By Brian Carroll, Broadcaster
As we approach the end of the regular season, Strath Haven and other high school football fans will be wondering what the playoff schedule may look like. With one game still to be played, the playoff picture is getting a little clearer for the Panthers and several others. Injuries, talent of upcoming opponents, weather, and many other factors could impact this weekend’s games, and we won’t likely know the seedings until late on Saturday evening, or sometime on Sunday. That being said, we’re taking our best guess as to where teams could land as the 5A District 1 playoffs begin on 11/5/21.
Please note that this is simply a prediction, and it could change drastically over the next few weeks. It is not meant to disparage or downplay any of the efforts of any teams in the weeks ahead– it’s simply our quick estimation, based on the PIAA’s Power Ranking System, of where teams may (or may not) be playing that first week in November. Ultimately, this is just for fun. We’re not worried about being “right” or “wrong” in the predictions, as the teams will play it out on the field. “That’s why they play the games…” 🙂
At the moment, a win over Radnor this Friday night would:
- Guarantee Strath Haven a #2 or #3 seed, which would result in home games for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs should they keep winning.
- Barring any incredible upsets in other games, the Panthers will gain a #2 seed IF Coatesville beats Downingtown East AND Haverford beats Academy of Palumbo. A Conestoga victory over Ridley would help the Panthers, too.
- Should Coatesville lose to Downingtown East, the Panthers could likely end up tied with Unionville in total points, and land with the #3 seed since they would lose the tiebreaker based on the overall combined record of all opponents this season. The only chance for Strath Haven to reach a #1 seed would involve Sun Valley upsetting West Chester Rustin.
A few other games for this week that will likely have significant impact on the 5A rankings include: Academy Park vs Chester (playing this Saturday); West Chester Henderson vs. Oxford; Upper Merion vs. Boyertown; Interboro vs Penn Wood.
If Interboro wins their game this Saturday, they will qualify and could very likely be the #15 seed and a possible rematch with Strath Haven. Should Strath Haven land at the #3 seed, the most likely opponents at the moment could be Oxford at #14, with a chance that Phoenixville falls to #14 if Upper Merion knocks off Boyertown on Friday.
We will do our very best to keep everyone posted on the website in reporting scores during and after Friday’s games. At the moment, though, we can enjoy the idea that Strath Haven will play at least one more home game this year to open the playoffs, and hopefully will stay busy through November and beyond!
