Matchup in Eastern Conference title game will be special for Saints, Hawks
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It’ll be teacher vs. student in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs when Berks Catholic plays Hamburg in the Class 3A championship game.
Hawks coach Matt Hoffert was an offensive lineman for Saints coach Rick Keeley when Keeley was the head coach at Hamburg from 1998-2000.
“I am proud of the work he has done this year for his program,” Keeley said of Hoffert. “We will have our hands full against them, but it will make for a fun matchup to conclude the season.”
The Hawks and Saints are among four Berks teams to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs, which are open to teams which don’t make their respective district tournaments. The finalists are selected based on a power rating, same as the district playoffs.
Fleetwood and Gov. Mifflin will also get an 11th game.
The Mustangs (5-5) will play at home one final time in the Class 5A/6A championship game, against Pleasant Valley (5-5).
The Tigers (5-5) will play at Shamokin (5-5) for the Class 4A championship.
Dates and times have not been announced yet.
“Not only is (this) a chance to win a championship for the seniors playing their last game but also an opportunity for our young guys to practice for another week,” said Keeley.
“We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores start this year so it is a great opportunity for them to gain experience.”
The Saints (4-6) finished one spot shy of making the District 3 Class 3A field. They beat Pine Grove 49-14 at home last season in their first Eastern Conference appearance to win the 3A championship.
The Hawks finished one spot behind Berks Catholic in districts after making the 3A field the last two seasons. This will be their first Eastern Conference appearance since 2019, when they beat Big Spring 28-0 for the 4A championship.
Gov. Mifflin last appeared the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2005, when it beat Scranton in the semifinals and lost to Parkland in the Class AAAA championship game. The Mustangs won the title in 2004.
Fleetwood won the Class 6A/5A championship in 2021, beating Boyertown 47-35 at Tigers Stadium.
Berks Catholic or Hamburg will be the first Berks team to win two EC titles.
Wyomissing (2005), Conrad Weiser (2016), Muhlenberg (2017) and Daniel Boone (2018) also own Eastern Conference championships.
