District 11 chairman Bob Hartman and Northwestern athletic director Jason Zimmerman held a teleconference Monday afternoon to discuss playoff scenarios for all four classifications heading into this week’s football action.

With class 1A, 2A and 4A having clearer paths, 3A is the murkiest format for playoff hopefuls heading into this weekend’s action.

Bethlehem Catholic (7-1) currently sits atop the standings, while Lehighton (8-0), Saucon Valley (8-0) and Jim Thorpe (8-0) round out the top four in that order. Waiting in the wings in fifth place is Central Catholic (5-3) and Blue Mountain (7-1) in sixth.

With such a competitive group this year, there will surely be disappointed teams when week 11 rolls around.

“There’s going to be good teams not playing in the district tournament in week 11,” said Zimmerman during Monday’s conference.

Becahi and Lehighton can make things clearer with wins this week, as the Hawks play Allen (1-7), while Lehighton takes on Tamaqua (4-4).

Saucon Valley can help themselves immensely with a win this week over undefeated Notre Dame-Green Pond (8-0), while Jim Thorpe has a vital contest with Blue Mountain.

Central Catholic plays Liberty (6-2), where a win by the Vikings would propel them into the top four.

With any scenario being premature at the moment, there is no clear answer in the 3A classification.

Teams like Lehighton hold their own destiny as they play Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe to close out the season. Jim Thorpe may end up being on the outside looking in, as their final two opponents are a combined 15-1.

“Nothing is official at the moment, but if there’s a scenario where Blue Mountain and Jim Thorpe each finish 9-1,” Zimmerman said, “Blue Mountain would probably end up having more points than them.”

The big boys in 4A are nearly set, as Wyoming Valley West (8-0) and Parkland (7-1) have both clinched, as they sit atop the rankings heading into this week.

After that, Freedom (7-1), Easton (6-2), Liberty (6-2), Delaware Valley (6-2), Stroudsburg (6-2) and Nazareth (5-3) round out the top eight.

Hartman noted that this year, a team with a 5-5 record could sneak into the top eight because of the parody among teams. Also, District 11 is guaranteed six of the eight playoff spots.

Williamsport (5-3), Pleasant Valley (5-3), Scranton (4-3), Whitehall (3-5) and Emmaus are still alive in the race.

Scranton is a wild-card since their school district has been dealing with a strike and they have played one game less than all the other schools. They play Wyoming Valley West this weekend, followed by a contest next Tuesday against West Scranton and then a regular season finale against Abington Heights.

Emmaus has games against Whitehall and Parkland to close out the season and the Hornets could make a serious push by winning out.

While nothing is official, it’s likely that Freedom, Easton and Liberty have already clinched berths no matter what happens to them over the next two weeks.

In 2A, Notre Dame-GP (8-0) has already clinched one of the top four spots. The Crusaders can clinch the number one seed with a win over Saucon Valley.

Northwestern (6-2) can clinch a district berth with one win over their next two weeks. The Tigers play Northern Lehigh (4-4) and Catasauqua (1-7) to close out the season.

Salisbury (5-3) and North Schuylkill (4-4) round out the top four, but Northern Lehigh, Palisades, Palmerton and Tamaqua each sit with 4-4 records heading into this weekend.

Tamaqua, however, has the hardest road of any of those teams, as they play Lehighton and Marian Catholic (5-3) to finish the season.

Tri-Valley (7-1) leads the 1A race, as they have already clinched a berth. Marian currently sits in second and can clinch with a win over Shenandoah Valley (2-6) this weekend. Mahanoy Area and Williams Valley are both 4-4 and sit in three and four respectively at the moment, but Schuylkill Haven (5-3) could sneak in, as they control their own destiny.