District 2 Football: State First Round Preview
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | November 12, 2025 | Photo courtesy Sportzwire
The first round of the PIAA high school football state playoffs take place this weekend. Six District II teams won district titles and will continue their journeys towards Cumberland Valley High School and the state championship games in December. Here’s a preview and predictions for every playoff game featuring a District II team.
Playoff predictions record: 14-4
District Championship record: 5-1
Class A: Lackawanna Trail vs Line Mountain (4)
Both teams lost to Muncy last year to end their seasons, with the Lions falling in the first round 47-46 in one of the best games of the playoffs. Lackawanna Trail qualified for the state playoffs for the fifth straight season and Line Mountain won its first district championship since 2003. That was the last state playoff appearance for the Eagles where they lost 28-13 to Lakeland.
Line Mountain went undefeated on its way to a district championship, as they currently have an 11-0 record. The Eagles beat perennial state powerhouse Steelton-Highspire 36-34 at home back in September, and they won the district championship 20-14 over a 10-win Montgomery squad. Their offense is led by senior quarterback Kaiden Maurer, who’s passed for 2,005 yards and 31 touchdowns so far this season. He also leads the team in rushing yards with 561 and has six rushing touchdowns. Maurer’s top target is Dalton Schadel, who hauled in 46 receptions for 889 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. The ground game features Maurer and Kaden Dunkelberger. Dunkelberger rushed for 519 yards, 6.1 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns. The defense is packed with playmakers, starting with Jackson Kauwell, who led the team in sacks with 5.5. The secondary has Preston Derk, who led the team with four interceptions, and Waylon Shaffer who was second on the team with three.
The Lions enter this game at 11-1 and haven’t lost a game since Week 3. They beat Tri-Valley 41-14 last week to secure their spot in the state playoffs. Isaac Ryon rushed for 319 yards and five touchdowns in the game. Lackawanna Trail’s defense was also able to settle in after a tough start as it shutout the Bulldogs for the final three quarters.
The key matchup in this game will be the Lackawanna Trail secondary against the Line Mountain passing game. The Lions are going to run the ball but need to stop Line Mountain in order to do it, and their secondary has not faced a test like this. Line Mountain has a chance to win the state title, and that journey will continue next week.
Prediction: Line Mountain defeats Lackawanna Trail
Class AA: Lakeland vs Lansdale Catholic (12)
The Chiefs won their first district title since 2022 and now must make the trip down to Philadelphia for a first round game against the Crusaders. Lakeland enters the game at 11-1 and has not lost since September 12. Lansdale Catholic went 10-2 with its only losses coming to Father Judge and Archbishop Ryan by three points each.
The Chiefs won the district championship 27-7 over Dunmore last week and did not allow the Bucks to score until the fourth quarter. Quarterback David Naniewicz rushed for two touchdowns and threw one to Gavin Robets. Every Lakeland win this year has been by multiple scores. The Chiefs have now held eight straight opponents to under 20 points.
Lansdale Catholic won the District XII/I subregional last week 49-20 over Bristol a week after they won the District XII title 56-8 vs Audenried. Quarterback Yeboa Cobbold leads a run-first offense with 1,196 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Cobbold threw for 1,036 yards and 14 passing touchdowns. The defense is led by a pass rush that combined for 30 sacks. Russell Holmes recorded 11 sacks and Brandon Maisonet had six. Defensive back James Webb recorded six interceptions this year.
Both teams have dual-threat quarterbacks who can beat defenses in multiple ways. Lakeland has dominated their competition and Lansdale Catholic is battle tested. This game could go either way, but it’s tough to pick against a District XII team.
Prediction: Lansdale Catholic defeats Lakeland
Class AAA: Scranton Prep vs Mifflinburg (4)
Two teams playing their best football with their only losses coming to quality teams. Mifflinburg is 10-2 and has scored at least 35 points in all of its wins. Scranton Prep may be 7-5 but have won four of their last five and scored 42 points in back-to-back games.
The Cavaliers started the season out 0-3, but still brought home another district championship after a 42-7 win on the road vs Berwick last week. Will McPartland rushed for four touchdowns and threw for two more while accounting for 249 all-purpose yards. The Cavalier defense held Ty’Meere Wilkerson, who rushed for over 2,000 yards this season, to only 139 rushing yards and one touchdown. Scranton Prep has won their last two games by a combined score of 84-7. Those opponents had a combined record of 19-1 in the regular season.
Mifflinburg has one of the deadliest offenses in Pennsylvania, averaging over 41 points per game. The unit is led by quarterback Chad Martin, who passed for 2,448 yards and 30 touchdowns while throwing only seven picks. His favorite target is Landen Murray, who caught 50 passes for 1,253 yards and 17 touchdowns. On defense, Kaiden Kmett is the star along the line with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Jackson Griffith patrols the secondary and has five interceptions this season.
This game has the potential to be a shootout and the result is a coin flip. Both teams have losses against teams that are expected to make deep runs into November. In the end, Scranton Prep’s tough non-district schedule will have them prepared to meet the moment.
Prediction: Scranton Prep defeats Mifflinburg
Class AAAA: North Pocono vs Bishop Shanahan (1)
Bishop Shanahan is no stranger to District II teams. The Eagles beat Valley View in Archibald in 2021, coincidentally the year the Cougars beat North Pocono in the district championship game. The Trojans won their first district title since 2016 and are undefeated going into this matchup.
North Pocono is having one of the best seasons in school history. It is only the third time the Trojans went undefeated in the regular season and they dominated their way to a district title. They beat Dallas 38-6 last week thanks to their well-rounded offense and a defense that held a shutout through the first half. Cole West scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one on a kickoff return. Chase Zimmerman caught a touchdown pass from tight end Evan Wolff and ran for one as well.
Bishop Shanahan is in the state playoffs for the first time since the aforementioned 2021 season. It pulled off an upset last week against a Pope John Paul II team that beat them earlier this season, getting their revenge 42-21. The key for the Eagles has been their offense. In wins, their offense averages 42 points per game. In losses, they average 18 points per game.
North Pocono has to make the two-hour bus ride to Bishop Shanahan for this game. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles can take advantage and get off to a hot start. It has been such a magical season in Moscow though, and it will take more than a long bus ride to stop it.
Prediction: North Pocono defeats Bishop Shanahan
Class AAAAA: Delaware Valley vs Hollidaysburg (6)
Last year Hollidaysburg beat Abington Heights 24-23 in the first round of the state playoffs to continue their then undefeated season. This year, the Golden Tigers enter the playoffs undefeated and will face a Delaware Valley team that beat Abington Heights last week to win its ninth district title in ten seasons.
The Warriors shocked many when they beat Abington Heights 27-24 last week, especially after falling behind 17-0 and 24-7 in the first half. The Warriors defense responded with their best half of football all year and shut out the Comets in the second half. Mike Iuzzolino paced the offense with 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns last week. Reagan Decker also came up clutch with two field goals in rainy conditions, and special teams can decide playoff games, just ask the 2023 state runner-up Dallas team.
Hollidaysburg dominated this season, going 12-0 and only playing in two one-score games, one of which was against an out-of-state opponent. The Golden Tigers handled Jersey Shore 52-7 on the road earlier this season. They did need a comeback last week to beat DuBois 25-24, a team they beat 49-0 in Week 10. The team will likely lean on the legs of quarterback Cole DeLattre, who rushed for 1,260 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
These two teams both schedule tough opponents to prepare themselves for the playoffs. Hollidaysburg plays an independent schedule and the Warriors always play a tough non-district schedule. While the Warriors enter this game with more momentum, expect the Golden Tigers to end the District II AAAAA champion’s season for a second straight year.
Prediction: Hollidaysburg defeats Delaware Valley
Class AAAAAA: Wilkes-Barre Area vs State College Area (6)
A Saturday matinee at Milton High School for a first-time matchup between two schools in the heart of two of the most famous cities in Pennsylvania. Both teams know how to score, so there may be a firework show Saturday afternoon in Milton.
Wilkes-Barre Area is making its state playoff debut after winning its first district championship last week against Williamsport. The Wolfpack enter with a record of 8-4 and one of the most skilled offenses in the state. Quarterback Jake Howe is the all-time leader for the Wyoming Valley Conference in both career passing yards and career passing touchdowns with 66. The WBA defense has struggled at times this year, and in the playoffs they gave up 20 points to a young Hazleton team, but held Williamsport to 14 points last week. They will need that type of performance to take down the Little Lions.
State College comes into this game at 9-2 after winning the District VI/X subregional 41-7 vs McDowell last week. The Little Lions received the District VI AAAAAA championship after Altoona opted out of the playoffs. The team is led by Syracuse commit running back D’Antae Sheffey. Sheffey rushed for 1,363 yards and 18 touchdowns this year despite missing a game this year vs Cumberland Valley. Quarterback Connor Kulka has passed for over 2,000 yards and thrown 28 touchdown passes. The Little Lions defense has struggled against tougher opponents, as they have up 48 points against Harrisburg and 36 against Bishop McDevitt.
It is a matchup of experience vs inexperience. State College has been to the playoffs so many times but this group is replacing a lot of starters from those teams. Wilkes-Barre is senior heavy but those seniors are making their first ever state playoff start. In the end, State College’s experience and playmakers should be enough to advance to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: State College Area defeats Wilkes-Barre Area
