Week 8 of the high school football season just became more competitive and intriguing as Wyoming Area and Southern Columbia agreed Tuesday to forego their scheduled opponents and play each other.

The game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at Wyoming Area. Wyoming Area (4-0) is ranked fourth in the state in Class 3A by pennlive.com. Southern Columbia (4-0) is the top-ranked team in Class 2A and has won a record nine PIAA championships. The Tigers are recognized nationally as one of the top programs in the country and recently defeated a state champion from South Carolina on ESPN2.

It will be the first-ever matchup between the two schools.

“It’s a great opportunity for our kids to play one of the top programs in the state and actually nationally,” said Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer, who added his players were excited when they heard the news.

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The arrangement took less than 24 hours to complete.

Southern Columbia coach Jim Roth, who is also the school’s athletic director, contacted Wyoming Area athletic director Joe Pizano about playing Week 8. Both teams had games scheduled that weren’t expected to be very competitive. Wyoming Area was set to play winless Holy Redeemer, while Southern Columbia was to host winless Shikellamy.

The Warriors defeated Redeemer 43-7 last year and led 30-0 after nine minutes when Spencer pulled his starters. Southern Columbia trounced Shikellamy 69-7 in 2018.

Redeemer and Shikellamy agreed to play each other Oct. 11, allowing the Wyoming Area vs. Southern Columbia matchup. A site for the Redeemer vs. Shikellamy game hasn’t been decided.

Southern Columbia, which is located just outside of Bloomsburg, features some of the top recruits in the nation. Wide receiver Julian Fleming has committed to Ohio State. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is ranked as the top receiver and third overall recruit in the nation by 247sports.com. He had offers from nearly every major Division I program including Alabama and Clemson.

Running back Gaige Garcia has committed to Michigan where he will also wrestle. Linebacker Cal Haladay has committed to Michigan State.

Southern Columbia defeated Shamokin 62-0 last Friday for its 76th consecutive regular-season victory, breaking a 15-year-old record held by Strath Haven. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 222-0 this season.

Under the old PIAA state points system, Wyoming Area and Southern Columbia would have benefitted by keeping their scheduled Week 8 opponents. But the recently introduced Power Rating System factors in the strength of the opponent and makes matchups like this possible because the loser could actually end up with a higher power rating than a week earlier.

“Just based on the numbers, if you lose to a team with a better record you may end up the same or better,” Spencer said.

https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_wyoming_area-1.jpg.optimal.jpg

Wyoming Area’s smothering defense will be put to the test in three weeks when the Warriors host two-time defending PIAA Class 2A champion Southern Columbia.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_WA-Mid-Valley-HS-ftbl-TL-3.jpg.optimal.jpgWyoming Area’s smothering defense will be put to the test in three weeks when the Warriors host two-time defending PIAA Class 2A champion Southern Columbia. Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
Reworked schedule allows state-ranked teams to play Week 8

By John Erzar

jerzar@timesleader.com