Eric F. Epler | eepler@pennlive.com
We’ve passed the midway point of the 2018 high school football regular season.
That means the stretch run to the playoffs is on. It also means another batch of updated state rankings.
PennLive will publish high school football rankings each Tuesday through the PIAA Championships in December.
Teams are listed with district, record, and previous rank.
Class 6A
1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)– 2-0 – 1
2. Coatesville (1) – 5-0 – 2
3. Pine-Richland (7) – 4-1 – 3
4. North Allegheny (7) – 5-0 – 4
5. State College (6) – 5-0 – 5
6. North Penn (1) – 5-0 – 6
7. Emmaus (11)– 5-0 – 7
8. Downingtown East (1) – 5-0 – 8
9. Bethlehem Freedom (11) – 5-0 – 9
10. Manheim Twp. (3)– 5-0 – 10
Teams to watch: Central Dauphin (3) 4-1, Downingtown West (1) 5-0, Easton Area (11) 4-1, Garnet Valley (1) 5-0, Harrisburg (3) 4-1.
The skinny: It was a perfect week for the Top 10 franchises with only top-ranked St. Joseph's Prep sitting idle for week 5 of the regular season. … In a huge District 11 showdown, No. 7 Emmaus defeated TTW Easton Area 30-28. … Defending District 3 champ Manheim Twp. also improved to 5-0 after clawing past Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2 threat Cocalico 36-24. Another D3 championship hopeful, Harrisburg, runs into our Teams to Watch list after its fourth straight victory.
Class 5A
1. Penn Hills (7)– 5-0 – 1
2. Manheim Central (3) – 5-0 – 2
3. Gateway (7) – 5-0 – 3
4. Archbishop Wood (12) – 2-2 – 4
5. Springfield-Delco (1) – 5-0 – 5
6. Warwick (3) – 4-1 – 7
7. Peters Twp. (7) – 4-1 – 8
8. West Allegheny (7) – 3-1 – NR
9. Upper St. Clair (7) – 4-1 – 6
10. East Stroudsburg South (1) – 4-1 – NR
Teams to watch: Academy Park (1) 4-1, Cocalico (3) 4-1, Franklin Regional (7) 4-0, McKeesport (7) 4-1, York (3) 5-0.
The skinny: Some back-end moves were necessary ranked Upper St. Clair suffered its first loss of the season, a 29-12 setback to rival West Allegheny. The Indians exited in the Top 10 in Week 3 but regained their footing against USC. Fellow District 7 challenger North Hills was not as fortunate. The former No. 10 was cleared easily by Peters Twp. (35-0), which moved up one slot. … District 3 Warwick, its only loss to No. 2 Manheim Central by a touchdown, recorded its third shutout of the season last week and has surrendered 33 points all year. … Unbeatens York High and Franklin Regional pop into our Teams to Watch list.
Class 4A
1. Imhotep Charter (12)– 2-2 – 1
2. Cathedral Prep (10) – 3-2 – 3
3. Thomas Jefferson (7) – 4-0 – 5
4. Valley View (2) – 5-0 – 6
5. Berks Catholic (3) -- 3-2 – 4
6. Bishop McDevitt (3) – 4-1 – 2
7. Berwick (2) -- 5-0 – 9
8. Bellefonte (6) – 5-0 – 8
9. South Fayette (7) -- 4-1 – 10
10. Bethlehem Catholic (11) – 3-2 – 7
Teams to watch: Blackhawk (7) 5-0, Clearfield (9) 5-0, Milton Hershey (3) 5-0, Pottsgrove (1) 5-0, Saucon Valley (11) 5-0.
The skinny: Former No. 2 Bishop McDevitt fell four spots after dropping a wild 50-43 match to Keystone Division rival Cedar Cliff. Berks Catholic's tight loss to non-PIAA rep Malvern Prep also allowed Thomas Jefferson and Valley View to bump inside the Top 5. … Berwick climbed two spots after a gritty 21-7 victory over Selinsgrove. … Bethlehem Catholic did lose to 6A Nazareth 31-21, so the Hawks dropped to No. 10.
Class 3A
1. Aliquippa (7) – 5-0 – 1
2. Conwell-Egan (12) – 5-0 – 2
3. Middletown (3) – 4-1 – 3
4. North Schuylkill (11) – 5-0 – 4
5. Grove City (10) – 5-0 – 5
6. Scranton Prep (2) – 4-1 – 6
7. Mercyhurst Prep (10) – 5-0 – 7
8. Jim Thorpe (11) -- 5-0 – 9
9. Wyomissing (3) – 4-1 – 10
10. Derry (7) – 5-0 – NR
Teams to watch: Danville (4) 4-1, Elizabeth Forward (7) 4-0, Keystone Oaks (7) 4-1, North Catholic (7) 4-1, Tamaqua (11) 5-0.
The skinny: Top-ranked Aliquippa continues to put up impressive numbers. The Quips lashed out at former TTW Beaver Falls for a 39-0 win last week. That gives Aliquippa a 263-6 scoring edge on the competition so far. … No. 3 Middletown escaped with a 48-40 win at 2A rival Steel-High Friday. … Unbeaten Derry enters the Top 10 after taking down former No. 8 North Catholic 27-0 in week 5. … There are two newcomers in our Teams to Watch list, Tamaqua and Elizabeth-Forward.
Class 2A
1. Southern Columbia (4) – 5-0 – 1
2. Wilmington (10) – 4-1 – 2
3. Ligonier Valley (6) – 5-0 – 3
4. Clarion (9) – 5-0 – 4
5. Richland (6) -- 5-0 – 5
6. West Catholic (12) – 4-1 – 6
7. Shady Side Academy (7) – 4-0 – 7
8. Delone Catholic (3) – 5-0 – 8
9. Wellsboro (4) -- 5-0 – 9
10. Charleroi (7) – 4-0 – 10
Teams to watch: Avonworth (7) 4-1, Chestnut Ridge (5) 5-0, Sharpsville (10) 4-1, Steel Valley (7) 3-1, Washington (7) 4-1.
WesternPaFootball.net
The skinny: Top 10 programs were a perfect 10-for-10 last week, with some big numbers for boot. Defending class runner-up Wilmington slammed Conneaut, Ohio, 55-14 while No. 4 Clarion took down St. Mary's 42-0. No. 5 Richland was a 47-6 winner over Somerset. … District 3 challenger Delone Catholic continued its splendid campaign with a 27-7 decision over Littlestown. … Our 5 Teams to Watch also cleared victories in Week 5, highlighted by Sharpsville's 23-21 tag over a talented Sharon side.
Class 1A
1. Farrell (10) – 5-0 – 1
2. Jeannette (7) – 5-0 – 2
3. Our Lady of Sacred Heart (7) – 5-0 – 3
4. Clairton (7) – 4-0 – 4
5. Imani Christian (7) – 4-1 – 5
6. Conemaugh Twp. (5) – 5-0 – 6
7. Lackawanna Trail (2) – 5-0 – 7
8. Muncy (4) – 5-0 – 8
9. Bishop Guilfoyle (6) -- 4-1 – 9
10. South Williamsport (4) – 4-1 – 10
Teams to watch: Canton (4) 5-0, Clarion-Limestone (9) 4-1, Halifax (3) 5-0, Old Forge (2) 4-1, Williams Valley (11) 4-1.
The skinny: The wild race for WPIAL supremacy continues. Four of our Top 5 programs hail from the mighty conference and all were victorious last week. … Top-ranked Farrell laid down another strong performance, as well, turning back Cambridge Springs 63-0. … There continues to be plenty of jockeying outside of the Top 10 as Monessen, Redbank Valley and Tri-Valley all dropped out after Week 5 letdowns. It made room for a couple of newcomers in Canton, Halifax and Clarion-Limestone, a 42-16 winner over Redbank.
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