Wilson, Weiser, Wyomissing earn opening-round byes in District 3 Tournament
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Three Berks teams won Lancaster-Lebanon League championships – Wilson in Section 1, Conrad Weiser in Section 3 and Schuylkill Valley in Section 5 – but none laid claim to a top seed in the District 3 Tournament, which kicks off Friday.
Wilson and Wyomissing earned No. 2 seeds, in Class 6A and 4A, respectively, and first-round byes, as did Conrad Weiser in 5A and Twin Valley in 4A.
Eight Berks teams qualified for districts, with Gov. Mifflin earning a berth in 6A, Exeter in 5A and Schuylkill Valley and Berks Catholic in 3A.
Teams qualify through a power-rating system that factors in won-loss record and strength of schedule.
Games will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team through the semifinals; the championships will be played at neutral sites, a change from recent years.
Wyomissing (8-2) is going after its sixth straight district championship, but in a new classification: The Spartans were bumped up to 4A by the PIAA’s “Success Formula” after winning five 3A titles in a row.
The Spartans (8-2) open at home Nov. 9 against either No. 7 East Pennsboro (703) or No. 10 Susquehannock (4-6).
Wilson (9-1) is looking for its first district championship since 2016. After a week off, the Bulldogs open at home against either No. 7 Cedar Crest (7-3) or No. 10 Hempfield (4-6). They Bulldogs beat each in Section 1 play this season.
Wilson finished behind Manheim Township in the power ratings despite beating the Blue Streaks 34-16 Friday. Township used a higher strength-of-schedule rating to nab the No. 1 seed.
Gov. Mifflin (5-5) returns to districts for the first time since 2021, and in a new classification: 6A. This is the Mustangs’ first season in 6A. They open at No. 8 Cumberland Valley (5-5).
Conrad Weiser (10-0) is the No. 3 seed in 5A. It opens at home Nov. 8 against either No. 6 Bishop McDevitt (8-2) or No. 11 Lower Dauphin (6-4). McDevitt won the last three Class 4A titles before being moved up by the “Success Formula.”
Exeter (9-1), No. 8 in 5A, opens at home against No. 9 South Western (7-3). The Eagles lost to No. 8 Hershey on the road in the opening round last year.
Twin Valley (8-2), No. 5 in 4A, opens at No. 4 Susquehanna Township (8-2), on Nov. 8. The Raiders opened at home each of the past two seasons, and won their openers.
Schuylkill Valley (8-2), No. 3 in 3A, opens at home Friday against No. 6 Littlestown (6-4). The Panthers have won seven straight games.
Berks Catholic (6-4) jumped from No. 7 to No. 5 in the power ratings after its win over Annville-Cleona Friday and will open at No. 4 Biglerville (7-3). The Saints are back in districts for the first time since 2021.
Berks has had at least one No. 1 for the past five seasons; 2018 was the last time there were no No. 1’s.
With Hamburg and Muhlenberg earning Eastern Conference berths, 10 of Berks’ 14 football teams will play in the postseason.
District 3 Tournament
| CLASS 6A | |||
| (9) Gov. Mifflin | at | (8) Cumberland Valley | |
| (1) Manheim Township | bye | ||
| (5) Dallastown | at | (4) Harrisburg | |
| (10) Hempfield | at | (7) Cedar Crest | |
| (2) Wilson | bye | ||
| (6) C.D. East | at | (3) Central York |
| CLASS 5A | |||
| (9) South Western | at | (8) Exeter | |
| (1) New Oxford | bye | ||
| (12) Warwick | at | (5) Shippensburg | |
| (4) Conestoga Valley | bye | ||
| (10) Hershey | at | (7) Cocalico | |
| (2) Mechanicsburg | bye | ||
| (11) Lower Dauphin | at | (6) Bishop McDevitt | |
| (3) Conrad Weiser | bye |
| CLASS 4A | |||
| (9) Octorara | at | (8) Elco | |
| (1) Lampeter-Strasburg | bye | ||
| (5) Twin Valley | at | (4) Susquehanna Twp. | |
| (10) Milton Hershey | at | (7) East Pennsboro | |
| (2) Wyomissing | bye | ||
| (6) Eastern York | at | (3) West York |
| CLASS 3A | |||
| (5) Berks Catholic | at | (4) Biglerville | |
| (1) Bermudian Springs | bye | ||
| (6) Littlestown | at | (3) Schuylkill Valley | |
| (2) Trinity | bye |
| CLASS 2A | |||
| (4) Upper Dauphin | at | (1) Steel-High | |
| (3) Camp Hill | at | (2) Lancaster Catholic |
| CLASS 1A | |||
| (2) York Catholic | at | (1) Delone Catholic |
