Wyomissing inches closer to the top of state rankings with playoffs about to start
Football fans clamor for the first state rankings to come out in August; they help build expectations and serve as a framework for the season about to unfold.
At this point, and going forward, they’re just window dressing. With the district playoffs in full swing across the state this weekend, and with the start of the PIAA Tournament just weeks away, all that matters from now on is what happens on the field.
The PennLive.com rankings have settled into place in recent weeks, though there was one noteworthy result in Class 3A last week: Unbeaten North Schuylkill, the top-ranked team in the state, lost 20-12 in double-overtime at Pottsville.
That allowed Wyomissing to move up one notch, to No. 2; Central Valley, the defending champ, remains No. 1 in a class which includes six unbeaten teams. Also interesting to note is that Boiling Springs (9-1), the No. 2 seed in the District 3 Tournament behind the Spartans, has moved into the state rankings, debuting at No. 10.
Gov. Mifflin, the No. 1 team in 5A, is one of just three unbeatens in that classification, along with No. 3 Moon and No. 7 Shippensburg. There are two other District 3 teams in the Top 10, No. 5 Manheim Central and Shippensburg.
The Class 6A rankings remain unchanged, with North Penn, Mount Lebanon and Central York — each 10-0 — at the top. Defending champ St. Joseph’s Prep looms at No. 6; it enters the playoffs with a four-game winning streak after a mid-season loss to La Salle College. Central York is joined in the Top 10 by one other District 3 team, No. 6 Harrisburg.
Bishop McDevitt and Lampeter-Strasburg, at Nos. 3 and 6, respectively, are the lone District 3 teams ranked in Class 4A. Berks Catholic, which spent much of the season in the Top 10, is no longer listed in the Teams to Watch after late-season losses to Exeter and Gov. Mifflin.
Defending Class 1A champ Steel-High, which spent most of the season ranked No. 1, has slipped to No. 7 after back-to-back season-ending losses to Big Spring and Boiling Springs.
(Schools in rankings below are listed with their district)
| CLASS 6A (with district) | Record | |
| 1. North Penn (1) | 10-0 | |
| 2. Mount Lebanon (7) | 10-0 | |
| 3. Central York (3) | 10-0 | |
| 4. La Salle College (12) | 8-1 | |
| 5. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) | 6-2 | |
| 6. Harrisburg (3) | 9-1 | |
| 7. Garnet Valley (1) | 10-0 | |
| 8. Parkland (11) | 8-1 | |
| 9. Coatesville | 9-1 | |
| 10. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) | 8-2 |
| CLASS 5A (with district) | Record |
| 1. Gov. Mifflin (3) | 8-0 |
| 2. Imhotep Charter (12) | 7-1 |
| 3. Moon (7) | 10-0 |
| 4. Cathedral Prep (10) | 8-1 |
| 5. Manheim Central (3) | 9-1 |
| 6. Unionvile (1) | 9-1 |
| 7. Shippensburg (3) | 10-0 |
| 8. West Chester Rustin (1) | 8-1 |
| 9. Penn-Trafford (7) | 8-1 |
| 10. Academy Park (1) | 7-2 |
| CLASS 4A (with district) | Record |
| 1. Jersey Shore (4) | 10-0 |
| 2. Belle Vernon (7) | 8-0 |
| 3. Bishop McDevitt (3) | 8-1 |
| 4. Aliquippa (7) | 8-1 |
| 5. Northwestern Lehigh (11) | 10-0 |
| 6. Lampeter-Strasburg (3) | 9-1 |
| 7. Hampton (7) | 10-0 |
| 8. Thomas Jefferson (7) | 6-2 |
| 9. Valley View (2) | 9-1 |
| 10. McKeesport (7) | 8-2 |
| CLASS 3A (with district) | Record |
| 1. Central Valley (7) | 10-0 |
| 2. Wyomissing (3) | 10-0 |
| 3. Scranton Prep (2) | 9-0 |
| 4. North Schuylkill (11) | 9-1 |
| 5. Central Martinsburg (6) | 10-0 |
| 6. Neumann-Goretti (12) | 8-1 |
| 7. North Catholic (7) | 10-0 |
| 8. Bedford (5) | 9-1 |
| 9. Clearfield (9) | 10-0 |
| 10. Boiling Springs (3) | 9-1 |
| CLASS 2A (with district) | Record |
| 1. Farrell (10) | 7-0 |
| 2. Southern Columbia (4) | 9-1 |
| 3. Sto-Rox (7) | 10-0 |
| 4. Washington (7) | 9-0 |
| 5. Windber (5) | 9-0 |
| 6. Steel Valley (7) | 9-0 |
| 7. Richland Township (6) | 8-2 |
| 8. York Catholic (3) | 9-0 |
| 9. Laurel (7) | 10-0 |
| 10. Karns City (9) | 9-1 |
| CLASS 1A (with districts) | Records |
| 1. Old Forge (2) | 9-0 |
| 2. Muncy (4) | 9-1 |
| 3. Canton (4) | 10-0 |
| 4. Tri-Valley (11) | 8-1 |
| 5. Redbank Valley (9) | 9-1 |
| 6. Clairton (7) | 7-2 |
| 7. Steel-High (3) | 7-2 |
| 8. Juniata Valley (6) | 8-1 |
| 9. Williams Valley (11) | 7-2 |
| 10. Bishop Canevin (7) | 9-1 |