Towanda battled through a rebuilding year in 2025, but they hope that experience will lead to wins in 2026. 

"I'm really excited to get going," Towanda coach Jamie Wecker said. "These kind of years for me are a lot of fun because you see a lot of potential, them being young kids and they're growing. It's kind of exciting to see where they end up with all the hard work they put in."

Few teams return as many as the Knights do as they just had four seniors a year ago. They bring back their quarterback, and pretty much all their backs and receivers, plus one back who missed all of last year with an injury in Gage Evans.

"Hopefully they stay healthy this year," said Wecker. "Hopefully they're getting bigger and stronger. When you're at that age group 14-17, one year makes the difference lots of times."

Returning quarterback Reese Sluyter returns after being in and out of the line-up last year. He had a 47-percent completion percentage for 325-yards and a touchdown, while running for 412 yards and five scores on 68 carries.

Joining him in the backfield are Jazick Brown, who had 356 yards and five touchdowns on 51 carries, Curtis Maynard (210 yards, six touchdowns, 46 carries), and Joey Montonya (306 yards, one touchdown, 65 carries), plus Evans.

"One of the problems we run into with a group like this is sharing the ball to keep people happy, so you're constantly teaching the kids, 'its a team, its a team, its a team,'" explained Wecker. "We're not going to have a 2,000 yard rusher this year, but we may have a lot of yards with three or four different kids."

Brown gives them that player capable of taking the top off the defense. He's one of the best sprinters in the districts, and averaged 17.6 yards per reception last year with 17 catches for 158 yards.

Maynard also had nine catches for 122 yards and a score, using his small stature and shiftiness to avoid tacklers. 

And Evans has shown what he can do in other sports, especially wrestling, so Towanda is excited to see what he can do on the football field.

"I think it's going to be a real threat to other teams," Brown said about all the speed, and elusive, they boast. "If they focus on me, we've got Gage, they focus on Gage and me, and then we've got Reese. Like coach says in practice, we've got a lot of options we can use. If they're going to bite on something, we have something else to come right behind."

Sluyter knows it'll be up to him to make sure he gets the ball to where it needs to be with all these options.

"I definitely need to look at the field more before the snap, and read during the play," he said. "I feel very comfortable with these guys in the backfield with me."

He's also getting more of a feel with his linemen as they return all five guys there.

"I'm actually very happy about our linemen this year," Sluyter said. "We've been working hard on the field, and in the weight room. I'm excited with what I have this year."

Wecker believes they'll be able to compete on the line better this year.

"We've got some younger kids who have put on some good weight," he remarked. "We're not going to be a small line, but I think we're not going to be huge by any means."

He pointed out Dom Miller, Aiden Vanderwal, and Finn Brennan as lineman who will anchor things this year.

On the other side of the ball they hope they can utilize that speed to maybe negate some of the size disadvantages they might have.

"We have a couple new linebackers, bigger linebackers," Brown said. "We move Curtis Maynard to the other corner on the other side of me, so I think me and him, we've got that speed that we can stay with wide receivers, and Reese is going to back up whatever we need in the middle."

Kolton McPeak had 73 tackles a year ago, including 10 for a loss, while Maynard finished with 58 tackles last year.

However, they have to replace Tanner Vanderpool (81 tackles) and Matt Harbst (36 tackles).

"Hopefully, on the line, we're a little stouter on the line," Wecker said. "If we are that helps an awful lot with our second level stuff, but we have to take advantage of our speed. You create a defense that really benefits your strength. We have a lot of athletes, we have them running around in spaces and those kinds of things."

After going 3-7 a year ago Wecker expects this team to do better, but he also wants to keep seeing improvement.

"Are we improving here, here, and here?" He said. "By the end of last year, finishing 3-2, and getting those wins was really big for us. It really helped with confidence, and it also helped the coaching staff feel like, hey, these kids are still engaged."

Attitude is the big thing the players are focusing on this year, keeping things positive and the camaraderie flowing.

"We started off the field in the weight, and you really felt the groove, and the connection back with the guys," said Brown. "It's almost like family you build with each other's nd we're ready to start the season."

ROSTER

Cameron Allis (12)

Logan Benson (12)

Aaden Blokzyl (12)

Tommy Bowen (12)

Jazick Brown (12)

Markell Garner (12)

Tristan Keyte (12)

Kolton McPeak (12)

Dillan Sbragia (12)

Brayden Spencer (12)

Clinton Tuttle (12)

Carter Schoonover (12)

Finn Brenann (11)

Gage Evans (11)

Shane Maghamez (11)

Owen Masteller (11)

Dom Miller (11)

Zachary Mosier (11)

Colin Parker (11)

Cale Woodburn (11)

Elaine Cook (10)

Dax Heasley (10)

Bentley Johnson (10)

Scott Kjelgaard (10)

Logan Lagunes (10)

Joey Montonya (10)

Jaylen Tran (10)

Ray Vanderwal (10)

Ryot Vester (10)

Gabe Wolf (10)

Carter Allis (9)

Jonathan Beachey (9)

Sidney Bacorn (9)

Elijah Eschenburg (9)

Elijah Johnson (9)

Drew Maghamez (9)

Kyle Mosier (9)

Trenton Polzella (9)

Scott Schrader (9)

Bryson Sheridan (9)

Michael Snyder (9)

Gavin Woodbeck (9)

SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 at Sayre, 7 p.m.

Sep. 4 vs NPM, 7 p.m.

Sep. 11 at Troy, 7 p.m.

Sep. 18 at Muncy, 7 p.m.

Sep. 24 at Athens, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 vs CV, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 vs Wellsboro, 7 p.m.

Oct. 16 at Montgomery, 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 vs Canton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 30 vs Wyalusing, 7 p.m.