And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the District 3 football playoffs are upon us.
Four Berks County teams – Schuylkill Valley, Exeter, Berks Catholic, and Gov. Mifflin – start their quest for a district title Friday night in their respective class.
In Class 3A, No. 3 seed Schuylkill Valley (8-2) hosts No. 6 Littlestown (6-4).
The Panthers won the Lancaster Lebanon Section 5 title a week ago by defeating Lancaster Catholic 40-29.
“Real excited, especially when we won the game, they were thrilled,” Panthers coach Bruce Harbach said. “First time winning the section. Ran the table in the section for the first time in school history. So the kids have set their mark on school history.”
Trailing 29-28 in the fourth quarter, Logan Cammauf put his team on top with a six-yard score on the ground.
Then Cammauf put the game on ice with a 64-yard touchdown to secure the title for the Panthers.
Last season the Panthers shared the Section 5 title with Lancaster Catholic.
Intending to win the section themselves in 2024, Schuylkill Valley got off on the wrong foot with a 1-2 record.
However, Harbach rallied his team after the slow start and the Panthers rattled off seven straight to earn the third seed in districts.
“We played three (Class) 5A schools,” Harbach said. “So I think that helped us down the road, playing in a big pool. I knew it’d be a little bit of a battle in the beginning, but I thought once we got into section play with playing in those bigger schools, that would help us down the road.”
During the winning streak, the Panthers outscored opponents 264-122.
With emotions running high coming off a historic season, Harbach knows it’s his job to keep his team focused on the next goal ahead.
“That’s the job of the coaching staff to keep them focused and we have,” Harbach said. “We had a good practice yesterday. Got the kids soft pretzels for the first championship win. Ate that and watched the film. So I think we’ll be OK. Our kids are focused. They know they can go as deep as they want to go.”
“We take each team week to week, and this is Week 11 for us. The playoffs are one and done. You win, you stay and play and you lose you go home. So I think we’re taking that kind of mentality that we want to keep playing.”
The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Logan Nawrocki who has completed 151-of-219 passes for 2,151 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions.
“He’s another coach in the field,” Harbach said of his quarterback. “He’s improved so much over the past three years. He studies the game. He knows where everybody’s going, runs the offense very well, and directs it. Hope to keep playing on but that’s one guy I’m gonna miss.”
As one of this year’s best quarterbacks in Berks County, Nawrocki will look to lead his team past the Thunderbolts for the second consecutive year in the first round of districts.
The keys to victory for the Panthers are simple, protect the ball and the rest will fall in place.
“Win the turnover battle,” Harbach said. “That’s always the key. Don’t fumble the ball. We get a couple of turnovers on defense and we handle the ball on offense and just keep the sticks moving. Do what we do best and get the ball to our playmakers.”
The winner plays second-seeded Trinity (8-2) next Friday.
On the opposite side of the Class 3A bracket, No. 5 Berks Catholic (6-4) travels to No. 4 Biglerville (7-3).
The Saints finished on a four-game winning streak to earn a seed in districts.
The offense is led by senior quarterback Zach Suski. He has completed 80-of-114 passes for 1,305 yards and 16 touchdowns with three interceptions.
Suski is also accompanied by an explosive running attack from Nathaniel Rose and Bryce Gumby.
Both running backs surpassed the 800-yard mark on the season and have combined for 21 rushing touchdowns.
On defense, tackle Damoni Daglis has been a terror for opposing offenses this season.
The sophomore leads all Saints in tackles (60) and sacks (3).
The last time the Saints were in the district playoffs was 2021.
If first-year head coach Dave Stahler leads his team to a win they’ll face No. 1 Bermudian Springs (9-1) in the quarterfinals Friday, Nov. 8.
In Class 5A, Exeter (9-1) hosts No. 9 South Western (7-3) at Reiffton.
The Eagles’ lone loss came in Week 9 against Conestoga Valley in a 28-27 nail-biter that ended on a failed two-point conversion from Exeter.
For the first eight games of the season, the Eagles were flawless and were labeled as a team to watch in the Class 5A state rankings per Pennlive.com.
Senior Jayden Zandier has been one of the best players in Berks County all season long.
He has 1,469 yards and 23 touchdowns on 117 carries in the Eagles’ lethal running game.
Through the air, Riley Martinez has thrown for 847 yards and 14 touchdowns on 49-of-71 passing. The junior had missed time due to injury.
His number one target has been Carter Redding who has 26 receptions for 433 yards and five touchdowns on the season.
As the No. 9 seed last year, Exeter got knocked out in the first round by eighth-seeded Hershey 28-27.
If the Eagles win, they’ll played at No. 1 New Oxford the following week.
In Class 6A, Gov. Mifflin is the last team that will play in a win-or-go-home game this Friday.
The No. 9 Mustangs (5-5) will travel to No. 8 Cumberland Valley (5-5) at Chapman Field. The winner will take on No. 1 Manheim Township (9-1) on Nov. 8 at Kruis Field.
First-year head coach Nick Morrissey has led the Mustangs to their first district playoff appearance since 2021.
Mifflin is coming off a 35-21 loss to Ephrata in the final week of the regular season.
Looking to bounce back, the Mustangs will also be led by another one of Berks’ best running backs, Grady Garner.
The senior fullback has rushed for 1,296 yards and 19 touchdowns on 207 carries this season.
Another great game from Garner and his offensive line could project them into next week.
Elsewhere in the county, four teams earned a bye week and will wait to see who their opponent will be.
On the opposite side of the 6A bracket, Wilson (9-1) will take on the winner of No. 7 Cedar Crest (7-3) and No. 10 Hempfield (4-6) at home the following Friday.
In Class 5A, No. 3 Conrad Weiser (10-0) has had a historic season after a 2-8 record a year ago.
They’ll play the winner of No. 6 Bishop McDevitt (8-2) and No. 11 Lower Dauphin (6-4) at home next Friday.
Two teams in Class 4A will have some time to rest and recoup before a hopeful deep run.
No. 2 Wyomissing (8-2) and No. 5 Twin Valley (8-2) finished second and third respectively in Section 4.
The Spartans are coming off a tough 20-7 loss to Lampeter-Strasburg for the section title. They’ll play the winner of No. 7 East Pennsboro (7-3) and No. 10 Susquehannock (4-6) on Saturday, Nov. 9 at home.
As for the Raiders, losses to Wyomissing and Lampeter-Strasburg down the final stretch led to a lowering seeding in districts but earned a bye nonetheless.
They will travel to No. 4 Susquehanna Township (8-2) next Friday.
Outside of district play, two more teams look to end their season on a high note.
Muhlenberg (3-7) faces William Allen (3-6) in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A Championship.
Hamburg (6-4) travels to Covington Township to take on North Pocono (4-6) in the Eastern Conference 4A Championship.
Friday’s Schedule all games begin at 7 p.m.
Gov. Mifflin at Cumberland Valley
South Western at Exeter
Berks Catholic at Bigerville
Littlestown at Schuylkill Valley
Muhlenberg at William Allen
Hamburg at North Pocono
Source: Berkshire mont
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