Entering his 41st season leading Schuylkill Haven, head coach Mike Farr knows few things rival Friday nights in the fall.
“Friday nights in Schuylkill Haven are good nights,” the veteran coach said.
After an undefeated regular season ended in a bitter District 11 Class AA title game loss to Williams Valley, the Hurricanes enter 2026 with 12-1 momentum and unfinished business.
“They were responding as any kid would,” Farr said. “When you work that hard and put all your eggs in one basket, you have big dreams; it’s like a slap in the face a little bit. But I think they regrouped well. They understood where they still need to mature. As humans, we only get better by making mistakes. I think they’ll take the lessons from it.”
Farr was clear, however, that everyone took lessons from the loss, including the coaching staff.
“We need to do a better job coaching, too,” he said.
The Hurricanes graduated multiple key members of their 2025 team, but are poised to once again be among the league’s best.
Offensively, they’ll be led by senior back Colton Reber, who, after taking over for Niko Carestia last fall, had a breakout season with 197 carries for 2,875 yards and 38 touchdowns. Junior Logan Goad is also expected to be a frequent sight in the backfield. He ran 33 times for 419 yards and five touchdowns last fall.
Bradyn Diehl and Bode Hinnershitz spent the offseason battling for the starting quarterback role.
Farr is comfortable with either taking snaps. The Hurricanes have also installed different looks in the offseason to take advantage of their talent at the skill positions.
“We’ve done a bunch of different things just to kind of see what is the best situation for us overall,” Farr said. “I think we’ll be multiple like we have been in the past.”
The goal in the passing attack is simple: “We need to be effective,” Farr said. “When we throw the football, we just need to be effective.”
Brody Walchak and Louis Muriel are two names to remember at wide receiver. Farr is especially excited about the potential of freshman tight end Noah Runkle.
“We’re talking about an eighth-grader going into his freshman year who’s a two-handed, windmill dunker on the basketball court,” Farr said. “He’s more known for his basketball skills, and he just came off playing with Team Durant, so he’s pretty athletic.”
“All of our guys are good receivers,” he added. “We’ve got five or six guys we feel comfortable throwing the football to.”
The offensive and defensive lines are the heart and soul of Hurricanes’ football. The Hurricanes should be strong again in the trenches this fall, despite losing multiple key starters from a year ago.
“Really, the only true non-veteran we have back offensively on the line is our left tackle,” Farr said. “We’ve got Juan Torres and Luca Wessner battling it out there. We also have an experienced returner in his fourth year at tight end in Chase Leibensperger, whom we’re working in on the interior line.”
“I feel pretty good about us up front. Obviously, you don’t replace three guys who were really good offensive linemen with a ton of experience — you don’t replace 350, 320 and 280 pounds. But we’ve got good size up front with good experience. They’re athletic kids; they’re tough, good weight-room guys and had a good offseason. I’m not worried about us up front at all.”
Defensively, the Hurricanes will look a little bit different this fall. John Carestia is taking over as the program’s defensive coordinator after Frank Gaffney departed for the Williams Valley coaching position.
Schuylkill Haven’s defense will be headlined in the trenches by Tristan Davis, Chase Leibensperger and Chase Yoder, while the linebacker room is headlined by Colton Reber. The secondary will feature Bradyn Diehl and Logan Goad.
Farr is also excited about several up-and-coming talents including Wyatt Gerber and Brody Walchak who are expected to contribute in the secondary. Freshman Michael Osatchuck could also see snaps early in his career.
While initial growing pains are expected on defense, the unit’s potential remains high.
“I think defensively it’s going to take us a little bit of time here yet to kind of get comfortable, but I think we’ll do some good stuff on defense,” Farr said while noting the Hurricanes worked 15 different sessions of 11-on-11 this summer to help prepare for the transition.
Huddle Up
Head Coach: Mike Farr
League: Schuylkill, Division II
Last Season: 12-1 Overall; 9-0 League
Male Enrollment: 151, Class AA
Home Field: Rotary Field
2026 Schedule
Aug. 28 at Mount Carmel
Sept. 4 at Tamaqua
Sept. 11 Blue Mountain
Sept. 18 at Mahanoy Area
Sept. 25 Nativity BVM
Oct. 2 Williams Valley
Oct. 8 at Shenandoah Valley
Oct. 16 Tri-Valley
Oct. 23 at Minersville
Oct. 30 Marian Catholic
2025 Results
Blue Mountain W 34-27
Panther Valley W 54-0
Shenandoah Valley W 54-6
Mahanoy Area W 69-0
Minersville W 48-38
Williams Valley W 43-29
Marian Catholic W 55-14
Pine Grove W 72-0
Nativity BVM W 57-0
Tri-Valley W 55-20
Catasauqua* W 62-14
Northern Lehigh* W 60-7
Williams Valley* L 34-31
(* denotes playoff game)
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