District 2 Playoff Preview
Tagged under: District 2, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs
Jared Samuel | November 1, 2024
Final District 2 Standings
1A
1. Lackawanna Trail (9-1)
2. Old Forge (4-6)
3. Holy Cross (3-7)
2A
1. Riverside (9-1)
2. Susquehanna Community (6-4)
3. Dunmore (4-6)
4. Lakeland (3-7)
5. Holy Redeemer (0-10)
3A
1. Scranton Prep (9-1)
2. Western Wayne (9-1)
3. Wyoming Area (9-1)
4. Mid Valley (7-3)
5. Lake Lehman (6-4)
6. Carbondale Area (6-4)
7. Berwick (4-6)
8. Tunkhannock (3-7)
9. Hanover Area (2-8)
10. Montrose (1-6)
4A
1. Valley View (9-1)
2. Dallas (7-3)
3. Honesdale (6-4)
4. Crestwood (5-5)
5. Wallenpaupack (4-6)
6. North Pocono (4-6)
7. Greater Nanticoke Area (1-9)
5A
1. Abington Heights (6-4)
2. Delaware Valley (5-5)
3. Pittston Area (2-8)
4. Wyoming Valley West (0-10)
5. West Scranton (0-10)
6A
1. Wilkes-Barre Area (5-5)
2. Hazleton Area (5-5)
3. Scranton (5-5)
Let’s get right to it, by classification, in the District 2 playoffs:
Class 1A — sub-regional with District 11
Nativity BVM (6-4) at Lackawanna Trail (9-1)
Lackawanna Trail continues to roll and they have home-field advantage in the sub-regional with District 11. They are led by their wishbone running attack and swarming defense. RB’s Demitrius Douglas and Isaac Ryon are as powerful a tandem as you will find, and they’ve accounted for 34 TD’s this season for the Lions. Nativity BVM is coming off of a close loss to Marian Catholic. The Green Wave play a tough District 11 schedule so they should be tested enough coming into this playoff game.
Class 2A
Lakeland (3-7) at Riverside (9-1, PFN State Class 2A #10)
Lakeland has a bit of an inconsistent season, and may be a year or so away from another famous run. Chiefs QB David Naniewicz has been getting it done on the ground lately but he will face a Riverside defensive front that is ready for the challenge, led by DL Tavian Branch and LB Richie Kostoff. QB Chase Taddonio is terrific throwing on the run, and he will need to be on top of his game if the Vikings is to advance.
Dunmore (4-6) at Susquehanna Community (6-4)
The Dunmore Bucks lost a lot in graduation coming into this year, but there have been some bright spots. WR Gabe Franek and FB Xavier Burke have been effective. Susquehanna QB Weston Yannone and RB William Marcy both have over 1,000 yards rushing this season. Earlier this season the Sabers got a 25-21 win over Dunmore, but that was back in week 3 so we will see how this one plays out.
Class 3A
Tunkhannock (3-7) at Scranton Prep (9-1, PFN State Class 3A #6)
Tunkhannock has had a frustrating season, with some lopsided losses as the team tried to find some consistency. The future looks brighter for the Tigers though as QB Zach Latwinski is a sophomore, RB Lucas Ciprich is a freshman and WR Andrew Lupinski is a junior. Scranton Prep’s only loss this season was to a nationally ranked Canisius (NY) squad and they are clicking on all cylinders. QB Louis Paris, RB Will McPartland and WR Treyvon Dickey have done their part for the Cavaliers, and the defense has played quite well. The Cavaliers have home field advantage in D2 as long as they keep winning, and that is a plus for them.
Lake Lehman (6-4) at Mid Valley (7-3)
Lehman has played well at times this season, with QB Hayden Evans and RB Jim Mitkowski leading the way. Mid Valley is playing their best ball of the season right now, with a big win at Western Wayne 2 weeks ago. RB Jakob Lesher became the all-time leading rusher in school history and QB Brett Yanoski has had a solid season. The Black Knights have given teams some trouble this season with their running game and disciplined approach, but the Spartans play a similar style of ball. This one should be pretty good!
Carbondale Area (6-4) at Wyoming Area (9-1, PFN State Class 3A Honorable Mention)
Carbondale has had an inconsistent season but has found a way to a winning record. They are led by FB Ethen Brewen and QB Cole Becchetti, a freshman. Wyoming Area RB Lidge Kellum rushed for 1,773 yards and 22 TD’s, and WR Luke Kopetchny had 37 catches for 778 yards and 11 TD’s. The Warriors also play stout defense, so this one could be interesting.
Berwick (4-6) at Western Wayne (9-1, PFN State Class 3A Honorable Mention)
Berwick is another team with an inconsistent season — a nice win over 6A Williamsport but also some lopsided losses. RB Ty’Meere Wilkerson had a great season as he rushed for 1,371 yards and 16 TD’s on the season for the Bulldogs. Western Wayne is led by WR/DB Sean Owens with 12 total TD’s and District 2 leading rusher RB Josh Vinton with 1,824 yards and 30 total TD’s. The Wildcat offensive line has been the key to their success, and they will look to establish dominance in the trenches early in this one.
Class 4A
Crestwood (5-5) at Valley View (9-1, PFN State Class 4A Honorable Mention)
This year’s Crestwood squad has dealt with a lot of adversity, losing QB Jaden Shedlock for a significant amount of the season. RB Jacob Jeckell has been a bright spot for the Comets, but Crestwood has played some undisciplined ball this season and penalties have hurt them. Valley View is doing what they always do — run the ball and play tough defense. After a season-opening lopsided loss to Scranton Prep, the Cougars have run the table behind the strong running of RB Nick Kucharski and FB Preston Reed. Valley View won their earlier season matchup with Crestwood, and the Comets will need to play penalty-free ball in order to have a shot at the Cougars.
Honesdale (6-4) at Dallas (7-3, PFN State Class 4A Honorable Mention)
This could be the matchup of the week. Honesdale is another team with an inconsistent regular season but they have won 4 straight coming into the playoffs. RB Mason Avery is the real deal, rushing for 1,470 yards and 10 total TD’s running behind a strong offensive line. QB Aiden Collins is solid and a 4-year starter who could be a difference maker in the game. Dallas started the season 0-3 but has hit their stride winning 7 straight. QB Brady Zapoticky will need to step it up, but he has WR’s Gavin Lewis and Nate Malarkey who have played terrific on both sides of the ball. The Mounts have found a way after graduating a lot of key pieces from last year, but don’t count out RB Dylan Geskey making a statement.
Class 5A
Wyoming Valley West (0-10) at Abington Heights (6-4)
WVW has had a tough season as they try to rebuild. WR Tyler Mattis and QB Carson Brown have found a connection recently and have been effective, but overall the Spartans have been working on getting underclassmen some time under the lights as they work toward the future. Abington Heights has played well down the stretch, winning 3 straight. QB Nick Bradley is a terrific passer, with great targets in WR’s Shane Brower and Shawn Theodore. On defense, DL Cayd Sespico is terrific off the edge. The Comets would like nothing more than a rematch against Delaware Valley, and this game is the first step towards that goal.
Pittston Area (2-8) Delaware Valley (5-5)
Pittston Area has stuggled to find rhythm this season. There is some hope though, as WR Lucas Lopresto is a terrific talent — so much so that teams won’t kick the ball to him because of his big play ability. QB Matt Walter and RB C.J. Pietrzak have found some success on the ground as well for the Patriots. Delaware Valley has done exactly what they always do — play tough competition early in the season to prepare them for the stretch run. QB Logan Olsommer has gotten better every week, RB Mike Iuzzolino is one of the top RB’s in the district and WR Trey Newton is a star in the making as a freshman. The Patriots will need a lot to go their way if they hope to upset the Warriors in their home stadium.
Class 6A — sub-regional with District 4
Scranton (5-5) at Wilkes-Barre Area (5-5)
Scranton made the move up to 6A this year and had a great start, but injuries down the stretch have hurt them. QB Brody Coyle, along with WR Memphis Shotto and RB Reece Whitman have had solid seasons. The Knights have lost 3 straight games though, and that is troubling. Wilkes-Barre Area has had a back-and-forth season but is in a good position playing at home. QB Jake Howe has overcome some slow starts to be effective, throwing for 1.778 yards to lead all D2 passers. WR Treyvon Gembitski and RB Davon Underwood are very fast on both sides of the ball. This should be an interesting game, as the Knights and the Wolfpack have played some close games the last few seasons.
Hazleton (5-5) at Williamsport (5-5)
Hazleton has made a living off of beating teams they should, and this season is no different. However, a 26-0 shutout statement-win over Wilkes-Barre Area was followed by a 28-2 loss to a depleted Crestwood squad. QB Austin Wilson has run well and passed well enough to get by, but as a team the Cougars will need to be their best to get the win. Williamsport is very similar to Hazleton in winning the games they need to, but they have been perplexing as well. They defeated the Cougars 23-6 already this year at Hazleton, but also lost 37-14 to a 4-6 Berwick team at home. Both teams have made some critical mistakes at times, so the team that plays disciplined ball should have the upper hand.
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
