District 2 Football: District Championship Preview
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | November 6, 2025 | Photo courtesy Sportzwire
The playoffs are in full swing and championship weekend has arrived in District 2. Six champions will be crowned Friday night and the journey through the state playoffs will begin. Here is a look at each district championship matchup along with a prediction for each game.
Playoff predictions record: 9-3
Class A Subregional (District II/XI): Tri-Valley vs Lackawanna Trail
A rematch of last season’s championship game that Lackawanna Trail won 42-0.
The Lions handled Nativity BVM last week with a 50-6 win where Isaac Ryon ran for 272 yards and six touchdowns on only ten carries. Trail’s defense has also found form, forcing two turnovers last week and holding five straight opponents to under 20 points.
Tri-Valley avenged its regular-season loss to Marian Catholic with a 3-0 win on the road. The Bulldogs’ defense played their best game of the season and showed they can shut down high-powered offenses much like they did against Williams Valley when they held the Vikings to a season-low 14 points.
The Bulldogs will have to take another trip to Tunnel Hill and bring their A game on defense, but that might not be enough to stop the Lions.
Prediction: Lackawanna Trail defeats Tri-Valley
Class AA: Dunmore vs Lakeland
Lakeland took care of business early in a 49-0 win over Holy Redeemer to host their first district championship game since 2022. Dunmore lost to Lakeland in that 2022 game and now has a chance to avenge that and the 28-14 defeat the Bucks suffered to the Chiefs at home. This rivalry is one of the best in NEPA and this promises to be another classic installment.
Lakeland has won seven straight games and held their opponents to under 20 points in all but two games this season and their offense has scored 30 or more points in eight games this season. David Naniewicz has passed for 1,535 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 859 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Rocco Spataro serves as the running back where he had six touchdowns. Jackson Pochas and Chase Rosenkrans are playmakers at wide receiver, having combined for over 1,200 receiving yards and catching eight touchdowns each.
The Bucks are going to pound the ball on the ground with their famous Wing T offense. Susquehanna transfer quarterback Weston Yannone has rushed for 769 yards and 11 touchdowns, as opposed to only four passing touchdowns and three interceptions. Ryan Mecca leads the backfield with 836 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, and Xavier Burke and Brandon Mecca provide depth with 10 combined rushing touchdowns between them. This is a chance for the Bucks to avenge another regular season loss like they did last week with a 27-7 win against Riverside.
Ultimately, I think the Chiefs’ high-flying offense might just be too much to handle.
Prediction: Lakeland defeats Dunmore
Class AAA: Scranton Prep vs Berwick
This is the game of the weekend and has the potential to be the game of the year.
Berwick enters this game undefeated, having won every game by at least three scores. Ty’Meere Wilkerson has been unstoppable, rushing for 2,706 yards and 39 touchdowns. Brady Cleaver took over at quarterback during the season and has been effective, rushing for 412 yards and nine touchdowns while adding six passing scores and no interceptions. Berwick has been even better on defense, they have not allowed an opponent to score 20 points this season. The Bulldogs have posted two shutouts in their last three games and held potent Hanover offense to 19 points; no team has challenged Berwick this year.
The Cavaliers may be the team with the best chance to stop the Bulldogs. Scranton Prep started 0-3 with losses to Valley View and two out of state private schools, but since then have won six of eight games with its only losses coming by a combined five points to Abington Heights on a walk-off field goal and a one score loss to undefeated North Pocono. The Cavaliers have wins over state powerhouse Jersey Shore and Wyoming Area. They crushed the Warriors on the road 42-0 last week, the only common opponent they have with Berwick. Despite missing the first three games, Will McPartland still passed for 1,251 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 720 yards and 19 touchdowns.
The Cavaliers have won four straight district championships and Berwick is looking for its first title since 2013 when it went to the state semifinals with current head coach CJ Curry at quarterback. Both teams have a chance to make noise in the state playoffs. This year feels like the Bulldogs might be back, but I can’t pick against Prep until someone finally beats them.
Prediction: Scranton Prep defeats Berwick
Class AAAA: Dallas vs North Pocono
A rematch from Week 6 where the Trojans won 35-14. Both teams are playing their best football right now and come into this game with different histories. Dallas returns to the title game for the third straight season, having won it in 2023. North Pocono last made the championship in 2021 and is looking for its first title since 2016.
The Mountaineers have a much different roster from the championship teams of the last couple of years, but the group is talented and the team is getting hot at the right time. They have won five straight and have held their last four opponents to under 10 points. Dallas went into Archibald last week, a place they have historically struggled to win in, and shutout the reigning district champion Valley View. The defense has playmakers like Tyce Mason, who sealed the win against Crestwood with a late interception, Nico Wilk, Logan Geskey and swiss-army knife Sam Kelley. The offense will need to be able to keep up with North Pocono, but the defense might be able to make it easier than last time.
North Pocono enters the game undefeated and can add even more hardware and lore to one of the best seasons in school history. The offense has been a well-oiled machine with quarterback Chase Zimmerman and wide receiver Cole West dominating defense across the district. North Pocono also has an elite offensive line, as they had three separate players rush for over 500 yards. Josiah Gray is the unsung leader of the backfield with 782 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. The defense has been effective, holding their last three opponents to exactly 21 points.
This game is a big one and should be more competitive than the first meeting between these teams. Dallas proved me wrong last week and may do it again, but North Pocono has looked unbeatable all year long.
Prediction: North Pocono defeats Dallas
Class AAAAA: Delaware Valley vs Abington Heights
The third straight year these two teams meet in the district championship game, and the second straight year the Comets will have home-field advantage. Delaware Valley won in 2023 55-16, but the Comets got their revenge last year in a 20-14 thriller. The two LFC Division I rivals met earlier this season, where the Warriors beat the Comets 28-14, but star Comets’ quarterback Nick Bradley did not play due to injury.
The Warriors overcame an 0-4 start to win four straight games before an overtime loss to North Pocono. They went to Pittston and knocked off the Patriots 7-6 thanks to a blocked extra point. Their defense, which had struggled against potent offenses, played their best game of the season when it mattered most. The offense averages 33 points per game, with quarterback Colin McGarvey, who passed for 1,660 yards so far along with 17 touchdowns. Running back Mike Iuzzolino rushed for 1,249 yards and 16 touchdowns. Star receiver Trey Newton hauled in 52 catches for 655 yards and eight scores. This team can score with the best of them.
The Comets returned to the top of the district last year and the quest to repeat has brought them back to the championship game. Coach Joe Repshis deserves so much credit for restoring the tradition and excellence of the program after a tough stretch of years following the 2020 season. He leads a group led by Nick Bradley, Jayden Anglin and Gavin Anders. All three players surpassed 1,000 yard seasons passing, rushing and receiving respectively. The Comets defense has been just as good, only allowing three opponents to score over 20 points against them. Two of those teams are playing in the AAAA championship and the other is Deaware Valley.
This has been one of the best rivalries in District II over the last couple of years and this installment should be another classic. The Comets dominated Wyoming Valley West last week and have won five straight since losing to the Warriors. While betting against Keith Olsommer in big games is risky, the Comets are the reigning champs and should get their revenge for what happened Week 6 in Milford.
Prediction: Delaware Valley defeats Abington Heights
Class AAAAAA (District II/IV Subregional): Williamsport vs Wilkes-Barre Area
Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre Area are no strangers to one another as the two schools often meet in subregional championships for a variety of sports. They are also no strangers to each other on the gridiron, where the two schools have played every season since WBA opened in 2019. The Millionaires lead the all-time series 5-3 and have won in their last two trips to Wolfpack Stadium, including last season’s subregional championship 14-0.
The Millionaires started the season off hot, winning four of their first five games. They proceeded to go on a four game losing streak to Jersey Shore, Shamokin, Berwick and Hollidaysburg, who have a combined record of 41-3. They went on to win two straight against Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, and find themselves in the championship once again, looking for their second straight title. Sophomore quarterback Tevin Williams makes plays through the air and on the ground.
The Wolfpack entered this season looking to avenge last season’s loss and make the state playoffs for the first time in school history. The team is loaded with talent at the skills positions but has struggled to find consistency all year. The team has a win over Stroudsburg and a road victory over Valley View, but then lost to Williamsport and an at the time winless Dallas at home. Quarterback Jake Howe is one of the best passers in the district, having thrown for 2,280 yards and 24 touchdowns. This is the last chance the Wolfpack have with a loaded offensive core as most of those players are seniors.
Williamsport beat Wilkes-Barre in Week 10 28-21. It beat the Wolfpack last year 14-0 in the subregional championship. Wilkes-Barre Area is out for revenge and might finally win that elusive title.
Prediction: Wilkes-Barre Area defeats Williamsport
