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Hittin’ The Road With Travelin’ Matt – Week Eight (Fantastic Finishes!)

 
Tagged under: District 1, District 11, District 4, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, The STATE of PA Football

| October 19, 2026

Each week Travelin’ Matt traverses Pennsylvania attending the hottest high school football games and best matchups in the Commonwealth.  Follow his exploits each week as he documents his journey from Week One to the Pennsylvania State Football Finals!

 

Friday, October 16

2A #10 Bloomsburg (7-0) vs 3A Lewisburg (4-3)

 

Saturday, October 17

4A #10 Pope John Paul II (6-1) vs 6A Spring-Ford (6-3)

4A #9 Bethlehem Catholic (6-1) vs 6A HM Nazareth (6-1)

 

ROUNDTRIP – 255 MILES

 

Friday, October 16

My two-day, three-game weekend started in District 4 as undefeated and 2A state-ranked #10 Bloomsburg battled 3A Lewisburg at Milton High School.  Sometimes, despite the records of opposing teams, a game on paper seems like it will be more competitive when played on the field, and this matchup fit that premise as 7-0 Bloomsburg seemed ripe for an upset on the road.  At the very least, I had a hunch Bloomsburg and Lewisburg would light up the scoreboard for an entertaining contest.

These two rivals didn’t disappoint as they combined for 68 points, and to Bloomsburg’s credit, they fought off a valiant Lewisburg effort to avoid the upset en route to a 36-32 win to remain undefeated.  Sit back and enjoy the scoring frenzy that was Bloomsburg vs. Lewisburg!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, October 17

The first colder-weather/windy game of my 2026 season took place in Royersford as 6A Spring-Ford hosted 4A state-ranked #10 Pope John Paul II in a District 1 tussle.  It was Homecoming for the host Rams, and the community supported the event in full-force, as the locals packed the stands on a crisp mid-October afternoon.  Kudos to everyone involved in putting on a stellar Homecoming event which included a full parade through the neighborhood and school grounds featuring youth sports teams, town fire/police and community groups.

The pre-game Homecoming hype had the hometown Rams fired up, and they showed it on the field, blanking their District 1 guests by a tally of 28-0 while improving their record to an impressive 7-1 on the season.  Here’s the highlights from Spring-Ford vs. Pope John Paul II!

 

 

 

 

Game Two of my Saturday double-dip will certainly be in the running for Game of the Year when the dust settles on the 2026 season.  Visiting 6A Nazareth outlasted 4A state-ranked #9 Bethlehem Catholic in a wild 52-49 District 11 affair on a crisp Fall evening at iconic BASD Stadium.

The back-and-forth battle was highlighted by numerous highlight-reel plays and concluded with a surprise ending with Nazareth coming out on top.  Any attempt to capture every highlight from the Nazareth vs. Bethlehem Catholic contest would fall woefully short…here’s just a taste of what took place in this dandy District 11 duel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With 27 games of PA high school football games attended and nearly 2500 miles traveled this season, I wrapped up my eighth of 16 weeks and headed home to plan for next week’s schedule of contests.

Follow along next week as Travelin’ Matt takes you across the state on another PA High School Football journey.

 

 

2026 SEASON RECAP – 2472 TOTAL MILES (27 GAMES)

 

Week 1

Bishop Canevin 40 –  University Prep 0

Pittsburgh Central Catholic 45 –  Bergen Catholic NJ 30

Westinghouse 20 – Hickory 6

Farrell 33 – Clairton 6

Woodland Hills 43 – New Castle 15

 

Week 2

Lehighton 35 – Pocono Mountain West 0

Notre Dame Green Pond 38 – North Schuylkill 7

Southern Columbia 30 – Williams Valley 12

 

Week 3

Pope John Paul II 26 – West Chester Rustin 14

State College 27 – Bishop McDevitt 20

Twin Valley 42 – Wyomissing 14

Montgomery 12 – South Williamsport 6

 

Week 4

Northwest 76 – CMVT 0

Parkland 35 – Stroudsburg 0

Shamokin 35 – Jersey Shore 14

Milton-Hershey 39 – Middletown 7

Easton 20 – Bethlehem Catholic 14

 

Week 5

Mount Carmel 42 – Danville 21

 

Week 6

Pottsville 22 – Tamaqua 0

Mount Carmel 27 – Southern Columbia 26

 

Week 7

Wellsboro 16 – Towanda 7

Twin Valley 34 – Solanco 17

St. Joe’s Prep 13 – LaSalle 3

Warwick 31 – Fleetwood 13

 

Week 8

Bloomsburg 36 – Lewisburg 32

Spring-Ford 28 – Pope John Paul II 0

Nazareth 52 – Bethlehem Catholic 49

 
 
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