After a turnaround 2021 season that saw the Indians make Districts and finish 6-4, CV went 0-9 in 2022, 5-6 and in the playoffs in 2023 and 4-6 a season ago. Under the direction of third-year Head Coach Jacob Lane, the ’25 Indians returned to the AA playoffs, falling to top-seeded Southern Columbia to finish 5-6.

“We faced some adversity this season,” says Lane of the 2025 Indians, “with low numbers, injuries and position changes .. nevertheless, I’m very proud of how these young athletes demonstrated resilience in the face of these obstacles.”

The Indians opened the 2025 season with a big, 38-0 win over Towanda (3-7). Junior tailback Dave Hess ran for 143 yards on 16 carries and classmate Kegan Lane ran for 78 yards while senior QB Levi Stahli was 7-for-9 passing for 95 yards. 

CV took a 14-7 lead on Wyalusing (2-8) in Week 2 but fell 30-14, then fell to 1-2 with a 48-6 loss to Muncy (5-6).

The Indians got back to .500 with a 42-0 rout of Sayre (0-10), where Hess ran for 144 yards and three TDs, Lane had 65 yards and two scores on just four carries and Stahli was 3-for-5 for 56 yards, including a 20-yard TD pass to junior Gavin Churchill.

A pair of losses .. 37-15 to Wellsboro (6-5) and 54-6 to South Williamsport (6-5) .. left the Indians at 2-4 on the season and in need of a spark on offense. Hess, who accounted for nearly 1,000 yards total (987) last season and 850 yards in ’23 as a freshman, was moved to quarterback. 

Hess finished this season with 762 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, went 32-for-71 passing for 532 yards and nine scores and caught nine passes for 168 yards and four touchdowns. 

Lane, who had spent the previous two seasons as Hess’ fullback, became the feature back and finished the year with 1,093 yards rushing and 11 TDs while also catching eight passes for 66 yards and another score. 

The Indians ran off three lopsided wins after the position shift .. topping CMVT (4-6) 63-0, Northwest Area (2-8) 60-0 and North Penn-Mansfield (4-6) 35-8 .. to guarantee themselves a .500 record in the regular season and the inside track to the playoffs. 

They’d drop their final regular season match-up 21-6 to Montgomery (10-1 and in the Class A final), but held off the rest of the field to claim the No. 8 seed for the postseason. A 41-20 loss to Southern Columbia (10-1 and in the AA semis) ended the Indians’ season.

Levi Stahli finished the year with 507 yards passing, 191 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving and 11 total TDs, while sophomore Cam Stahli led the receiving corp with 19 catches for 445 yards and six touchdowns. Churchill added 13 catches for 189 yards and two scores, while freshman Max Millard became a contributor throughout the season and had 151 yards and a score on 25 carries serving primarily as Lane’s lead blocker.

The Indians averaged 28 points and 240 total yards per game on the season, led by an offensive line anchored by senior Luke Sottolano and including sophomore Stevie Olson, senior Ben Freeman and junior Justin Schaar.

Sottolano received high praise from his head coach, not only for his play, but for his leadership as one of only a few seniors on the Indians’ roster.

“Luke didn’t just anchor our line,” said Lane, himself a former D1 offensive lineman at Temple, “he’s a great teammate. In my personal opinion, he was one of, if not the best, linemen in the NTL.”

The CV defense pitched four shutouts and gave up just under 22 points per game. Lane led the way defensively, totaling 97 tackles, eight sacks, 17 tackles-for-loss and two fumble recoveries. 

Hess was a pest in the defensive backfield, grabbing six interceptions and collecting 59 tackles, while Olson had 59 tackles, nine sacks and 10 TFL. 

Churchill had 54 tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries, Sottolano added 46 tackles, four sacks, eight TFL and a fumble recovery and Schaar had 38 tackles and three sacks. 

Levi Stahli had 36 tackles and two picks, sophomore Brody Bruce had 34 tackles and a fumble recovery, Cam Stahli had 33 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and two tackles-for-loss and Millard made 30 stops for the Indians.

Coach Jacob Lane expressed pride in his mostly-underclass, 2025 squad, saying, “We faced challenges this season .. with a young roster of 16 players for the last six games, they persevered and truly embodied the team's "FAMILY" motto!”