Schuylkill Haven quarterback Max Heim gets set to take the snap behind the Hurricanes' offensive line during their Sept. 26, 2025, win over Williams Valley (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

Will it be déjà vu, or will the third time be the charm?

That’s the question that will be answered tonight when Williams Valley and Schuylkill Haven tangle for the third straight season in the District 11 Class AA championship game at 7 p.m. at Blue Mountain’s Eagles’ Nest.

Here are the facts:

** It’s the sixth meeting between the Schuylkill-Colonial Blue Division rivals in the past three years.

** The Hurricanes have won all three regular-season meetings, including 43-29 this season Sept. 26 in Williamstown.

** The Vikings, however, won the past two times in the District 11 championship game, prevailing 49-35 in 2023 at North Schuylkill and 28-13 last year at Blue Mountain.

Can Williams Valley make it three straight?

Or will Schuylkill Haven claim its first on-field District 11 crown since 2017?

“Schuylkill Haven is a powerhouse program. They know us well, we know them well,” Williams Valley coach Ben Ancheff said. “Our kids know each other well. They’ve been playing each other since youth football. It’s pretty much going to come down to who is going to execute, who is going to take care of the ball and who is going to win up front in the trenches.

“They have a very good offensive line, they have a good quarterback, they have a star at running back. They have talent all over the field. I believe we do as well.”

There are several layers to tonight’s game and several ways to break it down.

Who wins the battle in the trenches? … Can Williams Valley stop Haven’s running game? … Can Schuylkill Haven contain Brady Shomper and stop the Vikings’ passing game? … How much of a difference does Haven QB Max Heim play in the game? … Turnovers, costly penalties … it all factors into the equation.

When you look at it, however, the key to tonight’s game might be which team makes the proper adjustments from previous meetings and which team handles adversity better.

For Schuylkill Haven, the key will be how much did the Hurricanes learn from the losses in the last two district finals.

Last year on the same Eagles’ Nest turf, Williams Valley held Schuylkill Haven to just six first downs and 112 yards rushing, forcing the Hurricanes to punt six times. This came after Niko Carestia rushed for 333 yards against the Vikes in the regular-season meeting.

Earlier this season, Colton Reber rushed for 170 yards and scored three touchdowns as Haven racked up 335 total yards and 17 first downs. Haven overcame a 22-21 halftime deficit with three straight second-half touchdowns to take control.

Schuylkill Haven coach Mike Farr said his squad has to be in the right place mentally to be successful.

“We have to play loose and just play,” Farr said. “Last year they just got all tight. As soon as things started to go bad for them and they weren’t successful, they started looking around and blaming each other. They dismantled themselves internally.

“I think this team mentally is in a different place. It’s either going to be a blowout or it’s going to be a very intense physical game. The team that can handle it physically is the team that’s going to win the football game.

“This week, we have to show our caliber of football. If we show our caliber of football, we’re a tough out. We just have to put it all together and not go crazy when things don’t go our way Friday night. That fight in them will be a lot different this time.”

For Williams Valley, can the Vikings sustain the success — six straight wins — they’ve had since the regular-season loss to Schuylkill Haven?

For that to happen, Williams Valley can’t turn the ball over twice like it did Sept. 26 and can’t get frustrated if things don’t go well offensively. Schuylkill Haven’s defense also got a pair of key fourth-down stops in the second half that turned the momentum in Haven’s favor.

“We definitely have to take care of the football better,” Ancheff said. “You look at that first game, we threw a pick-6 early. We came out in the second half with the lead 22-21, threw an interception. They caught the momentum and they didn’t lose it in the second half.

“It all starts up front. Our guys have to win that battle or at least have stalemates and give our athletes a chance. That’s where they got us the first time. In the second half their line wore on us. The result was the result.”

You can listen to tonight’s game live on T-102 (101.9 FM).

Here’s a capsule look at tonight’s game:

District 11 Class AA Championship

Williams Valley (11-1) vs. Schuylkill Haven (12-0)

Where: Blue Mountain High School’s Eagles’ Nest

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Tickets: All tickets cost $7 (plus applicable fees) and must be purchased online. Senior citizens age 65 and older are admitted free with valid ID.

TV/Radio: T-102 (101.9 FM)

Live Updates: Follow T102 Sports Now content editor Leroy Boyer on X @pubsportsboss

How they got here: Top-seeded Schuylkill Haven blasted Catasauqua 62-14 and Northern Lehigh 60-7. … No. 2 Williams Valley decked Executive Education 42-13 and outgunned Minersville 56-35.

Previous meeting: Sept. 26, Schuylkill Haven 43-29

Series History: Schuylkill Haven 12-7

Championship history: Williams Valley is 9-5 in District 11 finals, winning crowns in 1990, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024. … Schuylkill Haven is 9-6 in District 11 finals, winning titles in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017. Hurricanes were also crowned 2018 champions through subregional.

Stat Leaders: Williams Valley — QB Brady Shomper 79-123, 1,712 yards, 27 TDs passing, 137-955, 15 TDs rushing; RB Fletcher Thompson 147-1,572, 20 TDs rushing, 13-388, 5 TDs receiving; WR Evan Achenbach 32-603, 9 TDs; WR Blazer Lords 18-345, 5 TDs; Colin Crisswell 15-313, 7 TDs; LB Trevon Bair 103 tackles, 8 TFLs, 5 sacks; K Quin Smeltz 68-73 XP, 1-3 FG.

Schuylkill Haven — QB Max Heim 47-83, 1,064 yards, 22 TDs; RB Colton Reber 179-2,663, 36 TDs rushing, 13-361, 7 TDs receiving; RB Niko Castillo 64-800, 13 TDs rushing, 15-410, 9 TDs receiving; WR Blake Rossi 8-163, 3 TDs; OT/NG Chase Williams 74 tackles, 26 TFLs; K Grayson Fessler 48-55 XP, 1-2 FG … Reber has 45 total TDs and 298 points.

Fast Facts: Schuylkill Haven enters ranked No. 1 in PennLive.com’s Class AA state poll. Williams Valley is No. 6. … Schuylkill Haven is 50-26 all-time in postseason games, 26-13 with Mike Farr as head coach. … Colton Reber did not play in last year’s district final due to injury. … Haven senior RB/LB Niko Carestia is still sidelined for tonight’s game with a broken leg. … Heim is first Haven QB to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season since Mookie Miller in 2005. … Williams Valley is in district championship game for ninth time in 10 seasons. … Vikings are 102-22 (.823) since 2016 and 168-48 (.778) since 2008. In district playoffs for 18th straight season. … Shomper has thrown for 1,024 yards and 16 TDs with no interceptions in Vikings’ last five games. Last week he threw for 185 yards and four TDs and rushed 12 times for 140 yards. … Williams Valley seniors are 41-9 for their careers.

Up Next: Winner faces the Lakeland-Lansdale Catholic winner in the PIAA quarterfinals next weekend at a District 11 site. Lakeland (12-0) takes on Lansdale Catholic (10-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Germantown Supersite in Philadelphia.