The 2025-26 girls’ basketball season has arrived, and it promises to be another terrific season within the Schuylkill League.
Last season, it was the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes who won the Schuylkill League, defeating North Schuylkill 38-31 in the Schuylkill League championship game. The Hurricanes also finished as the District XI Class 3A runner-up, falling to Notre Dame Green Pond.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite finishing second in District XI, the Hurricanes advanced to the state tournament, defeating Bodine in the first round 51-15 before falling to Pequea Valley 56-53 in the second round.
The Hurricanes will be among the favorites to win the Schuylkill League once again this season.
The first contests of the regular season are slated to start November 28, while Schuylkill League play for both Division I and Division II will begin on December 4. Important dates to remember going forward include the league playoffs beginning on February 7, district playoffs on February 14, and state playoffs on February 28.
Coaching Changes
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs with any new season, there will be plenty of new faces across the Schuylkill League, both when it comes to student-athletes and coaches.
Coaching changes within the league include;
Former Marian head coach Damian Fritz is now at Pottsville to lead the Crimson Tide. Fritz had tremendous success with Marian during his four seasons, leading the Fillies to a 91-20 record and a pair of District XI Championships.
Taking over for Fritz at Marian is Jeanette Shafer Brown, who was named the head coach of the Fillies in September. Baron is a former standout at West Hazleton High School and was among the top players in the area throughout her high school career before playing collegiately at Lock Haven. This will be her first varsity coaching opportunity.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNativity is now led by William Reed, who spent most of the past decade as an assistant on the Hilltoppers’ boys basketball program. Reed will look to turn around the once-dominant girls program that has struggled to find sustained success in recent seasons. The Hilltoppers went 1-21 last season.
Tri-Valley is now led by coach Kaylin Ryan, a former standout for Pine Grove who played collegiately at Delaware Valley. Ryan will be in charge of turning around a Bulldogs’ squad that finished 4-18 a season ago.
Returning All-Area selections
There will be plenty of returning stars in the Schuylkill League this season as well.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRepublican-Herald co-player of the year Mya Conti will return for North Schuylkill after averaging 15.6 points per game last season.
First-team all-area selections returning include first team selections: Schuylkill Haven sophomore McKenna Runkle, Marian Catholic senior Adidson Fritz, Marian Catholic junior Deanna Pugh.
Additionally, three second-team selections will be back in action this season in Panther Valley senior Morgan Orsulak, Mahanoy Area senior Felicia Bro, and Pottsville junior Jo Barnhart, while honorable mention returnees include Schuylkill Haven senior Audrey Hutchinson and Marian Catholic’s Olivai Serfass.
Division I Breakdown:
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Schuylkill League’s Division I for girls basketball consists of Blue Mountain, Minersville, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Pine Grove Area, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, and Tamaqua.
In Division One, it’s expected to once again be a race between North Schuylkill, Pine Grove, Schuylkill Haven, and Tamaqua at the top.
Schuylkill Haven was one of three Schuylkill League teams to win 20 or more games last season, and the only one in Division I.
Led by head coach Tony Sanders, the Hurricanes return several key players from last season and should be well-positioned to repeat as Schuylkill League champions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementReturning for the Hurricanes includes the aforementioned McKenna Runkle (11.1 ppg) and Audrey Hutchinson (7.3 ppg) as well as junior Kylie Siket (7.0).
Tamaqua returns four starters from last season in seniors Leah Black and Kendle Miller, as well as junior Lruen Ligenza and sophomore Millie Black.
“To be competitive in a very tough district XI and the Schuylkill League, this has turned into a 10 and a half month job,” Tamaqua head coach Erika Davis said. “At the end of our season, we give the girls about 3-4 weeks off. Then the girls are chomping at the bit to get back after it.”
Davis noted that her Blue Raiders’ squad started their offseason work after those few weeks off in the weight room before participating in summer leagues, scrimmages, and the A-Town Throwdown Tournament while also participating in their youth camp.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It’s non-stop, but the girls have really bought into how important all of the court time, weight room, and the track/conditioning workouts are and how they correlate to being competitive on the court.”
The long offseason plan worked out well for Tamauqa last season, with the Blue Raiders posting an 18-7 record overall and appearing in the District XI Class 4 quarterfinals, where they fell to Allentown Central Catholic 45-31.
North Schuylkill returns after posting a 19-8 record last season overall under head coach Rich Wetzel. The Spartans were neck-and-neck with the Hurricanes and Blue Raiders as the top team in Division I for most of last season before eventually falling to the Hurricanes in the Schuylkill League championship game.
The Spartans are returning a deep team this season, including all-area co-player of the year, senior Mya Conti. Also returning for North Schuylkill include senior Jadelin Stitzer, senior Kate Urbanowicz, sophomore Gianna Capone, sophomore Addisyn Balicki, sophomore Esla Digris, and sophomore Monica Selgrade.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen it comes to Pine Grove, under the direction of head coach Allison Rizzo, the Cardinals will look to improve upon a 14-9 record from a season ago.
The Cardinals will be led by a trio of returning starters in senior Callee Leffler, junior Meadow Umbenhauer, and sophomore Hollyn Sampson. The trio’s success and struggles over the course of the season will go a long way in determining the course of the Cardinals’ season.
Last season, Sampson, as a freshman, led the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per game, while Leffler averaged 6.8 points per game and Umbenhauer 4.6 points per game.
Teams that are entering the season as underdogs within the league include Blue Mountain, Minersville, Panther Valley, and Pottsville.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBlue Mountain is led by Rose Carper, who hopes to lead the Eagles to an improved record in 2025-26 after going 8-15 a season ago. Helping the Eagles’ fortunes is returning several key contributors from last year, including Hailey Place, Callie Peel, Mila Fleagle, and Kelly Canfield.
“We return several key contributors from last year, and we’ve added a group of newcomers who bring skill and energy,” Carper said about her squad. “Together, this roster allows us to compete and take meaningful steps forward this season.”
Minersville finished last in Division I a season ago with a 2-20 record, but with a good group of returning starters and an up-and-coming group of newcomers, the Miners have a chance to be among the most improved teams this season.
Key returnees include seniors Bella Cruz and a trio of juniors consisting of Alayna Boom, Jenna Cullen, and Caty Ilsley.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor the Battlin’ Miners, the key to success this season, according to head coach Emily Mealey, will be the ability of her returnees and newcomers to be able to mesh together.
If the Battlin’ Miners can do just that, more success should be on the horizon for them in 2025-26.
Panther Valley finished the 2024-25 season with an 8-14 record and returned senior Caroline Breslin, senior Ava Alabovitz, and senior Morgan Orsulak this season, while also adding several talented newcomers to their squad.
Last season, the Panthers did well in non-league play but struggled within the Schuylkill League with a 2-12 record. They’ll look to be more competitive within league play this year under coach Rob Kovac.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinally, the Pottsville Crimson Tide under coach Damian Fritz will look to take a step forward from an 8-15 record a season ago. Fritz is hoping to carry over his overwhelming success from his time at Marian to Pottsville.
Fritz will lean on veteran players such as junior Jo Barnhart and senior Tia Neufville, among others.
Division II:
Division II last season was a showdown between Lourdes, Williams Valley, and Marian, with all three teams finishing with 23 or more wins. Lourdes notably made a deep run in the Class 1A state playoffs, making it to the state semifinals before losing to Linville Hill.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis season is once again expected to see Lourdes and Williams Valley at the top of the standings, while Marian will be a bit of a mystery now under the direction of coach Jeanette Shafer Brown.
Mahanoy Area, Nativity, Shenandoah Valley, Tri-Valley, and Weatherly make up the rest of Division II and will be looking to play spoiler within the division.
Starting with the projected Division II contenders, Lourdes and Williams Valley.
The Red Raiders will return a handful of key players from last year’s semifinals squad, including junior Hanna Lokitis (12.2 ppg), sophomore Kylla Sandri (10.3 ppg), junior Onaleigh Barnes (8.1 ppg), junior Vivian Reiprish (7.4 ppg), and sophomore Sophia Karlovich (4.0 ppg).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“The team and the coaching staff have worked very hard, beginning last May, even into the summer, on fixing our deficiencies,” coach Micahel Klembara said about his squad. “The girls and the staff are very excited for our season, and as long as we take our games one at a time, I think we’ll be in great shape.”
Williams Valley will return four starters, all seniors, in Mal Miller, Quin Smetlz, Ireland Kasper, and Ella Kobularik as they search for back-to-back district championships.
Last season, the Vikings went 24-4 overall, including 13-1 in league play, their lone loss to Tamaqua. They would make the Class 2A state playoffs before falling to Mountain View in the quarterfinals.
“We’re super excited for this season,” coach Shane Zeller said. “It’s a new year with a new team, and we are looking to write a new chapter for this team. We understand what goes with defining a championship, and we are looking forward to the challenges. We will be tested throughout the year, and we’ll be ready.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMarian will have to make up for the losses of both Addison Fritz and Olivia Serffass, who led the Fillies with 14.2 and 11.5 points per game last season. They do return, however, both Deanna Pugh and Addy Marek, who averaged 11.4 and 9.8 points, respectively.
The Fillies have notably won 20 or more games in each of their past four seasons.
Mahanoy Area could be a dark horse in Division II this season after a 14-10 record a year ago, especially thanks to their strong scoring duo of senior Felicia Bro (14.3 ppg) and Ella Connolly (11.9 ppg).
The Golden Bears made the District XI Class 3A playoffs last season but fell to Schuylkill Haven in the quarterfinals 46-26.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNativity under coach Bill Reed is in the midst of a rebuild, but with returning players such as junior Finley McNamara, sophomore Kylah Stewart, and sophomore Peyten Evans, they hope to be more competitive this season.
Shenandoah Valley and coach Laurea Bradley will look to be competitive this year themselves after an 8-15 record a season ago. The Blue Demons will look quite different this season, but return five players in junior Aubrie Monaghan, sophomore Gianna Donovan, sophomore Brittany Tufts, junior Maria Castro, and junior Jazlyn Argueta.
Tri-Valley, under the new leadership of Kaylin Ryan, has their goals set on improving from their 4-18 record from last season. They’ll lean on the experience of senior Avery Miller (15.4 ppg), senior Ava Snyder (6.3 ppg), sophomore Paige Sitlinger, and junior Bella Dietrich to guide them throughout this upcoming season.
Finally, Weatherly is looking to build upon a 4-19 campaign from last season. They return a pair of senior captains in Kelly Reiner and Abby Weston, in what is a mostly veteran team with seven juniors and seniors.
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