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Inside DXI Football Power Rankings: Week 8 Edition

Tagged under: District 11, News, pfn

| October 15, 2024

Two weeks remain in the regular season and we have some teams who have now clinched playoff berths.

Highlighted teams have clinched a playoff berth.

Class AAAAAA

  • While only two teams have officially clinched a playoff berth, we virtually know our 8 playoff teams. What’s left to figure out is where each will fall and how the bracket will unfold.
  1. Freedom(8-0, .852, down from .857) – The Patriots took care of business against Northampton and only three of their previous opponents won this week, accounting for the slight drop in power ranking. The battle for the top seed in 6A could be decided this week when Easton comes calling to BASD.
  2. Easton(7-1, .834,, up from .821) – The Red Rovers cruised to their seventh straight victory, blasting Liberty 49-20. They will now return to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium to face the Patriots. The winner will have the inside track to the top seed in the bracket.
  3. Parkland(7-1, .790, down from .800) – Parkland has won six in a row and blasted Central Catholic Saturday night at J Birney Crum. The Trojans lose a bit on their ranking due to playing down two classes and won’t get much this week if they defeat Whitehall. Parkland is looking to win out and possibly move ahead of Freedom or Easton. The top seed looks to be out of reach, however.
  4. Nazareth(6-2, .780, up from .770) – The Blue Eagles have a chance to pass Parkland, for one week, if they beat Northampton and Parkland beats Whitehall. Winning is as important as ever, with a home playoff game on the line. Nazareth leads Liberty after the Hurricanes have dropped two in a row. Both teams have a tough week 10, as Nazareth goes to Easton and Liberty squares off with Freedom to decide how the top four seeds will fall.
  5. Liberty(6-2, .759, down from .801) – Two consecutive losses have plummeted the Hurricanes down the list from a 2 seed to a potential road team in round one. While we usually talk about ‘quality losses,’ the Hurricanes are hit harder on these defeats because their TWP went from 1.0 to 0.825 (going from unbeaten to two losses hurt them in going from a perfect 59% of their ranking to losing a significant portion of that, in other words; mathematically they lost 10% in TWP). Liberty will need to get back on track this week against the Golden Hawks, or a home playoff game will be out of the picture.
  6. Emmaus(6-2, .746, up from .728) The Green Hornets enjoyed a drubbing of Dieruff this week, all but eliminating the Huskies from playoff contention. Emmaus will return to J Birney Crum and face Allen this week. They won’t gain much from that win, so it all comes down to week 10 with archrival Parkland. Emmaus can’t go lower than the 6 spot, but they could ascend as high as the 3 and take a home playoff game, depending who other contests go. We’ll have exact scenarios next week.
  7. Northampton(4-4, .664, down from .686) – After losing four of their last six, the Konkrete Kids are locked into either the 7 or 8 seed in two weeks, regardless of how things go against Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic.
  8. Stroudsburg(5-3, .658, up from .634) – Due to having the second weakest strength of schedule currently in 6A, it is entirely possible, if not likely, that Stroudsburg will go 7-3 and be no better than the 7 seed in this field. They get their last significant test this week against a 6-2 Cavaliers squad.

 

Class AAAAA – Things in 5A remain the same and all but decided. ES South will be the top seed. Whitehall will be the second seed. PM East needs only a win to secure the trip to Whitehall, pending any opt outs in this field.

 

Class AAAA

  • Not much movement this week, but some interesting things could happen in the final two weeks
  1. Southern Lehigh(7-1, .720, down from .736) – The Spartans have put together six straight wins and are comfortably the top seed in this bracket. Solehi does not get rewarded for beating a winless Slaters squad, but could secure the top spot officially if they beat Saucon Valley this week.
  2. Blue Mountain(6-2, .696, down from .642) – In reality, a lot of fans would have told you North Schuylkill and Blue Mountain would be a tough game and either side could win. Mathematically, Blue Mountain takes a hit for losing to a 5-3 3A team, suffering a big TWP hit, similar to Liberty in 6A. The Eagles should be favored against Pottsville and Tamaqua, but those are also pretty tough tests down the stretch. Blue Mountain could still have a chance at the top seed, but could also plummet.
  3. Bethlehem Catholic(4-4, .626, down from .643) – The Golden Hawks continued their very challenging schedule, suffering little for losing to Nazareth. With games against Liberty and Northampton left, it is very possible Beca could finish 4-6 and still host a playoff game.
  4. Allentown Central Catholic(3-5, .563, down from .578) – The story is similar for the Vikings as the Hawks. With a couple of winnable games against Dieruff and Whitehall remaining, ACC dould be 5-5 or 4-6 and also hosting in the 4A playoffs due to the second toughest schedule in the classification.
  5. Pottsville(4-4, .520, up from .513) – Pottsville gains little from beating Wilson Area, but has a tough final two weeks against Blue Mountain and North Schuylkill. We’ll have exact scenarios next week, but the Tide could move into a home playoff game with a big win or two.
  6. Lehighton(3-5, .466, up from .408) – Lehighton got the surprise of the weekend, defeating Tamaqua at home by 20. While the power rankings don’t account for margin of victory in any fashion, they do account for Tamaqua’s 6-2 record. While a home playoff game is out of reach, Lehighton could still move to the 5 spot with another big win over North Schuylkill this week.
  7. East Stroudsburg North(3-5, .464, down from .490) – The Timberwolves are locked into the 6 or 7 seed of this bracket. Their three victories come against teams with a combined three wins, but they could have a chance at the 6 seed if they can beat the Cavaliers in week 10.
  8. Jim Thorpe(2-6, .397, down from .406) – Jim Thorpe and Bangor actually play an intriguing game this week. If Jim Thorpe wins, they solidify the top 8 seeds in the bracket. If the Slaters win, they would have a shot to steal that final playoff berth.

Class AAA

  • The story remains the same. Five good teams and only four spots available for them. We will have week 10 playoff scenarios in next week’s edition.
  1. Northwestern Lehigh(8-0, .752, down from .753) – Nothing changes for NW Lehigh, as they racked up another blowout victory. The Tigers can put Tamaqua’s playoff dreams to bed with a victory this coming week and have an intriguing week 10 game against the Spartans of Southern Lehigh.
  2. Notre Dame Green Pond(7-1, .708, down from .718) – The Crusaders will be heavy favorites in their final two games against Palmerton and Wilson Area, making them a virtual lock for a home game in the semifinals.
  3. North Schuylkill(5-3, .634, up from .600) – From the outside back to the inside, the Spartans from Ashland knocked off Blue Mountain in convincing fashion. This week’s game against Lehighton will be very interesting, as Lehighton just beat Tamaqua. The Spartans can secure a playoff berth with a win, but things could get dicey with a loss.
  4. Saucon Valley(7-1, .626, up from .613) – Southern and Northern Lehigh stand in the way of the Panthers’ playoff hopes. If they can pick off one of them, Saucon will be in the field of four. If they lose both, however, they could very well be the odd man out.
  5. Tamaqua(6-2, .624, down from .682) – The loss to Lehighton takes an enormous toll on Tamaqua’s playoff hopes. Thins don’t get any easier with Northwestern Lehigh looming this week and Blue Mountain on the horizon in week 10. Tamaqua needs a win to stay alive or hope that strength of schedule gets them in if they and Saucon lose out.

 

Class AA

  • Five teams have officially clinched a playoff berth, but questions remain on seeding and who will get those coveted first round home playoff games
  1. Williams Valley(7-1, .689, up from .672) – The Vikings are leading for the top seed in this 8 team bracket, but will take some strength of schedule hits in the final two weeks. We will have exact scnearios next week, but there’s still a fight between Williams Valley and Schuylkill Haven for the top spot.
  2. Schuylkill Haven(7-1, .657, down from .664) – The Hurricanes don’t gain anything for their 81-6 drubbing of Pine Grove. However, there is a chance they can get that top seed due to facing Nativity and Tri-Valley over the last two weeks.
  3. Northern Lehigh(6-2, .592, up from .575) – The Bulldogs have secured at least the third seed in this bracket. Playing up against Salisbury and Saucon Valley in the final two weeks could position Northern Lehigh to take the second spot. We will have scenarios next week.
  4. Executive Education(5-3, .495, up from .467) – The Raptors have secured a playoff berth and one more victory should give them the fourth seed. They should be favored against Belmont Charter and Kipp-DuBois from the Philly Pub League, but anything can happen.
  5. Minersville(5-3, .469, up from .425) – Handing Nativity BVM their second loss in convincing fashion, the Battlin’ Miners see some immediate gains in the power rankings for a quality victory. If they can do the same against Tri-Valley and get some help from one or two schools from Philadelphia against Executive, Minersville could squeak in to a first round home game.
  6. Pen Argyl(3-5, .406, down from .417) – The Green Knights and Rough Riders meet This Friday and could flip-flop the 6 and 7 seeds. Pen Argyl plays up two classes against Bangor in their final week, but it might come down to their other opponents’ wins and losses in week 10 to decide the 6 spot.
  7. Catasauqua(3-5, .373, down from .389) – Take the above for Pen Argyl and the situation is identical for Catty. Win and get into the 6 slot. The Rough Riders could also find themselves in the 8 seed if they were to lose out.
  8. Mahanoy Area(2-6, .337, down from .358) – Everything’s setup for Mahanoy Area to get a playoff berth in this field. Panther Valley and Shenandoah Valley remain on the schedule with a combined two wins. If they falter and Palisades can best Wilson Area and Salisbury, then Palisades could snag that last spot.

 

Class A

  • The road to the class A title runs through Lackawanna Trail, as they have clinched both a playoff berth ant the top seed in the four team field. Four teams will battle for three remaining spots.
  1. Lackawanna Trail(7-1, .715, up from .692) – The Lions are on a streak of clobbering everyone put in front of them. They will be heavy favorites against Holy Cross this week and then will get their final regular season test against Riverside before hosting either a D2 foe, or a DXI one, depending on if Old Forge makes the field. Trail beat Old Forge 49-13 earlier this year.
  2. Tri-Valley(6-2, .536, up from .527) – The squad from Hegins has all but clinched a playoff berth, but has a chance to secure a home game if they can knock off Minersville or Schuylkill Haven. Both of those teams are on fire, so their work is certainly cut out and TV could fall to the 3 spot.
  3. Nativity BVM(6-2, .528, down from .584) – The Green Wave takes a big TWP hit, similar to a couple other teams we’ve written about here. A lot remains on the line for Nativity, as they now face what feels like a monumental task next week against Schuylkill Haven, before finishing up against rivals Marian. In week 10, it could all be on the line for the Colts, so Nativity will be getting their best shot. Nativity should make the field of four, but it gets interesting if they drop their final two.
  4. Old Forge(4-4, .457, up from .435) – Old Forge has their hands full in the final two weeks, facing Riverside and Carbondale, but can clinch a playoff berth with wins over both.
  5. Marian Catholic(4-4, .418, down from .421) – There’s a chance it all comes down to Colts v Green Wave in week 10 with the rivalry meaning everything for one or both teams.

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