As coaches at any level will remind you, it’s tough to win football games. It’s especially tough to win week after week in a season that begins in the heat of August and for a precious few, has extended to the chill of Thanksgiving.

In Pennsylvania, 553 schools produce football teams. Of that number, just 24 remain vying for state championships, and of those 24, just five remain undefeated.

In Class 4A, District 3 champ Twin Valley is unbeaten and will play perennial District 7 power Aliquippa in one semifinal, while District 11 champ Southern Lehigh faces Cardinal O’Hara from the Philadelphia Catholic League in the other semifinal.

Northwestern Lehigh, which has incredibly lost just one game in the last three seasons, is also one of the five remaining unbeatens, and the Tigers find themselves just one win away from securing their third consecutive appearance in the state finals.

While Northwestern plays Trinity from District 3 in one semifinal on Friday night, Avonworth, the same team the Tigers beat in last year’s state final, plays Penn Cambria in the other Class 3A semifinal. Avonworth is another of the remaining unbeatens.

As you’d expect, the four semifinalists in each class fill up the top four spots in each class in the latest state rankings compiled by Eric Epler of Pennlive.com.

Here are the latest rankings:

CLASS 6A

Rank – Team – District — Record — Previous

1.; Harrisburg (3); 13-0; 1

2.; La Salle College HS (12); 11-1; 2

3.; Pittsburgh CC (7); 11-1; 3

4.; North Penn (1); 12-2; 9

5.; Easton Area (11); 13-1; 4

6.; Central York (3); 11-2; 5

7.; State College (6); 10-3; 6

8.; St. Joseph’s Prep (12); 5-5; 8

9.; Pennridge (1); 12-2; 7

10.; Parkland (11); 12-1; 10

Honorable mention: Coatesville (1) 10-3 Imhotep Charter (12) 8-5, Manheim Township (3) 10-2, Wilson-West Lawn (3) 9-3.

CLASS 5A

Rank – Team – District — Record — Previous

1.; Roman Catholic (12); 10-3; 2

2.; Peters Township (7); 13-0; 3

3.; Bishop McDevitt (3); 11-2; 5

4.; Springfield-Delco (1); 14-0; 6

5.; Pine-Richland (7); 11-2; 1

6.; Chester (1); 13-1; 4

7.; Hollidaysburg (6); 13-1; 7

8.; Solanco (3); 11-2; 8

9.; Exeter Township (3); 10-3; 9

10.; Upper St. Clair (7); 10-3 ; 10

Honorable mention: Moon (7) 9-4, New Oxford (3) 11-1, Strath Haven (1) 10-3, West Chester Rustin (1) 10-3.

CLASS 4A

Rank – Team – District — Record — Previous

1.; Twin Valley (3); 13-0;  1

2.; Southern Lehigh (11); 13-1; 3

3.; Aliquippa (7); 10-3; 6

4.; Cardinal O’Hara (12); 10-4; 9

5.; Shamokin (4); 13-1; 5

6.; Susquehanna Twp. (3); 12-1; 4

7.; North Pocono (2); 13-1; 5

8.; Wyomissing (3); 10-2; 7

9.; Oil City (10); 10-2; 8

10.; West York (3); 10-2; 10

Honorable mention: Bethlehem Catholic (11) 8-5, Bishop Shanahan (1) 8-5, McKeesport (7) 9-4, Punxsutawney (9) 10-2.

CLASS 3A

Rank – Team – District — Record – Previous

1.; Avonworth (7); 13-0; 1

2.; Northwestern Lehigh (11); 14-0; 2

3.; Penn Cambria (6); 12-2;  6

4.; Trinity (3); 11-3; 7

5.; Imani Christian (7); 12-1; 3

6.; ND-Green Pond (11); 12-1; 5

7.; Sharon (10); 9-4; 4

8.; Hickory (10); 10-2; 8

9.; Neumann-Goretti (12); 8-5; 9

10.; Scranton Prep (2); 8-6; 10

Honorable mention: Berks Catholic (3) 9-3, Berwick (2) 11-1, Mifflinburg (4) 10-3, North Catholic (7) 9-4, North Schuylkill (11) 8-4.

CLASS 2A

Rank – Team – District — Record — Previous

1.; Farrell (10); 12-2; 1

2.; Southern Columbia (4); 13-1; 2

3.; Lansdale Catholic (12); 12-2; 8

4.; Seton-LaSalle (7); 12-1; 7

5.; Williams Valley (11); 12-2; 3

6.; Schuylkill Haven (11); 12-1; 4

7.; Steelton-Highspire (3); 10-3; 5

8.; Richland (6); 12-2; 6

9.; Troy (4); 11-2; 10

10.; Steel Valley (7); 9-4; 9

Honorable mention: Bishop McCort (6) 12-1, Karns City (9) 9-3, Lakeland (2) 11-2, Washington (7) 10-3, Western Beaver (7) 10-2.

CLASS 1A

Rank – Team – District — Record — Previous

1.; Clairton (7); 13-1; 1

2.; Greenville (10); 12-1; 6

3.; Bishop Guilfoyle (6); 12-2; 4

4.; Belmont Charter (1); 11-1; 10

5.; Laurel (7); 11-1; 5

6.; Lackawanna Trail (2); 12-2; 2

7.; Port Allegany (9); 12-1; 3

8.; Fort Cherry (7); 12-1; 7

9.; Line Mountain (4); 11-1; 8

10.; Westinghouse (8); 7-5; 9

Honorable mention: Bishop Canevin (7) 9-4, Meyersdale (5) 11-2, Montgomery (4) 10-2, Wilmington (10) 8-4.