Breaking Down the Philadelphia Public League Playoff Matchups & District 12 Bracketing for the Pub
Tagged under: District 12, News, pfn, Playoffs
Anthony Franklin | October 30, 2025
The playoffs are here within the Pub and there are 4 teams vying for the crown. Traditionally prior to admission into the PIAA the Pub crowned one true champion. Beginning in 2011 the league went to multiple title games for classifications and no longer had a true public league champion. Due to recent seasons of teams forfeiting opening round games and to shorten the number of teams participating in the playoffs the league this season went back to an 8-team playoff. The top division 4 best teams qualify, the second-tier division (Liberty) top two eligible teams qualify, and the third tier (National) top two teams qualify. In order for a team to participate in the District 12 title game they must have participated in the playoffs or be a smaller class school in 1A or 2A. Belmont a 1A program won the Liberty Division but due to them being the lone 1A program in the district opted out of the public league playoffs to play in the state tournament. Teams in Liberty, National and American divisions who don’t qualify for the playoffs are seeded in a secondary tournament the PIT (Pub Invitational Tournament).
The brackets for the statewide tournament are currently not including Public League teams due to the playoff format that currently has 3 6A teams still alive and 1 3A program. The PCL championship game is this weekend and the winner between La Salle College and SJ Prep will have a bye next weekend while Imhotep/Bartram will take on Northeast/Lincoln. If Imhotep and Lincoln both win this weekend the winner of that game would play the CL champion on 11/15. If Tep doesn’t win this weekend coupled by a Lincoln win over Northeast guarantees they represent the Pub in 6A. In another scenario, Northeast with a win over Lincoln followed by a win next weekend would mean they earn the Pub D12 title game berth. The picture will be much clearer by 6pm Saturday as a CL champion will be crowned by then and we will know the matchup of the PL championship game.
In 5A Olney who lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to Imhotep will represent the Public League in the District 12 title game against either Roman Catholic or Father Judge next weekend.
Barring an exception there will be no District 12 title game in the 4A classification due to no 4A teams qualifying for the Public League playoffs meaning whoever wins the CL 4A title will automatically advance to play in the PIAA playoffs. Boys Latin finished as the highest ranked Public league 4A program however they failed to earn a playoff berth losing out to Bartram and Central via a tiebreaker.
In 3A John Bartram regardless of how they fare in the Public League Playoffs will play the Catholic League champion (Neumann Goretti or Conwell-Egan) on 11/15 for the District 12 3A title.
In 2A Audenreid Charter in their first year of varsity play are the Public League 2A champions and will play Lansdale Catholic Saturday 11/1 at 3pm at Germantown Supersite for the District 12 2A title.
#1 Imhotep Charter v #5 John Bartram: Saturday 11/1 3pm at Northeast Supersite
Imhotep Charter 6-4: The Panthers led by Jr. QB Joe McCleish are fresh off quarterfinals win over Olney 63-0 bouncing back from their loss to Lincoln the previous week. Joe has thrown for close to 2000 yards this season. Sr. WR Zaire Pollard is his favorite target who averages over 80 receiving yards per game while Jr. WR Kareem Haqq also is a deep ball threat along with Sr. WR Brian Culmer. The leading rushers are Sr. Syeer Coleman & So. Yazid McCorkle. The offensive line is spearheaded by bookend tackles Sr. Brian Moore Jr. & Sr. Jessee Moody (Maryland). Defensively the Panthers are sound at all three levels. Upfront Sr. DL Joseph Sondah, Sr. DT Zakee Wiggins-Hall, Sr. Amir Blackshear and Jr. Jysair Carson. At the LB level Sr. Charles Belser leads the core, and the Panthers are stacked in the secondary with Sr. Willie Norris, Jr. Malik Drayton, So. Kassan Chappelle, Jr. Donte Whittington & So. Kaleb Woseley.
John Bartram 7-2: The Braves earned the semi-finals berth via an upset win over George Washington 20-14 thanks to the heroic play of Sr. QB/Athlete Amare Gadson who ran 70 yards for the game winning score late in the 4th quarter. After a 2024 winless season the Braves turned things around in the Liberty Division winning all but 1 division game and regardless of what happens in the Public League Playoffs they are already 3A Public League Champions and will represent the league in the District 12 3A title game against the Catholic League champion.
Outlook: The Panthers enter the game heavily favorites as they are the defending champs for a reason. Strong on both lines and plenty of depth on both sides of the ball as to where very few players play both sides of the ball. Imhotep against Public League foes are averaging 45 points per game while defensively only giving up 8 points per game. Their lone loss in the Pub was to Lincoln 26-25. Bartram enters the game with both losses coming against division opponents by 1 score (Central & Belmont Charter). The Braves defense is what is most impressive as they’ve held all 9 opponents to 14 points or less.
#2 Northeast v Abraham Lincoln: Saturday 11/1 11am at South Philadelphia Supersite
Northeast 5-5: The Vikings courtesy of the forfeit awarded to them on the regular season game with Lincoln are on a 5-game winning streak. After a mid-season loss of starting QB Jay Boyd, the Vikings regrouped under Jr. QB Kysir Brackett and Sr. WR/DB Elias Gamble and have found their footing on offense. As a result, the defense has had time to lock in and settle in. In their last 4 games they’ve held their opponents to 12.5 points per game compared to giving up 30+ points to 4 opponents earlier in the season.
Lincoln 6-4: The Railsplitters are 6-4 due to the forfeit losses to NE/West Philadelphia but if those games played out would be 8-2. Their on field losses were to undefeated Chester (20-0) and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (27-14) early in the season. Sr. QB Kareem Moore Jr holds the school record for most touchdown passes in a game (7) and also has thrown for over 2000 yards this season. Sr. WR Nymir Marble, Sr. DB Jamir Duncan (Delaware State), Sr. OL/DL Alvin Yates, So. DB Nehmiah Colston, Sr. Edge Koi Muse & Sr. CB Shafeeq Williams are the top playmakers for Lincoln.
Outlook: In the game earlier this season Northeast hung tough in the first half trailing only 14-0 but the third quarter Lincoln’s offense caught stride, and they ran away with a 39-8 win before the post-game altercation wiped out their victory. Northeast offense and defense has both improved since that game however the same can be said for Lincoln after their last two victories over Imhotep and Central. Lincoln has the more talented team and also has a sour taste in their mouth from how their season was almost over. Look for a very physical game between both teams and with no fans in the stands both sidelines will be energized.
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