DISTRICT 4 FOOTBALL: DAVIDSON'S SIX TDs POWER ATHENS TO 49-30 WIN OVER LOYALSOCK IN CLASS 3A QUARTERS (22 PHOTOS) (November 7, 2026)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Senior Davidson rushed for 260 yards and six TDs to lead Athens to a 49-30 win over Loyalsock Township — its first postseason win since 2022 — here Friday night in the quarterfinals of the District 4, Class 3A football playoffs at Alumni Stadium.

"That's the best game I've ever seen him play," said Athens coach Shawn Bradley. "It was a team game from Connor (Davidson) ... he spread the ball around, and he got it to the kids we needed to.

"We have four or five good receivers, and Connor did a great job of spreading the ball around ... the defense can't key on one kid, and that makes us tougher to defend.

"He did things right, and it showed," added Bradley. "He did a great job."

Davidson also completed 12 of 18 passes for 140 yards.

The win is the first postseason win for fourth-year coach Bradley, whose teams were outscored 178-28 the last three years in opening-round losses.

"I'd like to say it's about time," said Bradley. "We've taken some lumps in the playoffs, but this was our first home playoff game. 

"Hopefully, we can keep this going," he added.

The Wildcats amassed 442 yards in total offense, including 302 rushing yards, and Bradley was quick to credit his offensive line.

"A couple games ago against Muncy, we didn't play so great, and I've been hard on our offensive line for a few weeks," he said. "We moved a couple guys around up front, and did some things.

"They've really stepped up ... they've taken a beating some times, but tonight they did a phenomenal job," Bradley added.

Davidson put the Wildcats on the board in the opening 90 seconds of the game with a 61-yard TD run. Senior Zach Fisher's PAT kick made it 7-0.

Loyalsock answered with a scoring drive that was capped by freshman QB Dyson Dupont's 2-yard TD run with 7:01 remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats chewed some clock with its next drive, which was capped by a 3-yard TD run by junior Nolan Raupers with 30 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.

After an exchange of possession, the Wildcats upped its lead to 21-7 on a 2-yard TD run by Davidson to make it 21-7 with 5:35 remaining in the first half.

Loyalsock needed just 43 seconds to respond as Dupont hooked up with Matthew Rickard on a 71-yard TD pass to close the gap to 21-14.

The Wildcats answered with another scoring drive, again capped by a 2-yard TD run by Davidson to make it 28-14 with 1:15 left in the first half.

Athens took the second-half kickoff and marched 66 yards in a drive that culminated with Davidson breaking loose on a 33-yard TD run with 9:07 remaining. Fisher's fifth straight extra-point kick made it 35-14.

Bradley said his team won the most critical stretch of the contest.

"The middle eight minutes is the most important part of the football game," he said. "We scored at the end of the first half, and then coming back out of the locker room and being able to score again sets the tone.

"Loyalsock is a good football team with a great coaching staff, and play in a good league," added Bradley. "We knew they weren't going to quit, they were going to keep playing football, so we came out and hunkered down to get that first drive and to just keep scoring points."

Davidson added a TD run of 62 yards with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter to extend the lead to 42-14.

Leading 42-16 after a Loyalsock safety in the final minute of the third quarter, Davidson broke loose on a 40-yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Fisher's seventh straight PAT kick made it 49-16 with 11:51 remaining in the contest.

The Lancers scored twice in the final 6 1/2 minutes to provide the final margin.

Junior Kade Rowe led Athens with five receptions for 73 yards, while senior Lucas Persun had four grabs for 32 yards, and senior Gage Marmor added two catches for 21 yards.

Senior Brendan Cooke chipped in with 33 rushing yards on nine carries, and had one reception for 14 yards.

Dupont completed 12 of 21 passes for 258 yards and one TD as the Lancer offense amassed 414 yards in total offense — 258 through the air and 156 on the ground.

Rickard led Loyalsock with six receptions for 217 yards and one TD, and Cayden Sones led the team with 106 rushing yards and one TD on 22 carries.

Athens, now 10-1, will now travel to second-seeded Mifflinburg, which beat Danville 43-14 in the quarterfinals, for the Class 3A semifinals Friday at 7 p.m.

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IN PHOTO 1 and TOP PHOTO: Athens senior Connor Davidson. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.

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