PHILIPSBURG — The Philipsburg-Osceola football team lost 1,000-yard rusher Colton Chapman to graduation, but the team’s starting quarterback, second-leading rusher and all three top receivers return for what could be a resurgent 2026 season.
Quarterback Archer Baughman, a top three-sport athlete at the school, is considered to be one of the highest rated returning District 6 quarterbacks after a year in which he threw for 793 yards and five touchdowns on a team that was decidedly run-oriented.
And Demarcus Law, beset with some late injuries, ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns in just four games, while returning receivers Connor Guenot, Robert McClenahan, and Law combined for 800 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on 58 catches.
Other returning starters include two-way lineman Evan Eichenlaub, Gage Freeberg, Mason Klingler and Aaron Davis.
It all adds up to a solid core of returning talent for head coach Jeff Vroman to build on in the new season.
“Every year, it’s a revolving door,” Vroman said. “You have to replace kids that you miss, but just replace them and get the next group ready to play.
“But the kids are excited. They have worked hard all summer, and I don’t mean just the last two weeks. I have been real pleased with that.
“We are stronger, faster and injury-free right now, so that’s huge.”
Vroman also talked about the group of lettermen he has back that will be the core of the team.
“They make it easier because you can spend more time with the young kids,” he said. “These guys are well-versed in the system, and they don’t take as many reps and so you are able to get your young kids more access to the system. That is very important, and that comes with developing a program.”
And Vroman spoke about the leadership and presence of Baughman, who will be back for his senior year.
“He (Baughman) really impressed me in our scrimmage on Saturday,” Vroman said. “He knows where the ball is going before the ball is snapped. And that’s that maturity, the experience, and you can’t replace that. And you can’t teach it. It comes with getting the reps, and after the number of reps he’s had over the four years now, that is definitely showing up.”
The Mounties will begin their season at Central, Martinsburg, on Friday in what is always a tough, physical matchup.
Last season, the Mounties jumped on the Dragons early and rolled to a 48-24 victory, but Central also returns a big core of lettermen and will be out to even the score.
“It’s never easy to go on the road in this conference,” Vroman said. “They (Central) bring back a lot of returners, and they have a lot of their skill people back. They are impressive.
“But first games are first games. You never know what you are going to get. Are you going to go out like last year and blow the top off the thing and gain the momentum right from play one? Or are you going to go and face adversity, maybe a turnover or something? And how you react to the adversity is key, and that’s something in the first game you never know what is going to happen.”
After the Central opener, P-O will return home to face conference foes Chestnut Ridge and Clearfield.
