Nate's Picks: Championship Week Arrives in District 2 - Who Advances
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | November 11, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
Nate’s Picks: Championship Week Arrives in District 2 - Who Advances?
By Nate Johns
The first round of the playoffs has come and gone, and three champions have been crowned across District II. Abington Heights and Wyoming Valley West clinched the 5A and 6A titles, respectively, and will advance to their subregional championships. Lackawanna Trail secured the 1A championship as the only District II team to qualify for the postseason, but its season ended last week.
Two more district champions will be crowned this week in 2A and 3A. Class 4A moves to the semifinals. The aforementioned subregional championships bring the total to six games this week.
Last week’s predictions were nearly perfect. However, Valley View pulled off the road upset over Honesdale. The number of games continues to dwindle, but the drive for accuracy never slows down.
Week 11 Record: 11-1
2026 Record: 156-41
All-Time Playoff Record: 31-7
All-Time Record: 326-81
Class 6A — District 2/4 Subregional Championship
No. 2 Wyoming Valley West vs. No. 1 Williamsport (D4)
A rematch from the opening week of the season, when the Millionaires won 41-21.
The Spartans are a much different team than they were in Week 1. They will finish .500 or better for the first time since 2018. They already avenged one loss from earlier this season with their 35-7 win over Hazleton last week.
Williamsport is looking for its second subregional title in three seasons. The Millionaires have reached the last three championship games, but this is the first one they will host. They knocked off West Scranton 38-13 to earn that honor.
Both teams have electric playmakers in the backfield. The Spartans will try to generate explosive runs with Malique Campbell. The Millionaires will lean on dual-threat QB Tevin Williams.
In the end, I trust the Millionaires with home-field advantage and their championship-game experience.
Prediction: Williamsport defeats Wyoming Valley West
Class 5A — District 2/6/9 Subregional Championship
Hollidaysburg (D6) vs. Abington Heights
These two teams met in 2024, when Hollidaysburg won 24-23 in the first round of the state playoffs. The Golden Tigers beat Delaware Valley in 2025 in the first round of the state playoffs, 56-42.
Hollidaysburg is 8-2 and enters this matchup on a five-game winning streak. During that span, the Golden Tigers have averaged 47 points per game. QB Vincent Albarano has thrown for 1,874 yards and 24 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He’s rushed for an additional 459 yards and nine scores.
The Comets knocked off Pittston Area last week 40-7 for their second district title in three seasons. Jayden Anglin rushed for 327 yards and three touchdowns. He set the single-game and single-season rushing records for the program with that performance. The Comets will go as far as he can carry them.
Both teams have the ability to put up points. Both enter this matchup battle-tested from tough schedules.
It will be a long trip for Hollidaysburg, but the bus ride home will feel much better after a win.
Prediction: Hollidaysburg defeats Abington Heights
Class 4A — District Semifinals
No. 4 Wallenpaupack vs. No. 1 Dallas
This one should be one of the quicker games of the weekend. Not because of a talent discrepancy, but because both teams love to keep the ball on the ground. This matchup should be a slugfest that is decided in the trenches.
Wallenpaupack beat Berwick in the quarterfinals 31-14. The Buckhorns ran the ball 37 times. Jake Rafferty and Ed Kiesendahl combined for 36 of those carries and 223 rushing yards. Kiesendahl found the end zone twice. Expect a similar dose of the ground game as the Buckhorns try to keep an explosive Dallas offense on the sidelines.
Dallas continued its unbeaten season with a 48-14 win over Hanover Area. The Mountaineers have used their defense to create turnovers, and the offense has cashed in. This will be their biggest test since facing Abington Heights in Week 3.
Dallas head coach Rich Mannello is someone who takes pride in his offensive line. This will be their biggest test of the year against a Buckhorns team with plenty of size up front.
These squads share two common opponents, Abington Heights and Berwick. Both beat the Bulldogs, but Dallas beat Abington Heights 42-23, whereas the Buckhorns lost to the Comets 21-7.
I’ll take the Mountaineers to return to the championship game for the fourth straight year.
Prediction: Dallas defeats Wallenpaupack
No. 6 Valley View vs. No. 2 North Pocono
Another rematch from earlier this season at a different location. The Trojans went into the Cougar Den in Week 4 and won 27-14. This time, the matchup shifts to Moscow.
The Cougars will need to pull off a road upset for the second straight week. They knocked off Honesdale 42-21 in one of their best offensive showings of the season. The defense shut down a potent Hornets running game.
This week is another test against a high-powered offense, but the Trojans can throw the ball and run it effectively.
It took a little bit for the Trojans to find their rhythm last week, but they still knocked off Carbondale 42-7. The defense continues to lead the team, with the offense hitting a small rut since the loss to Scranton Prep. Maybe last week’s second half was the performance North Pocono needed to wake up.
North Pocono won the last two matchups of this rivalry. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was the 2021 district championship, which Valley View won 42-7.
I’ll take the Trojans to extend that streak and return to the championship game.
Prediction: North Pocono defeats Valley View
Class 3A — District Championship
No. 2 Wyoming Area vs. No. 1 Scranton Prep
Two of the best small-school programs with consistent success at the state level. The Warriors are looking for their first district title since 2019, when they won the state championship. Scranton Prep has won five straight district championships.
The Warriors started the season 1-2 but responded by winning eight straight games. They beat Mid Valley in the semifinals 55-11. Luke Kopetchny has found his groove at QB, and the Warriors enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the district.
The Cavaliers dropped their opening game to Loyola Blakefield and have gone undefeated against Pennsylvania teams in 2026. The Cavaliers beat Lake-Lehman last week 51-12. The defense has been strong all season long and propelled the Cavaliers to an LFC I title.
This should be another heavyweight battle between two proud programs.
I’ll take the Cavaliers to win their sixth straight championship.
Prediction: Scranton Prep defeats Wyoming Area
Class 2A — District Championship
No. 2 Lakeland vs. No. 1 Dunmore
This rematch not only comes from the regular season, but from last season’s district championship game as well. The Chiefs won that matchup 27-7. The Bucks brought back most of their team from that game as they seek their first district title since 2023.
The Chiefs return to the title game after a 36-13 win over Riverside last week. Chase Rosenkrans has stepped up at QB, and Luke McFarland has been the headliner in the backfield. Lakeland will try to avenge a 53-6 loss to Dunmore from Week 10.
Dunmore continued its undefeated season last week with a 69-14 win over Holy Redeemer. It continued the trend of mercy-rule victories, which the Bucks have achieved in every game in 2026.
This feels a lot like 2023 for the Bucks. They went to the state semifinals that season and rolled through the postseason.
I expect they’ll contend for a state title, and the journey starts with a district championship on Friday night.
Prediction: Dunmore defeats Lakeland
About Nate Johns
Nate Johns is a 2024 Dallas High School graduate and a junior at Penn State, where he majors in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Sports Studies.
A high-energy play-by-play broadcaster for SportzWire, Johns also serves as a sideline reporter and interviewer. At Penn State, he is CommRadio Sports Director and a Men’s Basketball Insider, broadcasts for Big Ten+ and covers Penn State men’s hockey for Penn State Sports Night. He also gained professional newsroom experience as a summer 2026 intern with 28/22 News.
A District 2 native, Johns continues developing his craft across broadcasting, reporting and interviewing as he works toward his goal of becoming a football and basketball play-by-play broadcaster.
Nate’s Picks follows Johns throughout the high school football season as he predicts District 2 matchups and puts his growing all-time record to the test.
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