On Friday, October 31, Stroudsburg Football played their last game of the season against Parkland High School in the first round of the District XI 6A playoffs. They lost the game 14-49 and were bounced out early, but the Mountaineers had a successful season ending 5-6.
Stroudsburg shared the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) Monroe division title with Pleasant Valley, only falling to PV by four points in a defensive-minded matchup that ended 6-10, capping their regular season at 5-5. Multiple records were broken this season, as Stroudsburg’s offensive firepower was unmatched this season.
Quarterback Jack Mitchell, ’27, broke the school’s single-season and all-time passing records with 1,572 yards in his junior year and 2,483 in his career, averaging 13.7 yards per completion on the season. Runningback Keyen Johnson, ’27, rushed for a breakout 1,421 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
“We got the jug back, that was huge. We’re league champions, and we made districts again. Those three things were huge. I think overall it was not a bad season at all. If you didn’t pay attention to the run, Jack got you on the pass, and if you didn’t pay attention to the pass, Keyen got you on the ground” Coach Miller stated.
The Mountaineers had multiple stars this season, seeing six players recognized for their play.
Alex Ball, ’26, and Keegan Munch, ’27, both made Second-Team EPC. Ball at Offensive Tackle and Munch at linebacker and tight end.
EPC Monroe Division Offense included Zion Essington, ’26, Ball, Johnson, and Munch. The defense saw Aren Quintero, ’26, Karis Wilkins, ’26, Essington, and Munch.
Munch received not only Second-Team EPC honors, but also shared the Defensive Co-MVP award in the Monroe Division. Munch totaled 68 tackles and 11 TFLs in his junior season.
“It starts with the offensive line. Aren Quintero, Alex Ball, and Zion Essington, that’s where it starts. Essam Alrefai made some big catches, Josh Ivers-Green, Bubba Ennis, all helped blossom our offense.
— Coach Miller
.sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda { display: flex; float: left; margin: 30px 30px 30px 0; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; background-color: #dddddd; } .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda p.quotespeaker { color: #000000 !important; } .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-691ca728b1fda .quotebody { width: unset; }Recieving wise, Mitchell spread the ball generously. Six players raked in touchdowns this season, seeing Munch and Essam Alrefai, ’26, led the team with five and four each. Alrefai brought home 582 yards in 41 receptions, while Munch brought in 437 yards in 31 receptions. Other key receivers included Josh Ivers-Green, ’27, and James Ennis, ’27.
Defense was Stroudsburg’s weakness all season, unable to stop some offenses, the Mountaineers still put up some eye-popping stats. Wilkins led the team in tackles with a division-leading 95, while Munch, Essington, and Octavian Riszko, ’26, trailed behind. Four defensive players grabbed interceptions this season, Anderson Soto, ’26, Khalid Trimmingham, ’27, Ivers-Green, and Alrefai.
During the summer of 2024, Stroudsburg reopened their brand new weight room. Daily lifts were held throughout the season, leading to new leadership roles and new strength coach. “The leadership from the winter, to the season really brought guys together. They completed all off-season long and brought it onto the field. Having the weight room and Coach Watkins is tremendous to the program” stated Coach Miller.
Numerous juniors being lead parts of the team gives Stroudsburg hope moving forward. The Mountaineers losing most of their starting linemen will hurt Stroudsburg’s offense, but the team is confident. Skill position wise, Stroudsburg’s receiving core and defensive backs will grow into their shoes, seeing most impactful receivers in the class of ’27. Coach Miller said, “Offensively, we have eight or nine guys coming back next year, but defensively it’s gonna be our problem.”
Though the season didn’t go as perfectly as the team would’ve wanted, the team set themselves up for a bright future, and potentially a great playoff run in the coming years.