Mifflin, Wyo loom as heavy favorites as District 3 Tournament field is released

By Mike Drago Last updated Nov 1, 2021

(Corrected to show Hamburg’s first-round opponent, Berks Catholic opening date)

Defending champs Gov. Mifflin and Wyomissing return to the District 3 football tournament as overwhelming favorites to repeat when the 40th annual tournament kicks off Friday with games in six classifications.

Twin Valley cracked the district field for the first time, Daniel Boone made it despite canceling its final two games and Wilson is back after closing the regular season with five straight wins.

All told, nine Berks teams — including Exeter, Berks Catholic, Conrad Weiser and Hamburg –made the district field, matching the most ever.

Fleetwood was almost in as the 10th but finished 15th in Class 5A; the top 14 make it. The Tigers will host Boyertown in the Eastern Conference Class 5A/6A championship game instead.

The Mustangs (8-0) are the top seed in Class 5A and earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the tournament. They’ll need to win three games to claim their second straight championship and return to the PIAA semifinals. Their biggest threat appears to be Manheim Central (9-1), long a kingpin in the District 3 playoffs.

The Spartans (10-0) will be at home throughout the playoffs once again as they seek their third straight title — something they’ve never done. They’re ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A and appear to be miles ahead of the rest of the teams in their classification. Only half of the eight qualifiers have winning records.

Their .814 power rating is fourth-highest in the district, behind only Gov. Mifflin (.865) and the top two teams in Class 6A, Central York (.820) and Harrisburg (.817). That’s remarkable for a small school.

Amory Thompson celebrates his touchdown with Wyomissing teammate Julian DiMaio. (Tim Macrina photo)

Top-seeded Wyomissing opens Saturday against No. 8 Northern Lebanon (4-6), which has lost five of its last six games.

Wilson (7-3) is the No. 5 seed in Class 6A and opens at No. 4 York High (8-2), which saw its eight-game winning streak snapped Friday in a 60-14 loss to Central York. The Bearcats’ other loss came in the season-opener, 55-6 to Mifflin.

The Class 6A field appears to be wide open. Central York is the defending champ and ranked No. 3 in the state. Harrisburg is ranked No. 6 in the state and third-seeded C.D. East is ranked No. 10.

Exeter (6-3) returns to the Class 5A tournament as the No. 7 seed after seeing its streak of nine straight appearances snapped last season, in large part because the district fields were sliced in half due to COVID. The Eagles host No. 10 Southwestern (6-4), which enters coming off a 35-0 loss to Spring Grove. Exeter was idle in Week 10 when Daniel Boone canceled due to a COVID outbreak at the school.

You can find the final power ratings here.

The Blazers (5-3) make the Class 5A field as the No. 12 seed after canceling their final two games, against Mifflin and Exeter. They’ll open at No. 5 Waynesboro (8-2), which enters on a five-game winning streak. The Blazers are back in districts for the first time since 2014, when they reached the semifinals.

Twin Valley (6-4) dropped three spots to No. 13 in Class 5A after falling to Gettysburg (7-3) Saturday night. The Raiders open at No. 4 Spring Grove (8-1), the York-Adams Division 1 runner-up. The Rockets’ only loss came to Central York, 48-17.

Berks Catholic (6-4) slipped three spots to No. 4 in Class 4A after losing to Mifflin Friday but still earned a first-round bye. The Saints saw their playoff streak snapped at eight seasons last year. Prior to that they had reached the championship game seven straight years, a record for Berks programs. Berks Catholic hosts No. 5 Cocalico (6-4) Nov. 12. The Eagles saw their four-game winning streak snapped Friday by Manheim Central, 42-20.

Conrad Weiser (7-3) is the No. 7 seed in 4A and hosts No. 10 Big Spring (7-3) in a first-round game Friday. This is the Scouts’ fourth straight district appearance.

Top-seeded Bishop McDevitt (8-1), ranked No. 3 in the state, looms as the 4A favorite. The Crusaders have won eight straight since a season-opening 21-0 loss to La Salle College.

Hamburg (6-3) returns to the district field for the first time since 2015 as the No. 3 seed in 3A. It is the Hawks’ highest seed ever in the era of the expanded tournament. They will play their first home district game against No. 6 Bermudian Springs (5-5).