Playoffs? Playoffs? Why would Berks Catholic (1-4) be in the playoff discussion?
After knocking off winless Berks Catholic 41-24 in Week 4, Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum said he wouldn’t be surprised to play the Saints again this season, in the District 3 Class 3A Tournament.
That immediately sent Saints coach Rick Keeley into Jim Mora mode.
Playoffs! Playoffs!
“We’re 0-4 and they’re talking playoffs?” Keeley said, sounding much like Mora, the former Indianapolis coach who went on an infamous postgame tirade more than 20 years ago when a reporter asked about the possibility of making playoffs after a loss dropped the Colts to 4-6.
A week after that Wyomissing loss, and following Berks Catholic’s first win, the thought of seeing the Saints return to districts this year doesn’t sound outrageous.
Despite a brutal, front-loaded schedule, Berks Catholic finds itself in eighth place in the District 3 power ratings, just two notches below the cut line. The top six teams qualify for districts in Class 3A.
That makes Friday’s Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 game against Conrad Weiser (2-0, 3-2) critical for the Saints (1-1, 1-4). If they can end the season at .500 they have a solid shot of making the playoff field. And to get there they’ll likely need a win over Weiser.
| District 3 championships | |
| Class 1A | Nov. 4-5 |
| Class 2A | Nov. 11-12 |
| Class 3A | Nov. 18-19 |
| Class 4A | Nov. 25-26 |
| Class 5A | Nov. 25-26 |
| Class 6A | Nov. 25-26 |
The Saints still have a Week 7 date at Lampeter-Strasburg (2-0, 4-1), a top contender for the District 3 Class 4A title, and a Week 9 meeting against a strong Cocalico (1-1, 2-3) team, which gave Lampeter-Strasburg a tough game last week, falling 23-14.
The Saints also have games against Octorara (0-2, 1-4) and Elco (0-2, 3-2). A loss to Weiser will make it tough for BC to get to five wins and have a reasonable shot at districts.
The Scouts are also in a tough battle to make the 10-team, Class 4A field. They’re currently No. 6 and will likely need to finish with a winning record to make districts. They close the season with games against Wyomissing (2-0, 5-0), at Lampeter and at Cocalico.
That raises the stakes for Friday’s game at Forino Sports Complex and the first meeting between the two programs since 2016 and 2017. The Saints won each of those handily, but they’re not quite the same team as they were then, when they had Cooper Lutz and Brandon George in the backfield.
They’re probably not as bad as they’ve looked this season, either. Their first four games came against Loyalsock (4-1), Executive Education (3-2), Pope John Paul II (5-0) and Wyomissing. Those teams are a combined 17-3.
Berks Catholic’s .634 opponent’s winning percentage is by far the highest among Class 3A teams in District 3. Only two Class 4A teams — Daniel Boone and Twin Valley — have higher strength-of-schedule numbers; only three Class 5A teams are higher.
Keeley was happy to snap what had become the longest losing streak in program history (five games, dating to last year’s season-ending playoff loss).
He’s been around long enough to know that things like this are relative and that won-loss records aren’t the be-all and end-all.
“I thought we played as good as we could play against Wyomissing,” he said. “I’ve been coaching long enough that I don’t let the numbers on the (score)board dictate how I feel about the way my team played. We played as good as we can play, and I can’t ask anything more of that. Was I disappointed in the loss? Yes I was. But I was pleased at the way we played.
“When you look at the film (after a loss), you’re really not as bad as you thought you were, and when you look at the film after a win you really not as good as you thought you were.”
At this point eight Berks teams are in playoff position according to the most recent (but unofficial) power ratings posted on the District 3 website.
Wilson (4-1) enters play Friday ranked No. 4 in Class 6A, where there are no undefeated teams.
Exeter (5-0), the defending champ in Class 5A, is No. 3 behind Solanco and Elizabethtown, each of which are undefeated two weeks ahead of their Section 4 meeting.
Gov. Mifflin (2-3), a Class 5A finalist last year and the champ in 2020, is No. 14; the top 12 qualify. The Mustangs will need a 4-1 finish to close with a winning record. They’ve still got some big challenges on the schedule, starting Saturday against Wilson and including a Week 9 date against unbeaten Manheim Central, the top-ranked team in Class 4A.
Three Berks schools are in the running in Class 4A: Twin Valley (3-2) at No. 5, Weiser and Fleetwood (2-3) at No. 9. The Raiders have another tough game Friday against Solanco.
Wyomissing, the three-time defending champ in 3A, is No. 1 in that classification. Hamburg (5-0), one of four unbeatens in that 14-team field, is No. 3; Schuylkill Valley (3-2) is No. 4.
All games played against PIAA competition and played by Oct. 29 count for the power ratings.
The tournament begins Nov. 4 with games in the five smallest classifications. The Class 6A quarterfinals kick off Nov. 11-12.
Keeley isn’t concerning himself with any of those dates right now.
“We’re just worried about the game this week,” he said. “We’ll worry about the playoffs when we get to playoffs.”
For a timeline of the District 3 football tournament, click here.
By the way . . . Jim Mora, in 15 years as a head coach in the NFL, never won a playoff game.