Coming Into Focus
Playoff picture becoming clearer with two regular-season weeks left
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season (plus the Week 10 PAC Crossover games), local football teams and their fans have a strong sense of the direction of their season.
But plenty more goes into the decision process for who gets to play beyond October. Playoff qualifying points are accumulated each week based on an equation that includes points for winning football games, and points for each football game one of your opponents wins. Rather than explain any further, we break down where each area team stands below.
Quick reminder of the number of playoff spots available for each classification:
6A (Liberty Division schools): 33 teams in District One; 16 qualify for playoffs
5A: 25 teams in District One; 16 qualify for playoffs
4A: Six teams in District One; 4 qualify for playoffs
3A: Eight teams between District One and District 12 (Philadelphia). The District website has the playoff procedure listed as “To be announced;” last year four teams qualified between the two districts.
CLASS 6A »Owen J. Roberts (6-1) may sit one game behind rivals Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley for the Liberty Division lead, but the Wildcats currently stand at No. 11 in the District, the highest of any PAC 6A team. OJR has a chance to improve its standing in both the district and the PAC when it meets Spring-Ford at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Perkiomen Valley (52) and Spring-Ford (5-2) stand separated by only one point for the 13th and 14th spots, respectively. There’s a good news/bad news element, which is that while there’s a considerable drop-off after Spring-Ford in 14th place (meaning both teams have a strong chance to qualify), seeds in the teens mean first-round playoffs visits to some of the district’s heavyweights. As of right now, Spring-Ford would visit North Penn, while PV would face a rematch from Week 2 against Downingtown East.
With three games remaining, specific seeds aren’t of great concern right now, but teams will continue to play hard even after clinching a spot. Higher seeds are traditionally at a considerable advantage in high school football.
Boyertown (2-5) and Methacton (2-5) are extreme longshots for playoff qualification, while Norristown (0-7) is eliminated from contention. Each school will have the chance to play spoiler for rivals in the final weeks of the season. CLASS 5A » Upper Merion (4-3) picked the right week to lose, as they fell only one spot to 10th place in the Class 5A standings. Getting into the topeight would mean hosting a playoff game in King of Prussia for the second consecutive year. It won’t be easy, however, as the Vikings finish with Pottsgrove, Pope John Paul II, and a crossover opponent (likely one of Spring-Ford, Perk Valley or OJR.)
The sheer size of the Class 5A field means Phoenixville (2-5) remains very much in the hunt for a spot. A win this week against Upper Perkiomen (also still clinging to hope in 5A, despite a 1-6 record) would be a strong first step, but given the bonus points the District offers for defeating larger schools, few teams will have the motivation of the Phantoms come Week 10. CLASS 4A » This is where it gets particularly interesting locally. Pottstown’s (43) win over Upper Merion Friday night pulls them into a fourth-place tie with Pottsgrove (3-4) for the final spot in Class 4A – a district title that’s belonged to the Falcons for three years running. It’s unlikely the two teams remain dead even for the next three weeks, but if so, Pottsgrove’s 30-6 win over the Trojans in Week 5 will serve as the tiebreaker.
More likely, each team will be hoping to win out and find a favorable matchup during Crossover Week. They are each aided by the fact that No. 3-ranked Bishop Shanahan faces one of the more difficult closing schedules in District One, with Coatesville and Downingtown West in the next two weeks. Pottstown and Pottsgrove met for the Class 4A title a year ago. CLASS 3A » The District One website has the playoff format listed as “To Be Announced,” but any announcement will certainly include Pope John Paul II (6-1) as a participant if they maintain their current second-place standing. The Golden Panthers are behind only Neumann-Goretti, the undefeated leaders of the Philadelphia Catholic League’s Blue division.
If last year’s system is repeated, Neumann-Goretti and PJP would host firstround games with the winners meeting a week later for a District title. AROUND THE AREA » Pottstown picked the perfect time for a potential turnaround performance – both in the football sense and in the community. The Trojans’ Homecoming game saw the hosts break a tight game wide open, scoring 26 consecutive points at one juncture on the way to a 39-20 victory over Upper Merion. Joneil Oister and Jahzeel Watson connected for three touchdown passes. Oister and Daniel Darden each hit 100 yards rushing, while Watson had a career night with 106 yards receiving and the aforementioned three scores.
Pope John Paul II moved into first place by their lonesome as a result, handling Phoenixville, 476. It was a group effort, as QB Kamal Gray found two different receivers for touchdowns on the night. One of those receivers, Justin Kormos, also returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown later in the contest. PJP’s running game strung together consecutive strong outings, hitting 200 yards on only 23 carries with four different players crossing the goal line.
The Liberty Division frontrunners held serve once more with a series of decisive victories. SpringFord’s encounter with Boyertown was a seesaw affair in the first half, but the Rams ran away late with a 55-20 victory, courtesy of a 339-yard rushing night. SF has spent the past three weeks establishing the running aspect of their offense, and saw perhaps the greatest payoff Friday, as Harry Adieyefeh went over 150 yards, QB Ryan Engro exceeded 11 yards per carry (89 yards on eight carries) while the Liberty Division’s leading rusher, Armante Haynes, scored a pair of touchdowns.
Boyertown’s Jamie Moccia returned his fourth career kickoff for a touchdown – each effort going for 90-plus yards. A LOOK AHEAD » Things get serious this week in both division races. In the Frontier, Upper Merion visits Pottsgrove on Friday night in what serves as a de facto division semifinal. The loser of the game would be eliminated from divisional contention, unless Pottstown pulls a second straight surprise on Pope John Paul II Saturday. By this time next week, the Frontier Division race could be all but cleared up, or murkier than ever. Phoenixville travels to Upper Perkiomen in hopes of improving its own playoff chances.
It’s a similar situation in the Liberty Division, though much of the attention will be focused on Saturday afternoon’s Homecoming game at SpringFord, where the Rams take on Owen J. Roberts. A win for the visiting Wildcats would turn OJR immediately into SpringFord fans, as OJR needs a Perkiomen Valley loss in the next two weeks for a share of the division title. Meanwhile, a Spring-Ford win would set up yet another winner-take-all encounter at PV the following week.
Perkiomen Valley travels to Boyertown, while one of Norristown and Methacton will snap iys losing streak in a Friday night encounter.
Daniel Boone travels to Muhlenberg, while Hill School tries to break through when it travels to Hun School.