I was traveling and missed last week, but this week we have our first new #1. As we all know, Parkland lost to Liberty and the Hurricanes were able to highlight some real weaknesses in the Trojans. Suddenly, the D11/2/4 subregional looks wide open at the 4A classification. Wyoming Valley West has done nothing but dominate, and takes over the top spot. Freedom moves up to #2, as the Patriots have been the most consistently solid team in D11. Liberty’s big win puts them in the three spot, and the regular season finale at BASD may be for all the marbles if each Christmas City team continues to take care of business.
1. Wyoming Valley West (6-0)
Last Week; The Spartans crushed Dallas Area,56-0, solidifying their claim as the best team in D2. WVW scored four touchdowns of more than 50 yards, two by Sean Judge (53 yard reception and 70yard rush ) and one each by Aaron Austin (55 yard run) and Billy Davidson (52 yard catch). Judge finished with 125 yards on seven carries. Defensively, the Spartans held Dallas to 97 yards, and forced seven three and outs.
Playoff Musings: The Spartans currently sit in first place in the subregional standings, but have the second weakest schedule of any of the contenders (only Stroudsburg has less pontential power points). This means that while WVW is likely to run the table, they’ll need teams to cannibalize each other behind them to ensure the top seed.
This Week: Wyoming Valley West travels to Crestwood, who is having a disappointing year at 2-4. Nobody has offered up much resistance to the Spartans so far, and I’m not holding my breath that they’ll be challenged until playoff time.
2. Freedom (6-0)
Last Week: Freedom defeated Dieruff 39-0. I don’t have a box score available, but another sufficiently dominating win by the Patriots.
Playoff Musings: If Freedom wins out, they will be the top seed in the subregional playoff. They sit ten points ahead of WVW, but have huge power point potential left on their schedule with Parkland, Easton, and Liberty all remaining.
This Week: Freedom takes on Whitehall, who is ending a brutal three game stretch of Parkland-Easton-Freedom. The Zephyrs were able to really move the ball against Parkland, but could not get any offense going last week. The Freedom defense is the best in the area, and the 3-3-5 is built to stop spreads like Whitehall, so expect another long night for Gianni Sinatore and company.
3. Liberty (5-1)
Last Week: In the current leader for performance of the year, the Liberty Hurricanes raced out to a 41-13 lead over previous #1 Parkland before hanging on to win 41-34. Offensively, Liberty got a huge night again from Doug Erney, who is right in the thick of any EPC Player of the Year conversations. The four year starter completed 12 passes to eight different receivers for 206 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards. The Hurricane rushing attack pounded out 316 yards against a Parkland defense that had suffocated running backs in their first five games. And defensively, Liberty limited Parkland’s stars. Kenny Yeboah had just 2 catches for 21 yards. Devante Cross started the game 7 of 17 for 26 yards and two interceptions as Liberty built their big lead before the furious rally in the end, and only managed 48 yards on the ground. Jaohne Duggan sacked Cross twice and has been one of the most impressive defensive players in the Valley so far this year.
Playoff Musings: Liberty is in good shape to qualify for the subregional playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hurricanes put themselves in great position last week, as they have the most valuable win in the subregional to date. They also are rooting for Bethlehem Catholic to finish 9-1 and rack up all available bonus from that win. They can’t catch WVW without the Spartans losing, but can pass everybody else by winning out.
This Week: Liberty gets a bit of a breather with Northampton. The Konkrete Kids gave Nazareth a scare two weeks ago, but have otherwise struggled mightily in conference play. Liberty should easily move to 6-1 to set up a final kick of Easton, ACC, and Freedom.
4. Parkland (5-1)
Last Week: Parkland’s loss to Liberty revealed some real question marks about the Trojans. Their running backs carried the ball ten times for 49 yards. The defense struggled against the first multi-pronged rushing attack they’ve seen this year. And while Devante Cross finished with 317 yards, it took 32 attempts and they had dug too big a hole to ultimately come back from. Still, they had the ball with a chance to win, and will likely rue the half-back pass that resulted in their only non-touchdown drive during their rally in the second half.
Playoff Musings: Parkland dropped from #2 to #7 in the subregional standings with their loss to Liberty. The Trojans still have to play Easton, Freedom, and Nazareth, who all offer big points but tough contests where they can’t afford to take multiple losses. There is a pretty clear delineation between the top 6 in D11 and the rest of the district, so I don’t think they’re in danger of missing the playoffs, but they could end up a 7 or 8 seed. Of course, last year they won the subregional from the #7 spot, so that probably isn’t fatal.
This Week: Parkland takes on Easton in the EPC Game of the Week.
5. Allentown Central Catholic (4-2)
Last Week: The Vikings crushed Nazareth, 48-27, thanks to a 28 point first quarter. Nazareth has struggled all year to stop the run, which was exploited by ACC and tailback Alvin Pacheco, who carried 21 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Pachecho also had 78 yards receiving and Darnell Ferrell added 91 yards on the ground. ACC limited Nazareth to 213 yards passing, most well after the mercy rule was in effect. The Vikings were particularly effective in limiting Julian Liaci after the catch. The speedster caught 10 passes, but managed just 55 yards receiving.
Playoff Musings: The 3A bracket is a mess in District 11. ACC sits in first place, and has a major advantage on the rest of the classification thanks to their 4A heavy schedule. Wins over Emmaus and Northampton are very attainable, but I think they’ll need to beat either Liberty or Bethlehem Catholic as well to secure their playoff berth. There are six teams in 3A that are either 6-0 or 5-1 and ACC is currently ahead of all of them in points, but more losses and those teams will catch up quickly.
This Week: ACC travels to Emmaus to see the Kyle Boney show. The Green Hornet tailback has over 1,100 yards on the year and has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year for Emmaus.
1. Wyoming Valley West (6-0)
Last Week; The Spartans crushed Dallas Area,56-0, solidifying their claim as the best team in D2. WVW scored four touchdowns of more than 50 yards, two by Sean Judge (53 yard reception and 70yard rush ) and one each by Aaron Austin (55 yard run) and Billy Davidson (52 yard catch). Judge finished with 125 yards on seven carries. Defensively, the Spartans held Dallas to 97 yards, and forced seven three and outs.
Playoff Musings: The Spartans currently sit in first place in the subregional standings, but have the second weakest schedule of any of the contenders (only Stroudsburg has less pontential power points). This means that while WVW is likely to run the table, they’ll need teams to cannibalize each other behind them to ensure the top seed.
This Week: Wyoming Valley West travels to Crestwood, who is having a disappointing year at 2-4. Nobody has offered up much resistance to the Spartans so far, and I’m not holding my breath that they’ll be challenged until playoff time.
2. Freedom (6-0)
Last Week: Freedom defeated Dieruff 39-0. I don’t have a box score available, but another sufficiently dominating win by the Patriots.
Playoff Musings: If Freedom wins out, they will be the top seed in the subregional playoff. They sit ten points ahead of WVW, but have huge power point potential left on their schedule with Parkland, Easton, and Liberty all remaining.
This Week: Freedom takes on Whitehall, who is ending a brutal three game stretch of Parkland-Easton-Freedom. The Zephyrs were able to really move the ball against Parkland, but could not get any offense going last week. The Freedom defense is the best in the area, and the 3-3-5 is built to stop spreads like Whitehall, so expect another long night for Gianni Sinatore and company.
3. Liberty (5-1)
Last Week: In the current leader for performance of the year, the Liberty Hurricanes raced out to a 41-13 lead over previous #1 Parkland before hanging on to win 41-34. Offensively, Liberty got a huge night again from Doug Erney, who is right in the thick of any EPC Player of the Year conversations. The four year starter completed 12 passes to eight different receivers for 206 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards. The Hurricane rushing attack pounded out 316 yards against a Parkland defense that had suffocated running backs in their first five games. And defensively, Liberty limited Parkland’s stars. Kenny Yeboah had just 2 catches for 21 yards. Devante Cross started the game 7 of 17 for 26 yards and two interceptions as Liberty built their big lead before the furious rally in the end, and only managed 48 yards on the ground. Jaohne Duggan sacked Cross twice and has been one of the most impressive defensive players in the Valley so far this year.
Playoff Musings: Liberty is in good shape to qualify for the subregional playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hurricanes put themselves in great position last week, as they have the most valuable win in the subregional to date. They also are rooting for Bethlehem Catholic to finish 9-1 and rack up all available bonus from that win. They can’t catch WVW without the Spartans losing, but can pass everybody else by winning out.
This Week: Liberty gets a bit of a breather with Northampton. The Konkrete Kids gave Nazareth a scare two weeks ago, but have otherwise struggled mightily in conference play. Liberty should easily move to 6-1 to set up a final kick of Easton, ACC, and Freedom.
4. Parkland (5-1)
Last Week: Parkland’s loss to Liberty revealed some real question marks about the Trojans. Their running backs carried the ball ten times for 49 yards. The defense struggled against the first multi-pronged rushing attack they’ve seen this year. And while Devante Cross finished with 317 yards, it took 32 attempts and they had dug too big a hole to ultimately come back from. Still, they had the ball with a chance to win, and will likely rue the half-back pass that resulted in their only non-touchdown drive during their rally in the second half.
Playoff Musings: Parkland dropped from #2 to #7 in the subregional standings with their loss to Liberty. The Trojans still have to play Easton, Freedom, and Nazareth, who all offer big points but tough contests where they can’t afford to take multiple losses. There is a pretty clear delineation between the top 6 in D11 and the rest of the district, so I don’t think they’re in danger of missing the playoffs, but they could end up a 7 or 8 seed. Of course, last year they won the subregional from the #7 spot, so that probably isn’t fatal.
This Week: Parkland takes on Easton in the EPC Game of the Week.
5. Allentown Central Catholic (4-2)
Last Week: The Vikings crushed Nazareth, 48-27, thanks to a 28 point first quarter. Nazareth has struggled all year to stop the run, which was exploited by ACC and tailback Alvin Pacheco, who carried 21 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Pachecho also had 78 yards receiving and Darnell Ferrell added 91 yards on the ground. ACC limited Nazareth to 213 yards passing, most well after the mercy rule was in effect. The Vikings were particularly effective in limiting Julian Liaci after the catch. The speedster caught 10 passes, but managed just 55 yards receiving.
Playoff Musings: The 3A bracket is a mess in District 11. ACC sits in first place, and has a major advantage on the rest of the classification thanks to their 4A heavy schedule. Wins over Emmaus and Northampton are very attainable, but I think they’ll need to beat either Liberty or Bethlehem Catholic as well to secure their playoff berth. There are six teams in 3A that are either 6-0 or 5-1 and ACC is currently ahead of all of them in points, but more losses and those teams will catch up quickly.
This Week: ACC travels to Emmaus to see the Kyle Boney show. The Green Hornet tailback has over 1,100 yards on the year and has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year for Emmaus.