Friday, October 10, the Stroudsburg Football team defended home advantage with a big win over the East Stroudsburg North Timberwolves, 28-6. Extending their win streak to two, they are currently 4-4 with two games left in the season.
In weeks five and seven the Mounties toppled both the Pocono Mountain East Cardinals and the Pocono Mountain West Panthers, both teams only having one loss at the time. Winning bolstered the confidence of Stroudsburg to pull through in league play, needing to win out against each team in the Monroe division to see a postseason berth.
The Mounties slipped through PMEs’ defense in overtime with a deep ball to Essam Alrefai, ‘26, to seal the game, winning 40-34 in an offensive shootout. Multiple passing touchdowns by Jack Mitchell, ‘27, and a huge rushing presence from Keyen Johnson, ‘27, allowed the Mounties to make up for the defensive mistakes made throughout the night. Johnson totaled for a monstrous 244 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals.
Against PMW, Stroudsburg had possession of the game from the beginning. Quarterback Mitchell threw 12/19 with 211 passing yards and two touchdown passes to James Ennis, ’27, and Keegan Munch, ’27, while Stroudsburgs’ ground and pound offense tacked on another two touchdowns from Johnson. The Mounties’ defense stepped up big, shutting the Panthers out in the first half, allowing the Mountie offense to control the clock and run away with the win 30-15.
Taking on ESN on the Mounties’ Senior Night, Stroudsburg took a shared run game approach as Rieara returned to health. Rieara and Johnson combined for 241 yards and two touchdowns, while Mitchell lofted two of his own through the air to Munch and Alrefai. A strong defensive presence held the Timberwolves scoreless till the fourth quarter, only letting six points up. Seniors Octavian Riszko, Zion Essington, Aren Quintero, Anderson Soto, Joseph Monaco, and Karis Wilkins held it down defensively, totaling for half of the teams’ tackles on the night.
“It’s going to be a very emotional game since it’s the seniors last home game. We’re going to go out there and play our game and get the jug back!” Essam Alrefai, ’26.
Earlier in the season, Stroudsburg’s defense struggled, allowing an average 33.3 points through the first six weeks. In the past two weeks, the Mounties have only let up a combined 21 points.
Friday, October 17, Stroudsburg takes on East Stroudsburg South for the Battle for the Little Brown Jug Game. Stroudsburg looks to extend their win streak to three and win back the Little Brown Jug.