Play-off Picture in the state remains a little Muddy !!!
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Play-off Picture in the state remains a little Muddy !!!
Playoff picture remains muddy....
How neat is it that the high school football season has either ended or has neared the end, and there are more questions than there were back in August?
In Class (AAAA), thank District #3 11's Big Three: No. #1 Parkland, No.# 4 Liberty and No.# 5 Easton.
Or District #7's Big Whatever: Go ahead, pick a winner among No.# 2 Upper St. Clair, No.# 3 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, No. #7 Penn Hills and No. #9 Woodland Hills plus capable North Allegheny and reigning P.I.A.A. champion McKeesport.
Of course, there's No. #6 Harrisburg and not-sure-what-to-make-of Wilson, which has won eight straight since its surprising season-opening loss to Governor Mifflin.
There's the confusion in District #1, where only No. #8 Council Rock North and Ridley have woven through the season 9-0, but North Penn lurks at 7-2 with seven straight victories.
Old playoff friend No. #10 Cathedral Prep in District #10 is back in the state championship mix.
Even District #2 teams, specifically Abington Heights, Hazleton and Wyoming Valley West, are adding to the uncertainty, a rarity in Class (AAAA).
There is no form. There is no favorite. In short, the P.I.A.A. Class (AAAA) playoffs could be the most interesting set of postseason games in years.
The same goes, to a lesser degree, in Class (AAA).
No. #1 Thomas Jefferson has held firm because no one on its schedule has seen fit to challenge it. Nor has anyone risen in extracurricular fashion to throw TJ off the throne.
No. #2 Bethlehem Catholic has a high-quality win over Liberty, but even though its lone loss was to Parkland, it was a mercy-rule defeat (35-0).
No. #3 Manheim Central? You have to applaud the Barons and head coach Mike Williams once again for taking one of the school's most inexperienced teams and transforming it into the clear D 3-(AAA) favorite. Of course, the schedule has helped: Manheim Central's opponents to date have a 32-49 record.
No. #4 Selinsgrove's attempts to become the first Seals team to go 10-0 in the regular season this weekend against Mount Carmel. Selinsgrove observers believe this is one of the best teams in school history, but the Seals need a breakthrough win in the state playoffs.
Taking 2004 P.I.A.A. (AAA) champion Thomas Jefferson into double overtime that year was impressive, but ... it wasn't a win.
Even a stable class like (AA) had its foundation cracked last week. After eight weeks of virtually no movement in the top 10, Class (AA) had a big shuffle when consensus No.# 1 Greensburg Central Catholic was knocked off by archrival and once-beaten Jeannette 7-2.
That moved Lancaster Catholic up to No. #1, the first time a District #3 team has held the top spot in that class since Bishop McDevitt in 1997.
Thank goodness for Southern Columbia in Class (A), eh?
Let's retreat to Class (AAAA), if we might.
Liberty's impressive 17-7 victory over Easton is more than the talk of the Lehigh Valley this week. It had a profound effect on the possible matchups in the District #2-11 sub-region.
Parkland is alone at No. #1 and seems certain to hold that seed if it beats 5-4 Whitehall this weekend. But there's a reasonable possibility that Liberty and Easton could end up the Nos. #4 and 5 seeds, which would pack the three Lehigh Valley teams on the same side of the bracket.
If Abington Heights is No. #2, Hazleton is No. #3, Wyoming Valley West is No. #6 and Delaware Valley is No. #7 (their current positions), it means all four District #2 teams will be on the opposite side of the bracket of the District #11 powers plus East Stroudsburg South.
Will it happen that way? This week's matchups -- especially the Easton vs. Bethlehem Catholic game -- suggest there will be some movement. Stay tuned, as they say.
How neat is it that the high school football season has either ended or has neared the end, and there are more questions than there were back in August?
In Class (AAAA), thank District #3 11's Big Three: No. #1 Parkland, No.# 4 Liberty and No.# 5 Easton.
Or District #7's Big Whatever: Go ahead, pick a winner among No.# 2 Upper St. Clair, No.# 3 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, No. #7 Penn Hills and No. #9 Woodland Hills plus capable North Allegheny and reigning P.I.A.A. champion McKeesport.
Of course, there's No. #6 Harrisburg and not-sure-what-to-make-of Wilson, which has won eight straight since its surprising season-opening loss to Governor Mifflin.
There's the confusion in District #1, where only No. #8 Council Rock North and Ridley have woven through the season 9-0, but North Penn lurks at 7-2 with seven straight victories.
Old playoff friend No. #10 Cathedral Prep in District #10 is back in the state championship mix.
Even District #2 teams, specifically Abington Heights, Hazleton and Wyoming Valley West, are adding to the uncertainty, a rarity in Class (AAAA).
There is no form. There is no favorite. In short, the P.I.A.A. Class (AAAA) playoffs could be the most interesting set of postseason games in years.
The same goes, to a lesser degree, in Class (AAA).
No. #1 Thomas Jefferson has held firm because no one on its schedule has seen fit to challenge it. Nor has anyone risen in extracurricular fashion to throw TJ off the throne.
No. #2 Bethlehem Catholic has a high-quality win over Liberty, but even though its lone loss was to Parkland, it was a mercy-rule defeat (35-0).
No. #3 Manheim Central? You have to applaud the Barons and head coach Mike Williams once again for taking one of the school's most inexperienced teams and transforming it into the clear D 3-(AAA) favorite. Of course, the schedule has helped: Manheim Central's opponents to date have a 32-49 record.
No. #4 Selinsgrove's attempts to become the first Seals team to go 10-0 in the regular season this weekend against Mount Carmel. Selinsgrove observers believe this is one of the best teams in school history, but the Seals need a breakthrough win in the state playoffs.
Taking 2004 P.I.A.A. (AAA) champion Thomas Jefferson into double overtime that year was impressive, but ... it wasn't a win.
Even a stable class like (AA) had its foundation cracked last week. After eight weeks of virtually no movement in the top 10, Class (AA) had a big shuffle when consensus No.# 1 Greensburg Central Catholic was knocked off by archrival and once-beaten Jeannette 7-2.
That moved Lancaster Catholic up to No. #1, the first time a District #3 team has held the top spot in that class since Bishop McDevitt in 1997.
Thank goodness for Southern Columbia in Class (A), eh?
Let's retreat to Class (AAAA), if we might.
Liberty's impressive 17-7 victory over Easton is more than the talk of the Lehigh Valley this week. It had a profound effect on the possible matchups in the District #2-11 sub-region.
Parkland is alone at No. #1 and seems certain to hold that seed if it beats 5-4 Whitehall this weekend. But there's a reasonable possibility that Liberty and Easton could end up the Nos. #4 and 5 seeds, which would pack the three Lehigh Valley teams on the same side of the bracket.
If Abington Heights is No. #2, Hazleton is No. #3, Wyoming Valley West is No. #6 and Delaware Valley is No. #7 (their current positions), it means all four District #2 teams will be on the opposite side of the bracket of the District #11 powers plus East Stroudsburg South.
Will it happen that way? This week's matchups -- especially the Easton vs. Bethlehem Catholic game -- suggest there will be some movement. Stay tuned, as they say.