Expect him to be a workhorse again this season. Key for Tamaqua is can the Blue Raiders balance the offense enough to give McDowell room to run. …. Tamaqua will have a new QB in Ace Schickram. TE/DE Teagan Phillips and FB C.J. Walker are key returnees.
About Lehighton: Tom McCarroll’s club returns RB Lukas Croizier (1,130 rushing, 9 TDs) and TE Ty Nansteel but lost a talented senior core in QB Jayse Lawrence (1,471 passing), WR Caden Meek (33-575, 7 TDs) and TE Blake Roberts (37-353, 4 TDs). Jack Lucykanish and Brock Atwood competing for starting QB job. Up front could be the difference. Indians return six offensive linemen, including 6-4, 330-pound Parker Rodgers. Chase Keller (290), Marc Macias (275), Nick Blose (255) and Dom Lawrence (245) and Jon Mayers round out the group.
Williams Valley at Upper Dauphin
2025 records/accomplishments: Williams Valley 12-2, District 11 AA champion, lost to Lansdale Catholic in PIAA playoffs. Upper Dauphin 5-6, defeated Holy Cross 42-20 to win Eastern Conference A/AA championship
Last year: Williams Valley 54-0
About Williams Valley: Vikings have new head coach in Frank Gaffney, who was a head coach previously for four seasons at Pine Grove and the defensive coordinator at Schuylkill Haven the past four years. He inherits a squad that returns a ton of talent, led by RB Fletcher Thompson and RB/LB Trevon Bair. Thompson was third in the area in rushing with 1,839 yards and 22 TDs, while catching 20 passes for 500 yards and six scores. Bair was the defensive leader with 119 tackles. TE Colin Crisswell (19-398, 8 TDs) also returns. Williams Valley will have to replace QB Brady Shomper and several key pieces up front. Sophomore Cayden Witmer steps in for Shomper, who led the area in passing with 2,080 yards and 30 TDs.
About Upper Dauphin: Trojans return several experienced players after winning five of their final six games and beating Holy Cross for the Eastern Conference Class A/AA title. …. Kent Smeltz’s squad is big up front, led by senior tackles Karson Engle (6-5, 305) and Ayden Winstead (6-2, 280), senior guard Carson Rummel (6-2, 255) and senior center/guard John Kerwin. …. Senior TE Eoghan Savage (6-4, 252) will be the main target of QB Landon Osenga, while RB/WR Isaac Jackson and RB Hunter Grassmyer also return. Savage, Engle, Rummel and Winstead comprise an imposing defensive front.
Saturday’s game
Shenandoah Valley at Col-Mon Vo-Tech
Kickoff: Noon
2025 records/accomplishments: Shenandoah Valley 0-10. Col-Mon Vo-Tech 4-6.
Last year: Col-Mon Vo-Tech 38-19
