Kotsko’s View, Wyoming Valley Conference -Week 7

Tagged under: District 2, Gameday Hub, News

John Kotsko | October 6, 2021

As I look at the standings in District 2, I’m actually amazed that we can end up with below .500 teams in the playoffs. Seems to be the norm since the expansion to six classifications in 2016. I hear this quite a bit “Playoff teams should have a .500 record.” As much as I agree, I saw this coming with the expansion and more teams made playoffs. 2020 was the exception where only the top two teams made it to the Championship but that was also a shortened season. Being honest, I have no problem with below .500 teams getting into playoffs as it gives younger teams an extra week of practice. With this long intro out of the way, let’s get to the games, shall we?

Lake-Lehman at Wyoming Area

Friday 7 PM

Lake-Lehman is coming off a victory over Holy Redeemer. Wyoming Area is coming off a victory over Lakeland. Black Knights RB Colby Roberts has 439 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Warriors RB Leo Haros has 378 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. He also has three interceptions on defense, returning one for a score. Wyoming Area is currently second in the District 2 3A Standings. Lake-Lehman is currently sixth in District 2 3A. Both teams are looking for playoff positioning as we head toward the end of the regular season.

Prediction: Wyoming Area 35 Lake-Lehman 14

Williamsport at Delaware Valley

Friday 7 PM

Williamsport is coming off a loss to Dallas. Delaware Valley is coming off a win over Hazleton Area. Millionaires QB George Whaley threw for 116 yards and a touchdown last week. He also added 88 rushing yards. Warriors RB Joe Sciascia rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown in last week’s victory over Hazleton Area. Delaware Valley has won three straight since their 0-3 start. Williamsport takes the long trip to Milford. They’ve had an up and down year and they are looking to take a road victory.

Prediction: Delaware Valley 28 Williamsport 14

Hazleton Area at Scranton

Friday 7 PM

Hazleton Area is coming off a loss to Delaware Valley. Scranton is coming off a win over Wallenpaupack. Cougars wideout/defensive back Connor Shamany has 26 catches for 444 yards and two touchdowns. Knights RB Charlie Thompson has 476 yards and five touchdowns on the year. Both teams are 3-3 on the season and are looking to get above .500 on the year and hopefully get a home playoff game.

Prediction: Hazleton Area 35 Scranton 21

Abington Heights at Crestwood

Friday 7 PM

Abington Heights is coming off a shutout loss to North Pocono. Crestwood is coming off a loss to Valley View. Abington Heights QB PT Cutrufello has 404 yards and five touchdowns. Crestwood RB Noah Schultz has 384 yards and two touchdowns on the year. It’s the battle of the Comets in Mountain Top. Both teams have one win each coming in but surprisingly, neither is eliminated from playoff contention. Crestwood is currently 9th in the District 2 4A standings and Abington Heights is 5th in the District 2/11 5A Subregional standings.

Prediction: Crestwood 21 Abington Heights 7

Montrose at Nanticoke

Friday 7 PM

Montrose was off last week but are coming off a forfeit loss to Old Forge. Nanticoke is coming off a loss to Pittston Area. The Meteors’ Derrick DeMann has an interception on defense. Trojans RB Zach Fox is rushing for 382 yards and two touchdowns. Montrose is looking for their first win of the season. Nanticoke comes in with one win on the year and are currently 9th in the District 2 3A Standings and are currently out of the playoffs. The schedule after this with Holy Redeemer, Honesdale and Hanover Area left. The Trojans will control their playoff fate.

Prediction: Nanticoke 28 Montrose 6

Dallas at Pittston Area

Friday 7 PM

Dallas is coming off a victory over Williamsport. Pittston Area is coming off a victory over Nanticoke. The Mountaineers’ Zach Paczewski had three catches for 54 yards and an interception returned for a score in last week’s road win at Williamsport. Patriots RB Harry Pugliese rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the home victory against Nanticoke. Dallas is currently 2nd in the District 2 4A standings. Pittston Area is hanging onto the 8th and final playoff spot in 4A. The Patriots will need at least one more win to ensure them a playoff spot. The Mountaineers are looking to seal up the two seed by winning out.

Prediction: Dallas 28 Pittston Area 7

Holy Redeemer at Hanover Area

Friday 7 PM

Holy Redeemer is coming off a loss to Lake-Lehman. Hanover Area lost to Old Forge. Royals QB Jacob Hunter has 1,092 passing yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Hawkeyes wideout Sean Dooner has five catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Both teams have the same 1-5 record but the Royals are currently in 8th and have the final playoff spot in 3A. The Hawkeyes are currently in 10th in 3A. A win here by either team can help propel them into the playoffs but we still have a long way to go.

Prediction: Holy Redeemer 28 Hanover Area 14

Tunkhannock at Wilkes-Barre Area

Saturday 3 PM at Lake-Lehman HS

Tunkhannock lost to Berwick last week. Wilkes-Barre Area defeated Valley West. Tigers wideout Michael Sickler had four catches for 45 yards last week. He also added an interception on defense. Wolf Pack senior receiver and defensive back Naquon Holman has two catches for 18 catches and an interception on defense. All 4 teams in the District 2 6A standings are all 3-3 on the season. However, all 4 teams are in the playoffs so all they are playing for seeding at this point. Tunkhannock is currently 7th in the District 2 4A standings. Tunkhannock needs at least one more win to guarantee themselves a chance at the postseason.

Prediction: Wilkes-Barre Area 28 Tunkhannock 14

Berwick at Valley West

Saturday 12 PM

Berwick beat Tunkhannock last week. Valley West lost to Wilkes-Barre Area. Bulldogs wideout Brayden Boone had a 75 yard touchdown catch in the victory last week. On the season, wideout/defensive back Ryan Meyers has seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. He also has an interception on defense. These rivals come in with identical 3-3 records. Valley West is currently 3rd in the District 2/11 5A Subregional. Berwick is 4th in the District 2 4A standings. Both teams look to be a lock in their respective playoffs but which team will have an above .500 record at the end of Friday night?

Prediction: Valley West 28 Berwick 14

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