2026 High School Football Preview

Montour football: Spartans aim to get over WPIAL playoff hump

Antonio Rossetti

August 25, 2026

The Montour Spartans have had their share of recent success in the WPIAL Class 4A Parkway Conference.

The Spartans are coming off back-to-back seasons with a share of the conference title, but after a one point loss to New Castle in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, Montour enters the season with extra motivation.

The Spartans are paired with familiar faces in Blackhawk, Central Valley, New Castle and Mars. New Castle and Blackhawk shared the same conference last season and Central Valley competed in the Parkway conference from 2010-2015 and from 2022-2023 before the last realignment.

For 2026, the locker room mantra remains unchanged: put in the work, build off of last season and make a deeper postseason run.

“Our participation levels are high every week,” coach Lou Cerro said before training camp started. “The kids are there every day working out. We ask a lot of our kids, and they're after the challenge every day.”

The Spartans return a deep wide receiver room and skill position talent including seniors Zander Stern and Dom Baron and sophomore Archie Collins.

Stern caught 45 passes for 776 yards and 15 touchdowns. Collins, as a freshman last season, added 265 receiving yards and 252 rushing yards for eight total touchdowns. Baron hauled in 11 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

“Those guys played at a high level last year,” Cerro said of Stern and Baron. “It's going to be their senior year, and I'm sure they're going to want to go out with a bang. It also helps that we have our quarterback back, too.” 

Brandon Bennett heads into his second season as the starting quarterback after throwing 15 touchdown passes for 1,453 yards with six interceptions. The 6-foot-4 junior also ran for 414 yards and six touchdowns last season and kept numerous plays alive with his elusiveness.

“He's maturing every week,” Cerro said. “He's just learning to take the good with the bad, which I think that's what he's trying to do. You're not going to be good all the time, and when you're bad, you've got to get ready for the next play. But he's had a great offseason.”

Stern believes the combination of Bennett and Montour's receiving corps will make the Spartans difficult to defend.

“Just having those guys around you, there's really no way you can game plan against just one of us,” Stern said. “There's always going to be other weapons. Brandon himself can be a weapon, too.”

Bennett and the offensive firepower helped lead the Spartans to three straight wins against Ambridge, Aliquippa and West Allegheny last season in a roaring push for the postseason. The Spartans finished the season with a 4-1 conference record and a 7-4 overall record.

Nevertheless, a failed two-point conversion attempt against New Castle in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs fuels this Spartan team.

“We got out of Aliquippa with a win, and we got to share the conference title,” Cerro said. “Then we went to play New Castle and lost by a point. But it is what it is, and a lot of our kids have a bad taste in their mouth because of that. We're looking to see what they can do going forward.”

Stern said that team has all grown even closer and all have WPIAL title hopes on their mind.

“We really came together as a team,” Stern said. “It's really all good, and we're all excited for the season. We think we have a shot at it.”

1,000 plus yard rusher Caden Halajcio graduated last season. The Spartans aim for a running back committee with sophomore Amari Wright, junior Adam Pollard and Collins getting reps.

Their backs will be running behind a stronger and more experienced line. Jacob Halbedl leads the charge upfront.

“We're all a really tight group,” Halbedl said. “At the start of last year, we weren't super close together, and we really couldn't work as one. As the year progressed, we started working like one big line, and now we're going to carry that throughout this year. This is the best we've ever looked up front.”

Halbedl began last season at center before swapping positions with right guard Noah Halaja. He said the move helped both tremendously as both flourished in their new spots.

Halbedl added that the line’s numbers in bench, squats and cleans have increased significantly. He said they are also a lot quicker.

For Montour, the playoff experience last season was key for the lineman.

“We got all five starters back on the offensive line, so that definitely helps,” Cerro said. “We've got some other guys, too. If there happened to be an injury or something, I'd be very comfortable putting them in. We've probably got seven guys we can rotate there, which is good to have on the offensive line.”

Cerro said it also helps to have Tyson Verdream back as a tight end, as he figures to be a key part of the Spartans offense as well.

Verdream, who has received offers from multiple MAC schools including Eastern Michigan and Buffalo, also provides a spark on defense.

“On the D-line, he's huge,” Halbedl said. “I don't think there's any tackle in the WPIAL that can block him one-on-one. This offseason, literally every time I open up Instagram, there's a video clip of him training. He's going to have a huge year this year.”

The Spartans have their defensive line back, along with. their linebackers and all their defensive backs.

Senior John Batch, sophomore Amari Marshall, Baron, Bennett and Collins will all play a massive role in a quick and athletic secondary. Junior Dyllen Liddell returns at linebacker.

The secondary showcases Montour’s speed, size and athleticism as both Bennett and Batch stand over 6 feet tall.

“A lot of these guys have been starting for three years,” Cerro said. “They've been leading the hard way, with the schedule that we do. When you have returning offensive and defensive linemen, that helps because they know what's going on. We're looking forward to that also as we go forward.”

Cerro wants to take it week by week. Most importantly, he wants to make sure they do well on and off the field.

“I've been doing this so long,” Cerro said. “Every season's different. All the kids are different each and every year. It's never about me; it's about the kids. I just want them to do well on and off the field, in the classroom, and be successful. Sometimes they're not going to be successful, and you've got to realize that they're 14-, 15-, 16-, 17-year-old kids. You've got to make sure that they keep their confidence up each and every week.”

Cerro said the excitement for the season is incredibly high. Halbedl added that the team cannot wait to avenge the stinging loss it suffered at the end of last season. The Spartans are going to leave it all out on the field in front of their community.

“It's exciting knowing that your whole hometown is coming to see you play,” Stern said. “It's just exciting. Your adrenaline is rushing all the time. It means a lot knowing that they're all watching me. It makes me push myself harder at workouts and practice.”

Halbedl mentioned that New Castle is one game he can’t wait for, but the first two games back are games he’s pumped for as the Spartans make a push for their third straight section title.

“Moon’s a huge rivalry game,” he said. “Moon hates us, we hate them. Then, obviously, next week we have McKeesport. That's the biggest game of the season. We're all excited. We all have both those games marked off on our calendars. There's nothing more we can do to prepare for it except just realize what's at stake for us.”

The Spartans will take the tough games and use them as preparation for what’s ahead.

“We've been talking about being battle-tested in nonconference games,” Halbedl said. “Last year, we had pretty hard competition, but it wasn't on par with what we have this year. This year, we're going to be battle-tested throughout the whole year. When the playoffs come, going all out in every game isn't new. We're going to be ready.”