EDITOR’S NOTE: As a step in getting ready for the conference portion of the 2021 fall sports season, NEPASportsNation.com is taking a look back at the 2020 season in District 2.
Champions
Wyoming Seminary won it all, going unbeaten on the way to Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1, District 2 Class A and then Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A state championships.
Honesdale, in Class 3A, and Crestwood, in Class 2A, won the other district titles.
Wallenpaupack defeated Pittston Area in a playoff for the WVC Division 2 title after they finished the regular season tied for first.
State presence
Wyoming Seminary has won three straight state championships.
The Blue Knights posted three straight state tournament shutouts, 4-0 over New Hope-Solebury, 6-0 over Bloomsburg and 3-0 over Greenwood.
Crestwood missed out on the state playoffs because of COVID-19 protocols on a situation that developed between the time it won the district title and it was set to begin PIAA play.
Honesdale lost to eventual state champion Emmaus in the only quarterfinal needed in a five-team state Class 3A tournament field.
Standings
Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1: Wyoming Seminary 10-0, Wyoming Area 10-1, Lackawanna Trail 6-2, Wyoming Valley West 7-3, Lake-Lehman 7-3-1, Hazleton Area 6-4, Crestwood 6-4-1, Honesdale 3-6-2, Dallas 3-7, Holy Redeemer 2-9, Wilkes-Barre Area 1-9, Delaware Valley 0-11.
Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2: Wallenpaupack 8-2, Pittston Area 8-2, Nanticoke 6-4, Tunkhannock 4-6, Berwick 2-6, Hanover Area 0-8.
Playoffs
The only win by a lower seed in the District 2 Class A tournament was when sixth-seeded Holy Redeemer defeated third-seeded Lackawanna Trail, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.
Third-seeded Crestwood defeated second-seeded Wallenpaupack, 3-0, in the semifinals and top-seeded Wyoming Valley West, 2-1, in the Class 2A final.
Second-seeded Honesdale defeated top-seeded Hazleton Area, 3-2, for the Class 3A final.
COVID Impact
A strong case can be made for Wyoming Seminary and Wyoming Area being the top two teams in the state in Class A, but there was no chance to prove that on the field with the PIAA state tournaments trimmed down to district champions only.
Abington Heights sat out the season.
Once schedules were adjusted for Abington Heights sitting out, there were 10 more WVC games that never got played because of COVID-related “no contests,” but 75 of 85 games got played.
Crestwood made it through the season, then had to miss the state tournament.
Noteworthy
Wyoming Seminary outscored three state tournament opponents, 13-0. In its two meetings with Wyoming Area, deciding the WVC and district titles, the games were scoreless in regulation before the Blue Knights won in overtime. … A total of 29 players from the WVC received all-state recognition across the three classifications with 9 first-teamers, 9 second-teamers and 11 honorable mentions.
