District 4 Week 1 Matchups to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week one of the high school football season is here, and today, I look at five games in District 4 to keep a close eye on this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Schuylkill vs. Mount Carmel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A great matchup to start the season between a District 4 power in Mount Carmel and a District 11 power in North Schuylkill. Both teams won 10 or more games last season, featuring high-powered offenses and stout defenses. There will be plenty of talent on both sides of the ball in this one as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount Carmel will have 2024 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='305013' first='Xavier' last='Diaz'], 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='558534' first='Cole' last='Spears'], 2026 QB [player_tooltip player_id='306929' first='Gavin' last='Marshalek'], 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='377182' first='Jacob' last='Schultz'], and linebacker 2024 Jaxson Chownasky. For North Schuylkill, names such as 2024 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='255943' first='Joey' last='Flail'], 2024 defensive backs [player_tooltip player_id='529072' first='Collin' last='McGee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='386249' first='Keegan' last='Curry'], and offensive lineman Aidan Zilker lead the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If he's given the opportunity, I'd love to see what [player_tooltip player_id='306929' first='Gavin' last='Marshalek'] could do against this North Schuylkill defense. It's a dangerous Spartans secondary and should be a good challenge for the sophomore signal caller if he's given the chance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jersey Shore vs. Pottsville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey Shore is looking to up a terrific 2022 season with a quality week one test against the Pottsville Crimson Tide. Jersey Shore is a strong, fundamentally sound team headlined by 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='893576' first='Jerrin' last='Loomis'], 2024 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='377549' first='Dyson' last='Delaney'], and 2025 RB [player_tooltip player_id='386103' first='Elijah' last='Jordan'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pottsville is a team that we would love to learn more about starting this weekend. Prospects that we will keep an eye on this week and in the future include RB Parrish McFarland and LB Evan Drum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Berwick vs. Southern Columbia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is a matchup between one former dynasty and one current dynasty. This should be an entertaining matchup this weekend between these two programs. Southern Columbia is looking for another state this fall, while Berwick looks to bounce back from a 5-7 season last fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is still plenty of talent all across the field between these two programs. Notable Berwick players include senior QB Ethan Lear, RB Tyler Winter, WR William Hanson, and LB Braylon Hawkins. Freshman TE Aiden George is someone to watch closely over the next few years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Southern Columbia, [player_tooltip player_id='399258' first='Garrett' last='Garcia'] is returning from a knee injury a year ago; he'll be the Tigers' biggest offensive threat this year at running back while also being an outstanding linebacker. 2024 linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='377413' first='Colden' last='Bloom'] and [player_tooltip player_id='263030' first='Dominic' last='Fetterolf'] round out a strong linebacker room, while senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='269065' first='Blake' last='Wise'] and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='558407' first='Jacob' last='Hoy'] are other notable top players for Southern Columbia. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Delaware Valley vs. Selinsgrove</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nice week one matchup here between Delaware Valley and Selinsgrove. DelVal is a intriguing team coming into this. After a slow start last year, losing four of their first five, the Warriors got the ball rolling last year, winning six of their last eight. Can they carry that momentum into this fall? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Delaware Valley has the best all-around tight end in the state on their side in Stanford commitment, [player_tooltip player_id='91569' first='Aiden' last='Black']. I'm excited to see how he performs this season. That being said, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='91603' first='Justin' last='Kalitsnik'] has quite a bit of upside himself, and I'm intrigued to see how he's developed since last season. For Selinsgrove, the backfield duo of [player_tooltip player_id='164521' first='Mark' last='Pastore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='256157' first='Tucker' last='Teats'] will be a good one all season long. They'll have a good first test on the season with this Delaware Valley defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bloomsburg vs. Danville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Danville is another team, much like Jersey Shore, that is a great, fundamentally sound team. They saw a change at the head coaching position this offseason as Mike Brennan stepped down and Carl Majer took over as head coach. This will be a worthy opponent for Majer and the Ironmen. The Bloomsburg Panthers went 5-6 last season, which included a 58-0 loss to Danville, which set the tone of what the Ironmen would be all of last season. However, the Panthers did show strides as last season progressed and returned plenty of key players, making them a highly intriguing team entering this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomsburg has a few prospects to watch, including WR Dominick Rosinia and RB Brady Horan. For Danville, keep an eye on running back [player_tooltip player_id='386288' first='Kory' last='King'], quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='386099' first='Madden' last='Patrick'], offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='255048' first='Justin' last='Kutcher'], defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='386319' first='Caleb' last='Fowler'], and, of course, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='118752' first='Cameron' last='Kiersch'], a top 50 prospect in our 2025 class rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->