District 3 playoff preview: Schuylkill Valley vs. Littlestown
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District 3 Class 3A quarterfinal
No. 3 Schuylkill Valley (8-2) vs. No. 6 Littlestown (6-4)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Schuylkill Valley Stadium, Leesport.
Series: Panthers lead 1-0.
Last meeting: Schuylkill Valley earned its first home playoff win last year, beating Littlestown 45-21. Dominic Giuffre scored on early runs of 87 and 54 yards and finished with 225 yards and three TDs. Logan Cammauf ran for 133 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Matt Nawrocki threw for 246 yards and two TDs as the Panthers piled up 500 total yards. They broke from a 21-21 tie midway through the second quarter and posted the final four scores.
Fast fact: Schuylkill Valley has 16 wins over the past two seasons, the most in back-to-back years in the program’s 52-year history. The Panthers set a program record for wins last year, finishing 9-3.
Panthers update: Beat Lancaster Catholic 40-29 last week to win Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 title and complete first perfect run through league play. . . Can match program record for victories with a win this week. . . Have won seven straight; can match program record for longest winning streak, set last year, with a victory Friday. . . Ranked No. 1 in league in passing yards. . . QB Logan Nawrocki, who has already set program records for career passing yards (4,702) can break Kyle Beissel’s program record (2,372) for single-season passing yards with 119 yards this week. . . Nawrocki has thrown for 2,154 yards, with 30 touchdowns and a .668 completion percentage. . . TE Luke Spott leads league with 50 receptions, is second in the league with 849 receiving yards, and shares team lead with eight TD catches. . . WR Kowen Gerner has 36 catches and eight TDs. . . Dillon Lackner has 29 receptions. . . Logan Cammauf ran for 102 yards and two TDs last week. . . Making third straight district appearance, and just eighth overall. . . Lost to Wyomissing 48-0 in semifinals last year to fall to 2-8 all-time in districts.
Did you know? Littlestown lost to Central Catholic 22-21 in two overtimes in 1983 in a Class 1A championship game, making the Cardinals the first Berks team to win a district championship. . . The Thunderbolts beat Wyomissing 25-19 in the 1989 championship game, the first in District 3 to go three overtimes.
Thunderbolts update: Finished 5-2 and in third place in York-Adams Division 3, behind Bermudian Springs and Delone Catholic. . . Had a chance to tie for first place but lost to Bermudian 42-0 last week, falling behind 35-0 at the half. . . Senior quarterback Brody Bittle was injured in last week’s game and didn’t return. . . He was replaced by sophomore Colton Kabrick, who went 0-for-5 with an interception. . . Brittle has thrown for 576 yards with five TDs and four INTs. . . RB Logan Conaway has rushed for 708 yards and eight TDs. . . Team averages just 209 yards per game. . . Have relied on defense, which allows just 221 yards per game. . . Plus-2 in turnover differential. . . Beat Annville-Cleona 27-21 in Week 3; Schuylkill Valley beat the Dutchmen 49-28 in Week 9. . . Took hit at graduation with loss of league’s Offensive Player of the Year Colby Hahn and Defensive Player of the Year Jeff Prawdzik after 8-3 finish. . . Have not won a district playoff game since 2013, when they beat Wyomissing 29-23 in semifinals. . . Won championships in 1984, 1989 and 2004. . . Overall, 12-23 in district play, with six straight losses.
Fast fact: Bruce Harbach, in his fourth season as Schuylkill Valley’s head coach, has the highest winning percentage (.568) in program history. He eclipsed Mark Snyder’s mark of .551.
Winner plays: At No. 2 Trinity (8-2), Nov. 8, in district semifinal.
