Elijah Myers experienced championship-level football as a budding star in his freshman year.

A season later, the two-way lineman at Scranton Prep is a force to be reckoned with for the District 2 Class 3A champions.

Only a sophomore, he is eager to compete again when the Cavaliers (7-5) travel to play District 4 champion Mifflinburg (10-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Milton High School Stadium.

“Last season, it took a lot of hard work,” Myers said. “I was mostly on the scout team, and I had to step in and play some, and I really focused on using the right technique. It was definitely different from playing junior football. It was high-intensity, and it was awesome.

“It made me want to come back bigger and stronger this year.”

As he developed to the speed of varsity football, Myers made contributions and helped Scranton Prep win the Lackawanna Football Conference Division I and District 2 Class 3A championships. The Cavaliers reached the PIAA quarterfinals, but the season ended with a loss to eventual state champion Northwestern Lehigh.

“I learned a lot from the guys like Ambrose (Rossi),” Myers said. “That helped me and taught me a lot heading into this season.”

Using his quickness, Myers finished with 31 total tackles and three tackles for loss. More importantly, he had postseason experience to motivate him.

That led to long sessions in the weight room and time spent improving his speed and agility.

“I focused a lot on my academics, and I lived in the gym,” said Myers, who reported to camp at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds. “I went to a lot of camps and worked on my techniques and fundamentals.

“I developed a lot from my freshman year to this season. My maxes in the weight room went way up, and I got a lot stronger.”

That added strength and determination led to Myers becoming a force on both sides of the ball.

Scranton Prep started the season with a physical loss to rival Valley View on opening night. Then, the Cavaliers lost two nonconference games against Loyola Blakefield from Maryland and Canisius from Buffalo, New York.

Those setbacks occurred while some new starters in the lineup were developing, and all-state athlete Will McPartland was still recovering from his torn ACL suffered during the loss to Northwestern Lehigh in 2024.

Once McPartland returned, the linemen developed into a cohesive unit, and the defense started to dominate. The Cavaliers put themselves in position to defend the District 2 Class 3A championship as the No. 3 seed.

Scranton Prep powered past second-seeded Wyoming Area, 42-0. The Cavaliers ran for 178 yards and limited the Warriors to 147 yards on 35 carries, much of which came after the game was in hand.

In Week 12, the Cavaliers ended Berwick’s undefeated season in a 42-7 win for the championship.

“I feel like early in the season, we made little mistakes that really hurt us, and we knew that we could change that,” Myers said. “We fixed those and blew past the teams. Everybody, it seemed, was against us. We played our hearts out and stayed mentally focused.

“The offensive and defensive lines played great, and we played with a lot of energy.”

Scranton Prep faces Mifflinburg, which averages 433.3 total yards per game, and the defense has posted two shutouts. The Wildcats are coming off a 20-14 win over Montoursville in the District 4 Class 3A championship game.

Myers has 36 tackles with six tackles for loss this season.

“We have to keep working hard and do things we have to do to win,” Myers said. “We are mentally focused. We know what we can do.”