Although it is not a word most folks use in everyday conversation, conundrum was a word often used by a colleague during my pre-retirement working days. Meaning “puzzle, mystery, challenge,” it sounded a bit like a sophisticated way to express ‘there’s trouble ahead.’
Somewhere along life’s path of journalistic learning, I was told the number of repetitions needed to learn a new word varies, but generally, it takes 8 to 10 meaningful encounters for a person to recognize and understand a new word. Lacking any scientific specificity to either prove or debunk such information, I can only conclude that October 31st Halloweeners and the homes they could be visiting may be facing said conundrum. How many will be home to greet the yearly visitors?
On that highly anticipated evening when costumes are donned and candy handed out, trick-or-treating will not be confined to residential streets and neighborhoods. Throughout the area, teams of aggressive, uniformed teenagers will be busily applying the tricks taught to them from early August, trying to treat themselves to championship gold as the PIAA District IV football playoffs get underway.
Based upon deadline dates for submitting this weekly column, it is not known what the pairings may be for week eleven of the football season, but for those teams that qualified for the party, anticipation runs high.
In the immediate area, Montgomery, Southern Columbia, Troy, Warrior Run, Berwick, Mifflinburg, Montoursville, Shamokin, and Jersey Shore have placed themselves above the rest, entering the quest for championship glory. How they fare remains to be seen, but the road ahead is daunting.
Heading into last weekend’s conclusion to the regular season, here’s how the local teams stacked up according to state-wide rankings.
In Class A, Line Mountain was ranked #1 with a 9-0 record. Montgomery was ranked #18. In Class AA, undefeated Schuykill Haven held the top spot; Southern Columbia was #4, Troy #10, Warrior Run #14, and Bloomsburg #19. In Class 3A, Avonworth was #1, Berwick #3, Mifflinburg #8, and Montoursville #17. In Class 4A, Susquehanna Township was #1, followed by Shamokin #8, Athens #17, and Jersey Shore #23.
Regardless, the playoffs are a brand-new season with the understanding that all the teams are starting their quest 0-0. From here on out, it’s win or go home. While only the more successful teams will be suiting up this weekend, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of the first-round games subscribe to the same one-sided outcomes witnessed during the regular season.
Although my calculations may be off a bit, leading up to last weekend’s games, there were 28 ‘mercy-rule’ games played by the eight Lycoming County high schools playing football this year. The ‘mercy rule’ takes effect when one team has a 35-point lead at any time in the second half, causing the clock to run continuously, stopping only for timeouts, injuries, and scoring plays.
Montgomery and South Williamsport each played in five such games; Williamsport, Montoursville, Loyalsock, Muncy, Jersey Shore, and Hughesville each played in three. There were nine games where the winning team scored more than 50 points, while two times more than 60 points were tallied.
Earlier in the season, during a conversation with an athletic director, he stated, “It was nice to watch a competitive game. We have so many lopsided games these days, it was great seeing a game that went back and forth.”
The competitive conundrum is only that for the teams coming out on the short end of the score. As first used in our American culture by New York State politician William Marcy in 1828 — to the victor go the spoils.
Those spoils have been most impressive for the Montgomery Red Raiders this season, winning the NTL small school league title, defeating neighboring rivals Muncy and South Williamsport, and igniting a growing ground swell of support from an appreciative community. However, this significant accomplishment was born from a debated conundrum of its own.
Coming off a successful 2024 season, which saw the Red Raiders post a 7-4 record, including wins in six of its last seven games, a segment of the community was dismayed with the school district’s February decision not to renew the contract of coach Cory Tice. Players, players’ families, and members of the general public attended school board meetings in support of Tice’s retention. All was to no avail as the hunt was on for a new coach.
Now, eight months later, that community conundrum is all but forgotten as new coach Joel Knoebel has built upon what was, won over the community, and made the 2025 football season one of the best in school history. How long the post-season run for the newly inspired Red Raiders will last is yet to be determined, but just as the fictional ‘little engine that could’ cast away its’ doubters by pulling the train up the mountain, Knoebel’s kids are ready for the challenge.
