District 3 releases boys playoff brackets; Reading, Berks Catholic top seeds
Reading High and Berks Catholic, the defending champs in Class 6A and 4A, respectively, will enter the District 3 boys tournament as No. 1 seeds when the tournament tips next weeks. It’ll be the third straight No. 1 seed for the Red Knights and fifth in seven years.
Official brackets were released today.
They’ll be among 10 Berks Conference boys teams qualifying for the tournament, which tips Feb. 20 and concludes with championships Feb. 28 and March 2.
All games through the semifinals will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team. The championship games will be played at Giant Center.
The other Berks qualifiers: Wilson, in Class 6A; Exeter and Muhlenberg, in 5A; Fleetwood and Schuylkill Valley, in 4A; Oley Valley and Brandywine Heights, in 3A; and Antietam, in 2A.
The Red Knights earned a first-round bye and open with a home quarterfinal Feb. 24, against either No. 8 Chambersburg or No. 9 Carlisle. They’ll clinch one of seven PIAA Tournament berths with a quarterfinal win.
Wilson is No. 7 in 6A and hosts No. 10 Cedar Crest Feb. 21. The Bulldogs beat the Falcons 59-40 in West Lawn on Jan. 14.
In 5A, Exeter is the No. 3 seed – its highest in at least 40 years – and opens at home Feb. 23 against either Hershey or Susquehannock.
Muhlenberg is the No. 9 seed and opens at West York, the winner to meet top-seeded Manheim Central.
The Eagles have already secured a second straight trip to the PIAA Tournament because the top eight finishers in the 14-team field qualify. The Muhls can join them by winning their opener; they’ll be eliminated with a loss.
In 4A, Berks Catholic opens at home Feb. 23 against Kennard-Dale or Elco.
The Saints opened last season’s playoff run with a 55-40 win over Elco at Wolf Gymnasium. They completed it with a 60-37 win over Middletown at Giant Center.
Fleetwood is the No. 2 seed in 4A – its highest since 1984, when it was No. 2 in the Class A field (the smallest of three classification). The Tigers have earned a first-round bye and their first home district playoff game. They’ll play Feb. 23 against either No. 7 Schuylkill Valley or No. 10 Middletown.
Schuylkill Valley opens at home Feb. 20 against Middletown.
A win in their first game will secure one of six PIAA berths for the Saints or Tigers. A loss by either will send it to the playback round.
In 3A, Oley Valley enters as the No. 3 seed, its highest in at least 30 years. The Lynx earned a first-round home game Feb. 20 against No. 6 Brandywine Heights. They beat the Bullets twice in Berks IV play, the second time in overtime, 70-66 Jan. 30 at Mertztown.
Either team will need to win at least twice to secure one of three state berths.
In 2A, Antietam is the No. 3 seed and opens at No. 2 Halifax Feb. 22. A win will send the Mounts back to the PIAA Tournament; a loss ends their season.
High Point enters as the No. 7 seed in Class 1A and open at home Feb. 21 against No. 10 West Shore Christian.
Here are the opening-round match-ups:
Class 6A (top 7 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 1 | Reading High | bye | |||
| No. 9 | Carlisle | at | No. 8 | Chambersburg | Feb. 21 |
| No. 4 | York High | bye | |||
| No. 12 | Red Lion | at | No. 5 | Waynesboro | Feb. 21 |
| No. 2 | Cumberland Valley | bye | |||
| No. 10 | Cedar Crest | at | No. 7 | Wilson | Feb. 21 |
| No. 3 | Hempfield | bye | |||
| No. 11 | Dallastown | at | No. 6 | Central York | Feb. 21 |
Class 5A (top 8 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 1 | Manheim Central | bye | |||
| No. 9 | Muhlenberg | at | No. 8 | West York | Feb. 20 |
| No. 13 | Greencastle-Antrim | at | No. 4 | Mechanicsburg | Feb. 20 |
| No. 12 | Donegal | at | No. 5 | Milton Hershey | Feb. 20 |
| No. 2 | Lampeter-Strasburg | bye | |||
| No. 10 | Susquehannock | at | No. 7 | Hershey | Feb. 20 |
| No. 14 | Shippensburg | at | No. 3 | Exeter | Feb. 20 |
| No. 11 | Red Land | at | No. 6 | Warwick | Feb. 20 |
Class 4A (top 6 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 1 | Berks Catholic | bye | |||
| No. 9 | Elco | at | No. 8 | Kennard-Dale | Feb. 20 |
| No. 4 | Octorara | bye | |||
| No. 5 | Eastern York | bye | |||
| No. 2 | Fleetwood | bye | |||
| No. 10 | Middletown | at | No. 7 | Schuylkill Valley | Feb. 20 |
| No. 3 | Littlestown | bye | |||
| No. 6 | Bishop McDevitt | bye |
Class 3A (top 3 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 1 | Columbia | bye | |||
| No. 5 | Delone Catholic | at | No. 4 | York Catholic | Feb. 20 |
| No. 2 | Trinity | bye | |||
| No. 6 | Brandywine Heights | at | No. 3 | Oley Valley | Feb. 20 |
Class 2A (top 2 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 4 | Steel-High | at | No. 1 | Lancaster Mennonite | Feb. 22 |
| No. 3 | Antietam | at | No. 2 | Halifax | Feb. 22 |
Class 1A (top 5 qualify for PIAA Tournament)
| No. 1 | Linville Hill Christian | bye | |||
| No. 9 | Coventry Christian | at | No. 8 | Conestoga Christian | Feb. 21 |
| No. 4 | Mount Calvary | bye | |||
| No. 5 | Lancaster Country Day | bye | |||
| No. 7 | High Point Baptist | at | No. 10 | West Shore Christian | Feb. 21 |
| No. 3 | Dayspring Christian | bye | |||
| No. 6 | LaAcademia Charter | bye |
