Eight District 11 teams have been eliminated after 10 weeks of the regular season.
At least 19 more will be going home after the first weekend of the district playoffs, which run Thursday through Saturday at home sites in six classifications.
Only three of the 11 matchups involving area Colonial-Schuylkill League teams pit two squads with winning records.
Does a team somewhere lie in the weeds ready to pounce on a favorite and send them packing? The unknown is the beauty of high school athletics.
Defending Class 4A champion Southern Lehigh did not come out strong in its first two playoff games last year. Coach Phil Sams’ club fell in a three-touchdown hole at home to Pottsville only to storm back to advance.
Sams is hoping for less drama in 2025. He expects the message he and his staff are preaching this week will help in the team’s mental preparation.
The Spartans ended their fourth consecutive regular season with a loss to Northwestern Lehigh. They fell in a 22-0 hole last week to the Tigers and nearly rebounded only to lose only 36-28.
Sams expects full effort for four quarters in every game from here on out.
“I’m proud of them for not giving up,” he said. “We fought, but I thought that we had a little bit more to give to the game.
“We have a lot more football in us. That might be the best team we face all year. We don’t know. We’ve got to focus on Week 1 [of the playoffs] and get back to work.”
It’s been more than a month since I incorrectly predicted a game involving the 17 Colonial-Schuylkill League teams in The Morning Call coverage area. Will the streak continue?
District 11 football predictions
(involving area Colonial-Schuylkill League teams)
Tri-Valley (6-4) at Marian Catholic (7-3): It is so hard to beat a team twice in the same season, especially when the first matchup was as close as this one (17-14). Tri-Valley 21-17
Catasauqua (4-6) at Schuylkill Haven (10-0): This will be a rough ride home for the Rough Riders after facing the state’s top-ranked Class 2A team according to Pennlive.com. The Hurricanes’ big, powerful running game will be too much. Schuylkill Haven 42-14
Palisades (7-3) at Northern Lehigh (7-3): The Bulldogs certainly have revenge on their minds and get the Pirates at home this time after losing 28-14 on the road during the regular season. Both teams are better than they were during the first meeting. Palisades 21-20
Pen Argyl (7-3) at Minersville (8-2): The Battlin’ Miners have a chance to avenge both of their losses that were by a total of 13 points in consecutive games earlier this season in the next two weeks. But, first, they have to take care of the Green Knights who are led by a group of seniors who have tasted defeat in playoff games after lengthy bus rides and not liked it. Minersville 35-20
Salisbury (2-8) vs. Notre Dame-GP (10-0): The Crusaders are focused only on staying sharp and healthy as they work toward a district title. The banged-up Falcons will look to take advantage of the bonus game to make strides toward next season. Notre Dame-GP 42-12
Tamaqua (3-7) at Saucon Valley (5-5): The Panthers have lost back-to-back games after a four-game winning streak. The Blue Raiders have lost four in a row. One of these young teams will enjoy postseason success that will bode well for the future. Tamaqua 20-14
Panther Valley (4-6) at North Schuylkill (7-3): The Spartans are rolling behind their record-setting running back Luke Miller and ready for a rematch next week with Northwestern Lehigh. North Schuylkill 35-7
Palmerton (3-7) at Northwestern Lehigh (10-0): The Tigers will be prepping for two monumental tasks in the coming weeks against North Schuylkill and Notre Dame-GP, both of whom have scores to settle. Northwestern Lehigh 42-12
Bangor (0-10) at Southern Lehigh (9-1): The Spartans are hungry to get back to their dominating ways. They don’t want to repeat the sluggish starts to two of last year’s playoff games. Southern Lehigh 47-14
Lehighton (5-5) at Blue Mountain (6-4): The Eagles are hungry to avenge last year’s home playoff loss to the Indians. It won’t be easy. It won’t happen if the Eagles don’t show up with their best effort. Blue Mountain 28-21
Jim Thorpe (4-6) at Central Catholic (5-5): This likely will be the swan song for record-setting Olympians quarterback Cole Lazorick, who has done everything to restore pride and commitment in the program. Central Catholic 34-13
Last week: 10-0
Season: 95-10
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
