District 2 Playoffs Week 2 Preview

Tagged under: District 2, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Jared Samuel | November 7, 2024

The first week of the D2 playoffs is in the books, so let’s take a look at where things stand as some classes will decide champions this week!

Class 1A — sub-regional with District 11
Tri-Valley (7-4) at Lackawanna Trail (10-1)

In Lackawanna Trail’s 47-20 win over Nativity BVM, RB’s Demitrius Douglas and Isaac Ryon did as they have done all season for the Lions: tote the rock. Both backs went over 100 yards rushing in a dominant win. Tri-Valley defeated Marian Catholic 27-0, their second shutout of the Colts this season, as QB Blake Schwartz threw for 108 yards and RB Parker Hatter had 89 yards on the ground. Tri-Valley will head on the road now to face Trail, who is clicking on all cylinders right now. This game should come down to whether the Bulldogs can stop the Trail running game. The winner will emerge from the D2/D11 sub-regional and move on in the Class 1A state playoffs.

Class 2A Championship
Dunmore (5-6) at Riverside (10-1, PFN State Class 2A #10)

Dunmore had a good game plan and led Susquehanna 47-12 after 3 quarters, and withstood a furious comeback attempt by the Sabers to get the upset win 47-34. WR Gabe Franek and RB Izaiah Parker both went over 100 yards rushing and Franek had 3 TD’s. The Bucks will need to bring their ‘A’ game to Riverside because the Vikings defense, led by DL Tavian Branch and LB Richie Kostoff, are wreaking havoc right now. On offense, QB Chase Taddonio and RB Carmello Barnett are heating up at the right time for a Riverside team that is playing at a high level. The Bucks and Vikings played a close game in week 1, but a lot has happened since then so this one should be a lot more like the Dunmore/Riverside games of old. The winner claims the D2 Class 2A championship and advances further into the state playoffs.

Class 3A
Mid Valley (8-3) at Scranton Prep (10-1, PFN State Class 3A #6)

Mid Valley continued their recent momentum with a 35-18 thumping of Lake Lehman. RB Jakob Lesher ran for 4 TD’s and QB Brett Yanoski threw for another score. The Spartans will need to play disciplined ball in order to have a shot at Scranton Prep, who shutout Tunkhannock 42-0. RB’s Will McPartland and Anthony Prince each had 2 TD’s and WR Treyvon Dickey had a rushing TD as well for the Cavaliers. This will be a test for Scranton Prep as few teams have had success stopping Lesher, and Mid Valley will have their hands full with Prep’s multiple offensive weapons. The winner will advance to the D2 Class 3A championship game against the winner of Wyoming Area/Western Wayne.

Wyoming Area (10-1, PFN State Class 3A Honorable Mention) at Western Wayne (10-1, PFN State Class 3A Honorable Mention)

In week 3, Western Wayne got a big 34-23 win over the Warriors. Last week, however, the Wildcats had a tough time with Berwick as the game was a 7-0 nail-biter. RB Josh Vinton had 150 yards rushing in the game and WR/DB Sean Owens had 2 INT’s along with a fumble recovery and the lone TD in the game. Wyoming Area scored early and often as they posted a 49-0 throttling of Carbondale Area. RB Lidge Kellum had 13 rushes for 193 yards and 3 TD’s in the first half alone, and the Warrior defense completed their 3rd straight shutout. In the week 3 matchup, Western Wayne’s offensive line was the key contributor in the Wildcat win, and that unit will need to play a near-perfect game to get a win against arguably the hottest team in D2 right now. The winner will advance to the D2 class 3A championship game against the winner of Mid Valley/Scranton Prep.

Class 4A
Dallas (8-3, PFN State Class 4A Honorable Mention) at Valley View (10-1, PFN State Class 4A Honorable Mention)

Valley View won a closer than expected game against Crestwood in the opening round, using their offensive trio of QB Zach Cwalinski, RB Nick Kucharski and FB Preston Reed on 2 clock-draining drives in the 2nd half. The Cougar defense has also played well down the stretch. Dallas certainly is one of the hotter D2 teams coming into the playoffs. QB Brady Zapoticky had a terrific game in the Mounts opening round thumping of Honesdale, and he will need to continue his high-caliber play if Dallas is going to win on the road this week. The Dallas defense has also been able to adjust to their opponents play calling mid-game, allowing their stout secondary to take over games. And as close as these Dallas/Valley View matchups have been recently, this one could certainly come down to coaching. The winner claims the D2 Class 4A championship and advances further into the state playoffs.

Class 5A
Delaware Valley (6-5) at Abington Heights (7-4)

Another great rematch on tap this week in D2! Delaware Valley got the win earlier this season, winning it in the last minute of the game. QB Logan Olsommer and RB Mike Iuzzolino are driving the offense, and the DelVal defense has been very stout as of late. The Warriors have now won 3 straight after a challenging early season tilt, but will the momentum be enough to get another win on the road vs. the Comets? Abington Heights has now reeled off 4 straight wins with 2 straight shutouts. QB Nick Bradley continues to excel, and WR’s Shane Brower and Shawn Theodore are great route runners. The Comets wanted a rematch against the Warriors, and they got their wish. This game was very close last time, and it could go either way. The winner claims the D2 Class 5A championship and advances further into the state playoffs.

Class 6A — sub-regional with District 4
Williamsport (6-5) at Wilkes-Barre Area (6-5)

Williamsport has had a perplexing season, starting off strong with a stifling defense but then losing 5 straight down the stretch. Mind you, 3 of those 5 losses were against Shamokin, Jersey Shore and Hollidaysburg, but the loss to Berwick is puzzling and the concern is there since the Millionaires are a 6A team. They did beat the Wolfpack 34-20 in week 10 but needed 3 TD’s in the 4th quarter to finally pull ahead. Wilkes-Barre Area easily dispatched Scranton last week, and QB Jake Howe has now surpassed 2,000 yards passing to lead all D2 passers. RB Davon Underwood scored 3 TD’s in the win over the Knights and pairs up well with WR Treyvon Gembitski in the backfield. With the game now at Wilkes-Barre, it could be very interesting and I would not be surprised to see the Wolfpack grab the W. The winner will emerge from the D2/D4 sub-regional and move on in the Class 6A state playoffs.

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