Friday, September 3, the Mounties defended at home against the Liberty Hurricanes. Stroudsburg lost 17-49 scoring two touchdowns and breaking Stroudsburgs’ made field goal record.

Entering the game Stroudsburg knew it would be a challenge, seeing the Hurricanes’ offensive firepower and the Mounties’ defensive struggles. Being clear underdogs in this game, the Mounties recieved the ball on the opening drive and brought the ball to the 32 yard line. Going three and out, Stroudsburg gave their trust to kicker Gabe Ferguson, ’27, in making a 49-yard field goal. Ferguson made the FG, making the score 3-0 and breaking the school record being the longest FG in Stroudsburg history.

Liberty would receive the ball and launch a deep ball for a touchdown on the first play to silence the crowd, making the score 3-7 in favor of the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes’ defense forced the Mounties to go three and out and punt the next drive, capitalizing on that with another early touchdown making the score 7-13. Linebacker Keegan Munch, ’27, blocked the extra point to give some motivation for the team, and the Mounties followed through. Marching down the field on an 80 yard drive for Jack Mitchell, ’27, to toss a touchdown to Munch wide open in the flats. Ferguson hitting the extra point made the score 10-13, and the future of the game looked bright.

The game went downhill from there, with defensive struggles being a big factor to the loss. Stroudsburg fought hard in the run game, but couldn’t keep up when it came to passing. The Hurricane defense swallowed Stroudsburgs’ run game, and forced multiple incompletions through the air. Early in the game, running back Jaylin Rieara, ’26, went down with an injury, greatly hindering the Mountie offense. Unable to recover from the early defensive mistakes, the game slipped from Stroudsburg as the night went on.

Stroudsburg heads to Emmaus to take on the Hornets on Friday, September 12, in a big game for the season. Both teams are currently 1-2 and hungry for the .500 record going into week four. Last year, Stroudsburg lost big at home, 7-42. Looking to bounce back from the last two weeks and bring a win streak to the season, it will be a game to look out for.

Key players on offense include quarterback Mitchell, recievers Essam Alrefai, ’26, Josh Ivers-Green, ’27, tight end Munch, and newly starting running back Keyen Johnson, ’27. Defensively, defensive linemen Zion Essington, ’26, Alex Ball, ’26, Octavian Riszko, ’26, Linebackers Munch, Kevin Rodriguez, ’27, and defensive backs Karis Wilkins, ’26, and James Ennis, ’27.

For the Mountie Maniacs, the theme is slumber party. Show up and be loud for this game!