District 4 Week 1 Matchups to Watch
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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. North Schuylkill vs. Mount Carmel A great matchup to start the season…
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Continue ReadingWeek 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.
North Schuylkill vs. Mount Carmel
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.
Mount Carmel will have 2024 ATH Xavier Diaz Xavier Diaz 5'9" | 145 lbs | ATH Mount Carmel | 2024 State PA , 2024 QB Cole Spears Cole Spears QB Mount Carmel | 2024 State PA , 2026 QB Gavin Marshalek, 2024 linebacker Jacob Schultz Jacob Schultz 6'2" | 185 lbs | LB Mount Carmel Area | 2024 State PA , and linebacker 2024 Jaxson Chownasky. For North Schuylkill, names such as 2024 ATH Joey Flail Joey Flail 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH North Schuylkill | 2024 State PA , 2024 defensive backs Collin McGee Collin McGee 6'2" | 205 lbs | DB North Schuylkill | 2024 State PA and Keegan Curry Keegan Curry 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB North Schuylkill | 2024 PA , and offensive lineman Aidan Zilker lead the way.
If he’s given the opportunity, I’d love to see what Gavin 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.
Jersey Shore vs. Pottsville
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 Jerrin Loomis Jerrin Loomis 6'2" | 210 lbs | QB Jersey Shore | 2024 State PA , 2024 offensive lineman Dyson Delaney Dyson Delaney 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Jersey Shore | 2024 State PA , and 2025 RB Elijah Jordan Elijah Jordan 5'8" | 190 lbs | RB Jersey Shore | 2025 State PA .
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.
Berwick vs. Southern Columbia
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.
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.
For Southern Columbia, Garrett Garcia Garrett Garcia 6'0" | LB Southern Columbia | 2024 State PA 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 Colden Bloom Colden Bloom 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Southern Columbia | 2024 State PA and Dominic Fetterolf Dominic Fetterolf 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Southern Columbia | 2025 State PA round out a strong linebacker room, while senior quarterback Blake Wise Blake Wise 6'1" | 155 lbs | QB Southern Columbia | 2024 State PA and defensive back Jacob Hoy Jacob Hoy 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB Southern Columbia | 2024 State PA are other notable top players for Southern Columbia.
Delaware Valley vs. Selinsgrove
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?
Delaware Valley has the best all-around tight end in the state on their side in Stanford commitment, Aiden Black Aiden Black 6'3" | 225 lbs | TE Delaware Valley | 2024 State PA . I’m excited to see how he performs this season. That being said, linebacker Justin Kalitsnik Justin Kalitsnik 6'1" | 165 lbs | LB Delaware Valley | 2024 State PA 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 Mark Pastore Mark Pastore 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Selinsgrove | 2024 State PA and Tucker Teats Tucker Teats 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Selinsgrove | 2024 State PA will be a good one all season long. They’ll have a good first test on the season with this Delaware Valley defense.
Bloomsburg vs. Danville
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.
Bloomsburg has a few prospects to watch, including WR Dominick Rosinia and RB Brady Horan. For Danville, keep an eye on running back Kory King Kory King 5'9" | 150 lbs | RB Danville | 2025 PA , quarterback Madden Patrick Madden Patrick 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Danville | 2025 State PA , offensive lineman Justin Kutcher Justin Kutcher 6'1" | 265 lbs | OL Danville | 2024 State PA , defensive lineman Caleb Fowler Caleb Fowler 6'3" | 225 lbs | DL Danville | 2025 PA , and, of course, linebacker Cameron Kiersch Cameron Kiersch 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Danville Area | 2025 State PA , a top 50 prospect in our 2025 class rankings.