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District 2 playoff updates: Riverside, Berwick claim crowns

Class A

Riverside scored six of its seven touchdowns in the first half as the Vikings defeated Old Forge, 48-21, for the District 2 Class A crown. The Vikings and their stellar offense will move into the PIAA tournament where they will take on state power Southern Columbia.

Class AA

The Class AA finals are set. No. 1 Dunmore and No. 2 GAR each held its seed and will meet this Friday at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

In their semifinal games, the Bucks routed Lakeland, 34-13, as GAR knocked off Hanover, 17-12.

Class AAA

A first quarter field goal and stellar defensive play sparked Berwick in its 3-0 championship win over Abington Heights. The Bulldogs will advance to the PIAA Class AAA championships and will play the winner of Wilson and Bangor out of District 11.

Class AAAA

Hazleton, the lone District 2 team remaining in the Class AAAA District 2/11 subregional, was knocked off in the semifinals at the hands of Bethlehem Freedom. The final score was 42-25. The Patriots will hook up with Bethlehem Liberty, which was a 26-20 winner over Emmaus in the lower half semifinal.

Winter sports

Winter sports officially kick off on Monday, November 17, with first competition dates scheduled for early December. We at the Varsity570 have been accumulating stats throughout the football season and will do the same with boys and girls basketball along with wrestling. Stay tuned for more features as the winter sports season comes to form.

- Dante Terenzio

District 4 playoff updates

Class A

Southern Columbia and Line Mountain both shut out its opponent in the Class A semifinals. The Tigers routed Bloomsburg 41-0 while Eagles dispatched Canton 14-0. The two teams will meet in the championship game on Friday with a PIAA berth on the line.

Class AA

Top seed Mt. Carmel cake walked its way into this weekend's semifinals with a 50-0 blowout victory over Troy. The Red Tornadoes will take on Lewisburg, a 30-21 winner over Hughesville. On the bottom half of the bracket, No. 2 Montoursville ended Towanda's season with a 56-26 thumping, while Athens won big over Wellsboro 43-6.

Class AAA

No. 1 Selinsgrove and No. 2 Jersey Shore held its seed in the semifinals of the Class AAA championships. The Seals crushed CMVT 35-0 and the Bulldogs outslugged beat East Juniata 54-25.

Friday's District 2 Playoff results

Class A

Undefeated Riverside began its quest for a PIAA championship on a high note Friday night. The Vikings put up big numbers in their 66-22 victory over No. 4 Meyers. Star RB Joe Klebon and WR Ryan Chisdock scored six touchdowns between them, putting the game away early for the Vikings. On the other side of the draw, No. 3 Old Forge pulled off a mild upset over No. 2 Northwest Area. The Blue Devils never trailed in their 27-7 victory. The Vikings will take on the Blue Devils for the District 2 Class A crown on Friday, Nov. 14th at Valley View stadium.

Class AA

In the quarterfinals, No. 4 Lakeland knocked off Valley View for the second time this season, 28-0. The Cougars limited the Chiefs to just seven first half points, but couldn't get things rolling in the second half, surrendering two third-quarter touchdowns which put the game out of reach. The Chiefs will take on No. 1 Dunmore in a November 14th semifinal. The Bucks handled the Chiefs 35-13 in their last meeting on September 19. On the other side of the bracket, No. 6 Hanover Area pulled off the upset of the District 2 playoffs thus far in a 26-18 win over No. 3 Lake-Lehman. The Hawkeyes scored 20 second quarter points which proved to be enough. They'll next take on No. 2 GAR in the semifinals at WB Memorial Stadium on Friday the 14th. The Grenadiers routed Hanover 39-6 on October 11, but the Hawkeyes appear to be a better team in the postseason.

Class AAA

Both No. 1 Abington Heights and No. 2 Berwick held its seed and will meet in Friday's District 2 Class AAA championship game on Friday at Scranton Memorial Stadium. The Comets blasted through Pittston Area, 21-8, while Berwick blanked Coughlin, 12-0.

Class AAAA

Just one team remains in the District 2/11 Subregional championships. No surprise here, No. 1 Hazleton Area is that team. The Cougars dispatched East Stroudsburg South for the second time this season, 30-14 in a quarterfinal matchup. Next up for the Cougars is No. 4 Bethlehem Freedom, which roughed up No. 5 Wyoming Valley West, 48-18. The No. 2 and 3 seeds also won respectively as Emmaus shutout Delaware Valley 28-0 and Bethlehem Liberty blanked Parkland 19-0. The semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 14.

District 4 playoff pairings

16 teams in three classifications are still alive for a District 4 championship and PIAA berth. The first round of playoffs begin Friday night. Here are the District 4 pairings by classification:

AAA

Columbia Montour Vo-Tech @ Selinsgrove, Friday at 7 p.m.
East Juniata @ Jersey Shore, Friday at 7 p.m.

AA

Troy @ Mt. Carmel, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Hughesville @ Lewisburg, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Wellsboro @ Athens, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Towanda @ Montoursville, Saturday at 7 p.m.

A

Bloomsburg @ Southern Columbia, Friday at 7 p.m.
Line Mountain @ Canton, Saturday at 1 p.m.

Playoff pictures clear

The District 2 playoff picture has taken form as the final week of regular season play came to an end this past weekend.

In Lackawanna Division I, Abington Heights heads into the playoffs on a high note after routing Honesdale 41-0. The Comets finish 9-1 on the season and in doing so, captured the top seed in the District 2 Class AAA playoffs, which begin this weekend. The Comets will be home against Pittston Area (6-4) on Saturday while No. 2 Berwick (8-2) will host Coughlin (7-3) the night before.

In the most anticipated LFC game of the season, Riverside knocked off returning PIAA Class AA runner-up Dunmore, 42-30. The Vikings captured the LFC Division II crown, and easily notched the top seed in this weekend's District 2 Class A playoffs. Up next for the Vikings is Elmer L. Meyers. The Mohawks finished the season with a dismal 2-8 record and are a huge underdog in this matchup. On the bottom half of the draw, LFC Division III champion Old Forge (8-2) will take on a more than worthy opponent in Northwest, who is also 8-2.

Despite its first loss of the season against Riverside, Dunmore still snagged the top seed in Class AA. Coach Jack Henzes and his Bucks can sit back and relax while they await the winner of No. 4 Lakeland (7-3) and No. 5 Valley View (6-4). No. 2 GAR (9-1) will also enjoy a bye week and will take on the winner of No. 3 Lake Lehman  (9-1) and No. 6 Hanover Area (6-4).

Three District 2 teams qualified for the eight team District 2/11 subregional tournament. Hazleton Area (9-1) grabbed the top seed and will take on East Stroudsburg South in the opening round. The Cougars knocked off ESS in week 9, 34-33. Wyoming Valley West (7-3) and Delaware Valley (7-3) grabbed the No. 5 and 6 seeds for this weekend's playoffs. The Spartans will take on Bethlehem Freedom and the Warriors are set to play Emmaus.

For additional information please visit Varsity570's spotlight stories and the "Recent headlines" tab, both of which can be found on our homepage.

- Dante Terenzio