Are you ready for some football?
Welcome to the official forum on high school football for the 2026 season.
During the off-season let’s talk about players, recruiting news, teams, and everything about high school football.
During the season each week let’s talk about match-ups and how teams did. Let us know what player(s) stood out each week.
1,659 Responses
In looking at the brackets the following scenarios are possible, some are obviously a lot more likely than others:
6A – PCC vs. LaSalle
5A – McDevitt vs. Roman – rematch from last years classic
4A – Cardinal O’Hara vs. Public School
3A – Imani Christian vs. Neuman Goretti
2A – Seton LaSalle vs. Lansdale Catholic (imagine how good SL would be if Khalil Taylor stayed put and didn’t transfer to PR)
1A – Bishop Guilfoyle vs. Public School
If this plays out let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin! It won’t of course, as some of the privates will lose, but just thought I’d point it out to poke the bear a little bit for those of you who want separate playoffs and beat the same drum on this board year after year.
Jeff H, I would be surprised if Lansdale C makes it to the final. They have a good team but not sure going that far.
@irish1 – I don’t think either of the Catholic schools will make the 2A final looks to me like it will be Farrell vs southern Columbia we’ll see.
If that scenario does plays out, it would set the bar quite high (but very doable) for basketball come mid/late March 🙂
@Kevin X – did some quick research and best I could tell is 6 is the most Catholic/private schools in the final first set in 2013 in the 4 class era (north Catholic, Imhotep, wood, mcdevitt, PCC and SJP) and tied again last year. I don’t think there will be more than 6 this year my hunch is 4-5 we’ll see.
regarding our recent conversation about public vs.private schools my buddies got into a discussion about one town,one school,programs . the braintrust was able to come up with just 2 schools in the district.we came up with old forge and dunmore. so it would be impossible for every little town to have their own program. are there many more one town schools(programs)?
If your from southern, mt. Carmel, Harrisburg, wyomissing, dunmore, Wyoming area, berwick or pottsville you can say hey we can’t compete with the private or catholic schools anymore. But I can’t really see how that can be an argument for Lakeland because they are not or never have been the best of the public schools either.
Does anyone really know where Lakeland is?
I love your facetiousness
Who do you support, buddy?
Just for curiosity purposes of course lol
Bishop hafey
@Jc
Nice… I believe back in the day they had some quality basketball teams, didn’t they?
Also …
When did they actually close the doors?
Late 90s wasn’t it ?
….. I could be wrong
Yes, it’s land around a lake! Lakeland!
Some people say Scott Township (or Scott). Some say Jermyn. Both are correct.
Active roster for the New England Patriots
Congratulations former Lakeland Chiefs
Former All-Star CJ Dippre
Who played as starting quarterback and also defensive end before graduating for the Chiefs in 2018.
Lots of hard work and determination truly pays off great job CJ
He has been placed on the actor roster for the New England Patriots
@Frank G seems like i agree with many things you have said except for the scranton prep situation. Playoff game or 4th game of the season,it is not fair to anyone involved. i believe high school football was meant to be your community vs. another local community. the private schools poaching talent from any and all the communities is a perversion of this. thanks.
@bub
1,000,000% factually, correct !!!!!
…..…………mic drop
Things need to change…….
And things need to change now no going around it !!
The last D2 Notes that feature all of the champs for the year Let’s start with the winners.
4A: North Pocono surprised me. I truly thought Shanahan would’ve controlled the game from start to finish, but I was wrong. It looked like North Pocono was going to pull away, but they went back & forth throughout the game. This 40-36 win for North Pocono was mainly due to a wild 4th quarter. NP led early. Shanahan led at the end of the 3rd. Then it was back & forth. Cole West, Aquilla, Zimmerman, & Civella did what they were supposed to do, but the Trojans found a way to make more plays late & make the ones that mattered. I don’t know how they fare against O’Hara, but I might have much more belief in them. The scary part is: Next year, they might be better.
1A: Trail put in a team performance in a 31-20 win over Line Mtn. Isaac Ryon went for 146 & 2 TD, as he did his thing. But it wasn’t just the offense: The defense made big plays, caused fumbles, & held a powerful offense to 20. Huge win for Trail, as expected. They should not have many problems against Belmont next week.
3A: Scranton Prep survived. How did they do it? Well, when you leave Mifflinburg with 17 yards in the second half, then you have done your job. Mifflinburg had quite a game in the first half & led 21-14 after two. But Prep’s defense was the difference maker. Northwestern Lehigh plays this Prep team next week. I don’t think they’ll beat the Tigers, but if the defense steps up, we might have a shot at a N-G/Trinity & Prep East final.
The Losers. Three go home.
5A: We say farewell to Delaware Valley, but you got to give them their respect for making one heck of a game out of it. The other H’burg won 56-42 against the Warriors. Carter Muth was the difference maker for the Golden Tigers, as he went for 5 TDs. DV went up 21-0 to start, but the D6 champs answered back with the same. They tied four times that game, but DV couldn’t find a way to get above 42. Doesn’t help that 100+ yards of penalties also hurt them. DV ends at 7-6, with quite a battle.
I’ll keep these two short & sweet in this one: Both Lakeland & WBA were dominated from start to finish against Lansdale Catholic & State High on Saturday. It wasn’t close. Both lost to much better teams. Good to see them both make it this far, but we can hope that they’ll be back next season.
I feel the best chance to the state final is 1A, 3A. & 4A, but if the 3A & 4A games are won by D2, I may flip it. Trail has to get past BG. Trinity/N-G & Solehi/Shamokin are debatable enough.
@D2
The Lakeland game was not domination from start to finish………
At halftime Landsdale only was up
14-0 ….
Not bad from the Lakeland side of things considering Lansdale had players from all over the Philadelphia region being a private school
And Lakeland having talent from within their boundaries. So with all of those considerations, the Chiefs didn’t do so bad first year, coming off of those two year rebuilding seasons after losing 14 starters from 2022 to graduation
Lots of players on Lakeland are still
10 th and 11 th graders
We only graduate 8 athletes from the squad this year not bad … considering all of that
Just a year ago, didn’t Riverside, a boundary public school in the same D2 LFC as Lakeland, beat this same LC team that draws kids from all over the Philly Region in the same round of the state playoffs?? Did I remember that correctly?? What I am sure of, as I was there and witnessed with my own eyes, just a few nights ago, North Pocono, another public boundary school from the same D2 Scranton area LFC beat another one of those Philly area Catholic schools, Bishop Shanahan, that I suppose also draws athletes from all over the greater Philly region. And to come full circle, this Lakeland team just a few weeks ago beat another one of those private Catholic schools (Holy Redeemer), from the W-B area, in the D2 playoffs. The kicker in that one was Lakeland was winning 49-0 in the first quarter. How does that happen?? Can someone, anyone, please make all of this make sense??
@Kevin X
No matter what you say no matter how you say it separation of public and private is long overdue end of story
And as far as you’re saying that we were up
49-0 in the first half if you know anything about football, you know that Holy Redeemer is nothing near the talent that Lansdale harnesses from the Philadelphia region
Nor will Holy redeemer ever be as good as
Lansdale
Holy redeemer is lucky if they muster up three wins per season they were just a filler team as they always are every year
They have a new coach every two years
That’s like comparing apples and oranges
Regardless separation needs to begin
And it is exactly comparing apples to apples. That was my whole point and specifically using those teams/schools as specific examples. I get it, you’re a Lakeland fan, we all see that loud and clear, and there is nothing wrong with that.
OK, I take that back. One thing on HR & LC. Your talent argument and comparison is ridiculous. They are both diocesan catholic schools. One out of Philly, one out of Scranton. They operate in basically the same manner. HR can draw athletes from all over the W-B and greater NEPA, as like you say LC can over the Philly area. Just because HR and Holy Cross have been having struggles in football, doesn’t change the facts that they are very similar to all diocesan catholic high schools across PA in their operations and where and how they can draw students and athletes from. If you want to argue/compare Scranton Prep, yes they are different animal in a sense, like La Salle and St Joe Prep, being a private catholic high school.
I wouldn’t be holding my breathe (for separation).
I’m not even going to get into a HR v LC conversation.
Saying that Lansdale Catholic has players from all over the Philadelphia area shows only that you don’t know anything about Lansdale Catholic or the Philadelphia area. The school has never drawn students from anywhere except its small part of the Philly area. It’s also a fact that many of the players on LaSalle actually live closer to Lansdale Catholic than they do to LaSalle.
Of course it’s fair to argue for separate playoffs for boundary and non-boundary schools, but your argument is much weakened when you make statements that are so far-fetched.
Frank G. he cant even spell Lansdale, he thinks he is a funny guy. Again engaging with him with common sense and actual facts doesnt work.
@HOME GROWN
You sound like a disgruntled parent of a son who doesn’t play, must suck living with that much anger. Do you have anything better to do other than rip on a D2 team?
easy there mr. demming, lakeland has had some great teams over the years but a lot of those championships were in the suburban conference. they proved themselves as a great program over the years but the suburban conference era was not the toughest competition. good to be proud but an honest assessment is in order.
@Steve
An observation of what you were saying yes, I agree the suburban conference was not the toughest league to be an admittedly, however, to be consistent winning at 8 years in a row
And then with much pushback from some BIG 11
Coaches we entered the BIG 11 in 1980
With a solid performance against then king of the football mountain in the northeast region obviously you know the Valley View Cougars
Handedly dismantling them 43-8 the BIG 11
Championship outright that year our first year in the league, I think it was very impressive. It sent a message that we were ready to play with that game that shut lots of miles that said we couldn’t compete then the following years we shared the title in 81,82 and then won it outright in 87
Going 13-0 the rest of the championships were more dominantly in the thousands
With great performances against always tough and stout, the Dunmore Bucks from 2000-2006
While Dunmore was thrashing all the other teams, they didn’t beat us once from 2000-2006
We went 11-0 vs the BUCKS season sweeping many times seeing them in the season and then through those years district playoffs and or championships
No team has ever accomplish that against the Dunmore bucks and never will !
Or our great matchups with the Mount Carmel area tornadoes in the thousands very close state playoff games so for you to say about that little snippet of time of the suburban conference makes no sense to me!
Or how about in 2010 when the Riverside Vikings were destroying everybody in their path on their way to reaching the state championship and almost beat the Clarton bears just nearly losing
The state championship
Lakeland went down to Riverside with a very healthy Riverside team waiting for us. Nobody was out. They had all the starters and Lakeland beat them for the league championship.
21-20.
The Lakeland game besides the state championship game was Riverside only two losses of the year I think that’s pretty impressive to say for the Chiefs.
When Riverside was averaging 33 points a game against every opponent and that year riverside dismantled southern Columbia Jim Roth and his own words said it was the worst loss he has ever experienced.
Or even in the early thousands with #1 in the state QB Evan Kraky the Chiefs went into he Cougars Den and dismantled Valley View 33-0
Lots of great games against lots of great talented teams so yes, you are right. There is no shortness of being proud of my Chiefs and they never will be
Or how about back in the early thousands when we played Abington Heights who taunted our bruiser linebacker/fallback Joe Tuzze
Saying throughout the week TUZZE WHO
People don’t learn you don’t do that to solid teams Lakeland put the hammer down 32-8
At the PIT “ Stadium.
Regardless, I’m not cocky and I’m not overly zealous or proud in a cocky way. I’m proud because it’s a great heritage to be a part of. It’s a family and it always will be !
yikes, I didnt mean to disparage the chiefs. i did say they have had some great teams. they must have lost once in a while though .didn’t riverside play in 2 state finals? old forge played in 1 state final. and dunmore has been to 4. while lakeland has been consistently good and sometimes great they have never gotten as far. that being said they did lose a very tough game with mt.carmel who is extremely tough,and lakeland was within 1 inch of the win {i think Kraky scored}.While that is a tough opponent,riverside lost to a clairton team that was no slouch. maybe dunmore had worse luck having to face west catholic in the semi’s 3or 4 times.also running into a buzzsaw in jeanette with terrell pryor,clairton with tyler boyd on a 50+ gamewin streak, and south fayette who blew out imhotep charter the previous year. I have followed sports in the scranton area for a long time, i acknowledge the consistent excellence of the lakeland chiefs and all the other teams i have mentioned. and let’s not forget the blakely bears/valley view program,excellence over the years.they also have a state championship.they have an excellent history. one more,Lackawanna trailhas a finals appearance and could be headed for another. and another thing, riverside is 3wins 0 losses against southern columbia.all should be recognised.
@steve
Hey, yes I agree with you completely about Riverside facing Clairton Bears especially when they were on that undefeated streak that was the best in the country
I’m telling you all of us from Lakeland we were definitely rooting for Riverside for sure I think the score was so close. It was something like. 36-32
With Riverside leading almost the entire game
Riverside definitely had a special team that year and yes in 1997 I believe they went also I think they faced Downingtown or something like that didn’t they but came up short I think it was very close something like 10-7
We know close scores for sure they sting just like when Lakeland played northern Lehigh in the eastern final 2003 we lost 10-7 and then northern Lehigh gave Aliquippa an amazing game in the state championship game almost beating them
Yes, I do agree with you about some great games Lakeland has had with Mount Carmel and yes, I’m with you on that one Kraky was definitely over the goal line everybody saw he scored, but you know how it works when you have homers for refs and there’s like a few seconds left on the clock at the end of the game it doesn’t help. I remember that game we had to travel so far to play them and they only had to travel like 15 minutes. I think we had to play them at like Shamokin or something like that.
Yeah, I just want you to understand. I’m not in confrontation with anybody on here. I think we all have the same interest obviously we all enjoy football especially high school football. It doesn’t get any better.
If I get a little piped up sometimes please nobody take offense to it. It just comes out sometimes and if I have offended anybody, I do apologize.
To be honest, I am proud of all of our district 2 players. I have to look at it this way I know it sounds coocoo bananas but I looked at it this way go to your local target store go to your local Walmart. What do you see all these different shirts and coats representing all the different schools it’s almost like a package of Oreos you take the dividers out and they’re all the same. They’re just trying to reach their goal. That’s all.
And I have to keep reminding myself of that and turn the page
Hey, one more game for the memory book
In 1987 when Lakeland went undefeated
13-0 a year before the state championship was finalized.
Lakeland had to go to Williamsport and play them in order to play in the championship game and wow that was a nailbiter. It was so freezing cold for that game and eventually yes we won.
However, the other game that was taking place was Tunkhannock at Berwick
Nobody saw this game coming out of nowhere. They had a special year that year. That’s for sure those Tigers they beat Berwick to get into the eastern conference championship game when it actually meant something.
Berwick was stunned. That was the Berwick of old. Curry didn’t know what hit them.
We ended up winning the championship beating the Tigers. I believe the score was.
28-15 there was a good ball game. The Tigers were definitely solid that particular year and then all of a sudden they went silent going forward
If kraky scored they still would have had to give him 13 points for the touchdown to win. Lakeland math i guess. Im a mount carmel hater and I can tell you kraky didn’t gain an inch on 4th and goal. I think much like the pottsville maroons of the NFL they should go back in time and give kraky the to and as a late gift even give them the extra point for a 13-7 loss.
Alright D11 folks and the other district teams they are playing.
2A – Our buddy Jc mentioned Williams Valley could and did win that game over SH after getting behind early. I saw a few highlights and it seems like WV is rather well balanced but Shomper is the real deal. I am not too familiar with Lansdale Catholic but looked like the 1st half against Lakeland was close and Lakeland had scoring opportunities early but couldn’t capitalize. Any predictions or info on Lansdale Catholic? My gut says WV after beating SH, just not sure what to expect with LC.
3A – In my opinion, my alma mater NW got past their toughest test, ND, with Avonworth or Imani being the only ones that would be tougher. Props to ND, they came ready to play and may have been the most balanced offense/defense ND team I can remember. I know SP’s record is deceiving but I just dont see a situation where over 48 minutes they have enough to win, barring a few turnovers by NW or lots of penalties. Too many weapons, speed and coaching is just the cherry on top. Any chance for prep here?
4A – SL needs to capitalize on this post season run as they are slated to be 5A by 3 kids next year. Shamokin has a lot of weapons and are very capable of winning this game but SL doesn’t make mistakes and they will wear them down. I think SL takes this one by a score or 2 but Shamokins big play potential could easily swing that.
6A – My mother’s Alma mater, Easton, great story over the past 2 years. I love them being good again, Easton vs Parkland is a classic in the valley, happy they got over that hump. However, while they run a great RPO for high school, the speed of LaSalle on defense will make it extremely difficult. Defensively, I doubt they can get enough pressure or cover long enough against LaSalles weapons, Easton will play tough but thinking LaSalle by about 3 scores.
Any additional thoughts or input?
I don’t think williams valley wins this week. Its odd because I think schuylkill haven has the better team each year but there coaching is suspect the second time they play williams valley. I think haven was equipped to make a state title run but williams valley is equipped to win a district title. Nw lehigh will play for a state title and lose, southern lehigh 48-20 and Easton loses a close game with LaSalle 20-13
Jc, saw Easton for the first time ever back in Sept when they played Spring-Ford. Easton is an historic program I respect them, was fun seeing them play,btw their band is top notch ,but LaSalle will roll if they play. Too much size and speed for Easton. It seemed like it was a down yr for the 6a schools in the Lehigh Valley. Parkland a traditional power had a great record but really didnt beat much all yr. They even struggled some against Washington high not one of the better teams from the Philly Public league .
@Jc its a shame because I’ve heard that from several people that SH was a state championship caliber team but if you can’t get out of your district, that doesn’t mean anything. I understand having confidence in what you do but when a team knows you and tendencies, youve got to be able to adjust.
Agreed on NW, Avonworth has to be the favorite as of now in 3A.
SL is good but they go as Steckert goes, if Shamokin slows down their run game like NW did, Shamokin definitely has a good shot. Also, steckert had 46 carries last week and plays defense, thats not sustainable and you are going to get the kid injured.
I’d love for Easton to win or keep it that close, and to do that, they may need some help from mother nature.
Sometimes the exact opposite is true. If your top running back has 18 carries for 212 yds there is no reason to throw the ball 15 times other than to keep the other team in the game. They didn’t stop reber, there own plays stopped them. Up 24-7 in the 2nd quarter my running back would have finished the game with 40 carries. If haven ran the ball every play they win that game 10 out of 10 times.
I am not so sure Avonworth is the favorite they are going to have a battle this week with Imani I was surprised how easily they handled Central Valley last week. I think the wpial winner against NWL in the final will be very competitive and perhaps the best game of the weekend like last year.
And the exodus continues…………..
“BREAKING: Four-Star IOL Kevin Brown has Decommitted from Penn State.
The 6’5 285 IOL from Harrisburg, PA was the highest-ranked recruit in Penn State’s 2026 Class.”
I understand that he was in street clothes in their game with MT yesterday. Is he injured?? His status going forward?? Big loss, if so, for Harrisburg the deeper they go into the playoffs.
Why are you surprised, they were the #7 recruiting class 7 weeks ago, 2027 class was #2, but coaches recruit the kids & Penn State didn’t replace the coach with anyone, the kids weren’t going to wait forever, Early Signing Period is only a few weeks away. Penn State is now the #59 recruiting class and it’s going to keep dropping, and oh that #2 recruiting class for 2027 is now DEAD LAST. AD Pat Kraft has absolutely Sabotaged PSU, he needs to be fired, he is clueless.
I’m not.
Concussion
Thanks!!
Did not make the trip down to Germantown yesterday. Combination of just being lazy, slew of college football, and keeping funds in my own bank account and not handing them over to the PIAA in a personal gesture of not supporting them for holding the LC/Lakeland game where they did. Still can’t believe there weren’t better options. Decision worked out well as LC rolled in mercy rule fashion over Lakeland. Do we have another player in 2A?? LC/Williams Valley next weekend. Love to see that one, but guessing too many other games to choose from closer to me next weekend. Early leader in the clubhouse is North Penn @ Pennridge.
@kevin X
Ya Landsdale Definitely rolled I’m sure Lakeland could have had the same result if they could pull players from all over creation.
Still proud of of Lakeland especially this year
After their 2022 solid season, they lost their quarterback in Districts before the first state game eventually losing to another private school and then after that season losing 14 seniors who most of them were starters to graduation
It was a climb back up the mountain for sure with rebuilding the past two years and now they are back just happy they won their division outright and also districts.
I’d much rather that than winning a state championship maybe once and then be forgotten about I’d rather win on the local level as Lakeland has done for many years their football program started in 1961 and since 1971 their dominance has been proven over the decades
At least locally and before the state championship was formed in 1988 we won plenty of eastern conference championships when they actually meant something
And they also made the eastern final of states vs Northern Lehigh only coming up short
10-7
And other states playoffs coming up short to Mount Carmel in their hot streak in the early 2000s
Joby Fawcett from the Scranton Times did a nice article this year on the overall winners of the most championships in our region. Lakeland was the top team followed by Dunmore at number two, and then the list went on
Top 5 out of 19 from early 1970’s to present
1 Lakeland
2 Dunmore
3 Lackawanna Trail
4 Old Forge
5 Valley View
…..Prep came in at at #7
I’d much rather be dominant throughout the decades instead of winning one state championship and then be forgotten about and then not winning anything else throughout those years following
Just speaking facts !
a demm….you cant even spell Lansdale correctly, of course you couldnt even spell the word facts let alone know them and you sure as hell dont have a clue about any programs in District one so stop while you are behind, you and Bub have embarrassed yourself enough already
so if i have embarrassed myself then so be it. truth is hard sometimes.i have had family that graduated from scranton prep,also holy cross in dunmore. there is no catholic bias. and i was very happy to see the U OF Scranton beat Pitt. you see that is a different animal. perhaps you need to examine your own self if you cannot see or comprehend.
Nothing wrong with my eyesight or comprehension, I honestly dont care whats going on up there, its beyond boring at this point.
I don’t know if the moniker of “win one state title and be forgotten” is worse than “win a bunch of district games” and never get the big one. Coaches come and go — and when the previous coach comes and goes, the coach may be immortalized (if you have like Jack Henzes or George Curry) but not the team. At least the state title you know the team is immortalized by the school for decades to come.
But it is interesting. You get told “oh you are good in the 70s” but then realize training, motivation for competition has evolved drastically since then because college offers is the sole reason people try these days, and that’s how someone pays the bills.
@ Frank G: So in response I recognize your comment as having true issues for high school football. However it does nothing to address the situation that we were debating. I follow D2, and see that Scranton Prep has the advantage and I know personally families with children who tried to attend prep turned away,yet the families with talented football players welcomed. This is not fair to the other football competition,and it is even more wrong to the other families who could use a helping hand but are denied because they might be good at math but not football. Thanks.
@ bub. If Scranton Prep did what you understand they did, then I they did the wrong thing.
For a while I’ve thought the state playoffs have been bad for most schools, at least in the part of the state (the southeast) I know best. (I know Scranton a bit since I went to “The U” a long time ago and still visit friends there occasionally.) The playoffs mean that nearly all schools end their season with a loss and, more to the point, most don’t play beyond the first week in November. Back when I played decades ago most schools, including mine, had a Thanksgiving game against a traditional rival. So even if your team had a bad year, you had a meaningful game to look forward to on Thanksgiving. Easton has preserved the tradition, but they seem to be the only ones. Anyway, if there were no state playoffs, nearly all the arguments and most of the ill feeling about boundary vs non-boundary / private vs. public would go away, don’t you think?
I liked it when football practice began on Aug. 15 and the season started the week after Labor Day. That allowed kids like me to have a summer job–in my case a small landscaping business. That is, it made us more like our classmates who also had summer jobs. We also had an easier time than football players today in playing more than one sport. I know it happens sometimes now, but it seems much less common. I wish things now were more like how they were back then, but I know that’s close to impossible.
Totally off subject, sort of, but couldn’t resist. Now these dastardly Catholics, not satisfied beating up poor traditional boundary public high schools are beating up on public universities, most notably this past weekend the University of Pittsburgh (sorry Jeff H)!!! First the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (this one is for you, Irish1) and yesterday the freaking D3 University of Scranton (for you Frank G) Women’s basketball team take down the Pitt WBB team. Nice!!! No, Very Nice!!!
Kevin X……. thanks for giving me a laugh I needed that today. I have never been to Pennridge was thinking of taking a ride to that game on Friday.
Very nice stadium and facility. One of the best in District One. Just hope it’s not breezy or windy, it goes right through you with the stadium being up on the hill.
Frank G….. you are trying to speak common sense to a few on here who have no idea what that is, you cant have a logical conversation with people whose thought process goes beyond high school football, but its nice of you to try. I agree with what you said in regard to the state football playoffs and the season overall, but we are dinosaurs in that regard. The Piaa has jammed the seasons together so that now we have the majority of teams finishing their season before Halloween which is crazy and the regular season for basketball ends before Feb 1 for many programs
The playoff system is largely responsible for turning football from a fall sport to a summer-early fall sport for the great majority of schools. That has had a real impact on school and community support for football–and on the experience of the kids who play the game. The number of lopsided scores, including in the early rounds of the playoffs, is one indication of the problem.
In another surprising upset in the wpial the Quips won a record 21st and maybe most improbable title in their storied history 21-12 over McKeesport. Not many people in western Pa gave the quips much of a chance when the playoffs started especially since QB Marques Council who is going to Yale was thought lost for the season last month due to a leg injury and their offense struggled since he was hurt. As I posted a few weeks ago he surprisingly returned in the second half against Trinity in an opening round game and led them to a come from behind victory then shut out new castle last week and shocked McKeesport today.
The quips will beat Oil city next week but I have my doubts they will beat the D3 winner in the western finals then again I didn’t think there was any chance they would win the wpial title but Council’s return has rejuvenated them.
Tip of the hat to a great coaching job by Mike Warfield in 7 years as their head coach since he took over in 2018 (he took a sabbatical last year) he has made the wpial final every year and is 5-2 and also 3-1 in state finals all while playing up in class pretty impressive to say the least for a 2A school by enrollment.
Had the Quips lost before the wpial final they could have dropped to 3A for the next 2 year cycle but they now are locked in to 4A. They have no reason to complain in the 6 years since they have been forced up to 4A due to the success rule they have won 4 Wpial and 2 state titles, lost in a state final to McDevitt in 2022 and lost to eventual state champ TJ in OT in an epic wpial final in 2020.
A BIG congratulations to – – –
The North Pocono Trojans and the
Lackawanna Trail Lions for
Representing District 2 football very STRONGLY
With North Pocono being the strongest overall team from district 2 going forward
In the state playoffs 2025
Best wishes and best of luck
To the Trojans and Lions keep rolling
Also BEST of LUCK to the
( Northwestern Lehigh Tigers )
KEEP THE BUZZ SAW ROLLING
Wow. PIAA released their numbers early this year. I’ll break down D2 & predict subregionals. We may have some changes or voluntary move ups.
6A: 6 Teams
– Hazleton (1697), Wilkes-Barre (1097), & Scranton (676) are mainstays
– WVW (640) moves up to 6A for the first time, as does West Scranton (621).
– Williamsport (621) probably sneaks in the subregion or it’s the 6 D2 teams & Billtown joins Erie (1359), McDowell (810), Allderdice (581, first one in), Altoona (899), & State High (833). I sense the latter with a 4/6 final & an 8/10 final.
– EC can happen here, if West & WVW find themselves again.
5A: 3 Teams
– DV (555) should stay here unless they voluntarily move up
– Abington Heights (454) & Pittston (417, +5 from 4A) also makes it here
– There will be a subregional here. D-11 has ES South (556), PM East (521), Pleasant Valley (487), & Solehi (415, +3). Would a 7-team subregion work?
– I can also, more likely see a D-2/6/9 Subregional with a bye week or a first round date with D11 next year. This would be a stronger subregional with DuBois (459), Hollidaysburg (454), & Mifflin County (529) as reps.
– You could argue an EC berth here for the D2 teams, depending on the setup.
4A: 9 Teams
– All of the playoff teams return, as North Pocono (362) will try to defend its D2 crown, as is Dallas (315), VV (295), & Crestwood (379).
– Wallenpaupack stays 4A (354), as does rival Honesdale (305) & Nanticoke (316)
– The biggest returnee is Berwick (349), who jumps from 3A
– Hanover Area (285, +4 from 281), with a team that got better this year, adds a twist to this class.
– Carbondale (285, +4), is here thanks to their co-op with Forest City. They may be allowed to revert to 3A in this cycle
– This should be a 4-team bracket with EC-favorable draws
3A: 7 Teams
– With Berwick & Hanover Area moving up, not much else changes
– Wyoming Area (271) is the highest enrollment here
– Montrose (260) is Co-Op’ing with Elk Lake again (not sure if Mountain View is in that number either)
– Tunkhannock (260), Western Wayne (258), Scranton Prep (247), Mid Valley (245), & Lake-Lehman (211) return
– This should be a 4-team bracket with EC draws
2A: 5 Teams
– Nothing changed. At all. Should remain status quo.
– Lakeland (191), Susquehanna-Blue Ridge (178), Dunmore (167), Riverside (161), & Redeemer (155)
– Redeemer or Susquehanna would have to improve for EC likelihood.
1A: 3 Teams
– Same three teams.
– Holy Cross (132), Old Forge (117), & Trail (88) are here
– This will be a subregional. I’m thinking it’ll go to a D 1-2 Subregional with the winner facing either D-4, D-11, or D-3/12.
– D11 has Marian (94), Nativity (68), Tri-Valley (141, at cutoff), & Williams Valley (101).
– D1 has Morrisville (128), Delco Christian (124), & Jenkintown (80) & D12 has Belmont Charter (124)
– With D3 adding teams, it’s not likely. They have Halifax (130), Steel-High (119), Delone (114), & likely non-existent Fairfield (114).
– This is where I wish they made this into a super-regional & take the Top 4/8 in GIMP ratings.
– EC is always likely here.
Will go through the rest later in the week, as I saw some curious switches & predict bracket paths.
@frank G: so call it what you will, not a scholarship, maybe it’s a bribe, maybe it’s payola,maybe it’s an enticement, how about NIL but without using name,image, likeness, for advertisement just monetary reward in the form of paid tuition. any way you dress it up, the fact remains it is a huge advantage. also i am catholic, and i have no ill will towards scranton prep. i simply know what is undeniable common sense,unless that is you refuse to acknowledge for whatever reason. giving the benefit of the doubt with the last sentence. thanks!
Your reference to NIL points to the bigger picture which has changed so much in relation to college and high school football and in relation to which all the talk about boundary vs non-boundary, scholarships, etc. should be considered. The relatively small size of today’s high school-age population, the big fall-off in the number of kids playing in local pre-teen leagues–I saw that Lower Merion, not a small hs wants to combine its football team with Harriton because not enough kids are joining the program–, and which kids from which backgrounds are and are not playing football have, together, changed the picture immensely. And NIL has meant that some kids and families are much more eager than in the past to get offers and to get the best offers they figure they have to get noticed and valued earlier and earlier. Then throw in the need for schools like SP to market themselves much more aggressively than they have in the past (no more families with 4, 5, 6 kids who all automatically go to particular Catholic schools) and the fact that all Catholic schools, for various reasons, are quite happy to have kids from non-Catholic families and it’s even more clear that we’re not in 1980 or even 2010 any more.
Some of the changes (e.g., making offers–which should really be called feelers–to 8th graders) I don’t like at all, but we are where we are.
That was a fun night in Downingtown and it wasn’t even at Kottmeyer, nor did it include a visit to Victory Brewing. That would have been a good post game spot (assuming they could find it) for the North Pocono contingent (who I sat with), who I need to acknowledge with kudos for travelling well and showing up in mass. Also probably the best behaved and nicest fan base I sat with this year since maybe Malvern Prep. All made for a great atmosphere with a track meet type of game. Let’s get this out of the way before I forget, NP’s Cole West is a beast. And I understand they are fairly young team and “a year away.” Just remember that for your pre season predictions for next year. Assuming they get by O’Hara (Inking in O’Hara winning today), a Southern Lehigh/Shamokin game should be just as fun as last night. But O’Hara first, and my one ding on NP is that their pass D wasn’t exactly stellar. O’Hara’s John Welde and his weapons could light them up like an early Christmas tree. But someone needs to stop NP’s ground game if they are planning to play a football game the following week.
Now, do I make the trip down Rte. 309 to witness another D2 team in Lakeland against LC????
Kevin x , read the game story and here is one I’ve never heard before N Pocono actually went to PJP by mistake on their way to the game.How does that happen????
Exactly!! I read the write up of the game here on this site and read that with absolute head scratching disbelief. Thinking the same thing, how the heck does that happen??
KevinX, just an awesome game and atmosphere, I was also surprised how many North Pocono fans traveled to Shanahan. NP has a very stout line and Cole West is a stud. I thought that Shanahan would pull this one out with Anthony Aquilla and Shanahan getting the ball back with 40 seconds left but a fumble sealed the deal for NP. Don’t know how far NP will go this year but you are correct, next year look out! Wyomissing loses on the last play of the game to Susquehanna, an amazing 20 yard catch by Susquehanna’s Wide Receiver in the endzone ended Wyo’s season. Wyo lost 3 fumbled and an interception which is uncharacteristic for them. You can watch playoff highlights from District 11,3 and 1 on the Big Ticket. https://www.wfmz.com/sports/bigticket/
Yeah that was a gut punch of a loss by Wyomissing. How does Susquehanna match up against Twin Valley? With McKeesport out I think 4A is pretty wide open and there are several teams that can win is O’Hara the new favorite?
I wouldn’t call O’Hara the or a favorite. Good chance they don’t get past North Pocono after thinking about it. Toss up game in my book.
Wonder if the North Pocono coaches are contributing to the Brandywine Valley economy and staying overnight and checking out the O’Hara game today.
There was little doubt in my mind that Shanahan was going to score on their final drive with less than a minute to go. That Aquila fumble saved NP’s hide. The NP fans that I was sitting around knew it too.
So much for my upset pick of USC as Peters with a dominating 31-6 win in probably their best defensive performance of the year with 9 sacks and holding USC to about 150 yards of offense. Moon gave pine Richland a tougher game than expected but lost 34-24 to set up the much anticipated final for the third year in a row that game will be a battle next week and after watching Peters tonight they have a better chance to beat PR than I expected before the playoffs started.
Huge upset in 1A as laurel takes down 2 time defending champion ft cherry 24-14 and end Matt Sieg’s brilliant high school career.
Jeff H, saw that Sieg might be leaning to Notre Dame, ND has several Dbacks heading to ND in this class but I am sure they will make room for Sieg. ND is cleaning up in PA with former Penn State recruits.
Foleman, ND actually beat out Penn st initially for most of the pa recruits including the two from LaSalle. They chose ND back in the summer..btw your thoughts on N Pocono? Looking ahead to next year do they bring back a lot? PJP had a young team, so for future reference a bit of early scouting for next yr.
Yep ND is definitely capitalizing on the uncertainty at PSU I wish Pitt would get in the game if they could keep the wpial talent at home they would be a contender for the playoffs every year.
Southern Columbia shuts out defending D2 state champion Troy Area 42-0. That’s what happens when you play a weak schedule during the regular season. The Tigers dominated in every facet of the game. That gives Southern 32 D4 championships in 35 years. SCA will be going for state title 15 this year.
GO TIGERS
Dominate performance by SCA. I originally had this game at 21-20 SCA, but quickly noticed I was wrong after seeing the way the SCA line was playing. Southern had a lot to get up for this game and it showed.
Not sure how Troy’s schedule is relevant when heart teams stopped scheduling them, they travel out of state to get quality games, and have proven that they are willing to go toe to toe with southern as shown the past 4 years.
2 of District IV’s best and we are fortunate to have these two teams in the SAME district. All roads to the 2A State Championship go through District IV.
You may be right, we’ll see, but Farrell is pretty damn good this year.
Note to self: “Based on recent enrollment numbers for SCA, this may be the last cycle Southern stays in 2A.” implies the upcoming 2026 and 2027 seasons as the cycle. This is what you get for typing too fast. But congratulations to the Tigers and best of luck in conquest for title #15.
I don’t think Roth will return to single A. There isn’t anything to prove by dropping down. I’d expect them to stay in AA. Unless he feels he has no chance to compete in 2A
Southern is well within the numbers to remain in D2 for quite a while.
Troy has a ring under this coach. So I can’t imagine they are too upset. Based on recent enrollment numbers for SCA, this may be the last cycle Southern stays in 2A.
Current 2A – 144-216, next – 142-199
Current 3A – 217-295, next – 200-281
I can post all classifications enrollment parameters later if anyone wants them.
http://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/26-27_FB_List.pdf
Southern is docked at 147 with this year’s October 1 numbers calculated. However, it is worth noting this number is a downward trend. The October numbers also show that there are 106 in the current 8th grade class and 100 so hence the speculation.
NWL playing some good football!
Notre Dame has a very good team.
The difference is NWL is very physical!! I do think this NWL team is very strong in all phases. They are just flat out bullies on the field.
One of the bigger D11 big school championship games coming up tonight with 12-0 Easton and 12-0 Parkland meeting up at BASD Stadium. First time that the largest classification has had two undefeated teams in the championship game (obviously a function of the two finalists usually playing during the regular season too). This is just the fourth time that both teams in the D11 big school final are in the top 5 in the state, and the first since #2 Liberty beat #3 Easton in 2006 (2002 #4 Parkland-#3 Bethlehem Catholic and 2001 #3 Easton-#4 Bethlehem Catholic are the other two). The other off the field storyline being played up this week by local media is that Parkland coach Tim Moncman played his high school football for Sam Senneca, whose son Matt is the head coach at Easton. Sam later hired Moncman as the head coach at Liberty (where Sam was the AD), where Moncman won a state title and went to three championship games. His quarterbacks coach on those teams — Matt Senneca. The younger Senneca was also on Moncman’s first staffs at Parkland before becoming a head coach. A lot of familiarity tonight.
On the field – the game might be over by 8:45. Both teams run it a ton – Easton uses a ton of power-spread, running the read option and RPO package. Parkland likes to get into heavy formations and is more traditional ground and pound. Easton’s quarterback, Cole Ordway, is a three-year starter and was the EPC Offensive Player of the Year. He’s run for 1,721 yards and 32 touchdowns and thrown for 1,100 and 15 TDs. He threw for over 2,000 yards as a junior, but they’ve used him a ton more in the running game this year and he’s responded averaging almost ten yards a carry. He’s the home run threat, with Chris Martinez (1,241 yards, 6 touchdowns) more of the “keep them ahead of the chains, chip away” back. They’re very good on the offensive line – they have three year starters at center and both tackles spots. They’re not overly big, but very athletic, like to move, and play with real edge. They also use a lot of 12 personnel, with an FCS tight end in Kurtis Crossman who they can play both in line or flex into the slot. They haven’t thrown it a ton, but I think that has been more “win the easiest way” than an inability to do so, and I think we see more of the passing game tonight. Crossman (6’3 230) is a big target as is Sean McPeek (6’4 215 – Lafayette lacrosse commit). Parkland’s offense starts with TJ Lawrence, who was an All State running back as a sophomore last year. He’s got 1,093 yards and 26 touchdowns and is a big, physical running back running behind a big offensive line (310-260-250-250-275). Naquon Thomason (515 yards, 7 TDs) is the change-of-pace back who can fly. Their quarterback is a first year starter, Finn Coen, whose dad Andy was the longtime head coach at Lehigh. He’s grown in the role and like Ordway, I think he’s going to have to make some throws tonight to win the game. His main target is Blake Nassery (6’5 195), who started on their state finals basketball team as a freshman and is probably a Division I basketball player. Nassim Adams is their little fast slot receiver who feels like he’s been at Parkland for ten years.
On defense, Parkland gives up the fewest points in the league. TJ Lawrence is the EPC Defensive Player of the Year at linebacker. His numbers don’t jump off the page (64 tackles, 6 TLFs) but he’s such a good athlete that teams have to completely gameplan around him. Liam Spang as a safety/linebacker hybrid is their other all state candidate on defense, and they’re fast and mean on the defensive line, as Parkland always is. Dom Martrich and Michael Car are the two defensive ends who have combined for 13 sacks and both are slightly undersized, high motor guys on the edge. But like any Tim Moncman defense, they play as a team and get what seems like 16 guys to the ball every play. Easton is second in the conference in scoring defense, and does it with two really good defensive ends in Macon and Crossman. Macon is having an All State type year with 19 TFLS and 9 sacks – he’s the twitchy guy off the edge while Crossman is a bigger, run stopping type. Sean Kilpatrick was the Northampton County Defensive Player of the Year at middle linebacker, he’s knocking on the door of 100 tackles and plays with a screw loose. McPeek is an All State candidate in the secondary, he’s got six interceptions and has returned four of them for touchdowns. He’s a junior, committed to play lacrosse right now, but there are schools that really like him as a safety prospect (though he plays corner for Easton).
This is the fifth time Easton and Parkland have met in a D11 final, with Easton winning in 2003 and 2009 while Parkland won in 2013 and 2014. It’s their 12th overall playoff match up, with Easton winning the first six (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009) and Parkland winning the next six (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). The two teams have not played since 2023, and Easton has not beaten Parkland since 2018. Parkland is playing for it’s 13th D11 title, while Easton is going for number 8, but first since 2010.
Should be a really fun one. Will report back.
I don’t know if Easton has ever played better in a big game. Scored on their first six possessions, plus returned a kick for a touchdown to take it to Parkland, 42-17.
Parkland scored to cut Easton’s lead to 14-10, but the Trevon Tyler returned the ensuing kick for a touchdown. Parkland answered to keep it a one score game with 42 seconds left, but Easton returned the kick out near midfield, and Cole Ordway made his throw or the year with a 45 yard bomb with 20 seconds left to go up 28-17 at half, with Easton getting the ball. They drove right down and scored, with Ordway running over a safety at the goal line. Easton forced a punt and went down and scored again to put things out of reach. Easton defense pitched a shutout in the second half.
Huge turning point was TJ Lawrence getting hurt at the end of a long run in the second quarter. He tried to play on the next defensive series, but never came back on offense, and the was out for the second half.
Ordway ran for two touchdowns, breaking Shane Simpson’s single season rushing touchdown record at Easton with 34 (he’s still seven away from Simpsons total TD record of 41) and threw for the huge one before the half. Ordway did not throw an incompletion. Trevon Tyler had a 63 yard TD run and a 90 yard kick return TD, and ran to over 100 yards. Easton sacked Finn Coen five times – Parkland had only given up two sacks all year coming into the game.
The LaSalle/Imhotep winner will be a massive challenge next week. But Easton will take the best swing they have. If they can get pressure on the quarterback, and can control the clock with the run game, they’re got a punchers chance.
Hey guys, here is a really good article from up north (from me anyway) (Scranton Times) of the PIAA’s football site selection methodology and home field parameters for first round PIAA playoff games. It touches on the Roman Catholic issue as well. Hopefully this isn’t behind a paywall for you.
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2025/11/13/column-questions-on-piaa-football-site-selection-explained-to-those-befuddled/
i hate to bring this up again but once again I see scranton prep has a roster with players who are basically on football scholarships. it’s not enough that prep has a ton of economic advantage to begin with, they also have the advantage of suiting up atheletes who are getting financial assistance.Also they have no boundaries . HOW IS THIS FAIR COMPETITION??
@bub
I completely agree with you and I myself have proof as well about the scholarship program that they have for athletes that are gifted on the field yet not so much in the classroom
You and I and many other people know it’s true
Yet screwy Louie’s keep bringing up the fact that
The Scranton, preparatory imports team does not have any state championship trophies yet ..
And again that’s not our point of view our point of view is that they are being a bully on the block in district 2 who cares about State championships as far as local? It’s just not fair.
When you have football programs surrounding the school, that work extremely hard to achieve league and district championships, and you have Scumbags who can take all of the quality athletes from all around the district just a pile of trophies in there trophy case for at least a local championships. Well, let me tell you something that means something to the locals.
None of those players who play at prep learned their football skills at prep they learned it at their public schools that they went to before they were enticed to come over to the yellow and purple and white
They should all be sent to “ JUG “
For how , corrupt it is that they are doing this
Only the true preppies will understand JUG
For those of you who don’t it stands for
“Justice under God” it’s where the students go when they are disciplined
And before all you Clooney brownies start saying it sounds like I’m anti-catholic it has NOTHING to do with it. It has EVERYTHING to do with a (corrupt system !!!!!)
And to that I will end this by saying
I will never wish them any success nor will I wish any private or catholic school any success when it comes to sporting events
And with that I say…….
Go gett’em TIGERS !!!!!
I really honestly hope that the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers destroy and I mean humiliate Scranton preparatory like they did last year;)
as much as I am fully a district 2 person I wish them no luck
GO TIGERS GO !!!
Then don’t
@ bub “Basically” is a giveaway. What evidence do you have that players are on football scholarships at SP? (A football scholarship is reducing the amount of tuition a family pays because the son plays on the school’s football team. If a student comes from a family that can’t afford to pay full tuition–which I’m pretty sure is the case for many Scranton Prep students as it is the case for most SJP students–then the difference between full tuition and the amount the family pays is not a “football scholarship” if the reduced tuition amount is the same for a non-football player and a football player. If the student / football player comes from a family making, say, $200,000 a year and doesn’t have to pay full tuition, then sure that looks like a football scholarship. But if that student / player comes from a family making $50,000 a year, then the family will of course be required to pay less than full tuition–but the subsidy is not a football scholarship.)
Of course, it goes without saying that no family with a child in a public school is asked to pay a penny in tuition. That could very well be regarded as an advantage when comparing public and private school football teams. (I would bet that the great majority of the families of SP football players pay some tuition–in the thousands of dollars–each year.) And, yes, not having boundaries is an advantage private schools have. How big an advantage depends on many factors. But it’s hard to make the case that SP has a huge unfair advantage when it has not ever (as far as I know) made it to a state semifinal and when it has always or almost always been defeated in the playoffs by a public school team.
Scranton Prep has how many state titles??
Odd how the rest of the state can figure them out. Nothings going to change so step it up d2 instead of the incessant bellyaching.