Wellsboro fell on hard times after their 9-2 2019 season, going 1-5 in 2020, 5-4 in ’21, 1-9 in ’22 and 2-8 in both 2023 and last season.

This year, the Hornets finished 6-5, including going 4-2 in the large school. Since 2022, Wellsboro went 1-5, 1-5 and 0-6 in their division. 

“I was very pleased with our year,” says Head Coach Matt Hildebrand, “I feel that we got better each week throughout the season, and making a playoff appearance this season was huge for our program after several years of missing out.”

The Hornets opened the ’25 season with a lopsided, 58-0 loss to eventual 3A runner-up Montoursville (9-3), followed by a 23-20 loss to Muncy (5-6) to start 0-2. 

A 14-6 win over Wyalusing (2-8) started a three-game winning streak .. 33-12 over Towanda (3-7) and 37-15 over Cowanesque Valley (5-6).

“Learning how to win at Wyalusing was a huge tipping point for us this year,” says Hildebrand of the Hornets’ three game streak.

A 35-22 loss to Athens (9-2) and a 53-7 loss to Troy (11-1) left the Hornets at 3-4 on the season, but three straight blowout wins .. 49-7 over Canton, 55-8 over Northwest Area and 48-10 over North Penn-Mansfield in the annual M.F. Jones Trophy Game gave Wellsboro a 6-4 final regular season record and the No. 6 seed in the District IV Class AA playoffs .. their first trip to the postseason since 2021.

Wellsboro faced Troy in the first round and fell 49-8 to the Trojans to bring the Hornets’ season to an end.

“I feel that we were a much better team playing Troy in the post season then we were during the regular season,” says Hildebrant of his team’s performance in the quarterfinal, which included taking an 8-0 lead on the defending State champs and being tied near the end of the first quarter.

Hildebrand points to his seniors as a major contributing factor to the team’s successes in 2025.

“This senior group really led the right way on and off the field,” says Hildebrand, “They put more work into this off season than many of the past teams and they saw it paid off.”

The Hornets second-year starting QB, Griffin Morral, accounted for over 2,000 yards of offense and 24 total TDs in leading Wellsboro to averaging 26.6 points per game this season.

Morral went 81-172 passing for 1,335 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 717 yards and nine more TDs on 114 carries this season. 

In the Hornets’ win over NP-Mansfield, Morral ran for 196 yards and threw for 172 and accounted for five scores, while in the win over Towanda, Morral accounted for over 300 yards of offense and had three TDs. The sophomore’s best passing night came in the Hornets’ loss to Athens where he threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Marek Mascho had another Swiss-Army-Knife-season .. rushing for 530 yards and seven TDs on 84 carries, catching a team-high 25 passes for 431 yards and four touchdowns and even completing two passes for scores. Mascho also led the Hornets’ ‘D’, collecting a team-high 67 tackles on the season and picking off five passes. 

Morral’s classmate, Kody Enck, finished with 22 catches on the year for five touchdowns, ran for another score and had 56 tackles and six interceptions for Wellsboro, while junior Max Mascho had 20 receptions for 240 yards and two TDs on offense and 32 tackles and a pick on defense.

Senior Dylan Copp had two receiving touchdowns and two on the ground and had 30 tackles on defense, while juniors Ethan Keane and Gideon Lawton had a pair of receiving TDs each and sophomore Reed Richardson had two rushing scores. 

Sophomore Jorden Hines racked up 47 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Hornets while senior two-way lineman Hayden Stevens had 47 tackles and added five sacks. Junior Izaya Campbell and Levi Champaign had 40 and 39 tackles with Champaign also collecting three sacks, Richardson had 38 tackles, senior Cole Knapp had 35 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and a pick and Morral had 14 tackles and an interception.

Senior Finn Matthews served as the Hornets’ place kicker, making 20 extra point kicks in 30 tries and providing deep kick-offs for Wellsboro.

In closing, Coach Hildebrand is looking forward to building off a successful 2025 season.

“I’m very proud of all the players and coaching staff for their efforts this season,” says Hildebrand, “We’ll look to hit the off season hard again and use this year as a springboard into next season.”