District 3 playoff preview: Schuylkill Valley vs. Trinity
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District 3 Class 3A quarterfinal
No. 6 Schuylkill Valley (5-5) vs. No. 3 Trinity (7-3)
Kick: Friday, 7, COBO Field, Camp Hill.
Series: Trinity leads 1-0.
Last meeting: Mason Boyer’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Christian Joy gave the Shamrocks a 20-17 victory over the Panthers last year in a District 3 Class 3A semifinal at COBO Field. The Panthers took the lead in OT on Reese Wamsher’s 29-yard field goal after a sack and two incompletions. The Panthers got a 16-yard TD pass from Logan Nawrocki to Luke Spotts midway through the third quarter to tie it. Schuylkill Valley’s other score came when All-State linebacker Logan Cammauf returned a fumble 16 yards for a TD.
District playoff history: This is Schuylkill Valley’s 10th appearance, and fourth straight. It won quarterfinals each of the last two years before losing in the semis. The Panthers are 3-9 overall. . . This is Trinity’s 13th appearance. The Shamrocks are 13-9, with championships in 2022, 2010 and 2002. They lost in the championship game each of the past two years, in 3A last year and in 2A in 2023.
Fast fact: Schuylkill Valley faced five playoff qualifiers this season but beat just one, Columbia, 17-14 in Week 7.
Panther update: Ended season with tight back-to-back losses, to Annville-Cleona (14-7) and Lancaster Catholic (17-16). . . QB Alex Aletras was stopped on a late two-point conversion bid last week to prevent Panthers from a fourth straight winning regular season, accomplished just once before in program history (2010-13). . . Aletras, a junior and first-year starter, has thrown for 1,670 yards and 20 TDs. . . Eight different receivers have 10 or more receptions. . . Junior WR Alex Gehret leads the way with 24 catches. . . Soph WR Anthony Batista has 7 TDs on his 18 catches. . . Junior RB Brandon Pyle leads team in rushing and is averaging 7.7 yards per carry. . . Senior LB Logan Cammauf leads team with 114 tackles and has a pair of fumble recoveries. . . Junior LB Ervin Ortiz is next with 97. . . Finished 9-3 each of the past two seasons, setting and then matching the program record for wins.
Did you know? Bruce Harbach, in his fifth season as Schuylkill Valley’s head coach, has the highest winning percentage (.553) in program history. Overall, including 16 seasons at Lancaster Catholic, he has 170 wins.
Shamrocks update: Ended season tied for second in Mid-Penn Colonial behind unbeaten Susquehanna Township. . . Saw six-game winning streak snapped in Week 9 with 24-14 loss to Susquehanna Township. . . Escaped with 28-27 win over Middletown last week when Blue Raiders missed a late field goal. . . QB Mason Boyer threw a pair of touchdowns and ran for one. . . He completed 16-of-23 passes for 223 yards. . . Boyer has thrown for 1,364 yards and 15 TDs this season. . . Top target is Maddox Jarzynski, who has 48 receptions for 666 yards and 9 TDs. . . Defense has 14 takeaways and is allowing just 12.0 points per game. . . Started season 0-2 after a 19-16 loss to Allentown Central Catholic and an OT loss to East Pennsboro. . . Earned wins over playoff qualifiers Big Spring (25-8), West Perry (38-14), and Middletown. . . . Listed as a Team To Watch in PennLive.com Class 3A state rankings.
Winner plays: District semifinal at No. 2 Annville-Cleona (8-2) on Nov. 7. Dutchmen earned first-round bye.
Championship: Nov. 14 at neutral site TBD.
