By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
More than one-third of District 2’s football teams, including established contenders Delaware Valley, Wyoming Area, Lakeland and Lackawanna Trail, find themselves in new classifications for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association reviews enrollment figures and reclassifies schools every two years. The latest review resulted in more changes than usual, including a significant shift from Class 6A to 5A and from Class 3A to 2A.
In the previous two seasons, District 2 had four teams in Class 6A and two in Class 5A, which was the only one in which the district did not get to conduct its own playoff. Now, there are six teams and a district tournament in Class 5A, but only two teams left in 6A, forcing them into a subregional with opponents from Districts 4 and 11.
There were 10 Class 3A teams and 4 Class 2A teams in the district prior to the latest evaluation. That has changed to seven Class 2A and six Class 3A teams.
Delaware Valley, which has won all six District 2 Class 6A titles since the PIAA switched from four to six classifications for football, moves down to Class 5A. Scranton makes the same move.
Wyoming Area, which won the 2019 championship in Class 3A for District 2’s only state championship since 1997, moves back up to Class 4A. Nanticoke makes the same move from Class 3A to 4A.
Lakeland, which fell to Wyoming Area, 35-32, in a Class 3A semifinal last year that was the most exciting finish of the district playoffs, goes the other direction, taking a veteran team to Class 2A. Mid Valley and Holy Redeemer make the same move, from Class 3A to 2A.
Lackawanna Trail will not get a chance to defend its Class 2A district title. Instead, the Lions will renew their longstanding battles with Old Forge for supremacy among the smallest schools, playing in Class A.
Holy Cross trades places with Lackawanna Trail, moving from Class A to 2A.
Class 5A also expands with the moves of Pittston Area and West Scranton up from 4A.
Montrose drops from Class 4A to 3A.
The full breakdown of each classification:
Class 6A
Hazleton Area
Wilkes-Barre Area
Class 5A
Abington Heights
Delaware Valley
Pittston Area
Scranton
West Scranton
Wyoming Valley West
Class 4A
Berwick
Crestwood
Dallas
Nanticoke
Honesdale
North Pocono
Tunkhannock
Valley View
Wallenpaupack
Wyoming Area
Class 3A
Carbondale
Hanover Area
Lake-Lehman
Montrose
Scranton Prep
Western Wayne
Class 2A
Dunmore
Holy Cross
Holy Redeemer
Lakeland
Mid Valley
Riverside
Susquehanna
Class A
Lackawanna Trail
Old Forge
