The J-Man’s View of District 2: And, down the stretch they come!!

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

Jared Samuel | October 1, 2025

I have to say that I miss hearing Dave Johnson use that phrase in the Triple Crown races. It’s just not the same without him. Speaking of stretch runs, this is exactly where we find ourselves in the District 2 races. I covered where I see things in last week’s column…check it out HERE. This week I’ll give an update on the bubble teams — those who need to make things happen in the coming weeks in order to continue playing in November.

The outlook from up on the mountain: Let’s take a look by classification as to the leaders, those who should be in and the teams on the bubble.

Class 1A (4 teams qualify)

Leader — Lackawanna Trail (5-1)
“On the Bubble” — Holy Cross (3-3): Class 1A is a sub-regional format with District 11 for playoff play. Right now, D11 Marian Catholic (5-1) and D11 Tri-Valley (4-2) occupy the 2nd and 3rd slots. This leaves the Crusaders at 3-3 along with D11 Nativity BVM (3-3) fighting for the last spot. Holy Cross currently has the edge in strength of schedule, and there are 2 tough games left (Riverside, Lackawanna Trail) along with 2 winnable games (Old Forge, Susquehanna). The Crusaders have already equaled their win total from last season, so we will see how it plays out.

Class 2A (4 teams qualify)

Leader — Lakeland (5-1)
Most likely “in” — Riverside (5-1), Dunmore (3-3)
“On the Bubble” — Holy Redeemer (1-5): The Royals have some winnable games left, and did themselves a big favor defeating Susquehanna back in week 4. If they were able to snag 1 more win (Montrose? Midd-West?) then it should be enough to get them into November.

Class 3A (8 teams qualify)

Leader — Berwick (6-0)
Most likely “in” — Wyoming Area (5-1), Scranton Prep (3-3)
In the hunt — Mid Valley (3-3), Carbondale (4-2), Lake-Lehman (3-3), Hanover Area (3-3)
“On the Bubble” — Tunkhannock (2-4), Western Wayne (2-4): Tunkhannock did not help themselves with a big loss to Hanover Area last week, and now Lake-Lehman comes knocking this week. The Tigers need at least 1 more win, possibly 2, to be secure. Right now they have a strength of schedule lead over Western Wayne, who has a tough road (at Lakeland, at Mid Valley, vs. Dunmore) to close out the season.

Class 4A (4 teams qualify)

Leader — North Pocono (6-0)
Most likely “in” — Valley View (4-2)
In the hunt — Crestwood (3-3)
“On the bubble” — Dallas (1-5), Wallenpaupack (2-4): say it ain’t so! The Mountaineers have endured a few close losses to good teams, but they are still in position as they have also played the toughest schedule in District 2 based on opponent winning percentage. That said, they will need to get a few wins down the stretch to be sure of making the post-season. Wallenpaupack has the better record overall but actually trails Dallas in the power ranking due to schedule strength. If Dallas stumbles at all, and the Buckhorns are able to grab some wins, it could get interesting.

Class 5A (4 teams qualify)

Leader — Pittston Area (5-1)
Most likely “in” — Abington Heights (4-2), Delaware Valley (2-4)
“On the bubble” — Wyoming Valley West (1-5), West Scranton (1-5): so, who has the better chance of making it in? The Spartans have a tough 4-game stretch (Dallas, Wilkes-Barre, Valley View, Crestwood), but the Invaders may have the inside track with their remaining schedule (Western Wayne, Dunmore, Lakeland, Honesdale). If West Scranton wins one of those, it may be enough.

Class 6A (4 teams qualify)

Leader — Wilkes-Barre (4-2)
In the hunt — D4 Williamsport (4-2), Scranton (2-4), Hazleton (1-5): all 4 teams make post-season play in Class 6A, in a sub-regional format with District 4.

Where we are headed Friday 10/3: Sherryl and I are heading back up to John Henzes Veterans Memorial Stadium as 6-0 North Pocono comes to town to take on 4-2 Valley View. Should be a great one, and possibly a Class 4A championship preview!

PFN’s District 2 coverage this week, follow these on ‘X’ for updates: