The Rick, Week 13 – 2025
By Righetto Notari, BDFN
@BDFN_OldForge
(2242-623 overall, .784 winning percentage)
The Legacy of the LFC…
The Rick isn’t sure when it exactly happened, but the Lackawanna Football Conference is by far the better football league playing in District 2. You can look no further than the last two weeks in Class 3A. The best two teams in the WVC – Berwick and Wyoming Area – were curb-stomped by Scranton Prep in the semis and the final, respectively. The Dawgs and Warriors were a combined 21-1 at the time of the losses.
The Cavaliers at 7-5 surely aren’t the same team that has romped all over the competition the past few years. Yes, that 7-5 is not a true indicator of their ability right now. Sure, they had an 0-3 start when the line was young and inexperienced, and they were playing without QB Will McPartland – who has been unstoppable in his return. But they also had a 2-2 finish. They were a pedestrian 5-5.
The WVC was 14-15 this season in head-to-head matchups which doesn’t seem too bad. Except 11 of the 14 wins were against teams with four wins or less. And in the D2 playoffs, the WVC was 1-7 against the LFC. The lone win was Dallas “upsetting” Valley View in the Class 4A semis. Wilkes-Barre is the only D2 champ from the WVC. The LFC won the other five.
Look, most of these things are cyclical, but the LFC has been on the top of the heap for a few years now. Some of the programs have been down for so long, you wonder if there is any chance, they get back up. Berwick has seemed to turn it around. So has Pittston Area. But Valley West, Hazleton, Tunkhannock, Nanticoke – what can they do to improve?
Well, glad you asked. Because of course, The Rick has an answer – actually two answers.
(This is my annual realignment rant)
The Rick proposes a District 2 Conference. I know some of my peers hated the old NEPFC, but most of the non-divisional games seem to be cross-conference opponents, so what’s the difference. Here is what I came up with…
Option 1: Four divisions – three with eight teams, one with nine teams. Play everyone in your division and then fill your schedule with whoever you want. Of course, Week 10 is for rivalry games. The strong play the strong, and the not-so-strong get to build.
D2.1 – Abington Heights, Berwick, Crestwood, Dallas, Delaware Valley, North Pocono, Valley View, Wilkes-Barre.
D2.2 – Hazleton Area, Honesdale, Pittston Area, Scranton, Tunkhannock, Valley West, Wallenpaupack, West Scranton.
D2.3 – Dunmore, Lakeland, Lake-Lehman, Mid Valley, Riverside, Scranton Prep, Western Wayne, Wyoming Area.
D2.4 – Carbondale Area, Hanover Area, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Lackawanna Trail, Montrose, Nanticoke, Old Forge, Susquehanna.
Option 2: Three divisions – 11 teams in each. There are no open dates here, just one 10 game schedule. Talk about an easy out for athletic directors. No need to worry about filling in open dates. Just put it on the slate.
Big 11.A – Abington Heights, Berwick, Delaware Valley. Hazleton Area, North Pocono. Scranton, Scranton Prep, Valley View, Valley West, West Scranton, Wilkes-Barre.
Big 11.B – Crestwood, Dallas, Hanover Area, Honesdale, Lake-Lehman, Nanticoke, Pittston Area, Tunkhannock, Wallenpaupack, Western Wayne, Wyoming Area.
Big 11.C – Carbondale Area, Dunmore, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Montrose, Old Forge, Riverside, Susquehanna.
Let The Rick know what you think!
Ok, let’s get to predicting Week 13….
THE RICK’S PICKS (168-43)
PIAA Class 6A
Wilkes-Barre (8-4) v. State College (9-2) at Milton HS
History is not on the side of Wilkes-Barre in its first ever state playoff game. State College has traditionally given District 2 the business when matched up in the PIAA tournament. This year, the Little Lions are the best football team in Happy Valley and this weekend’s result should be no different. SCA is led by sophomore quarterback Connor Kulka who has thrown for 2,072 yards and 28 TDs. Senior pass catchers Hank Lustig and Daimear Coad combined for 71 receptions, 1,179 yards and 17 TDs. But they are not one dimensional. Senior D’Antae Sheffey has rushed for 1,363 yards and 18 TDs. The Wolfpack will do what they’ve done all year and sling it around the yard as quarterback Jake Howe tries to become District 2’s all-time leading passer. According to published reports, Howe is 112 yards from achieving that feat. His stable of capable receivers gives him a great chance to get there. It will be a matter of the men in the trenches doing their job to keep WBA in this one.
Little Lions 44, Wolfpack 21
PIAA Class 5A
Delaware Valley (7-5) v. Hollidaysburg (12-0) at Danville HS
Delaware Valley has its hands full this week. Unbeaten Hollidaysburg is one of the top ranked teams in the state, regardless of class. The Golden Tigers have beaten Williamsport, 69-6, and Jersey Shore, 52-7, a team that beat the Warriors in Milford earlier in the season. Hollidaysburg features running back Carter Muth and quarterback Cole Delattre in a rushing attack that has 3,617 yards on the season. Muth has rushed for 1,597 yards and 24 touchdowns while Delattre has 1,260 yards and 21 TDs. Delattre has also thrown for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. None of the Golden Tigers receivers have more than 15 catches. The Hollidaysburg defense has limited opponents to just one score in six of its games and has only given up more than two touchdowns in two of its victories – last week against Dubois in the District 6 title game, and against Fort Hill (MD) in Week 6. Looking back at the schedule, DV could be 10-2 as they have three losses by a touchdown or less. But the Warriors haven’t matched up well this year against teams from outside of D2, and The Rick thinks this could be the case this week as well.
Golden Tigers 28, Warriors 17
PIAA Class 4A
North Pocono (12-0) at Bishop Shanahan (7-4)
District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan broke a three-game losing streak last week with a win over Pope John Paul II, a team that beat them earlier in the season. So maybe not look at that 7-4 record and think this game is a cakewalk North Pocono fans. The Eagles feature quarterback Anthony Aquila who rushed for 282 yards and three touchdowns last week and 1,113 yards and 24 TDs on the season. The Daily Local News newspaper says Aquila will be the best player the Trojans have seen this year. I guess they never heard of Will McPartland or Lucas LoPresto or Nick Bradley or Mike Iuzzolino. This game could be like looking in the mirror for North Pocono. Bishop Shanahan wants to run the football. Aquila only threw seven passes last week as the Eagles rushed for 496 yards. Sure, it will be a long ride from Moscow to Downingtown, but the ride home will be fun.
Trojans 33, Eagles 20
PIAA Class 3A
Scranton Prep (7-5) v. Mifflinburg (10-2) at Milton HS
A quick look at the records and possibly even the stats and one might think this is the end of the road for Scranton Prep. Not so fast my friend. The Rick did a deep dive into the schedules, and Mifflinburg’s best win might be its 21-14 LOSS to Southern Columbia. The Wildcats’ other loss was to Hollidaysburg, a team that also handled Jersey Shore, a team that Prep handled. So, if I improperly use the mathematical transitive property that my father taught me in 10th grade, then The Rick has The Prep winning this one. It’s basic algebra (I think). Mifflinburg is led by quarterback Chad Martin, who has thrown for 2,448 yards and 30 TDs. He also has 494 yards rushing and nine TDs. Half of Martin’s passing yardage has been contributed to by senior Landen Murray who has 50 catches for 1,253 yards and 17 TDs. The Wildcats leading WR also has four touchdowns on the ground. He is joined in the Mifflinburg receiver room by Jackson Griffith who has 44 receptions for 698 yards and six TDs. Landon Moser leads the Wildcats on the ground with 658 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Prep has experience in stopping high-powered offense and The Rick thinks they will do it again.
Cavaliers 27, Wildcats 17
PIAA Class 2A
Lakeland (11-1) v. Lansdale Catholic (10-2) at Germantown SS
Lots as been made of the site of this game, but the bottom line is, good football teams can win on the road. And Lakeland is a good football team. District 12 champ Landsdale Catholic reached double-digit wins for the first time in almost 20 years when they beat D1 champ Bristol with a fourth-quarter barrage last week. QB Yeboa Cobbold Jr., an Akron commit, led the way, rushing for 111 yards and four TDs and passing for 72 yards and two TDs. Running back Nick O’Brien added 114 yards on the ground. The Crusaders lost to Riverside last season in this round, and the Chiefs are looking to mimic the Vikings. Lakeland QB David Naniewicz is battling an ankle injury, but the Chiefs have a capable backup in Rocco Spataro should he be unable to go. And while Naniewicz is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in D2, Lakeland has multiple weapons on offense including Gavin Roberts, Jackson Pochas, and Chase Rosencrans. The Rick is typically a complainer when it comes to playoff playing sites, but I am beyond that this week.
Chiefs 27, Crusaders 20
PIAA Class 1A
Lackawanna Trail (11-1) v. Line Mountain (11-0) at Shamokin HS
At first glance, The Rick thought Lackawanna Trail had the best chance to make a run of all the D2 teams in the tournament. And that still may be the case. But it won’t be easy this week when they travel to Shamokin High to take on District 4 champ Line Mountain. The unbeaten Eagles feature quarterback Kaiden Maurer, a 2,000-yard passer who has also rushed for 561 yards. The senior has accounted for 31 passing TDs and six touchdowns on the ground. While Maurer is LM’s leading rusher, junior running back Kaden Dunkelberger has 519 yards and 11 TDs. Senior RB Maxim Johnson has 371 yards rushing and 8 TDs. Wideout Dalton Schadel leads the way with 46 catches for 889 yards and 12 TDs. Senior Bryce Smeltz and freshman Hank Malfara have combined for 50 catches, 870 yards and 15 TDs. Those are some big numbers for the Red Storm (hope the Trail moms approve this nickname) defense to stop – especially the ones gained in the air. But the big boys up front should be able to establish enough pressure to help the athletes on the back end keep those passing numbers in check. The Rick still likes the Lions, and I’ll point to Line Mountain’s game against Upper Dauphin during the season as a barometer for that.
Lions 35, Eagles 21
Time to settle all Family Business (105-18)
Pittsburgh Central Catholic over North Allegheny
Roman Catholic over Whitehall
West Philadelphia over Cardinal O’Hara
Northwestern Lehigh over Notre Dame Green Pond
Schuylkill Haven over Williams Valley
York Catholic over Belmont Charter
The Rick Six
(The top 3 big schools & top 3 small schools)
- North Pocono (12-0, 1)
- Delaware Valley (7-5, 4)
- Scranton Prep (7-5, 6)
- Abington Heights (9-3, 3)
- Lakeland (11-1, 5)
- Berwick (11-1, 2)
Next Six: Lackawanna Trail (11-1, NS); Wilkes-Barre (8-4, NS); Wyoming Area (9-2, NS); Pittston Area (8-3, NS); Dallas (6-6, NS); Dunmore (8-4, NS).
