Wyomissing back on top to open District 3 Tournament
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
A Week 8 loss at Cocalico put Wyomissing’s streak of three straight No. 1 seeds and four straight championships in the District 3 Class 3A Tournament in jeopardy.
The Spartans needed a season-ending win at Lampeter-Strasburg plus a loss by state-ranked West Perry to secure home-field advantage throughout districts.
They got both, playing perhaps their best game of the season to beat the Pioneers 18-13; Steel-High, the No. 1 team in the state in Class 1A, took care of the other half of the equation by beating the Mustangs 33-12.
The Spartans will open the postseason Nov. 10 at home, where they have never lost a postseason game. The top two teams in Class 3A received first-round byes.
Wyomissing is one of five Berks teams to qualify for District 3 play, along with Wilson in Class 6A, Exeter in 5A, Twin Valley in 4A and Schuylkill Valley in 3A.
Four other Berks teams – Berks Catholic, Gov. Mifflin, Hamburg, and Fleetwood – are expected to land Eastern Conference berths. Those have not been announced yet.
Three of the five Berks district qualifiers will open at home, including Twin Valley, which landed its highest seed ever after a 9-1 regular season finish, best in program history. The second-seeded Raiders earned a first-round bye; they’ll play at home Nov. 10 against either No. 7 Elco (7-3) or No. 10 Big Spring (6-4).
(PhilMarPhoto)
The Raiders earned the first home game and first district victory in program history last season, beating Milton Hershey 43-29.
No. 5 Wilson (7-3) opens Friday at No. 4 Cumberland Valley (6-4), renewing one of the longest and most competitive rivalries in District 3 playoff history. The Eagles moved up to No. 4 in the final week to grab the home opener by winning 33-20 at Altoona, their fifth straight victory.
The Bulldogs haven’t had a home playoff game since 2019. They lost their opener last season at Harrisburg and were beaten in the 2021 championship at Harrisburg. Their last championship came in 2016, against Cumberland Valley.
Exeter (8-2) lost its chance to open at home after ending the regular season with two straight losses, to Conestoga Valley and Manheim Central. The No. 9 Eagles will play at No. 8 Hershey (7-3) Friday.
The Eagles’ non-league schedule caught up with them: Daniel Boone, Boyertown and West York went a combine 4-26. It didn’t help that Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 rivals Muhlenberg and Lebanon went a combined 1-19. Exeter’s has the lowest strength-of-schedule percentage (.391) among the 26 Class 5A teams in the district.
Exeter played each of its three district games at home last year; it lost to Cocalico 34-14 in the championship. The Eagles won three road games the season before, when they knocked off top-seeded Gov. Mifflin for their first championship.
Schuylkill Valley (8-2) will play a district game at home for just the second time. The fourth-seeded Panthers open Friday against No. 5 Littlestown (8-2). They have just one district win in eight appearances, against Berks Catholic in 2012. Their lone home game was a 41-35 loss to Wyomissing in 2013.
Wyomissing became the first Berks team to win four straight district championships last season, when it beat West Perry 63-7 in the title game. Three of those championship games have been played at home, where the Spartans are 12-0 in District 3 play and 15-0 overall in the postseason.
As the designated home team Wyomissing is 21-1 in district play. Prior to 2014 the Spartans were not allowed to play games at the A-Field because it has neither lights nor artificial turf. They played at Gov. Mifflin, Shirk Stadium, or Wilson.
The Spartans own a 10-game winning streak in district play: Their last loss came in a 2018 semifinal at Middletown, 41-6.
All games throughout the tournament will be played on the field of the higher seeded team.
| CLASS 6A | Home | Away | Date | Time | ||
| No. 1 | Manheim Township (10-0) | vs. | No. 8 | York High (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 10 | 7:00 |
| No. 4 | Cumberland Valley (6-4) | vs. | No. 5 | Wilson (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 10 | 7:00 |
| No. 2 | Harrisburg (9-1) | vs. | No. 7 | Cedar Crest (8-2) | Saturday, Nov. 11 | 1:00 |
| No. 3 | Central York (10-0) | vs. | No. 6 | Central Dauphin (6-4) | Friday, Nov. 10 | 7:00 |
| CLASS 5A | Home | Away | Date | Time | ||
| No. 1 | New Oxford (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 8 | Hershey (7-3) | vs. | No. 9 | Exeter (8-2) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 4 | Garden Spot (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 5 | Ephrata (9-1) | vs. | No. 12 | Lower Dauphin (6-4) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 2 | Cedar Cliff (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 7 | South Western (7-3) | vs. | No. 10 | Greencastle-Antrim (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 3 | Cocalico (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 6 | Conestoga Valley (8-2) | vs. | No. 11 | Dover (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| CLASS 4A | Home | Away | Date | Time | ||
| No. 1 | Bishop McDevitt (10-0) | Bye | ||||
| No. 8 | Milton Hershey (5-5) | vs. | No. 9 | Eastern York (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 4 | East Pennsboro (9-1) | vs. | No. 5 | Lampeter-Strasburg (8-2) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 2 | Twin Valley (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 7 | Elco (7-3) | vs. | No. 10 | Big Spring (6-4) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 3 | Manheim Central (9-1) | vs. | No. 6 | Susquehanna Twp. (7-3) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| CLASS 3A | Home | Away | Date | Time | ||
| No. 1 | Wyomissing (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 4 | Schuylkill Valley (8-2) | vs. | No. 5 | Littlestown (8-2) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
| No. 2 | Lancaster Catholic (9-1) | Bye | ||||
| No. 3 | West Perry (9-1) | vs. | No. 6 | Bermudian Springs (6-4) | Friday, Nov. 3 | 7:00 |
For Class 2A bracket, click here:
For Class 1A bracket, click here:
