Harrisburg is going for its fourth straight District 3 title. The Cougars have captured six championships overall. They’re (30-16) all-time in the District 3 tournament. Harrisburg dropped its season opener 45-7 to La Salle College High School from Philadelphia. The Cougars got tripped up by Cumberland Valley 24-21 in Week 8.

Penn State commit Kevin Brown returned from a right foot injury last Friday. Brown (6’5, 270) is ranked #14 overall and #3 at offensive tackle in the Class of 2026 by Rivals. Trinity transfer Messiah Mickens has also committed to the Nittany Lions. He leads Harrisburg with 1,091 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The 200-pound junior is a force at defensive end as well with 27 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. Mickens was named the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division Defensive Player of the Year. Jayion Lewis has thrown for 1,646 yards and 16 TD in his first year as the starting quarterback. The 5’11, 165-pound junior is completing 62% of his passes. His top target is one of the elite wide receivers in the state. Elias Coke has more than twenty Division I offers including Penn State, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Kentucky, and Iowa State. The 6’3, 200-pound junior has 42 receptions for 723 yards and 8 TD. Coke also has a team-high five interceptions. State College transfer D’Antae Sheffey, a Syracuse commit, has chipped in with 28 carries for 231 yards, 12 catches, and one INT.

Wilson has brought District 3 gold back to West Lawn on seven occasions. The Bulldogs’ most recent title was in 2016. They’re (44-24) overall in the District 3 playoffs. Wilson holds the state record with 49 consecutive winning seasons. The Bulldogs haven’t had a losing campaign since 1963. They earned their 29th Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League this fall.

Madyx Gruber, an All-County basketball player, has made a remarkable transition from wide receiver to quarterback. The 5’11, 160-pound senior is completing 65% of his passes for 1,885 yards and 24 TD. Gruber is second on the squad with 715 rushing yards and eight scores. His teammate on the court, Correll Akings, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Akings has 1,060 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 5’10, 170-pound junior can catch the ball out of the backfield as well. He has 24 receptions, third-most for Wilson this year. The second-seeded Bulldogs feature a pair of standout sophomores. Mike Glover (6’3, 220) has a team-high 39 catches for 648 yards and 6 scores. The physical tight end reeled in five passes for 117 yards and 2 TD in the semifinals against Central York. Meanwhile, E.J. Brownback leads Wilson with 77 combined tackles. The 215-pound sophomore linebacker has racked up 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Gruber also contributes on defense with five of the Bulldogs’ 14 interceptions.

I’ll be in Reiffton with live updates and postgame reaction on Saturday afternoon.

The top-seeded Pioneers are putting up 41 points while allowing just 8.5 per contest. Caileb Howse has thrown for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as the starting quarterback. The 6’, 200-pound senior is a serious threat to run as well. Howse has 1,245 yards on the ground and 19 TD. He’s averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Dominic Brown is a workhorse in the backfield. He carried the rock 28 times for 116 yards and a score in the Week 10 matchup with Wyomissing. The 5’11, 175-pound senior has 1,279 yards and 21 TD. Brown is also part of an outstanding corps of linebackers that includes Emory Fluhr. Lampeter-Strasburg has some big bodies up front. Collin Shelley (6’4, 290) and Thad Wolf (6’4, 315) are tough in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Wolf is only a sophomore. The Pioneers also feature a terrific kicker in junior Peter Fiorello.

The Spartans are averaging nearly 34 points and limiting their opponents to 11.5 per game. Sophomore RB/DB Justice Hardy is expected to return after missing both of the Spartans’ playoff games. Hardy was injured against the Pioneers. Despite missing time, he still leads Wyomissing with 728 rushing yards (9.6 ypc). Danny Fleischood and Derek Macrina have stepped up in Hardy’s absence. The two halfbacks have combined for 897 yards and 12 TD this year. Fleischood made three trips to the end zone last week in a 35-7 victory over West York. The 6’1, 185-pound junior ran for 132 yards in the semifinals. The Spartans have a pair of solid options at fullback in Chase Eisenhower and Tyler Niedrowski. They’re both juniors who play linebacker as well. The 215-pound Eisenhower has rumbled for 614 yards and ten touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Teddy White has only attempted 47 passes all season. He’s completed 27 throws for 430 yards and five scores.

Wyomissing’s Wing-T attack was held to 146 total yards by Lampeter-Strasburg one month ago. The Pioneers ended the Spartans’ 36-game home winning streak. This one will probably be decided up front, especially considering the weather forecast for Friday. Coach Wolfrum was very candid after the Week 10 loss. “We gotta be more physical. They were just more physical than us,” he said.

The (23-5) Mustangs were the District 3 and BCIAA runner-up. Their bats have come alive after scoring just six total runs in the District 3 playoffs. Gov. Mifflin has piled up 24 runs in its three contests during the state tournament. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler leads the team with eight homers out of the leadoff spot. The 6’2, 215-pound junior was voted the Berks County Player of the Year.

Ethan Grim is in line to make the start against Hollidaysburg. That allows the Mustangs to put Detwiler at shortstop which is their best defensive lineup. Grim (7-3, 1.82) has 102 strikeouts in 65 innings. Several Division I programs have shown interest in the hard-throwing junior. Grim held Whitehall to two hits in a 10-0 rout in the PIAA quarterfinals. He’ll be throwing to Travis Jenkins. The junior catcher is a defensive wizard behind the plate who can also swing the bat. Jenkins and Grim were All-County selections this spring.

Hollidaysburg is the District 6 champion. The (17-6) Golden Tigers are led by senior Carson Kensinger. The southpaw tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts in the District 6 final. Kensinger (10-0, 1.05) lasted 6.2 innings in the state semifinals before reaching the pitch limit versus Monsignor Bonner. Hollidaysburg prevailed 3-1. The Mustangs are expecting to see Kensinger on three days rest. The Frostburg State commit has 119 strikeouts over 73 innings. He’s only allowed 46 hits. Junior Paul Wedel (5-1, 2.29) has thrown 33.2 innings.

Kensinger can certainly help himself at the plate. He’s batting .366 with a team-high 28 RBI and 7 HR. Senior outfielder Jake Hileman leads the Golden Tigers with 38 hits, 31 runs, ten doubles, and a .469 average. Ethan Karageanes is hitting .347 with eight doubles. Hollidaysburg has been in three tight games during the PIAA tournament. The Golden Tigers have outscored their opponents 10-5.