North Pocono players had reason to be excited last Friday.

On Senior Night, the Trojans earned a hard-fought, 28-21 win over Delaware Valley in overtime. When defensive back Chase Zimmerman whipped Mike Iuzzolino to the ground short of the goal line, players stormed the field.

Later in the postgame, after the band blared out the alma mater and fight song, coach Greg Dolhon praised his team for all they accomplished … so far.

That list included winning the first Lackawanna Football Conference division championship since 2009.

North Pocono is also off to its second-best regular season, as the Trojans have two undefeated teams.

The 1991 group that is considered arguably the best high school football team in Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association history finished 12-0 with a dramatic win over Berwick in the Eastern Conference I championship game.

North Pocono’s other unbeaten season was in 1968. The Trojans won the Suburban Conference championship and finished 8-0.

In its history, including those two seasons, North Pocono won at least nine games 14 times. Only in 1968 and 1991 have the Trojans won their first eight of a schedule.

North Pocono’s 1983 team that finished 11-2 started 4-0 before a loss to Scranton Prep. The 2009 team that won the last division title started 4-0 before losing to Delaware Valley. In 2016, North Pocono jumped out to a 5-0 record and then lost to West Scranton.

The Trojans will have a challenge ahead to complete the regular season campaign undefeated for the third time. On Friday, they play at Scranton Prep, which won last season’s LFC Division I title and defeated Jersey Shore, 51-19, in Week 9.

Division crown

Unlike other sports, there are no open dates to break ties for league championships in the LFC. There is also no tiebreaker formula, so when teams have identical division records, they are awarded co-championships.

Lakeland defeated West Scranton, 35-14, in Week 9. The Chiefs, who have had a remarkable turnaround from a two-year stretch where they had a record of 4-17, clinched a tie for the LFC Division II title.

On Friday, Lakeland (8-1, 4-0 in Division I) will host Mid Valley (4-5, 3-1) at 7 p.m. Mid Valley, which shared the division title with Western Wayne last season, could tie Lakeland for first place with a win.

Dunmore could also grab a share of the championship if Mid Valley wins and the Bucks defeat Western Wayne (2-7, 0-4) in Week 10.

Lakeland’s division championship is the program’s 12th in the LFC. In its history, Lakeland has 25 championships, which include the 12 league titles in the LFC, seven as a member of the Suburban Conference in the 1970s, four in the Big 11 during the 1980s and two as a member of the NEPFC in 2000 and 2001.

Down to the wire

For the second straight season, the LFC Division III title will be decided with a head-to-head battle in Week 10.

Lackawanna Trail (8-1, 4-0) plays at Riverside (8-1, 4-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.

Last season, Lackawanna Trail defeated the Vikings, 42-20, to win its second straight LFC division championship. The Lions have nine division titles as a member of the LFC and 15 league titles overall, including two in the NEPFC and four as a member of the Suburban Conference.

Riverside has four LFC division championships, with the last one coming in 2008. Overall, the Vikings have nine league championships, including one in the Suburban Conference, three as a member of the Big 11 and one in the NEPFC.

Playoff picture

In the aftermath of Week 9, the District 2 playoff picture cleared up for many LFC teams.

Lackawanna Trail clinched a spot in the District 2-11 Class 1A subregional several weeks ago. The Lions also locked down the No. 1 seed, securing a home game in the semifinals.

Marian Catholic (6-3, .538) and Tri-Valley are also among the four qualifiers. Nativity BVM (4-5, .387) will play Marian Catholic in Week 10. Holy Cross (3-6, .370) and Old Forge (2-7, .277) will try to displace Nativity BVM as the fourth qualifier.

Lakeland (8-1, .688) and Riverside (8-1, .667) are locked in a race for the No. 1 seed in the District 2 Class 2A playoffs. It’s an important seed. Lakeland has the slight lead heading into the final weekend and will face a tough opponent in Mid Valley, while Riverside hosts Lackawanna Trail.

Regardless of which team is No. 1 or No. 2, both will host semifinal games in Week 11. Dunmore (6-3, .549) is locked into the No. 3 seed and will play at either Lakeland or Riverside to open the postseason.

Holy Redeemer (2-7, .257) picked up an important win over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech last Saturday and will be the No. 4 seed.

In Class 3A, where the number of qualifiers reduced from eight to four, Berwick (9-0, .767) and Wyoming Area (8-1, .718) clinched two of the spots.

Berwick plays at Tunkhannock (4-5), and Wyoming Area is home against rival Pittston Area in Week 10. Berwick has a win over Wyoming Area that should prevent it from losing the No. 1 seed.

Scranton Prep (5-4, .569) helped its cause with a thumping of Jersey Shore last week. The Cavaliers are fourth in the power rating standings. Hanover Area (5-4, .513) dominated Lake-Lehman last week, plays at home against Nanticoke Area (0-9) and is in an advantageous position for one of the four spots.

Things could get dicey as the data enters the computer after the outcomes in Week 10. If Mid Valley defeats Lakeland, if Lake-Lehman defeats Dallas, if Carbondale Area beats Old Forge and if Tunkhannock beats Berwick, fans will pay close attention to the power rating standings.

North Pocono (9-0, .781) is the No. 1 seed for the Class 4A postseason. Valley View (5-4, .589) will try to fend off hard-charging Dallas (5-4, .568) for the No. 2 seed and a home game in the semifinals. The Cougars play at home against Wallenpaupack, and Dallas is home against Lake-Lehman in Week 10.

Crestwood (4-5, .486) is in fourth place with Wallenpaupack (3-6, .467) pursuing. Crestwood plays at Wyoming Valley West, and Wallenpaupack is at Valley View to finish the regular season.

Pittston Area (8-1, .712) holds the No. 1 seed, and will try to hold on as Abington Heights (7-2, .677) is closing the gap. The Patriots have a daunting challenge against Wyoming Area this week, and Abington Heights is at Hazleton Area (1-8).

Delaware Valley (4-5, .571) is locked in at the No. 3 seed, and will start the postseason on the road. The Warriors play at Scranton in a Thursday night game at 7 p.m.

Wyoming Valley West (1-8, .331) remains ahead of West Scranton (2-7, .317) for the fourth spot. West Scranton plays an important home game against Honesdale on Friday.

Wilkes-Barre Area (6-3, .639) clinched the No. 1 seed for the District 2-4 Class 6A subregional playoffs. Williamsport secured the No. 2 seed, and it appears Scranton (2-7, .397) will travel to play the Millionaires in Week 11.