As the school bus headed north along country roads to Towanda, conversation conjuncture centered on several small hamlets passed through along the way. What led people to decide to settle there, what do they do for a living, and what school do their kids attend?
Answers weren’t readily forthcoming for the first two questions, but agreement reigned about which school they attended. The NTL (Northern Tier League) may be spread out, but recent athletic successes of its member schools have the folks to our north gushing with pride. Troy was mauling its way over opponents headed into last Friday’s AA Final Four, just as Canton had done the past two seasons.
Small-town pride in its athletic teams brings people together, perhaps like no other community event. Muncy, the small school champion of the NTL, although an urban center when compared to some of its compatriots, has been basking in the glow of that very same small-town pride as its football Indians have taken no prisoners along the playoff trail as they headed to Lock Haven University to take on state powerhouse Bishop Guilfoyle last Friday in the Class A semifinals.
The Tribe’s appearance in the high-stakes showdown was the first in school history. With record-smashing running back Austin Johnson leading the way, Muncy presented a challenging threat to the long-time tournament-tested Marauders. In the quarter-final 41-17 romp over Delone Catholic, Johnson ran wild, scoring five rushing touchdowns while gaining 332 yards and catching a 16-yard TD toss from Stiles Eyer for a sixth score.
While Muncy has had many players contribute to the team’s success, Johnson has set the tone. The senior, who will be going to Oklahoma State on a wrestling scholarship, went into the Bishop Guilfoyle game on a torrid pace not seen since the days of South Williamsport running back Dominick Bragalone.
Johnson is the area’s only player to top 1,000 rushing yards in all four seasons of high school play. During his career, he has run for 6,245 yards and scored 92 touchdowns, trailing only Bragalone’s 8,718 yards and 128 touchdowns, established in a three-year varsity career ending in 2014.
Muncy coach Sean Tetreault knows he has a true champion in his number one running back wearing number 2.
“Everyone knows we’re giving the ball to No.2,” Tetreault told the media after the Delone Catholic win. “He’s a three-time state wrestling finalist, and he knows what it takes to win. It’s great to have him lead the team, and when you have a running back like him, you just have to feed him.”
As this is being written prior to the Bishop Guilfoyle game, it will take a very special performance if Muncy is to advance to this week’s state championship game. But just as Canton and Troy have experienced small-town football fervor, the Muncy school and community are excited and proud.
“Anytime you have a team make a deep run into the state tournament, everything gets amplified,” explained Muncy athletic director Curt Chilson. “The kids and community are very excited and proud of what these kids have been able to accomplish in making it to the final four.
“Our athletic booster club has sponsored a student fan bus the last few weeks so that we had a big student section at the games. Big Foot Sub Shop donated $500 towards tickets for the kids to ride the bus, so they have been able to go for free.
“The support our community has for our athletic teams is fantastic, and we are extremely grateful.! The last time we had a team in the state final was with the baseball team in 2004, which was awesome. It would be a thrill for these kids and our town if we could make that trip to the big dance happen again.”
Whenever confronted with instances of small-town sports hysteria, my thoughts flash back to 1986 while working in Indianapolis. While there, I had the opportunity to attend one of the premier showings of the legendary sports movie Hoosiers, a film that tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that entered the state tournament. Inspired by the exploits of a 1954 Milan High School team that won the championship in this basketball-crazy state, the film is a classic tale of winning against all odds.
Although the Hickory Huskers themselves were fictional, everything the team accomplished along the way to excite the community has been similar to what has been felt in Muncy this football season. The same can be said for past championship runs experienced by the Montgomery softball team and the Loyalsock basketball team in the recent past.
Whatever the outcome of last Friday’s game, this team will long live in Muncy sports lore. Players, coaches, parents, students and fans will be remembering and talking about this football team for years to come. Move over Hickory – Muncy is on the map.
