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Nate’s Picks: The Race Tightens at the Halfway Point in District 2

Nate’s Picks: The Race Tightens at the Halfway Point in District 2

By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | September 24, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus

This week marks the halfway point of the high school football regular season. Five teams remain undefeated, all in Class 4A and 2A. North Pocono and Lakeland are among that group and looking to repeat as district champions. Both will be tested with tough division games during the second half.

Dallas and Dunmore are also undefeated and looking to avenge last season’s championship losses. Riverside is the last undefeated team of the group and flying under the radar compared to its Class 2A counterparts.

Last week was the best week for the predictions this season, even with a few upsets. Time to build off last week and keep pushing forward.

Week 4 Record: 14-3

2026 Record: 59-20
All-Time Record: 229-60

Week 5 Predictions

Honesdale defeats Crestwood

Dallas defeats Wilkes-Barre Area

Wyoming Valley West defeats Nanticoke

Lake-Lehman defeats Hanover Area

Pittston Area defeats Hazleton

Lackawanna Trail defeats Mid Valley

Lakeland defeats Carbondale Area

North Pocono defeats Abington Heights

Riverside defeats Old Forge

Berwick defeats Pottsville

Valley View defeats Scranton

Scranton Prep defeats West Scranton

Delaware Valley defeats Wallenpaupack

Wyoming Area defeats Western Wayne

Renaissance Academy Charter defeats Montrose

Panther Valley defeats Tunkhannock

Holy Cross defeats Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech

Holy Redeemer defeats Pine Grove

Dunmore defeats Susquehanna

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.

Johns is a high-energy play-by-play broadcaster for Sportzwire who also contributes as a sideline reporter and interviewer. At Penn State, he serves as 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 to develop his craft across play-by-play, 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 the District 2 slate each week and puts his growing all-time record to the test.

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