Philly teams add to state playoffs

Some North Penn players will face charges next week stemming from a brawl.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The PIAA football playoffs start this weekend, and the pairings reveal an obvious change from past seasons: The presence of Philadelphia high schools.
The Philadelphia schools are eligible for the first time, and two of them -- George Washington (10-0) and Northeast (9-1) -- will meet at Northeast in the first PIAA Class AAAA playoff game involving schools from the new District 12.
The winner plays the winner of the Easton-Bethlehem Liberty game in next weekend's quarterfinals.
Two of the top games in the state will take place Saturday in the District 7 (WPIAL) championship games at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field.
In Class AAAA, the state's two top-ranked teams, No. 1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (12-0) and No. 2 Gateway (11-1), meet for the right to advance to the PIAA quarterfinals against the winner of the Erie McDowell-Brashear game Saturday in Erie.
Until this season, the WPIAL champions automatically advanced into the PIAA semifinals, but the four winners this season move only into the quarterfinals.
There's another No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the District 7 Class AA final between No. 1 Aliquippa (12-0) and No. 2 Seton-La Salle (12-0). All four District 7 semifinalists had unbeaten records before Aliquippa and Seton-La Salle won their games last weekend.
Charges pending
A group of North Penn High School players face charges next week resulting from a summertime brawl that injured four Central Bucks West students. Among those in the group are quarterback Adam Hearns, a Syracuse recruit; linebacker and co-captain Eric Halberstadt and offensive lineman and co-captain Zachary Raffle.
The players took part in last week's 28-13 victory over previously undefeated Conestoga and are set to play in Friday's game against Pennridge. North Penn (9-2) is the defending PIAA Class AAA champion.
Last week, four North Penn students were barred from participating in sports for the rest of the school year after admitting their involvement in the brawl. Among them was kicker David Kornock, the only player to testify during a court hearing.
North Penn school officials said no action will be taken against the students who are fighting the charges until their cases are adjudicated.
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