Five area football teams qualify for D-11 playoffs
Everyone expected a wild finish to the regular season, and that’s what they got.
The dust has settled with this weekend’s rain washing it away and the District 11 playoff picture is set. The Times News area will be represented by five of its nine area programs this coming weekend.
Three TN teams earned spots in class 3A.
The dominoes finally fell for Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, and Tamaqua, who all have 3A quarterfinal games this weekend.
The Indians finished the regular season a perfect 10-0, earning the No. 2 seed.
The Tribe topped the Raiders during an instant classic in Week 7, 41-35, and defeated the Olympians last week for the Schuylkill League title, in one of the most anticipated games in recent memory, 43-27.
Lehighton will continue attacking with TN leading rusher TaQuan Bradley-Chambers and two-dimensional quarterback Cody Scherer.
Scherer and company will host No. 7 Salisbury (4-6) on Saturday at 7:10 p.m.
No. 6 Tamaqua is lickin’ its chops at a rematch with No. 3 Jim Thorpe on Saturday.
The Olympians’ (9-1) defense led the charge in 2017, pitching five consecutive shutouts during a stretch this season. Speaking of instant classics, Jim Thorpe topped Tamaqua 30-26 in Week 8 on a Hail Mary as time expired.
As time expired, Thorpe quarterback Nick Rosahac found Justin St. Hill streaking down the middle of the field with a 37-yard touchdown. That win sparked them to a 35-0 shutout of Pottsville in Week 9, which helped set up the showdown with the Indians last Friday.
Tamaqua lost to both Thorpe and Lehighton by a combined 10 points—and a handful of plays at most. The Raiders have a potent offense with dangerous playmakers that produced 34.9 points per game. The winner of this Schuylkill League slugfest could hypothetically have a date with Lehighton again in the 3A semifinals. Kickoff at Olympian Stadium with the Raiders will be on Saturday at 7:10 p.m.
Palmerton is Class 2A’s No. 1 seed. The Bombers (7-3) have won three-in-a-row, with a signature win on its resume over Saucon Valley in Week 3. They’ll host No. 4 Catasauqua (3-7) on Friday at 7:10 p.m. Palmerton defeated Catasaua 26-7 in Week 1.
The Bombers are led by quarterback Tekoah Guedes, who has 29 total touchdowns this year. If the cards fall into place, it could mean a potentail rematch of last year’s championship game with Schuylkill Haven. The second-seeded Hurricanes play Mahanoy Area this weekend.
No. 4 Marian will square off with top seed Williams Valley in the 1A semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. The Colts (4-6) are led by an athletic line and tailback Seth Paluck, who ran for over 800 yards in the regular season. Marian will surely have its hands full with the undefeated Vikings (10-0), who have scored no less than 35 points in any game.
One other area team, Northwestern, will be in action in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Tigers (4-6) will host Bangor (4-6) Friday night in the 4A title game.
