Exeter, Wyomissing earn a week off before districts after unbeaten seasons
Perfect seasons have earned Exeter and Wyomissing opening-round byes in the District 3 Tournament, which opens with games in five of the six classifications Friday.
Wilson and Twin Valley, among six Berks teams which qualified, also earned opening-round passes.
In a strange twist, only two Berks teams will be playing in the opening week: Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley, both in Class 3A.
The Spartans (10-0) locked down the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the Class 3A playoffs with a 21-0 victory over Lampeter-Strasburg Saturday. They’ll open play at the A-Field Saturday, Nov. 12, against the winner of the No. 4 Hamburg (8-2) vs. No. 5 Upper Dauphin (8-2) quarterfinal Friday at Hamburg.
The Eagles (10-0) nailed down the No. 2 seed in Class 5A with a pulsating 21-17 victory at Manheim Central Friday. They’ll open at home Nov. 11 against the winner of the No. 7 Dover (8-2) vs. No. 10 Garden Spot (7-3) opener.
Wilson (8-2), along with the other seven qualifiers in Class 6A, have the week off. The Bulldogs, the No. 6 seed, will open Nov. 11 with a quarterfinal at No. 3 Harrisburg (7-2). The Cougars edged Wilson 14-10 in last year’s championship game at Severance Field.
This is the first time the entire Class 6A field has started later than the other classes in District 3.
Twin Valley (6-4) is seeded No. 4 in Class 4A and earns a first-round bye and a home game — each a first for the program. The Raiders qualified for districts for the first time last season. They’ll open Nov. 11 against No. 5 Milton Hershey (6-4).
All games throughout the district tournament will be played at the site of the higher-seeded team. District 3 no longer uses neutral sites or Hersheypark Stadium for championship games due to economic factors.
Last year Wyomissing won its third straight District 3 champiohship, two of them the A-Field. They became the first Berks team to win three straight district titles in the same classification; Berks Catholic won consecutive titles in 2015 (AA), 2016 (4A) and 2017 (4A).
The Spartans can become the first Berks program to win four in a row, and they’ll be heavily favored to do so. They are ranked No. 1 in the state, have won 35 consecutive regular season games and seven straight district playoff games. They are 38-18 all-time in district play and 10-3 since moving to Class 3A following the PIAA’s expansion to six classifications.
The Eagles loom as the favorite in Class 5A, especially in light of Friday’s win at Manheim Central, which had been unbeaten. Exeter is ranked No. 2 in the state and riding a four-game district winning streak after a suprising run to its first champiohship last season.
Seeded No. 7, the Eagles beat South Western at home, they won on the road at Manheim Central, Cedar Cliff and finally at Gov. Mifflin, which was unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the state at the time.
This year’s championships dates are staggered, due to the breakdown of the PIAA’s state brackets, each of which is different.
- The Class 1A final will be played next week.
- The Class 2A championship is Nov. 11 or 12.
- The 3A championship is Nov. 18 or 19.
- Championships in 4A, 5A and 6A will be Nov. 25 or 26.
Only district champs advance to the PIAA Tournament, which concludes with champiohships Dec. 8, 9 and 10.
Gov. Mifflin (3-7) will miss districts for the first time since 2005; the Mustangs had qualified 16 straight years, tied for the longest active streak in Berks.
That streak now belongs solely to Wyomissing, which is playing in its 17th straight tournament. The Spartans last missed the field in 2005. They have played in 11 champiohship games during their current streak.
Conrad Weiser misses districts for the first time since 2017.
Schuylkill Valley is back in the field for the first time in eight years.
Berks Catholic will conclude its season Friday at home against Pine Grove in the Eastern Conference Class 3A championship.
Seven Berks teams saw their seasons come to an end Friday: Conrad Weiser, Daniel Boone, Fleetwood, Gov. Mifflin, Kutztown, Muhlenberg and Reading High.
