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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Area high school football fans have grown accustomed to deep PIAA playoff runs for at least one or two teams each season lately, but that will be more of a challenge this season.
While the winner of the District 6 Class 3A crown will have a similar road as years past, the District 6 Class 1A champion will have to win two PIAA playoff games to make the state final instead of one, and the District 5 Class 1A champion would have to win three.
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic will be a threat to win the District 6 Class 2A title this year after being forced to move up from Class 1A due to the PIAA's success formula following their state championship win at 1A in 2021, but if the Marauders do make the state playoffs, they will likely have to play Southern Columbia in their first game.
Southern Columbia, from District 4, has had more success than anyone in high school football recently, but won an appeal to stay at 2A and will likely play whoever wins the District 6 Class 2A title in the PIAA quarterfinals.
My advice for fans of local football this year is to savor the district playoffs when they come around, because there is going to be some excellent football played between some great teams. It's possible that none of the winners will go on to play for a state championship, and that's OK -- because coming out of some of these districts with a title this season will be something to really be proud of when you look at how even the field looks.
We'll start with District 5 Class 1A where Northern Bedford and Windber are likely on a collision course. Both teams can run the ball on anyone, and yes, Windber handled the Black Panthers in a regular season matchup last season, but Northern Bedford has made major strides since that point. If those teams do meet in the postseason, whoever comes out on top will have really earned those district medals regardless of performance in the state playoff bracket that could see the winner up against a powerhouse like Steelton-Highspire in the first round.
In District 6 Class 6A, Altoona, State College and Mifflin County are all 2-0 for the first time ever. Mifflin County and Altoona play tonight, and while State College seems to be the front-runner right now, there's still an entire season in the Mid-Penn to go through before we see what these teams' best version can be by the end of the season.
The District 6 Class 3A tournament is also shaping up to be a fun one with Penn Cambria and Tyrone currently unbeaten and Central coming off its first regular-season loss since 2019. We'll get another preview of a potential postseason matchup in this bracket tonight when the Dragons travel to Cresson.
The Class 2A field in District 6 will include Richland, Bellwood-Antis and the previously mentioned Marauders. The Rams seemed to have reloaded and are trying win their fifth straight 2A title, but both BG and B-A may have closed the gap between them a little bit.
Northern Cambria shook up my prediction of Cambria Heights possibly entering the 1A district tournament as the top seed, but the Highlanders rebounded with a big win over Portage -- another team that will be in contention in that field. Keep an eye on how Heights and the Mustangs do against Homer-Center, as the Wildcats are always a threat at that level.
Just like in many of the higher classifications, the team that raises the trophy here might not do so if the tournament was played over again, which is the sign of an even playing field that should make for some fun football come November.
Michael Boytim can be reached at mboytim@altoonamirror.com or 814-946-7521