State-ranked playoff showdowns looming for Exeter, Wyomissing

Wyomissing is one win after from a fourth straight District 3 championship and a potential showdown between the state two highest-ranked Class 3 teams.

If the top-ranked Spartans beat West Perry Saturday and top-seeded Danville beats second-seeded Loyalsock for the District 4 championship they’ll meet in a state quarterfinal of unbeatens.

Exeter, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A by PennLive.com, is one win away from a potential showdown of state-ranked unbeatens. If the second-seeded Eagles beat Northern in a District 3 semifinal Friday and top-seeded Solanco follows suit they’ll meet for the district championship one week later. Solanco is ranked No. 7 in the state.

There are two other unbeatens in Class 5A, both on the opposite side of the bracket from Exeter: Upper Dublin and Strath Haven. Those teams would meet in District 1 championship game if each win this week.

The District 3 champ in Class 5A will meet either the champ from District 7 or Cathedral Prep, which is unopposed in the District 6/8/10 subregional.

Wyomissing and Danville are the lone unbeaten Class 3A teams in the state after Lancaster Catholic lost to West Perry last week. Catholic, which had been ranked No. 6 in the state, dropped out of the rankings; West Perry debuts at No. 7.

Two Top 10 teams were bounced last week in Class 6A play: No. 4 Emmaus lost 28-27 to unranked Freedom and No. 7 Downingtown West lost 34-9 to previous No. 10 Downingtown East.

In 5A, No. 5 Bethel Park lost to No. 10 Upper St. Clair 17-7 and No. Chester saw its season ended by Plymouth-Whitemarsh.

The PIAA championship games will be spread across three days in mid-December, all at Cumberland Valley High School.

Thursday, Dec. 8: Class 1A at 1 p.m. and Class 4A at 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9: Class 2A at 1 p.m. and Class 5A at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Class 3A at noon and Class 6A at 6 p.m.

CLASS 6A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)         – 8-1 – 1 

2. Garnet Valley (1)                – 11-0 – 2 

3. State College (6)                 – 11-0 – 3 

4. North Allegheny (7)           — 10-1 – 5 

5. Harrisburg (3)                     — 8-2 – 6 

6. Central York (3)                 — 10-1 – 8 

7. Perkiomen Valley (1)         — 11-1 – 9 

8. Downingtown East (1)        — 9-3 – 10 

9. Bethlehem Freedom (11)    — 10-2 – NR 

10. Parkland (11)                    — 8-4 – NR 

Teams to watch: Central Bucks West (1) 8-4, Hempfield (3) 9-2, McDowell (10) 10-2, Manheim Township (3) 8-3, Pittsburgh C.C. (7) 7-4. 

CLASS 5A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Upper Dublin (1)                – 12-0 – 1 

2. Exeter (3)           – 11-0 – 2 

3. Imhotep Charter (12)          – 7-2 – 3 

4. Strath Haven (1)                 — 12-0 – 4 

5. Cathedral Prep (10)            — 8-2 – 6 

6. Roman Catholic (12)          — 8-2 – 8 

7. Solanco (3)                         — 11-0 – 7 

8. Upper St. Clair (7)              — 10-2 – 10 

9. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1)  — 10-2 – NR 

10. Pine-Richland (7)             — 9-3 – NR 

Teams to watch: Cocalico (3) 8-4, Delaware Valley (2) 7-5, Northern York (3) 8-4, West Chester Rustin (1) 10-1, Whitehall (11) 7-5. 

CLASS 4A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Aliquippa (7)                      – 10-0 – 1 

2. Bishop McDevitt (3)           – 9-1 – 2 

3. Jersey Shore (4)                  – 12-0 – 3 

4. Meadville (10)                    — 11-1 – 4 

5. Central Valley (7)               – 10-1 – 5 

6. Manheim Central (3)          — 10-1 – 6 

7. McKeesport (7)                   – 11-1 – 7 

8. Bonner-Prendergast (12)    — 10-1 – NR 

9. Lampeter-Strasburg (3)      — 9-2 – 10 

10. Crestwood (2)                   — 11-1 – NR 

Teams to watch: Interboro (1) 10-2, Juniata (6) 8-3, Thomas Jefferson (7) 8-3, Twin Valley (3) 7-4, Valley View (2) 10-2. 

CLASS 3A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Wyomissing (3)                  – 11-0 – 1 

2. Danville (4)                         – 11-0 – 2 

3. Belle Vernon (7)                 – 8-2 – 3 

4. Loyalsock (4)                      — 11-1 – 4 

5. Avonworth (7)                    — 10-1 – 5 

6. Northwestern Lehigh (11)  — 10-2 – 9 

7. West Perry (3)                    — 11-1 – NR 

8. Freeport (7)                         — 10-1 – 10 

9. North Schuylkill (11)          — 10-2 – NR 

10. Central Martinsburg (6)    — 10-2 – NR 

Teams to watch: Clearfield (9) 8-3, Grove City (10) 8-3, Scranton Prep (2) 9-3, Slippery Rock (10) 7-4.  

CLASS 2A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Farrell (10)                          – 9-1 – 1 

2. Mount Carmel (4)               – 12-0 – 2 

3. Lakeland (2)                       – 12-0 – 4 

4. Steel Valley (7)                   — 10-0 – 5 

5. Beaver Falls (7)                  — 10-1 – 7 

6. Westinghouse (8)                — 11-0 – 8 

7. Sto-Rox (7)                         — 9-2 – 9 

8. Sharpsville (10)                  — 9-2 – NR 

9. Trinity (3)                           — 8-4 – NR 

10. Southern Columbia (4)     — 9-3 – NR 

Teams to watch: Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 9-3, Central Clarion (9) 10-1, Neshannock (7) 11-1, Penns Valley (6) 10-2. 

CLASS 1A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Canton (4)                           – 11-1 – 1 

2. Steelton-Highspire (3)        – 10-1 – 2 

3. Bishop Canevin (7)             – 11-1 – 3 

4. Reynolds (10)                     – 10-1 – 4 

5. Eisenhower (10)                 — 11-0 – 6 

6. Northern Lehigh (11)          — 11-1 – 7 

7. South Side Area (7)            — 11-1 – NR 

8. Penns Manor (6)                 — 11-1 – NR 

9. Port Allegany (9)                — 10-1 – NR 

10. Northern Cambria (6)       — 9-3 – NR 

Teams to watch: Brockway (9) 8-4, Lackawanna Trail (2) 8-4, Rochester (7) 7-4, Union Area (7) 9-3.