The margin for error now is slim with only two weeks left in the regular season.
Whether a team is vying for the top seed in its classification, a first-round home game or a simply a berth, there is plenty at stake for many teams entering Week 9 with the District 11 football playoffs approaching.
The Week 11 schedule has been set by the district football committee. The Class 3A and 4A quarterfinals are Thursday, Oct. 30, at the site of the higher seeds.
The Class A final at a neutral site or subregional semifinals at the higher seeds plus the 6A quarterfinals at the higher seeds are Friday, Oct. 31.
The Class 2A quarterfinals and 5A semifinals, both at the higher seeds, are at 6 p.m. at Saturday, Nov. 1, unless the teams agree to a time change.
Here is a breakdown of each classification entering this weekend:
CLASS A
What happened: Lackawanna Trail stayed at the top after beating Susquehanna. Tri-Valley jumped over Marian Catholic for second after beating Mahanoy Area and Marian Catholic losing to Williams Valley. Nativity BVM moved up to the fourth (and final) playoff spot despite losing to Minersville because Holy Cross lost to No. 6 Old Forge.
Looking ahead: Tri-Valley finishes with road games against 6-2 Minersville and 8-0 Schuylkill Haven. Marian Catholic finishes with a trip to 1-7 Pine Grove and hosting Nativity BVM. Lackawanna Trail hosts Holy Cross in Week 9.
CLASS 2A
What happened: Schuylkill Haven and Williams Valley stayed 1-2 with dominating victories. Palisades remained at No. 3 despite losing to 3A Notre Dame-Green Pond (8-0). Minersville and Northern Lehigh each moved up one spot after wins while Pen Argyl drops two spots to No. 6 after a home loss to Saucon Valley. The bottom four stayed unchanged.
Looking ahead: Schuylkill Haven has dates left with Class A teams Nativity BVM (4-4) and Tri-Valley (6-2). Williams Valley plays Shenandoah Valley and Pine Grove, who have a combined one win. Palisades finishes with home games against Wilson (0-8) and Salisbury (2-6). Minersville hosts Tri-Valley and Panther Valley. Northern Lehigh has remaining contests at Salisbury and Saucon Valley. Pen Argyl hosts Catasauqua before traveling to Bangor to close out the regular season.
CLASS 3A
What happened: No changes among the top five. Notre Dame-GP, Northwestern Lehigh, North Schuylkill and Saucon Valley all won. Tamaqua lost to Lehighton, so No. 6 Palmerton closed the gap with its dramatic win over Salisbury. Panther Valley won its third game, its most since 2022, to stay at No. 7.
Looking ahead: Notre Dame-GP has a substantial lead for the top spot but has remaining games against 3-5 Palmerton and 0-8 Wilson. Northwestern Lehigh faces 3-5 Tamaqua and 8-0 Southern Lehigh. No. 3 North Schuylkill has road trips to 4-4 Lehighton and 3-5 Pottsville. No. 4 Saucon Valley travels to unbeaten 4A Southern Lehigh and hosts Northern Lehigh. No. 5 Tamaqua has two tough games to finish (Northwestern Lehigh and Blue Mountain).
CLASS 4A
What happened: Zero movement among the nine teams. Southern Lehigh created a little more space between it and Bethlehem Catholic after the Golden Hawks lost. Central Catholic has a comfortable advantage for the No. 3 spot. Blue Mountain continues to lead Lehighton for the No. 4 spot and a first-round home game.
Looking ahead: Southern Lehigh has two tough games remaining in 3A Saucon Valley (5-3) and Northwestern Lehigh (8-0). Bethlehem Catholic is favored in its final two games against 5A Pocono Mountain East (5-3) and 6A Northampton (3-5). Central Catholic has dates with 1-7 Dieruff and 7-1 Whitehall. Blue Mountain plays banged-up Pottsville and Tamaqua. Lehighton takes on North Schuylkill and Jim Thorpe.
CLASS 5A
What happened: No changes here. Pocono Mountain East created a comfortable margin for the No. 2 seed and a first-round home game by beating No. 3 Pleasant Valley.
Looking ahead: Whitehall takes on unbeaten 6A Parkland before finishing up with Central Catholic. East has games left against winless East Stroudsburg North and 5-3 Pocono Mountain West. Pleasant Valley has games against West and 4-4 Stroudsburg.
CLASS 6A
What happened: No. 1 Easton held off Liberty. Nazareth knocked off Bethlehem Catholic to stay at No. 2. No. 3 Parkland handled Central Catholic. Freedom moved ahead of Liberty for No. 4 after beating Northampton. Stroudsburg jumped over Northampton for No. 6 after beating East Stroudsburg North. Pocono Mountain West remains ahead of Emmaus for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Looking ahead: Easton hosts Freedom before traveling to Nazareth to close out the regular season. Nazareth visits Northampton in Week 9. Parkland visits Whitehall before hosting Emmaus in the regular-season finale. Freedom hosts Liberty in Week 10. Liberty hosts Bethlehem Catholic in Week 9. West hosts 1-7 East Stroudsburg South and then visits Pleasant Valley.
District 11 football ratings
(entering Week 9)
Class A (subregional with District 2; top 4 qualify)
1. Lackawanna Trail (7-1); .659120
2. Tri-Valley (6-2); .532574
3. Marian Catholic (5-3); .522112
4. Nativity BVM (4-4); .385506
5. Holy Cross (3-5); .369615
6. Old Forge (2-6); .263692
Class 2A (top 8 qualify)
1. Schuylkill Haven (8-0); .736117
2. Williams Valley (7-1); .692496
3. Palisades (5-3); .581453
4. Minersville (6-2); .573841
5. Northern Lehigh (5-3); .570297
6. Pen Argyl (5-3); .536878
7. Executive Education Academy (4-3); .499970
8. Catasauqua (3-5); .375422
9. Mahanoy Area (1-7); .289523
10. Shenandoah Valley (0-8); .200157
Class 3A (top 8 qualify)
1. Notre Dame-Green Pond (8-0); .800093
2. Northwestern Lehigh (8-0); .739954
3. North Schuylkill (5-3); .608074
4. Saucon Valley (5-3); .505173
5. Tamaqua (3-5); .412315
6. Palmerton (3-5); .384187
7. Panther Valley (3-5); .363222
8. Salisbury (2-6); .317331
9. Pine Grove (1-7); .216609
Class 4A (top 8 qualify)
1. Southern Lehigh (8-0); .762162
2. Bethlehem Catholic (5-3); .711513
3. Central Catholic (4-4); .634068
4. Blue Mountain (4-4); .546735
5. Lehighton (4-4); .507677
6. Pottsville (3-5); .446983
7. Jim Thorpe (3-5); .445760
8. Bangor (0-8); .255069
9. Wilson (0-8); .209402
10. East Stroudsburg North (0-8); .203654
Class 5A (all 4 qualify)
1. Whitehall (7-1); .760140
2. Pocono Mountain East (5-3); .582215
3. Pleasant Valley (3-5); .519405
4. East Stroudsburg South (1-7); .378628
Class 6A (top 8 qualify)
1. Easton (8-0); .854939
2. Nazareth (7-1); .839974
3. Parkland (8-0); .809208
4. Freedom (5-3); .699186
5. Liberty (5-3); .685629
6. Stroudsburg (4-4); .606885
7. Northampton (3-5); .577911
8. Pocono Mountain West (5-3); .575676
9. Emmaus (3-5); .551825
10. Allen (3-5); .450246
11. Dieruff (1-7); .362635
Colonial-Schuylkill League football top 10
Ranking. Team (2025 record; last week): Of note
1. Southern Lehigh (8-0; 1): Host Saucon Valley before heading to Northwestern Lehigh
2. Northwestern Lehigh (8-0; 2): Has allowed 1 TD in last 10 quarters (by JVs)
3. Notre Dame-GP (8-0; 3): Favored in final two games for first 10-0 regular season in program history
4. Schuylkill Haven (8-0; 4): Scored at least 53 points for 15th time in last 27 games
5. Williams Valley (7-1; 5): Won first game in interim head coach/athletic director Ben Ancheff’s debut
6. North Schuylkill (5-3; 7): Shoots for a three-game winning streak Friday at Lehighton
7. Blue Mountain (4-4; 6): Sophomore Cohen Kirby reached 1,000 passing yards against North Schuylkill
8. Lehighton (4-4; 8): Bidding for first two-game winning streak of the season Friday against North Schuylkill
9. Minersville (6-2; 9): Held Nativity BVM to 30 total yards for its second consecutive shutout
10. Palisades (5-3; 10): Has won last three meetings vs. Wilson, allowing 12 total points
Dropped out: None
Others to watch (listed alphabetically): Catasauqua (3-5); Jim Thorpe (3-5); Marian Catholic (5-3); Northern Lehigh (5-3); Palmerton (3-5); Pen Argyl (5-3); Pottsville (3-5); Saucon Valley (5-3); Tamaqua (3-5); Tri-Valley (7-1)
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
