NTL FOOTBALL: TROY TRAVELS TO TOWANDA FOR LEAGUE TILT (2025-09-18)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Troy (3-1) survived a second tough road test in the valley last week while Towanda (0-4) came up short at Wellsboro. The two will meet in Towanda at 7 p.m. on Friday.

It was a thriller up at Athens for the Trojans, who made plays defensively in the fourth quarter to pull away.

“I was proud of how the team handled adversity,” said Troy coach Jim Smith. “It was a physical game agains a talented Athens squad. The team fought through a lot, we had some young guys step up on defense and gain some valuable experience. We have got to keep working hard and developing our defensive secondary as we gave up some big plays. That experience will help us grow, especially when we are inexperienced.”

Despite the Knights being winless Smith isn’t taking anything for granted this week.

“Towanda has long had a good football program and sports culture in general,” he said. “They have good, experienced coaches. They have a talented young team, and despite their early struggles, we know they will be well prepared for us. It’s’ important to come in focused and motivated. Avoiding any kind of a let down is important this week.”

For the Knights it was the second week in a row they saw a winnable game go the other way in the fourth quarter.

“After breaking down our film we are working on just getting better with our fundamentals like we do every week,” said Towanda coach Jamie Wecker. “Trying to just make plays more consistently. People outside the program might not see it, but the boys are improving every week. Being as young as we are, the learning curve is pretty steep, and, honestly, we are asking kids to do things that they just don’t the experience to do yet, but they are working really hard to get to that point.”

They know what the Trojans bring to the table.

“Troy is physical and fast,” Wecker said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They are a mature team, and they play with a lot of confidence. They are good in all phases of the game.”

It’s not too often a team gets a chance to play the defending state champions, and Wecker hopes his players will take the opportunity to put their best foot forward.

“I tell them that this is a great opportunity to go out and have fun against a really good football team,” he said. “We can play loose and focus on improving our fundamentals and consistency. At the end of the day, if a kid can look himself in the mirror, and tell himself that he gave a great effort, and was better than last week, that’s success. That’s our goal. And when we can play like that, I think we can be pretty good.”

KEYS TO THE GAME
Troy - Get their big guns going early. Mason Smith and Brendan Gilliland are two of the best athletes in District IV, if the Trojans let them loose early it’ll be a long night for Towanda.
Towanda - Play fast, but disciplined, on defense. Troy’s too fast for Towanda’s defenders to be second guessing, so the Knights will have to be decisive on defense, but also don’t get too caught up in the chase.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Logunn Heasley, Troy, CB - He’s had two big interceptions so far this year. As the team looks to rebuild their secondary he’s well on his way of carving himself a spot there.
Tanner Vanderpool, Towanda, S - Between watching Troy’s emerging passing game and also helping with the run, Vanderpool will be a busy man on the defensive side of the ball.

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