Who: No. 5 seed Nazareth (7-3) vs No. 4 seed Emmaus (8-2)
When/Where: Friday 7 p.m./East Penn SD Stadium
Coverage: LIVE on The Eastern Pa Sports Network (Pregame: 6:30 p.m. – LINK: https://easternpasportsnet1.mixlr.com/events/3803192
Coaches: Parkland – Tom Falzone (11th season), Emmaus – Harold Fairclough (9th season)
Head-to-Head – Teams didn’t meet
Results to date: Nazareth – defeated Hazleton 42-7, defeated Whitehall 34-6, defeated Wilson WL 35-31, lost to Freedom 38-10, lost to Parkland 31-6, defeated PV 60-7, defeated Liberty 34-14, defeated BC 36-7, defeated Northampton 47-21, lost to Easton 63-55
Emmaus – defeated Parkland 27-0, defeated Allen 50-14, defeated Dieruff 54-0, defeated Whitehall 31-7, defeated CCHS 38-6, lost to Easton 28-21 OT, defeated Stroudsburg 42-7, defeated Reading 38-7, defeated Becahi 31-21, lost to Neshaminy 20-17 OT
Players to keep an eye on: Nazareth – Jr. QB Petyon Falzone (127 of 239, 1,996 yards, 23 TD/3 Int), Jr. RB Marquez Wimberly (111 car., 832 yards, 13 TD), Sr. WR Caleb Newsome (36 rec., 736 yards, 9 TD), Sr. MLB Vinny Giacobbe (leading tackler 76), Soph. SS Lance Zuercher (2nd tackler, 62), Jr. SS Tanner Zelachowski, Sr. FS Austin Boyce
Emmaus – Jr. QB Jerek Cooper (63-121, 884 yards, 10 TD/5 Int., 79 car., 529 yards, 7 TD), Sr. RB/LB Reilly Bechtel (118 car., 1,005 yards, 15 TD), Sr. WR/CB Daniel Duggan, Jr. OL/DL Robert Edwards (team-leading 71 tackles, 6 sacks), Sr. K/P Will Buck (7/12 FG, 37/40 XPT), Soph. WR Kai Jefferson-Rushing (16 rec., 241 yards, 4 TD), Sr. RB/LB Neo Michel (45 tackles)
GAME NOTES – Riding high off its dominant 27-0 win over rival Parkland last week, the Hornets look to continue that momentum heading into the post-season as they face Nazareth for the first time this season. Emmaus enters on a five-game win streak and has qualified for districts the past nine years … In its 96-year, the Hornets have never won a District XI Championship. They have been to the finals twice in the last six years, finishing runner-up in 2021 & ’18 … Emmaus has lost to the Blue Eagles the last two years, 42-7 a year ago and 20-14 back in 2022. The two teams last met in districts back in ’21 with Emmaus winning a thriller at Nazareth, 20-19 … The Blue Eagles are the defending District XI 6A champs and are coming off a wild 63-55 loss to Easton last week … The winner of Friday’s game will face No. 1 Easton or No. 8 Stroudsburg next Friday in the semifinals.
District XI 6A Tournament (Friday, November 1)
#8 Stroudsburg @ #1 Easton
#7 Northampton @ #2 Freedom
#6 Liberty @ #3 Parkland
#5 Nazareth @ #4 Emmaus
Semifinals: November 8
Finals: November 15