Raiders, Bulldogs glad to be on the sidelines as District 3 football playoffs open this weekend

First-round byes are a standard part of the NFL playoffs. Teams with the best records earn a week off to rest and prepare.

Bye weeks traditionally haven’t been a big part of the District 3 football playoffs. Twin Valley coach Brett Myers is glad to have earned one.

“That says you’ve accomplished something,” said the Raiders’ first-year head coach.

Twin Valley (6-4) is the No. 4 seed in the Class 4A playoffs and will open at home Nov. 11 against No. 5 Milton Hershey. Wilson, in Class 6A, Exeter in 5A and Wyomissing in 3A also will be sitting out the opening week of district play.

Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley, both in Class 3A, will be the only Berks teams playing Friday when districts open.

Along with the bye comes a home game for Twin Valley, the first in program history. The Raiders made districts for the first time last season and opened at Spring Grove, where they lost 33-6.

“Our seniors got us here with their leadership,” Myers said, “they deserve that one last home game.

“You want your community to be proud of what you put out on the field and this gives them a chance to come out and show the kids, and the kids to show them, how much they appreciate each other.

“It’s really a nice step for the program.”

Exeter and Wyomissing also open the playoffs at home.

The No. 2 Eagles (10-0) play either No. 7 Dover (8-2) or No. 10 Garden Spot (7-3) Friday, Nov. 4 at Don Thomas Stadium. The No. 1 Spartans (10-0) play either No. 4 Hamburg (8-2) or No. 5 Upper Dauphin (8-2), Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 at the A-Field.

Spartans coach Bob Wolfrum would gladly give up the first-round bye.

“I don’t care for it,” he said. “I guess if you had people hurt you’d be glad about it; we don’t. I’d much rather keep going. It’s hard to have good practices when you’ve got no game that week.”

You can understand Wolfrum’s eagerness to get back on the field. His team knocked off previously unbeaten Lampeter-Strasburg 21-0 last week and ended the season with 35 straight regular season victories.

The Spartans are ranked No. 1 in the state and playing at a high level. They won their regular season games by an average of 35.2 points, fourth-highest in Berks history. They have allowed just 69 points, fewest among District 3 teams; they’re allowing 6.9 points per game, eighth-lowest in the state.

And then there’s the fact that the Spartans are 10-0 in districts at the A-Field. If they win their opener they’ll return to play the District 3 championship there. That’s where they beat Boiling Springs for last year’s title and where they beat Middletown for the 2019 championship.

District 3 no longer uses Hersheypark Stadium for its championships. The highest-seeded team plays at home in all rounds.

Wilson coach Doug Dahms is happy to have a week off before the No. 6 Bulldogs (8-2) head to Harrisburg Saturday, Nov. 12 to face the No. 3 Cougars (7-2).

“You have an opportunity to heal the dinks and bumps and bruises,” Dahms said.

This is the first time District 3 has had first-round byes in Class 6A. Last year the District 3 champ had a week off before heading to the PIAA Tournament. This year the champ will advance directly to the state semifinals.

When the PIAA brackets were redrawn two years ago the District 3 champs in 6A, 5A and 4A were sent directly to the state semifinal round. If Wyomissing wins a fourth straight district title it’ll open in the PIAA quarterfinals and need three state playoff wins to claim a championship.

The brackets are drawn differently in each classification. They’re based on the number of teams each district has in each of the six classifications.

Myers and Wolfrum scaled back practice sessions this week to keep their players fresh. Twin Valley was on the field Tuesday and will be again Thursday. Wyomissing was on the field Wednesday and will be again Thursday. Both will be off Friday. Neither prepared specifically for their first opponent.

Wilson planned a regular week of practice, though with shorter sessions and less hitting, Dahms said. The Bulldogs used the week to prepare for Harrisburg, which beat them in last year’s championship game 14-10.

“We already have the game plan in,” Dahms said. “We’ll spend two weeks trying to master it.”

Myers has had plenty of experience with off weeks. When he coached at Pottstown the Trojans played on Thanksgiving, which meant a one- or two-week layoff. When he coached at Middletown his teams had opening-round district byes in 2018 and 2019. The Blue Raiders followed each with a win.

“You try to get back to working on fundamentals, and you try to heal up,” Myers said of the goals for the off week. “We thought it would be good to give three days off (this weekend) and come back Monday and have a normal practice. We try to stay with as much structure the week of a game as normal.”