Nate’s Picks: District 2 Football Playoff Predictions - Who Moves On
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | November 4, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
Nate’s Picks: District 2 Football Playoff Predictions - Who Moves On?
By Nate Johns
The 2026 high school football regular season has come and gone. The playoffs kick off this Friday, with 22 District II teams continuing their journey toward the state championships at Cumberland Valley in December.
Each classification begins at a different stage of the playoffs. Class 5A will crown its district champion this week before a subregional final next week. Classes 6A, 3A, 2A and 1A begin in the semifinals. Class 4A is the lone bracket with quarterfinal matchups.
Week 10 Record: 15-3
2026 Record: 145-40
All-Time Playoff Record: 20-6
All-Time Record: 315-80
Class 6A District Semifinals
No. 4 West Scranton at No. 1 Williamsport
After the first two weeks of the season, this looked like a potential district championship matchup.
The Invaders struggled after a 2-0 start, losing seven of their final eight games. It was a tough schedule against a very strong LFC I, but the Invaders did regain the Bell from Scranton in Week 8.
Williamsport finished 7-3 and went 4-0 against District II opponents. They defeated both teams in the other semifinal matchup to open the season.
The Millionaires won the subregional in 2024 but lost in the championship in 2025. This is the first playoff game for the Invaders since 2018. Unfortunately for West Scranton, I expect the Millionaires to return to their third straight title game.
Prediction: Williamsport defeats West Scranton
No. 3 Hazleton vs. No. 2 Wyoming Valley West
These two teams faced off in Week 8, which the Cougars won 21-7.
Hazleton enters the playoffs with momentum, having won two straight before losing to Pottsville in the regular-season finale. The defense has been the key for the Cougars, as the unit has held opponents to 14 points or fewer in the Cougars’ three wins. The offense has gotten healthy over the last few weeks, too.
The Spartans are the biggest surprise team of 2026. After winning two total games over the last four seasons, first-year head coach Brydon Rukstalis led his alma mater to a .500 record. The Spartans hit a skid after a 4-2 start, losing three straight. They salvaged the regular-season finale with a 17-16 win over Crestwood.
This is the first of many rematches from the regular season we will see over the next few weeks. Hazleton won the first meeting, which took place at home. All three Cougars wins this season came at home. The Spartans went 3-1 at home this season.
This should be another tight game, but I’ll take the Spartans to continue their best season in a decade.
Prediction: Wyoming Valley West defeats Hazleton
Class 5A District Championship
Pittston Area vs. Abington Heights
Two teams that got off to rough starts but rallied to finish 6-4. The Comets get the home game due to strength of schedule.
Entering the season, Pittston Area faced plenty of questions after needing to replace 22 seniors. After a 1-3 start, the Patriots won five straight and scored 40 or more points in four of those wins. The offense continued its hot stretch last week, building a 20-0 lead over Wyoming Area, but was shut out in the second half and lost 28-20.
The Comets started slowly as well at 2-4, capped by shutout losses to North Pocono and Scranton Prep. They won four straight to close the season, including victories over Wallenpaupack and Valley View.
Both teams have the ability to put up points, so this one should be a barnburner. The Comets are looking for their second district title in three seasons, whereas the Patriots are aiming to end a 24-year drought.
Both teams are coming off emotional rivalry games, but I trust the home team to emerge victorious in Clarks Summit.
Prediction: Abington Heights defeats Pittston Area
Class 4A District Quarterfinals
No. 8 Hanover Area vs. No. 1 Dallas
This is a rematch from two weeks ago, except this time in the Back Mountain. Dallas won the first matchup 42-13.
The Hawkeyes had a tough season due to a difficult schedule and injury issues. They had three quarterbacks play in their first matchup with the Mountaineers. Hanover Area is aiming to carry over some momentum after knocking off rival Nanticoke last week, which secured its place in the bracket.
Dallas is one of two undefeated teams in District II. The Mountaineers have scored 35 or more points in every game and allowed 10 or more points only three times this season. This helped them earn the No. 1 seed and ensured the 4A playoffs will run through Mountaineer Stadium.
This matchup should be very similar to last time, with the only change being the location.
Prediction: Dallas defeats Hanover Area
No. 7 Carbondale vs. No. 2 North Pocono
Two teams that love to run the ball and rely heavily on the offensive line. The Chargers run the Wing-T, whereas North Pocono can spread the ball around to its playmakers.
Carbondale won LFC III last week, its first outright division title since 1973. The Chargers did it by running the ball with Caedon Voglino and Francisco Roman. Carbondale finished with a 7-3 record but got the No. 7 seed due to a weaker schedule. This week is another chance for the Chargers to shock people.
North Pocono entered the season as the reigning district champion and has put itself in excellent position to return to the title game. Its only blemish is a triple-overtime loss to Scranton Prep, which finished 9-1 like the Trojans.
North Pocono nearly secured the No. 1 seed in 4A thanks to a difficult schedule in which every win came by multiple scores. The Chargers did knock off Crestwood earlier this year but weren’t competitive in matchups against Honesdale and Lakeland.
This likely marks the first step back toward the championship game for the Trojans.
Prediction: North Pocono defeats Carbondale
No. 6 Valley View vs. No. 3 Honesdale
The best matchup of the first round from both an on-field and storyline perspective.
George Howanitz faces the team he won four district championships with at his new school. He faces Scot Wasilchak, who led the Cougars to a district championship in 2024.
The Cougars have one of the best defenses in the district. They held Scranton Prep to 14 points and held four opponents to fewer than 10 points. The problem has been finding offensive consistency, and now they enter the playoffs on a three-game losing streak.
The Hornets went 8-2 in the regular season, with their only losses coming to North Pocono and Dunmore, both on the road. They went 5-0 at home and scored 50 or more points in each of those games.
Both teams rely on the running game and their defenses. Both coaches know each other inside and out.
I predicted Valley View would be in the district championship before the year, but give me Coach Howanitz to lead Honesdale to its biggest win in a long time.
Prediction: Honesdale defeats Valley View
No. 5 Berwick at No. 4 Wallenpaupack
This might be the quickest game in terms of time between kickoff and the final whistle. Both teams live on the ground, and the winner will be decided along the line of scrimmage.
Berwick’s offense has struggled to find rhythm since QB Brady Cleaver went down. The defense has held its own but dealt with some injury issues of its own. The question for Berwick is who will be taking snaps under center.
Wallenpaupack picked up its biggest win of the season last week, 27-13 over Valley View. That win allowed the Buckhorns to secure a home playoff game in one of the most challenging road environments in the district.
The winner will be decided by whoever gets the ground attack going first. The Buckhorns will lean on Ed Kiesendahl, who rushed for 1,341 yards and 17 touchdowns so far this year.
That should be enough to power past the Bulldogs.
Prediction: Wallenpaupack defeats Berwick
Class 3A District Semifinals
No. 4 Lake-Lehman vs. No. 1 Scranton Prep
A matchup with lots of recent playoff history.
The Black Knights won two straight games to finish 5-5 in year one under new head coach Mike Mully. Lake-Lehman beat out Western Wayne for the final spot in the bracket.
The Cavaliers lost in Week 1 to Loyola Blakefield and have gone undefeated against Pennsylvania schools. The Cavaliers won LFC I thanks to a high-powered offense and a defense that allowed more than seven points only twice.
This should follow the recent trend of meetings between these two. A good season for Lake-Lehman, but the road stops in Scranton.
Prediction: Scranton Prep defeats Lake-Lehman
No. 3 Mid Valley vs. No. 2 Wyoming Area
A rematch from September 18, which the Warriors won 38-20. Both teams look much different now than they did nearly two months ago.
The Spartans finished the season 6-4 but ended strong with wins over Riverside, Lakeland and Western Wayne to secure their playoff spot. The loss to Honesdale was the only one over that stretch. The offense has found its stride with the running game.
The Warriors started 1-2, with both losses being shutouts entering Week 4. They beat the Spartans and haven’t lost since, finishing 8-2 with Luke Kopetchny taking over at QB.
Much like the first meeting, Wyoming Area will host this matchup. I expect this time around to be more competitive, but still believe the Warriors win.
Prediction: Wyoming Area defeats Mid Valley
Class 2A District Semifinals
No. 4 Holy Redeemer vs. No. 1 Dunmore
This has been a historic season for Holy Redeemer. The Royals have set a new single-season wins record with five. They had won four straight before losing the regular-season finale against Midd-West.
The Bucks are undefeated and have won every game by mercy rule. They look like a state championship contender as long as they stay healthy.
The Bucks may be the best team in all of District II. The real test will come once the state playoffs begin.
Prediction: Dunmore defeats Holy Redeemer
No. 3 Riverside vs. No. 2 Lakeland
A rematch from LFC II. Both teams looked like contenders early in the season before losing their starting quarterbacks to injuries.
The Vikings started 5-0 when they welcomed Lakeland to town. During the game, they lost QB Brayden Rose to injury, and he hasn’t played since. That loss started a five-game losing streak, which has the Vikings at .500.
The Chiefs also lost their starting QB in the game against the Vikings when Jackson Pochas, who was replacing QB Rocco Spataro, went down with an injury. The Chiefs rallied to win that game but proceeded to finish 1-3 afterward and ended with a 7-3 record overall.
Both teams have faced adversity and are determined not to let it define their seasons.
This will be a fun matchup between two small-school powerhouses, but I’ll take the Chiefs to win at Chapman Lake.
Prediction: Lakeland defeats Riverside
Class 1A Subregional Semifinals
No. 4 Lackawanna Trail vs. No. 1 Williams Valley
The Lions will finish the season as the District II Class 1A champions once again as the only team to qualify for the postseason. This matchup was my preseason pick for the championship, but instead comes one round earlier.
It’s been a rough season for the Lions, who managed to rebound after an 0-5 start to finish 4-6. They did finish second in LFC III after their division loss to Carbondale.
The Vikings enter the postseason with a 9-1 record, and their only loss was to state powerhouse Southern Columbia. They have won eight straight and are the favorites to make it out of the bracket.
Despite the strong second half for Lackawanna Trail, the Vikings just feel like too big a hurdle to overcome.
Prediction: Williams Valley defeats Lackawanna Trail
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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