Frank Dimon

Frank Dimon's District 4 Report - Week ONE

    Since the turn of the century the Danville-Selinsgrove football rivalry has been a distinctly one-sided affair.The Seals, who are recognized as a state-wide Class AAA force, have dominated the series since the last Ironmen victory - a 13-7 triumph in 1999.
   Selinsgrove had rolled to seven straight victories since that win, including four shutouts. The dominant Seals averaged more than 28 points per game in that stretch, limiting Danville to only four touchdowns.
    But in an opening game that reverberated throughout the state and perhaps had a long-lasting effect on the final season of the Central Susquehanna Conference Division-I, Danville stunned the Seals with a remarkable 35-31 victory.

    The CSC will morph into the three-tiered Heartland Confernece next season.
    The victory ended Selinsgrove's 25-game CSC-I win streak. The Seals last league loss was to Mifflinburg in September of 2002.
    Selinsgrove, ranked third and fourth in AAA in a pair of state-wide polls, appeared headed toward an eighth consecutive victory in the series that Danville now leads 39-38-3 when Tim Walls booted a 34-yard field goal to hand the Seals a 31-21 lead with 6:13 remaining in the game.
    But the Ironmen didn't fold. Junior quarterback Andrew Shoop hit tight end Michael Smith with a 17-yard scoring pass that cut the margin to 31-28 with under four minutes left in the game.
    Danville's Kurt Jeffreys then recovered an onside kick and, keyed by a 37-yard pass from Shoop to Nick Bloskey, the Ironmen took the lead when fullback Nick Hein bowled in from the one with 56 seconds remaining. Bloskey sealed the win with an interception with 17 seconds left.
    Shoop, who wasn't sacked, threw for 307 yards and ran for a pair of touchdowns. Smith caught 10 passes for 172 yards.
    While Selinsgrove suffered an opening night upset, another CSC-I power, Montoursville, overpowered Shikellamy, 41-6, behind the 197-yard passing night of veteran quarterback Chad Jacobson.
    Jacobson connected with Keenan Michael for five completions and a pair of touchdowns.

Five-time defending Class A champion Southern Columbia began another trek toward Hershey with a strong defensive effort in a 27-0 shutout of Shamokin. The Tigers intercepted a pair of Shamokin passes and recovered a fumble while holding the Indians to 135 yards. Andrew Wimble ran for a pair of Southern scores.

   Mount Carmel, trying to restore its winning image, traveled to District 3 and hammered Biglerville, 47-20. James Haynes ran for 167 yards in 14 carries and added an 85-yard kickoff return.
    In a pair of CSC crossover games, CSC-II teams came out on top. Warrior Run edged CSC-I rivalMifflinburg, 21-19, and Hughesville displayed its usual powerful rushing attack in 26-3 win over Jersey Shore.
    For the Defenders, Steve Martin overcame a couple of fumbled punts by scoring two touchdowns and a two-point conversion to give third-year head coach Scott Shaffer his first win over Mifflinburg, 21-19. Bryson Brooke, in his first start as the Warrior Run quarterback, hit 9-of-17 passes for 195 yards.
    Hughesville scorched Jersey Shore for 247 yards on the ground as Taylor Falk ran for scores of 87 and 16 yards. Falk finished with 111 yards on just five touches.
    Another CSC-I team, Milton, made first-year head coach Mike Bergey's debut a forgettable one, losing 42-7 to District 11 power Blue Mountain after scoring the opening touchdown.

Bloomsburg, which could be a threat to Southern Columbia in the CSC-II, hammered Muncy as quarterback Tyler Coombe passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Sokoloski, who missed nearly all of last season with a ruptured spleen, returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score.

In the Northern Tier, Towanda opened the sparkling Endless Mountain Athletic Complex and christened the 4 million dollar facility with a 21-14 win over Troy. The Black Knights scored twice in the first quarter and overcame a 116-yard rushing night by the Trojans Chase Wright.