February Thoughts and Observations: District IV – Part 1
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Welcome into February Thoughts and Observations and notes for District IV, this will be one of a few articles here covering District IV. Below, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on several programs within the District IV footprint whether it be…
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Continue ReadingWelcome into February Thoughts and Observations and notes for District IV, this will be one of a few articles here covering District IV. Below, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on several programs within the District IV footprint whether it be about a specific player, the program as a whole, or both. I’ll be doing these for several districts throughout the state on a rather regular basis, either every month or every other month.
Danville
What a great spot that the next head coach at Danville is going to step into. This team is absolutely stacked despite losing some players from their 12-1 team this past season. Coach Brennan did an absolutely fantastic job with the Ironmen and leaves the program in a great spot. I expect the Ironemen to once again be a contender in District IV next fall. Names such as Justin Kutcher Justin Kutcher 6'1" | 265 lbs | OL Danville | 2024 State PA , Cameron Kiersch Cameron Kiersch 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Danville Area | 2025 State PA , Madden Patrick Madden Patrick 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Danville | 2025 State PA , Kory King Kory King 5'9" | 150 lbs | RB Danville | 2025 PA , and Caleb Fowler Caleb Fowler 6'3" | 225 lbs | DL Danville | 2025 PA will all return.
Southern Columbia
Even in what could be described as a down year for the Tigers, they were still one of the better teams in the entirety of the state. While they lose Braeden Wisloski Braeden Wisloski 5'10" | 185 lbs | ATH Southern Columbia | 2023 State PA , they return names such as Blake Wise Blake Wise 6'1" | 155 lbs | QB Southern Columbia | 2024 State PA and Dominic Fetterolf Dominic Fetterolf 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Southern Columbia | 2025 State PA next season.
Wise does a little bit of everything for Southern Columbia but was their starting quarterback this season. He’s an intriguing prospect, with good height at 6-foot-2 but a bit underweight at 160 pounds. That being said, he throws a nice effortless ball. The arm strength is hard to gauge on tape but it’s no less than solid. He currently projects to be a potential starting D2 quarterback.
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is another team coming off a great season and the one player I want to highlight here today is 2026 quarterback Gavin Marshalek. As a rising sophomore, he already has nice size at 6-foot-0, 170-pounds. Shows a fluid and quick throwing motion as well with the ability to take off and run as well. Impressively for a young quarterback, he shows the ability to throw the ball on the run rather accurately. His ball placement overall is rather strong for just a freshman quarterback. There’s a lot of potentials in Marshalek, really excited to see what he could do this spring and summer on the camp circuit.
Jersey Shore
One of the best offenses in the entire state this past season, Jersey Shore was absolutely dominant until falling to Allentown Central Catholic 38-31 in the playoffs. In this notes article, I want to highlight 2024 offensive lineman Dyson Delaney Dyson Delaney 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Jersey Shore | 2024 State PA today. Delaney was an integral part of their offense this season being a bulldozer in the rushing attack and keeping his quarterback off the ground in pass protection.
Delaney has very good size at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds. Fun player to watch, quick out of his stance, quick to the point of attack, and truly blocks until the whistle is blown. He’s got an elite mentality out there of wanting to drive opposing defenders into the ground and does it on a regular basis. He’s simply a people mover and does it consistently. Firmly believe his best football is in front of him.
Loyalsock
One player that I’m looking to look more into this offseason is Loyalsock wide receiver Jaylen Andrews Jaylen Andrews 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Loyalsock Township | 2024 State PA . Absolutely elite production for the WR/CB this past season, totaling 58 receptions for 1,392 yards and 26 touchdowns. Has very good size as well at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. He may be flying under the radar right now but I have a feeling many will end up knowing his name by the time next fall rolls around.
Muncy
With Muncy, want to give some love to ATH Austin Johnson Austin Johnson RB Muncy | 2025 State PA who is not only a great running back and linebacker but also a terrific wrestler. In 12 games this year, Johnson rushed for 1,181 yards and 16 touchdowns over 161 carries for the Indians. Very productive running back who I believe would be able to play at a high level if football was in his future. However, Johnson is one of the best sophomore wrestlers in not just Pennsylvania, but arguably the country. He was a state-runner-up last year as a freshman which is rather unheard of and has a chance to win the state title this year. He trains with former Penn State great David Taylor David Taylor DL West Catholic | 2023 PA in State College.