Focusing on the fuzzy playoff picture
Fuzzy District 11 football playoff picture entering final week of the regular season
High school football teams should know by the end of this weekend who will be playing in the District 11 tournament.
Week 10 of a normal regular season in District 11 football is reserved for rivalry games, an often lengthy list of postseason scenarios and many dreams of state gold.
Thanks to COVID-19, 2020 is not a normal season.
There are a lot of rivalry games, but not all. There are scenarios, many more than in the past because of the uncertainly of games and the cancellation of others. And, District 11 voted to not participate in the PIAA playoffs because the delayed and condensed regular season made it impossible to crown district champions and play in the state postseason.
But, come late Saturday night, the three week-long district tournament fields in the six classes will be known.
Right now, 23 of the 36 playoff participants are known. The order can — and will — change.
All quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by the higher seeds. The championship games are at neutral sites, if possible.
The district tournament starts Nov. 6 and runs through Nov. 20. Teams who do not qualify and those who are eliminated from the playoffs may schedule other “regular-season” games up to a maximum of 10 contests.
Class 6A (Topeight qualify)
(Based on District 11’s power rating, which is a combination of the team’s weighted winning percentage and their opponents’ weighted winning percentage.)
Nazareth (.822075 power rating), Freedom (.776959), Emmaus (.740988), Stroudsburg (.689162) and Parkland (.678745) are in.
Easton (.564493), sitting seventh, can take of business with a win Friday night at No. 1 Nazareth. Pocono Mountain West (.607988), in sixth, hosts rival 5A East. Northampton (.488720) is at No. 8. It hosts 5A qualifier Whitehall. No. 9 Pleasant Valley (.478881) would help itself with a win at Stroudsburg.
Other games: Allen (.322222) is at Dieruff (.322222). Liberty (.289866) needs another upset over host Freedom to have a shot at the playoffs. Emmausis at Parkland.
Class 5A
All four teams here qualify: East Stroudsburg South (.846959), Southern Lehigh (.588883), Whitehall (.542756) and Pocono Mountain East (.497212) are the order for now. South hosts winless 4AEast Stroudsburg North in its regular-season finale. Southern Lehigh visits 3A Salisbury.
Class 4A (8)
Northwestern (.671426), Pottsville (.671310), Central Catholic (.660259), Bethlehem Catholic (.650730), Blue Mountain (.507776) and Saucon Valley (.502253) are in the field and the top six at this point.
That order certainly will change. The winner of the Holy War between Central Catholic and Bethlehem Catholic could vault into the top seed no matter what Northwestern and Pot ts ville do.
Lehighton (.424144), Wilson (.370655), Bang or (.363653) and East Strouds bur g North (.254427) are fighting for the last two spots.
Lehighton is at unbeaten 3A North Schuylkill. Wilson is hosting District 1 Bishop Shanahan on Saturday in place of 3A Notre Dame-GP, which has COVID-19 issues. Bangor is at 2A Pen Argyl and North hosts un beaten 5 A East Strouds bur g South.
Other games: Northwestern visits 2A Catasauqua. Blue Mountain visits rival Pottsville. Saucon Valley hosts 2 A Palisades.
Class 3A (4)
No. 1 North Schuylkill (.748051) is supposed to return after a two-week COVID-19 break Friday to host Lehighton. No. 2 Notre Dame-GP (.714523) canceled its last two games for the same reason. No. 3 Jim Thorpe (.613367) is the final team assured of making the four-team field.
Tamaqua (.491596) and Pine Grove (.420441), which play one another, plus Salisbury (.373157) are in the mix for the last ber th.
Other games: Salisbury hosts Southern Lehigh. Jim Thorpe hosts Class A Nativity BVM.
Class 2A (8)
Only Palisades (.610345) and Northern Lehigh (.515569) are assured berths.
Minersville (.385580), Palmerton (.374898), Catasauqua (.309387),
Schuylkill Haven (.306402), Panther Valley (.258688) and Pen Argyl (.248862) are the others in now, but Shenandoah Valley (.202108) can get in with a win over Class A Mahanoy Area and some help.
Othergames: Palmerton hosts Northern Le high, Schuylkill Haven hosts Miners ville. Panther Valley hosts Tri-Valley.
Class A (4)
Williams Valley (.604329), Nativity BVM (.541225) and Tri-Valley (.510398) are 1-2-3 right now with Mahanoy Area (.446276) leading Marian Catholic (.260877) for the final berth. Marian Catholic (1-6) hosts Williams Valley (7-1).