DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Jersey Shore moved back to No. 1 in the area power rankings and face a tough Scranton Prep team tonight.

1. Jersey Shore (6-2): Evan Snyder already has caught as many touchdowns in a season as any Jersey Shore player during the 2000s. Snyder’s 12 lead District 4 and he tied the previous 21st century mark set by Stanton Westlin in 2019. Considering how many excellent receivers Jersey Shore has featured, that is quite an accomplishment.

2. Lewisburg (7-1): If there is such thing as a good loss, Lewisburg may have had one last week. If any doubted the team’s District 4 Class AAA championship contending credentials that performance should have silenced it. Not that the road is any easier the next two weeks against Montoursville and surging Mifflinburg.

3. Muncy (7-1): In the latest Austin Johnson weekly milestone update, he joined update he joined Dominick Bragalone, Darrell Blackman and Gideon Green as the only area players to ever surpass 5,000 career yards rushing. Johnson also has 22 rushing touchdowns this season, breaking Ethan Gush’s previous mark of 19 for most by a Muncy player in the 2000s.

4. Montoursville (5-3): Montoursville started strong against Danville and finished strong against Southern Columbia. Combine the two tonight and the Warriors could have the big signature win they have been working toward.

5. Loyalsock (5-3): Holding Danville to 14 points through three quarters is indicative of how far Loyalsock’s defense has progressed this season. The Lancers were only the second team this season to hold Danville to fewer than 20 points through three quarters and did so despite the offense turning the ball over five times.

6. Hughesville (4-4): Starting last week every week pretty much has become the playoffs for Hughesville since the Class AA field is so deep. As thrilling as last week’s win against Warrior Run was, the Spartans can ill-afford a letdown against a physical Wyalusing squad.

7. Warrior Run (5-3): As gut-wrenching as the last two weeks have been, Warrior Run has shown some big-time guts with many players battling through injuries. The Defenders also are a win from posting consecutive non-losing seasons for the first time since 2005-06 and a home playoff game is in play, so there is a lot to be excited about.

8. Montgomery (5-3): Speaking about excitement, Montgomery is a win from the program’s first winning season since 2001. A team that is working to break down long-standing walls has another opportunity tonight against its rival with the winner taking second place in the NTL-II.

9. Williamsport (4-4): Williamsport has used three quarterbacks this season and each one has proven effective. Elijah Way, Zion Hughes and Tevin Williams have combined to throw for 1,059 yards and 13 touchdowns with each player producing multiple touchdown passes.

10. Canton (4-4): Holden Ward proved how valuable he is last week with his return sparking a big Warrior resurgence. Ward scored in all three phases, producing 159 yards of offense and four touchdowns. He also opens up the Canton playbook a lot more and the Warriors are 4-1 with him on the field.

11. South Williamsport (4-4): Although South likely will not produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the 12th time in 13 seasons, it does have four players who have gained at least 239 yards. Having Cade Lusk and Eli White combine for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns is especially impressive since both are freshmen.

12 Milton (3-5): After struggling for a few weeks, the Milton offense has come alive, scoring 63 points the last two games. Milton has been hit hard by injuries, so being a play or two from four wins is not too shabby for a team which also took a big graduation hit.

13. Cowanesque Valley (3-5): Sophomore Dave Hess is one of the area’s more versatile players. Highlighting that he is just 47 yards from totaling 1,000 yards this year, going over 500 receiving yards and 400 rushing yards.

14. North Penn-Mansfield (2-6): Luke Kreger is the area’s fastest player to reach 1,000 yards in a season during the 2000s. Montoursville’s Tommy Shea held the previous mark, topping 1,000 yards in nine games during the 2016 season.

15. Wellsboro (1-7): The record might not show it, but Wellsboro has been one of the area’s most improved teams over the last four weeks, especially offensively. After struggling to score at all the first four games, Wellsboro has averaged 24.5 points over the next four and has a shot at potentially having both a 1,000-yard passer and rusher.

16. Central Mountain (0-8): Keep an eye on freshman lineman Todd Caris. Coach Travis Thompson was excited about him during the preseason and Caris showed why last week, making eight tackles, including three for loss.

17. Bucktail (0-6): Quarterback Brody Pentz is 170 yards from reaching 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight. Doing so would be especially impressive since Bucktail will only have an eight-game schedule.