Four Berks teams with little margin for error as District 3 playoffs loom
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Unbeatens Conrad Weiser, Exeter, and Twin Valley are virtual locks to make the District 3 Tournament. So are Wyomissing and Wilson, each off to a 5-1 start. They’re focused on section titles and securing home field for the postseason.
With just four regular season games remaining there are several Berks teams on the cusp of making the tournament, but which need strong finishes to get there.
District play begins Nov. 1 with opening-round games in the five largest classifications.
The championship games are staggered: Class 1A and 2A in Week 12 (Nov. 8-9); 3A in Week 13; and 4A, 5A, and 6A in Week 14.
Teams qualify based on a power rating, which factors in winning percentage and strength of schedule.
The highest-seeded team hosts through the semifinals; championship games will be played at a neutral site.
Here’s a look at four Berks teams on the playoff bubble. It’s interesting to note that three of them have first-year head coaches: Nick Morrissey at Gov. Mifflin, Rob Flowers at Muhlenberg, and Dave Stahler at Berks Catholic.
Gov. Mifflin (3-3)
The Mustangs, in their first year in Class 6A, sit at No. 11 in the power rankings as they head to Conestoga Valley Friday. The top 10 teams make the field.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Winning three of their final four games should see the Mustangs crack districts for the first time since Nick Singleton moved on to Penn State – and it looks doable.
Mifflin’s fate will probably be determined in the season-ender, at Ephrata (which hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record). The Mounts (3-3) will likely be 5-4 at that point and fighting for a spot in 5A.
First up for the Mustangs is Conestoga Valley (6-0), which has been one of the most dominant teams in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
Mifflin has home games against Lebanon (0-6) and Elizabethtown (1-5) in Weeks 8 and 9, respectively.
Gov. Mifflin’s last postseason game came in 2021, when it lost to Exeter in the District 3 Class 5A championship game. It finished below .500 in each of the past two seasons.
Fleetwood (3-3)
The Tigers are ranked No. 17 in Class 5A, face a visit to Warwick Friday, and have an uphill climb over the next month.
In order to secure one of the 12 qualifying spots in 5A they’ll need to pass five teams so their margin for error is razor thin. They’ll likely need to win three of their final four games; that won’t be easy with their schedule.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Warwick (3-3) is coming off an impressive 21-6 win over Garden Spot and has one of the league’s stingiest defenses.
This will be the biggest test yet for the Tigers’ revamped offense, which now has Chase McMonagle at quarterback and Tristin McFarland and Chase Domenech as full-time receivers.
McMonagle has passed for over 500 yards in his first two starts but he hasn’t faced a defense this good.
Fleetwood’s schedule includes games against Manheim Central (2-4), Solanco (2-4), and Cocalico (4-2). The Barons aren’t at their usual high level this year but they’ll be a tough out, as will the Mules, who gave Weiser fits last week. The Eagles will be fighting for a spot in the 5A field.
A .500 finish likely won’t earn a district playoff spot but it could get a return invite from the Eastern Conference, a venue the Tigers know well after winning championships twice in the last three years.
Berks Catholic (2-4)
The Saints will likely need to win out to squeeze into the six-team Class 3A field, but that’s not out of the question.
They play Kutztown (0-6), at Columbia (0-6), Hamburg (5-1), and at Annville-Cleona (3-3); they’re capable of four straight wins.
(PhilMarPhoto)
The toughest, of course, will come in Week 9 against the Hawks, who have won five straight and are on top in Section 5. It’s worth noting Berks Catholic gets Hamburg coming off the Frost Bowl, against Schuylkill Valley; that’s an ideal spot. Either the Hawks will be reeling after a loss or on Cloud Nine after a win.
And this: The Saints beat the Hawks 40-21 last year in the postseason.
Berks Catholic has played a tough schedule; it’s .528 strength-of-schedule rating is second-highest among the 12 Class 3A teams.
The Saints have had back-to-back heartbreakers: A 30-28 loss at Lancaster Catholic when they fumbled the ball away in the red zone in the final minute and 20-14 to Schuylkill Valley when they gave up a touchdown bomb in the final minute.
They’re a much more dangerous team now that Bryce Gumby has returned to the backfield; they more than doubled Schuylkill Valley in total yards last week.
It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Muhlenberg (3-3)
(Emily Grube photo)
Just seeing the Muhls involved in a discussion of postseason possibilities is an achievement: No one saw this coming from a program that totaled six wins over the last six seasons.
The Muhls pulled off an early upset against Schuylkill Valley and picked off the two weakest opponents on their schedule, winless Daniel Boone and Lebanon, to forge a 3-1 start.
Their toughest games are in front of them, starting Friday at Exeter. They close at Conestoga Valley, which is also unbeaten.
In between are games against Ephrata and Academy Park, each heading into the final month at 3-3.
If the Muhls, who are currently No. 15 in Class 5A, can win both those games they’ll have a chance at a postseason berth – either in districts or the Eastern Conference.
Just getting to Week 10 with such a possibility on the table is a win for the Muhls.
