YORK, Pa. — The District 3 Class 3A playoffs continue this weekend with the semifinal round.
No. 3 Hamburg visits second-seeded Boiling Springs in one semifinal tonight, while top-seeded Wyomissing hosts No. 5 Middletown on Saturday.
Here's a look at both games.
Hamburg (7-3) at Boiling Springs (10-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Bud Ecker Field, Boiling Springs
ABOUT HAMBURG: The Hawks advanced to the semifinals with a 31-27 victory over Bermudian Springs last Friday in the quarterfinals. It was the first district playoff win in program history for Hamburg, which is in the playoffs for the first time since 1985.
The Hawks jumped out to a 17-7 lead at halftime, but Bermudian Springs converted a pair of third-quarter turnovers on consecutive possessions into 14 points to take a 21-17 lead. Hamburg responded with touchdown runs by Mitchell Watt and Diohnny Ruiz to retake the lead and held on from there for the hard-fought win.
With his 89-yard rushing effort against Bermudian Springs, Ruiz set a single-season rushing record for Hamburg by boosting his total to 1,187 yards. He's scored 20 TDs this season for the Hawks. He's also Hamburg's leading receiver, with 19 catches for 307 yards. QB Xander Menapace has completed 54 of 86 passes for 804 yards and nine scores.
Hamburg finished fifth in the Berks I-C Section 2 race after losing two of its last three regular-season games.
ABOUT BOILING SPRINGS: The Bubblers punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 56-10 rout of Lancaster Catholic last week. It was the seventh straight victory for Boiling Springs, which captured the Mid-Penn Capital title in the regular season.
Against Catholic, Joey Menke racked up 150 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, while Aidan Metzger added 44 yards and two more scores to pace a Bubbler ground attack that churned out 349 yards. Jack Liang added 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four carries for Boiling Springs.
The Bubblers' only loss of the season was a 39-34 defeat at Mechanicsburg on Sept. 17. Since then, they've won seven straight by an average margin of 25 points, including a stunning 29-28 triumph over defending District 3 and state 1A champ Steelton-Highspire on Oct. 30.
Boiling Springs is in the district playoffs for the eighth time. The Bubblers are chasing their first title.
Middletown (6-4) at Wyomissing (11-0)
Saturday, 1 p.m. at Wyomissing Area HS
ABOUT MIDDLETOWN: The Blue Raiders advanced to the semifinals with a 35-21 victory over West Perry last week. It was Middletown's third straight victory. Tajae Broadie turned in a career-best rushing performance with 174 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries for Middletown, while Audric Bryant added 145 yards and another score.
The Blue Raiders were 2-3 at the season's midpoint, but won three of their last four games down the stretch to fight their way into the postseason for the 15th time.
Middletown and Wyomissing are certainly no strangers to one another. They've clashed in four of the last five District 3 Class 3A title games. Wyomissing beat the Blue Raiders last year and in 2019. Middletown knocked off the Spartans in 2016 and 2017, adding another title with a victory over Bermudian Springs in the 2018 final.
ABOUT WYOMISSING: The Spartans are the two-time defending district champs and cruised to the Berks I-C Section 2 title in the regular season, romping past its competition by an average margin of 37 points.
That run of victories included a 41-21 rout of perennial state powerhouse Southern Columbia, ending the Tigers' winning streak at 65 games -- one short of the state record.
Wyomissing relies primarily on its rushing attack, which averages 319 yards per game. The Spartans have five players with at least 30 carries this season, led by Thomas Grabowski, who has 861 yards and 18 touchdowns on 107 carries. Amory Thompson (57-616, 13 TDs) and Andrew Eisenhower (66-577, 15 TDs) are also dangerous rushers.
Wyomissing is hoping to make another deep postseason run. The Spartans captured their second straight District 3 title last year, on their way to an appearance in the state final. They lost 35-21 to Central Valley.
