The real action in the District 3 Class 4A bracket doesn’t really get going until the quarterfinal round; the top six teams all received first-round byes and are idle this week.
But there are still two games on the 4A docket Friday night — one of which will be the location for this week’s FOX43 High School Football Frenzy show.
Let’s take a look at those matchups.
CLASS 4A
FOX43 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRENZY GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 9 Eastern Lebanon County (7-3) at No. 8 Lampeter-Strasburg (7-3)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Lampeter-Strasburg HS, Lampeter
The Pioneers finished third behind Manheim Central and Cocalico in a competitive L-L League Section 2 race, falling to both the Barons (33-14) and the Eagles (41-13) in the regular season. L-S also dropped a 20-13 decision to Hempfield in a Section 1-2 crossover game. The Pioneers ranked fourth in the league in total offense (388 yards per game), and sixth in defense (243 yards per game). Quarterback Connor Nolt (68-135-3, 1,371 yards, 11 TDs) and RB Bryan McKim (125-971, 14 TDs) lead a balanced offensive attack. L-S has made 13 previous appearances in the District 3 playoffs and have reached the title game twice, falling to Bishop McDevitt in 2011 and defeating Gettysburg 35-21 in 2007.
Elco finished a game behind Lancaster Catholic in the L-L League Section 3 race. The Raiders join Catholic and Annville-Cleona as the section’s only playoff qualifiers. After starting the season 0-3 (a stretch that included a 28-7 loss to Catholic in the section opener), Elco reeled off seven straight victories to close out the regular season. The Raider offense revolves around quarterback Braden Bohannon, who does most of his damage on the ground. Bohannon was second in the L-L League in rushing, with 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns on a league-high 236 attempts. He also completed 29 of 53 passes, for 451 yards and six scores. Elco is making its sixth District 3 playoff appearance; the Raiders are 1-5 overall.
No. 10 Conrad Weiser (5-5) at No. 7 Fleetwood (8-2)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Fleetwood HS
Friday’s other first-round clash in the Class 4A bracket pits a pair of Berks League foes against each other. Fleetwood finished third in Section 2, while Conrad Weiser was the No. 3 team in Section 1. The host Tigers defeated Weiser 27-14 in Week 2, so the Scouts will be out for revenge on Friday.
Fleetwood’s only regular-season losses came against the teams it finished below in the section race; Wyomissing dusted the Tigers 35-7 in Week 6, and Berks Catholic defeated them 49-20 in Week 9. Fleetwood QB Charlie Maddocks ranked fourth among Berks County passers this season, with 1,551 yards and 13 touchdowns on 87-for-184 passing. Fleetwood is in the district playoffs for the first time in program history.
Conrad Weiser finished behind Governor Mifflin and Exeter in the Berks League Section 1 race. The Scouts slipped into the playoffs despite falling in three of its last five games. In addition to its Week 2 loss to Fleetwood, Weiser also fell to Cocalico (42-15), Exeter (28-21), Susquehanna Township (24-7), and Governor Mifflin (21-20), all of whom are playoff qualifiers. Scout QB Logan Klitsch ranked third among Berks County passers, with 990 yards and nine touchdowns on 66 of 120 passing. This is Conrad Weiser’s 15th appearance in Districts. The Scouts are 12-14 in the postseason.
Quarterfinals (Nov. 8-9; sites and times TBD)
Elco/Lampeter-Strasburg winner at No. 1 York Suburban (10-0)
No. 5 Susquehanna Township (7-3) at No. 4 Bishop McDevitt (7-3)
Conrad Weiser/Fleetwood winner at No. 2 Milton Hershey (9-1)
No. 6 Gettysburg (8-2) at No. 3 Berks Catholic (6-4)
