MILTON - If there is an obvious theme to tonight's District 4 playoff matchups, at least those involving local teams, it's rematch.
These teams have all seen each other before. Southern Columbia knocked off Line Mountain in a much-anticipated season opener. In the season's second week, Mount Carmel Area scored a comeback victory over Lewisburg.
And, in Week 6, Milton, then winless, began a march toward the district playoffs with a comeback victory over Shamokin Area.
Trailing the Indians 14-6 at the half, the Black Panthers rallied to score 20 straight points, going up 26-14 and eventually holding on for a 26-20 victory.
By itself, it was an impressive showing for a team that has struggled mightily in recent seasons. But it was much more than that for Milton, which used it as a springboard to win five straight
regular season games to finish at .500, then opened the playoffs with an easy 49-13 romp over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech.
Shamokin (4-7) has also been a much better team in recent weeks, defeating Shikellamy handily in Week 9, giving Mount Carmel Area all it wanted in the final regular season game, then hanging 39 points on Shikellamy when they met again in the opening round of the playoffs.
When the Indians and Black Panthers tangle tonight, on the line will be District 4 gold and a berth in the state playoffs.
Shamokin head coach Dan Foor says his team is ready and looks forward to the challenge.
"We knew going into that first game that they weren't a typical 0-5 team because of their schedule," Foor said. "In the preseason, a lot of people though they were capable of doing some good things."
Of the Panthers' five losses in their first five games, four came against playoff teams, and two of those teams - Lewisburg and Bloomsburg - remain alive in District 4 Class AA semifinals this week.
"They have been playing well, and ever since we played Shikellamy the first time, we've been playing well too," Foor said. "We're starting to pick it up and peak at the right time, and that's a tribute to the kids.
"Milton is definitely a different team than we saw in Week 6, but so are we."
A change Foor has seen in the Black Panthers is going to an offense that is more heavily based on power running.
"Ever since they started running more out of the Power-I, they really started clicking," Foor said.
The main beneficiary of that has been senior tailback Domair Anderson. At 6-foot, 215 pounds, Anderson is a combination of power and speed who has rushed for 1,084 yards and 13 touchdowns on only 120 carries. The bulk of his success has come in during Milton's run of success during the second half of the season.
He's complemented nicely in the backfield by senior Donald English (5-10, 170), who has 676 yards and nine scores on 108 rushes, and senior fullback Tyler Diggan (5-11, 225), who has 333 yards and two scores on 76 rushes.
Quarterback Brady Chappell (6-0, 175) is only a sophomore, but with nearly two full seasons under his belt, has developed into a leader and has thrown for 968 yards and eight scores. Leading receiver Cody Shaffer has only 10 catches, but they've been good for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
In their first meeting, Draven Miller led Shamokin with 104 yards and a touchdown on the ground. That mirrors the season, with Miller leading the squad heading into the district final with 684 yards and six touchdowns on 120 rushes. Anthony Anonia follows with 471 yards and five scores on 117 rushes.
Freshman quarterback Tucker Yost has thrown for 707 yartds and six scores, while completing 56 of 116 passes. His favorite target has been the area's second-leading receiver, Devin Madara, who has caught 29 passes for 362 yards and two scores.