Three Schuylkill League teams received the top seeds in their respective sports for the District 11 playoffs beginning Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, all three are Schuylkill League champions.
The Marian girls’ volleyball team begins its quest to defend its PIAA title by taking the top seed in the District 11 Class A playoffs.
Pine Grove’s girls’ soccer team looks to follow its historic run to its first Schuylkill League title with a No. 1 ranking in the Class A bracket.
Lehighton’s boys’ soccer club, fresh off a league title in its inaugural season in the Schuylkill League, received the top spot in the Class AA playoffs.
Game times are subject to change.
Here’s a breakdown of the district playoffs by sport:
Volleyball
The Fillies (20-0) are one of six Schuylkill League teams in the seven-team Class A field and earned a bye into the semifinals, which are slated for Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Thursday’s Class A quarterfinals feature two local matchups — No. 5 Minersville (14-6) at No. 4 Tri-Valley (14-4) and No. 6 Mahanoy Area (11-6) at No. 3 Nativity (17-5) — while Schuylkill Haven (10-10) garnered the No. 7 seed in Class A and travels to second-ranked Salem Christian (18-2).
In the Class AA quarterfinals, also Thursday, No. 2 Blue Mountain (17-3) hosts No. 7 Lehighton (10-8), fifth-ranked Panther Valley (11-4) travels to fourth-seed Allentown Central Catholic (10-7) and Pine Grove (8-8) — sneaking in at the eight spot — plays at top-ranked Bethlehem Catholic (16-2).
Pottsville (10-5) is the only Schuylkill League team in the nine-team Class AAA bracket, and the No. 8 Crimson Tide and will host No. 9 Stroudsburg (10-10) in a first-round matchup Tuesday. The winner plays top-seeded Parkland (19-0) in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Girls’ Soccer
The Cardinals (19-1) also drew a bye through the quarterfinals and will meet the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between No. 5 Minersville (12-4-3) and No. 4 Palmerton (11-5) in the semifinals Monday, Oct. 27.
In Friday’s other Class A quarterfinals, Schuylkill League
runner-up Schuylkill Haven (15-5) hosts seventh-seeded Tri-Valley (10-7-1) and Division II runner-up Williams Valley (13-5-1) entertains No. 6 Moravian Academy (9-7).
The Class AA quarterfinals also will be held Friday with fifth-seed Blue Mountain (11-7-1) traveling to No. 4 Southern Lehigh (12-6-1) and sixth-ranked Lehighton (12-6) going to third-seeded Saucon Valley (13-5-1).
Colonial League champion Northwestern Lehigh (17-1) grabbed the top seed in Class AA.
The Class AAA girls’ soccer playoffs begin Tuesday with No. 8 Pottsville (12-5-1) hosting No. 9 Pocono Mountain West (10-8) at 6 p.m. The winner plays top-seeded Parkland (17-2-2) — champion of the newly-formed Eastern Pennsylvania Conference — in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Boys’ Soccer
After breaking last year’s school record for wins in a season, Lehighton (17-3) begins its district playoff journey by hosting No. 8 Notre Dame-Green Pond (9-8-1) in Thursday’s Class AA quarterfinals.
Blue Mountain (16-4), which lost in the Schuylkill League championship in overtime for the second straight year, takes the third seed and hosts Palisades (12-6-1) on Thursday, while No. 7 Pottsville (10-7-1) travels to second-ranked Saucon Valley (16-2).
The Class A boys’ quarterfinals feature some familiar matchups between Schuylkill League Division II opponents. Second-ranked Nativity (11-3-1) hosts No. 7 Tri-Valley (7-11) while No. 3 seed Schuylkill Haven (12-5-2) entertains No. 6 Williams Valley (7-11).
Pine Grove (9-7-1) took the No. 4 spot and hosts fifth-ranked Lehigh Valley Christian (12-6).
Colonial League champ Moravian Academy (15-3) is the top seed in the Class A bracket. All Class A boys’ quarterfinals are slated for Thursday.