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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.
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Kevin x, Who will be the Preps QB this year since their starter transferred? Roman has one of the toughest schedules they ever had. I would keep an eye out for Downingtown East foe sure. They have some ballers.
I work with a few from the North Pocono area. I believe they basically return their whole roster. Dolhon put together a nice team in 2025. I believe they lost to cardinal hara last year?
Jeez, where does the time go. We got 60 days, + or – for week 0 scrimmages. What teams on the East are we looking at this year to make deep stretches.
OK, won’t leave you hanging. Some early off the cuff predictions, at least for the larger schools in the east. I don’t follow the smaller schools much, so I’ll leave that to others who are more in tuned with them. Two disclaimers…..first, it’s early, so I reserve the right to change my mind going forward, at least up until kickoff. Second, don’t shoot the messenger, because I don’t think some may like what I am going to be typing. So………
6A: St. Joe Prep. Yep, they’re back. They’re due 🙂 Missed them last year, huh?? Actually, whoever comes out of that PCL 6A three headed monster (SJP/LaSalle/Roman) will be playing…..wait for it…..Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the 6A Championship game. I know, I know…….yawn. I’ll chime in with regards to D1 6A later.
5A: Imhotep. A little class relief, as they drop back down to 5A. Zero completion in D12 at 5A. Putting my eggs in the Joey McLeish basket for this pick. If he stays healthy. They’ll play they’ll play the repeat D1 champion Springfield Delco in the 5A semi final. Think they’ll get by Delco, who will play them a lot closer than they played Roman last year.
4A: This is interesting. The preliminary 4A bracket I saw has D2 playing in the western bracket. So do they count for the east?? I want to take North Pocono, but they’ll end up playing the WPIAL/D7 winner the state semi final game in the western bracket. Guessing that’ll be either the Quips or McKeesport. East bracket rep?? Ugh, grasping straws here, but let’s go with PJPII. Maybe a little bit of a homer pick with this one. Just not as familiar with the D12, D11, and D3 teams (all in the east bracket, D4 is in the west with D2) at the moment They had a decent run last year with a pretty young team I believe. I’ll let my PJPII friends and followers on here to follow-up with this one.
PJP had a strong sophomore class last yr. Should be good this yr but have a tough schedule both non conf and playing in the Liberty division this yr. Could be a yr away from deep run but you never know. The issue with making a deep state run is always getting by whoever comes out of the District 12, Bonner/O’Hara……my two cents on other pac schools Perk Valley should be decent as usual, Ditto Spring-Ford but don’t see district runs. Owen J has a couple players who are high end recruits but hasn’t really shown up as far as title runs at least not yet. Downingtown East has one of the best players in the country playing DE/TE a ND commit that’s never a bad place to start when building a team
Just makes me laugh that the smallest school (PJP) has to move divisions due to “success” factor, yet how come when Pottsgrove was top dog for years in the Frontier before PJP, there was never a talk or thought of them having to move divisions due to their success??
Yeah its the whole bs recruiting subject that they point to all the time. PJP basically has a roster full of players that would be there even if there was no open enrollment. They are mostly from the catholic grade schools in the area. None of the schools had a problem when they were having their way with PJP when the school first opened. The Pac Ten should be glad PJP is good cause it certainly needed more good teams in the league.
Did Aliquippa move down to 3A??
More public/private PA state legislative government talk for you………
https://pasenate.com/state-senator-marty-flynn-rallies-support-for-senate-bill-1253-and-house-bill-41-to-create-a-level-playing-field-in-piaa-athletics/?fbclid=IwZnRzaASeH_BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeJTQvewdnkEVArW1bFyR-nwphGJBCsQDFU3QvfvE2Ct8hJ-A8phRTVV_7-_k_aem_svkQF-shnHB0AKGPf3JCOg
Another butt hurt…..Fire away! The bill allows the PIAA to create separate playoffs and state championships but does not legally force them to do so. Grab your popcorn. If it gets to that stage, get ready for a bunch of lawsuits. Wouldn’t surprise me if it would go all the way to SCOTUS..however I highly doubt it gets that far. This will get stuck in the mud half way, JMO
Went form 4 classifications to 6, now talking separate championships for public and private, let’s just give everybody a trophy and call it done.
I agree, talk about a watered-down system. Six Classes is bad enough. It is simple, not easy-just get better.
Six classses for Pa is crazy. Everything is watered down now. I remember a time in the 70s when schools had to be invited to the District one tournament for basketball. There were teams with winning records that didnt make the Districts some years.
In addition, the newly adopted success factor isn’t a “cure all” either. I believe Schools can appeal the decision to remain in their current classification.
Some district 12 classification movement, but not official, some just speculation and educated guessing….
Roman (and D3’s) McDevitt) I believe are both being “Promoted” to 6A from 5A due to the Competition Formula/Success Factor, or whatever they call it.
Imhotep is dropping back to 5A.
Father Judge is bumped up to 6A due to enrollment (so you’ll have Judge, Roman, The Prep, and LaSalle all 6A in the PCL).
Neumann-Goretti appears now to be 2A by enrollment. Will they play-up and remain at 3A??
Wood is 3A by enrollment, but guessing they may elect to stay at 4A. Think they were 3A this past cycle (enrollment wise), but either played up to 4A or they were still caught up in the Competition Formula and were only allowed to move down to 4A from 5A (after being bumped up to 6A several years ago).
Feel free to correct me or add to any of this.
@David @WyoFootball Is Wyomissing 3A or 4A for the 2026-2027 cycle?
I will check. I was waiting for PIAA to release new list with teams playing up.
Wyomissing is 3A for the next cycle.
Unless the schedules are still not 100% complete, anyone know how Judge got out of playing Prep? Was say O’Hara and Bonner given the same option? Just curious and not knocking FJ
Still waiting for Preps schedule. Overall 95% done
I stan corrected…there is that open date they both have on October…lol
ok but Judge’s schedule looks pretty full…only reason I was asking
So is it safe to say at this point that the playoffs will be the same format (no split) for this upcoming season?
Oh yeah, even if the bill passes it doesn’t require the PIAA to split playoffs, it only allows them to do so. I doubt the PIAA could move fast enough to implement a split for 2026 even if the PA Senate happened to vote on and pass the bill today.
If it does pass, in your opinion, do you think their hands will be forced to do it? Is there really enough non boundary schools to make an adequate playoff or will they produce maybe say bowl type games for non boundary? I understand both sides of this but I don’t think there’s enough n-b teams and I don’t think you can force them into one or two divisions. I think you would know more than me on this topic…lol THX
IMO you can still have 2-3 good playoff brackets filled with just non-boundary teams. There’s usually about 50-60 non-boundary schools in Pennsylvania and generally over 50% are good for their size. They would be smaller brackets than what we have now (I’d say between 8-16 teams), but honestly that might be a good thing.
Based on the total number of schools, all 6A/5A private schools would have to be in the big-school division, and also some 4A schools probably.
JCo So 6A playoff would basically be the Catholic Red (Prep, LaSalle, Roman), PCC and McDevitt…4 team playoff done in 2 weeks or add 5A non boundary schools to this bracket? Just playing scenarios in my brain…lol
So now that the Cheltenham 2026 football season has been cancelled, and the Harriton program is in limbo for 2026 (really don’t know what is going on there, and updates??), so are we possibly in for some mad scrambling and match making of scheduling of games on weeks where those two teams are not playing (assuming Harriton is not playing)?? Looking at potential match-up, some good ones could be had, better than the original schedules.
Did Coatesville get a first week game??
PW- Coatesville is an interesting matchup, nice to see some teams that dont normally play each other scheduling a game. Looking forward to a nice summer,but time goes fast another high school football season will be here before we know it.
Answered my own question, saw here on the team schedules (should have checked first) that C’Ville picked up a game at P-W. Now I have another game to consider for the first Friday night of the upcoming season……..
So is Lower Merion and Harriton merging their football programs? If so, will it be Lower Merion-Harriton or will one designate to co-op under the other’s name? Just wondering
It seems like they will. TBD on whether the PIAA will approve and give them postseason eligibility, but I don’t think playoffs are high on the programs’ minds at the moment. They haven’t decided on a name but they might compete under Lower Merion as they are both within Lower Merion School District.
Pretty soft mentality on the main line. I don’t see LM complaining when they’ve dominated everyone in basketball for years.
LM is not the reason for the co-op. Harriton’s options are the co-op, independence, or dropping football completely. They will never be able to compete in the Central League on their own.
Just finishing up my dinner of medium rare grilled crow slathered with bbq sauce. Actually not too bad. Dinner complements of my post back on March 31st where I declared PA HB 41 effectively dead. But it recently rose from the dead like the Undertaker and today passed in a fairly overwhelmingly PA house vote (with a key amendment from yesterday). The furthest this public/private playoff situation has progressed as far as I can tell. Still a long way to go before we get a Parkland/North Allegheny 6A public boundary 6A football championship, but the bill is now on its way over to the PA senate for their legislative doings and vote.
We’ll still be watching a 6A final this December with a re-match from two years ago between Pittsburgh Central Catholic and St. Joe Prep, so enjoy, maybe the last time you actually see the best football teams in PA in a statewide championship game.
Likely DOA from the Senate. Would love to see the bill passed, only for the PIAA to adjudicate and stop making excuses for themselves.
Why do you say likely DOA from the Senate??
I should clarify something. My point I was going to is that Republicans control the education committee and Bishop McCort’s statement is giving Lynda Schlegel-Culver (committee chair) and Doug Mastriano (a high ranking member; vice chair if I recall) a justification to table it (or refuse to report out the bill to the full Senate). If it does violate the 1st and 14th amendment, they do this and let momentum die. That’s just politics for you.
What is the Bishop McCort statement?? Guessing it has something to do with wrestling??
I think you may be getting too deep in the weeds here and overthinking this. But you’re right in a sense that nothing is guaranteed, and yeah, good ‘ole politics could come into play.
Who controls the State Senate is why. There are 50 seats (1 vacant) and 27 are Republican. The House is Democratic.
I wouldn’t worry about that. 20 of the 23 “No” votes in the House were from Dems, mostly from Philly or very near Philly.
My only potential speed bump, and it’s a long shot, is if the Senate starts to mess around with the House version, makes too many questionable changes, goes back to the House and they play the back and forth game, and who knows how that may end up.
St. Joes ain’t one of the best teams in pa. There based in pa. But they recruit everywhere.
Girls Flag Football, great, saw some preseason reports, have not seen any scores, no standings, what teams and players are doing well, it just disappeared. Are you covering or not? What’s going on, have looked other places as well, NOTHING.
Next year we will have the schedules in standings on the site. Right now we are doing player previews, Team Previews, covering games and top performers each week. We are helping to grow the sport.
Oh boy……if this involved a private or catholic school, and they went on to win a state ‘chip……….. :
“From Prague to Lancaster: Exchange student from Czech Republic bringing energy to Conestoga Valley volleyball”. (from Lancaster on-line).
Anybody have any updates or news from D2 and specifically Old Forge?? They look like they are still cranky up in Pizzatown. Maybe the issue has legs this time.
FYI…………………
Bob Greenburg
@BobGreenburg
BREAKING:
A source has told me that the May 13th PIAA Board meeting has added a major new item for discussion to its agenda— splitting private and public schools into separate playoff systems.
For all of you who care
Encourage your public high school officials superintendents to vote yes for act 41
When the Senate tries to actually separate public, vs private schools in the PIAA state championship competitions throughout all sports
Long time overdue !!!
Maybe District Two should be seperate from the rest of the state!!!!!
HB 41 for all intensive purposes is dead. It was basically tabled back in May. Surprise surprise.
So now they’ll try a different tact, strike once again while the fire is somewhat hot (it was a week or so ago, now meh, regular season spring sports is in full swing), through the Senate this time and from a local Senator whose local hoops team just got beat by a private school (ironic that they beat 2 private schools on their way to Hershey, but let that not get in the way). I give to you PA Senate Bill 1253……Good luck!!!!
https://pasenate.com/senator-marty-flynn-introduces-legislation-to-strengthen-competitive-balance-in-high-school-athletics/
https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/SB1253/PN1545
Can anyone clarify if the is the setup for Ches-Mont 26? North: AG, Coatesville, Shanahan, D-East, D-West South: Kennett, Unionville, Oxford, Rustin Central: Sun, Great Val, East, Henderson
Tough night last night in Hershey for the Separatist movement. Traditional non boundary powers Archbishop Wood girls and Imhotep boys………wait for it……get beat by two of those disadvantaged traditional public boundary schools. Say it ain’t so!!!!
In head to head public v private games over the weekend, the public and privates split 4 games, go 2-2. And the 2 games that the publics lost to the privates weren’t exactly blowouts or mercy rule games.
Still though, I guess something the Separatist can/will hang their collective hats on, the final Championship tally was firmly in favor of the privates/non boundary schools, 8 chips to 4 for the public boundary schools.
That puts the wraps on the PIAA winter sports season, now waiting for some 60 degree plus temps and sunny skies to get out for some baseball games and lax matches.
The fact that 2 boundary schools beat non-boundary schools in the state title game does nothing to diminish the argument that public schools and private schools should have separate postseasons. People love to crow when it happens but it’s a logical fallacy every single time.
And it also doesn’t help the separation movement either, especially beating two traditional non boundary basketball powers.
I actually don’t disagree with you when it comes to basketball. Everything else, a firm NO, but I will keep an open mind with regards to football if anyone can sell me a plan that will work for everyone.
@ Kevin X….careful now you are going to ruffle some feathers in the North East. Attendence was down again, not sure what they can do to fix that maybe move the state finals around some east to west different years. I know six classes are too many for Pa, four would be fine,the tournament is watered down now. Back in the 70s 80s schools would send fan buses loaded with people to state playoff games they had a special feel to them ,now just isnt the same in many cases. Half empty gyms, that should never be the case for state games.
When you say North East, do you mean NEPA, and maybe more specifically Old Forge??
Lots a chatter about the attendance. More social media whining about the attendance (lack thereof) and Sewickley and Old Forge then the usual public v private debate. Still out there, just not as front and center of what I’m use to seeing.
I think part of it is connections to the school and alumni. The PCL used to be neighborhood kids and the neighborhoods had strong connections and pride of the school. When kids are on their 2nd and 3rd high school, it is different. Now they come from all over and they may bring friends and family members. Not bus loads. Doubt people are driving to Hershey without much connection.
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