NTL FOOTBALL: TOWANDA WELCOMES NP-MANSFIELD FOR LEAGUE MATCH (2024-09-06)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Towanda (1-1) will be looking to bounce back this week as they face NP-Mansfield (1-1) on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.

The Black Knights are coming off a big loss at Hughesville, one that they’re looking to put behind them.

“When you have a game like we did where the wheels fall off early and you just can’t get things going, I think it’s important to remind the kids that it is only one game,” said Towanda coach Jamie Wecker. “That it doesn’t define who we are; what we do now will. We watched film, saw things we need to improve on individually and as a team and coaching staff. The players were very mature and candid during our team meetings, and there was great energy during our practices this week. So, I think it’s important to take the lessons learned from last week’s game and apply them to this week, but at the same time, we need to focus on NPM and not let one game haunt us moving forward.”

The Panthers are coming off a big win over Sayre as Cooper Shaw dominated the field.

“They have a tough athlete playing QB,” Wecker said about Shaw. “He can hurt you on the ground and through the air; athletic receivers and solid running backs. Defensively, I really like their linebackers; tough, hard-nosed kids that find the football. (They’re) aggressive defensively.”

Towanda has been susceptible through the air the past two games, and they hope they’ve fixed that problem going into Friday.

“It’s no secret that we need to play better against the pass,” Wecker said. “That’s not just our defensive backs, but everybody. Our D-line and linebackers need to get pressure on the QB; we can’t let him be comfortable. We need to just play fundamentally sound, and we need to have the mental endurance to attack on every play throughout the game.”

KEYS TO THE GAME

NP-Mansfield — Get Shaw going. They struggled to get Shaw in space against Wyalusing, but when he got going against Sayre he was tough to stop. Towanda has been vulnerable against good QBs this year, so the Panthers would like to take advantage.

Towanda — Control the line of scrimmage. That will help them keep the ball on offense, with the added bonus of keeping NPM’s own offense off the field, and will allow them to attack the quarterback on defense.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Luke Kreger, NPM, WR — Kreger has 119 yards receiving and two touchdowns off five catches in two weeks. He had a big play touchdown against Wyalusing, and is the type of player Towanda will need to focus on.

Riley Vanderpool, Towanda, QB, S — Vanderpool returns and not a moment too soon for the Knights. He should make their offense more dynamic, and shore up their defensive backfield.

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