Halloween marks the start of the District 3 football playoffs this season.
Will that turn out to be a good omen or a bad one?
No one knows for sure yet, but one thing’s certain: it’s going to be a fun ride.
Kicking things off in the playoffs is Class 5A.
Seventh-seeded Exeter (8-2) will host 10th-seeded Lower Dauphin (7-3) at Reiffton on Friday night. The winner will move on to face No. 2 Conestoga Valley.
It would be a Week 9 rematch for Exeter, which lost 21-17 after giving up a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, the Eagles outgained the Buckskins 411-218, led by Leo Brown’s dominant performance, a 332-rushing yard and two-touchdown day.
So, you can bet Exeter wants another shot when everything is on the line.
The Eagles are just a year removed from a championship appearance as the No. 8 seed. They rolled past No. 9 South Western, top-seeded New Oxford, and No. 4 Conestoga Valley to reach the title game, where they ultimately fell to eventual champion Bishop McDevitt, 48-14.
But it’s a brand-new year for the Eagles, who are hoping to make another deep playoff push.
The Eagles hit a rough patch to close the regular season, dropping a 30-28 game to Section 1 opponent Hempfield in Week 8, their first loss of the year, before falling to Conestoga Valley the following week.
The Eagles wrapped up the regular season with a 42-7 win over Elizabethtown, heading into districts on a high note.
Lower Dauphin, part of the Mid-Penn Conference, Keystone Division, got off to an 0-2 start in 2025 but has since been rolling, winning games by an average margin of two touchdowns.
Leading the way for Lower Dauphin’s potent running attack is senior Hunter Strohm. The star back has rushed for 1,308 yards and 23 touchdowns in the Falcons’ run-heavy offense.
Through the air, the Falcons average less than 70 yards per game, meaning their success will rely on their running attack while dominating at the line of scrimmage.
Luckily for the Eagles, that’s their strong suit, as they’ve allowed just 67 rushing yards per game this season.
Defensively, Strohm is also the star for the Falcons, racking up 100 tackles and five sacks this season.
In the secondary, junior Nick Hengst has recorded four interceptions and two passes defended this season, a player Eagles quarterback Jake Hafer will need to identify and account for pre-snap.
Hafer, who stepped in as the starter in Week 2 after Riley Martinez got injured, has kept the Section 2 runner-up team rolling.
In the Eagles’ run-heavy offense, led by Brown, who is closing in on a 2,000-yard season with 1,906 yards and 23 touchdowns, Hafer has had much of the pressure taken off his shoulders.
The senior has completed 45 of 87 passes for 980 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions this season. His biggest key on Friday will be keeping the football out of harms way on passing downs; beyond that, Brown will carry the offensive load.
The Eagles’ defense has been impressive all season, allowing just 10 points per game in 2025.
On paper, Exeter appears to be in a good position to punch their ticket for a rematch with Conestoga Valley.
Elsewhere in Berks County, Muhlenberg in 5A and Schuylkill Valley in 3A are both fighting to move on to the next round.
It’s been 12 years since the Muhls (4-2, 8-2) were last in the District 3 playoffs, so they’ll have plenty to prove when they take on No. 8 Spring Grove on Friday.
No. 9 Muhlenberg is led by senior Cameron Small, who has rushed for 1,718 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.
Small is just 282 yards away from his second straight 2,000-yard season, and the Muhls will need another big performance from their star running back to advance to face top-seeded Oxford.
Sitting at .500 overall, No. 6 Schuylkill Valley (4-3, 5-5) managed to secure the final seed in the Class 3A playoffs.
The first round gives them a shot at payback against No. 3 Trinity (7-3). The Panthers, who captured the Section 5 title in 2024, suffered a tough 20-17 overtime loss to the Shamrocks last season in the semifinals.
Leading the offense, quarterback Alex Aletras has passed for 1,670 yards and 20 touchdowns so far this season.
If they come out on top, the Panthers will earn a rematch with LL Section 5 rival Annville-Cleona, who defeated them 14-7 on Oct. 17.
Teams with first-round byes in their respective classifications include Wilson (6A), Twin Valley (4A), Wyomissing (4A), and Berks Catholic (3A).
Last week, No. 4 Wilson (5-1, 8-2) came up just short, losing 20-14 to Manheim Township in a section-deciding matchup.
After racking up 11 penalties and four turnovers, the Bulldogs will use the bye week to regroup ahead of their home matchup against No. 5 William Penn on Friday, Nov. 7.
No. 3 Twin Valley and No. 4 Wyomissing will each get a week of rest in Class 4A.
The Raiders (7-0, 10-0) steamrolled through Section 4, putting up an eye-popping 54 points per game while allowing just 8 on average.
The Raiders will take on No. 6 West Perry at home next Friday, hoping to keep their perfect record intact.
For the Spartans (6-1, 9-1), their only loss of the season came at the hands of Twin Valley, 28-6.
Wyomissing beat up on Lampeter-Strasburg 46-7 last week, carrying that momentum into the postseason.
The Spartans hope to complete the season sweep against the Pioneers when they meet again next Saturday, Nov. 8.
Top-seeded Berks Catholic (7-0, 8-2) will use the week to regroup after winning their first section title since 2018, coming out on top of Annville-Cleona 14-7 in overtime. Owen Schalk scored on a 10-yard run to give the Saints the victory.
This week’s schedule
Class 5A: Muhlenberg at Spring Grove, 7 p.m.
Lower Dauphin at Exeter, 7 p.m.
Class 3A: Schuylkill Valley at Trinity, 7 p.m.
Teams with byes:
Class 6A: No. 4 Wilson
Class 4A: No. 3 Twin Valley and No. 4 Wyomissing
Class 3A: No. 1 Berks Catholic