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A year ago, Mahanoy Area head coach Mick Connolly had only weeks to prepare for the 2025 season. After being hired by Mahanoy Area in June to take over the high school football program, it wasn’t truly until July that he was able to hit the ground running.
While a late start would’ve been tough enough to overcome, Connolly and his staff had to deal with lower numbers than usual for their roster and the football program having no offseason workouts. Mahanoy Area went through much of the 2025 offseason without a head coach or direction.
“That late start hampered us tremendously,” Connolly said. “Not only in getting the kids ready but also in getting the kids out, because for a while there was no coaching. Last year, there was no off-season, so a lot of kids didn’t go out.”
A year later, the program looks much different and appears headed in a better direction.
Supported by a committed coaching staff, the Golden Bears averaged 25 to 30 players at summer voluntary camp sessions, building on strong participation in winter and spring weight training.
“I can’t even explain how far ahead we are this year compared to last year,” Connolly said.
The Golden Bears faced an uphill climb from the start. While rivals used offseason 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 passing camps to install their systems, a delayed start left Mahanoy Area with just a few weeks to bring a young roster along.
“Our offense was suspect because we had to put an offense in real quick,” Connolly said. “We had to keep it as simple as possible. And I started 10 freshmen last year for that Shenandoah game — nine were basic, regular starters.”
Mahanoy Area suffered through a 2-8 season, but most weeks the Golden Bears still accomplished their goal of improving week to week. Entering the 2026 season, the goals have changed.
“Last year’s goal was, ‘Let’s just improve each and every week,’” Connolly said. “Now our goal this year is: we want every team to wake up on a Saturday and say, ‘Man, that’s a tough team. That’s a physical team.’ We want to be known as hitters, and that we’re a difficult team to play against. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Who will Mahanoy Area rely on in 2026 to make that jump?
Sophomore quarterback J.D. Kowalchick will lead the offense. He wasn’t asked to do too much in 2025 when it came to throwing the ball, but after focusing on adding weight and arm strength, he will likely be tasked with passing more in 2026.
Prolific running back Kyler Quick, who totaled more than 900 rushing yards a season ago, departs. Junior Will Stoyer takes over his position. Much like Quick, Stoyer is a physical tailback willing to barrel over defenders. Stoyer spent much of the offseason getting stronger himself in order to be tougher to bring down.
Tayten Matrician and Quintin Rucker join him in the backfield, giving the Golden Bears a multitude of different-style tailbacks to use.
Despite being a young team, the Golden Bears return strong experience on their offensive line. They’ll have three returning seniors leading the way: Ben Lagaza, Braylon Komosinsky, and Joel Corona Pena.
Other key pieces of the offense include sophomore tight end John Redgate and wide receiver Alex Miller.
On defense, Stoyer, Lagaza, Corona Pena, and Komosinsky will all look to set the tone in the trenches. They have a handful of experienced members of the secondary, as well as juniors Mario Rodriguez, Korea Castillo, Alex Miller, and Chase Leiby. Kowalchick, the quarterback, will play safety for the Golden Bears alongside Quinton Rucker.
At linebacker, look for Tayten Matrician and John Redgate to lead the way, while they could look toward freshman Declan Hannon and Carson Krammer to also provide depth.
Connolly is excited about his team’s potential on defense this year despite still being a younger unit.
“Defensively, I think we’re going to be pretty good,” he said. “We have a lot of speed in our secondary — again, young, but these guys all had experience last year.”
This fall, Mahanoy will look for its first season of five or more wins since 2022, when they went 6-5. Their 2026 campaign will start on August 28 on the road against Panther Valley.
For Mahanoy Area, the ultimate goal is simple in 2026. Moral victories will no longer exist, and the Golden Bears must prove that they’re a team to be reckoned with on Friday nights.
“If you go out and play every week, you leave it all on the football field,” Connolly said. “You go out, you play smart football, error-free football, the wins are going to come.”
Mahanoy AreaMick ConnollyAfterWhileConnollyNotLastSupportedGolden BearsThe Golden BearsAnd IShenandoah
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