Fab Five: Pennsylvania High School Football Games to Watch in Week 7

As we reach Week 7 of the high school football season in Pennsylvania, we start reaching the heart of league play, which means teams in this week’s High School On SI Pennsylvania Football Top 25 State Rankings will meet rivals who could challenge their spots among the state’s best.

One such matchup is our spotlight game, with No. 20 Twin Valley taking its 6-0 record to Quarryville to face fellow unbeaten Solanco in a monster Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 showdown Friday.

These teams were in different classifications a year ago, with the Raiders reaching the 4A final last season before falling to Southern Lehigh, while the Golden Mules lost in the 5A district final to Bishop McDevitt.

Twin Valley boasts a defense that has posted shutouts in two of its last three games, outscoring opponents 116-6 during that stretch, and has held opponents to just 161 yards per game this year.

Meanwhile, Solanco leads the league in scoring (43.5 ppg), rushing (406.7 yards per game) and total yards (460.2 per game). Junior RB Wesley Bard has already broken the 1,000-yard mark this fall, amassing 1,036 yards and 15 touchdowns on just 49 carries.

But, where else are we looking this weekend besides Lancaster County for our featured matchups? Here are four others to highlight in Week 7.

No. 17 Pennridge (6-0) at No. 25 North Penn (4-2)

7 p.m. EDT, Friday

The seeds that coach Kyle Beller planted at Pennridge when he arrived in 2023 have borne fruit the past two seasons. The Rams won the Suburban One League National Conference last year and are well on their way to another crown, but the Knights will look to put a crimp in those plans after rebounding from a Week 5 loss to Central Bucks West by blanking Neshaminy last week.

Downington West (5-1) at No. 23 Downington East (5-0)

7 p.m. EDT, Friday

It’s the Battle of the Brandywine, and the Cougars are looking to end a three-game losing streak to the Whippets to keep their best start since 2023 going. Both teams rely on their ground games, with East junior Juelz Chiron-Robinson coming off a 236-yard, five-touchdown performance last week against Bishop Shanahan, while West senior Amari Canyon, a University of Massachusetts commit, ran for 278 yards and five scores against Coatesville.

Scranton Prep (5-1) at No. 24 North Pocono (6-0)

7 p.m. EDT, Friday

The Trojans snapped a 12-game losing streak in this series last fall, when they ended a three-year streak of sub-.500 campaigns to go 13-1 and reach the 4A quarterfinals. They should get all-state standout senior Cole West back for this showdown with the Cavaliers, joining a balanced run game that has five backs with 26 or more carries combining to average 256 yards per game.

No. 4 St. Joseph’s Prep (3-1) at No. 18 La Salle College (3-3)

Noon EDT, Saturday

Both teams kicked off Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division play with decisive victories — the Hawks took down Cardinal O’Hara 28-7, while the Explorers blanked Father Judge 42-0. St. Joe’s has righted the ship since losing QB Max Rogers to injury, with Nickee Holden leading the Hawks to back-to-back wins. RB Ahzir Nelson returned for La Salle last week and ran for two touchdowns.

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