And then there were 3
Few should be surprised by the three Colonial-Schuylkill League teams that remain in the postseason as Week 13 approaches.
North Schuylkill, Northern Lehigh and Northwestern were expected in the preseason to be state playoff material.
The Bulldogs already are there after knocking off Tri-Valley in last week’s District 11 Class A final.
Either the Spartans or Tigers will join them. They meet in Friday night’s 3A championship game at Lehighton.
Southern Lehigh and Catasauqua lost in the 5A and 2A title games, respectively, and Notre Dame-Green Pond lost a thriller at Northwestern in one 3A semifinal while Palmerton fell short for a second time this year at North Schuylkill in the other semifinal.
The top three in the rankings remain the same, but there was minor shuffling among the rest of the top 10. Here are the top 10 teams entering Week 13:
Colonial-Schuylkill League football top 10
Rank. Team (record, last week) 1. North Schuylkill (10-2; 1): Broke from a 14-all tie to beat Palmerton for second time this year
2. Northern Lehigh (11-1; 2): First two special teams scores of 2022 sparked Bulldogs in District 11 Class A title game
3. Northwestern (10-2; 3): Cade Christopher rallied the Tigers all night against Notre Dame-GP in 3A semifinal
4. Southern Lehigh (9-3, 5): Lost to Whitehall for fifth time in District 11 Class 5A playoffs
5. Notre Dame-GP (9-3; 4): Lost in District 11 Class 3A semifinals for second year in a row
6. Blue Mountain (6-5, 6): Season is over
7. Bangor (7-4; 7): Season is over
8. Palmerton (7-5; 8): Lost to No. 1 North Schuylkill for second time this season
9. Tri-Valley (10-2; 10): Turnovers, special teams haunt Bulldogs in District 11 Class A final loss
10. Catasauqua (7-5; 9): Lost District 11 Class 2A final in last seconds to Executive Education
Honorable mention (listed alphabetically): Mahanoy Area (65; HM); Marian Catholic (4-6; HM); Minersville (6-5; HM); Palisades (83; 8); Pen Argyl (5-6; NR); Pottsville (5-6, HM); Williams Valley (8-3; 9)