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District 3 playoff races: Who’s in, who’s on the bubble and who has work left to do


It's time for our weekly look-in on the District 3 football playoff races! We’re breaking down who’s in, who’s on the bubble and who has work left to do to make the district playoffs. Schools are listed by classification and only Hanover-Adams teams are included.

Class AAAA--Top 16 teams qualify for the District 3 M&T Bank Championships.

Work left to do: South Western (2-5, 2-2, 22nd out of 29, .492)

So close. Sooooooo close. The Mustangs almost pulled off the upset but fell 28-27 to Dallastown after being up 21-0 at one point. Who knows what a win over the Wildcats (7th in Class AAAA) would have done for South Western, but now they're at 2-5 with three games to go. The teams  that are in the final playoff spots (Red Lion and Central York) are both above .500. The best that South Western could do is win out in games vs. William Penn, at Northeastern, vs. Spring Grove and hope for some help.

Class AAA--Top 16 teams qualify for the District 3 M&T Bank Championships.

In: Gettysburg (6-1, 3-1, 6th out of 40, .694)

85 points?! In one game? Wow. The Warriors moved up four spots with their 85-12 thrashing of Kennard-Dale. Gettysburg is putting themselves in a good position for home-field advantage  in the first round at least. Games against Conrad Weiser (9th in Class AAA) and West York (2nd in Class AAA) are both at home. Those games should be better gauges of where the Warriors stand as a team than their trip to Fawn Grove, as impressive as it was.

Work left to do: Spring Grove (3-4, 1-3, 21st out of 40, .540) and New Oxford (0-7, 0-4, 37th out of 40, .292)

The Rockets get bumped off the bubble with their second-consecutive loss, this one a 38-21 defeat at the hands of Central York on homecoming night. Six turnovers and 11 penalties won't win you many games. Luckily for Spring Grove, the final three games (at Northeastern, vs. Red Lion, at South Western) are all very winnable. Sweep those three games and a 6-4 record could get you in. A 5-5 record in this class might not do it.

As for New Oxford, there is good news and there is bad news. Bad news: Kennard-Dale, which lost 85-12 this week, is still one spot ahead of New Oxford. Good news: The Colonials might have the best-looking uniforms in the county.

Class AA--Top 8 teams qualify for the District 3 M&T Bank Championships.

In: Bermudian Springs (7-0, 4-0, 2nd out of 14, .722)

The Eagles shut out Delone Catholic, 38-0, and overtook Wyomissing for the 2nd spot. Can the Eagles go undefeated? Yes. They've given up 27 points combined in seven games, including four shutouts. They haven't surrendered a point in three weeks. They've only allowed 46 first downs this season. Let that sink in for a moment.

On the bubble: Biglerville (3-4, 1-3, 9th out of 14, .444)

Consecutive losses to Delone and York Catholic leave the Canners on the outside looking in at the moment. Because they're only hundredths of a percentage point behind Trinity for the final playoff spot, a 2-1 record in the last three weeks could do the job. They play at Littlestown, at Hanover and home vs. Bermudian.

Work left to do: Littlestown (2-5, 1-3, 11th out of 14, .379) and Hanover (1-6, 0-4, 13th out of 14, .286)

Littlestown rolled through Hanover, 49-20, leaving the Nighthawks as the only team without a division III win this season. It was a good sign for coach Mike Lippy and his squad, who could use a few more wins to sneak back into the race. Is it too little, too late?

Class A--Top 4 teams qualify for the District 3 M&T Bank Championships.

In: Fairfield (5-2, 3-1, 2nd out of 10, .565)

Quietly, the Green Knights have secured their second-consecutive season at .500 or above. With a win at Delone and a York Catholic loss to Bermudian this week, Fairfield could move up to the top spot in Class A. The Green Knights and Irish square off next week in a possible preview for a later district playoff game.

On the bubble: Delone Catholic (3-4, 2-2, 5th out of 10, .425)

The Squires have the same overall record as the team one spot ahead of them and in the final playoff spot, Steelton Highspire. But Steel High gets the nod based mostly on opponents' winning percentage. Delone can't help their strength-of-schedule at this point but they can win at least two of their remaining games (vs. Fairfield, at York County Tech, vs. Hanover) to put them in better position.