High school football tradition never graduates.
Each fall, ghosts of seasons past fuel the motivation for the present. Players, many of whom have had grandfathers, fathers, uncles and brothers represent their school’s colors, take their turn striving to meet expectations.
Communities rally around the programs. Businesses and storefronts display signs of support. Streets are lined with ribbons and streamers. Front yards are filled with team signs.
Success is measured differently for every program. On the field, though, what drives the passion are the wins and championships.
This is the 25th season in the current version of the Lackawanna Football Conference.
After the Big 11 and Suburban Conference merged for the 1998 and 1999 seasons, District 2 took a shot at an inclusive league, the Northeast Pennsylvania Football Conference. Those two experiments, with an ambitious goal to even the playing field, failed to generate competitive spirit, and local interest in matchups waned.
That led to this version of the 20-team conference. It has undergone cosmetic adjustments to create schedules while attempting to maintain a fair schedule for every member.
The dynamics of high school football changed dramatically with the advent of the District 2 and PIAA playoffs. The pursuit of those titles became a priority, and tradition, while still important, took a back seat.
Lost in the new league were many head-to-head matchups between neighboring programs that created the memorable games of a foregone era.
The changes have had an impact, and the previous decades are becoming fading memories.
Seventeen programs won championships at the league or district level from 2001 to 2025.
Some programs have thrived in this setup, which doesn’t resemble the 1970s and 1980s when few teams repeated as champions in the highly intense Big 11 and Suburban Conferences.
Here is a look at the top big-school and small-school programs and what they have achieved in the past 25 years.
BIG SCHOOLS
Delaware Valley Warriors
The program was in its infancy when the Big 11 and Suburban Conferences were headed toward disbanding. The Warriors struggled to field competitive teams with low participation. From 1992 to 2000, Delaware Valley won six games in its first nine seasons. With an uptick in enrollment and the hiring of head coach Keith Olsommer, who is entering his 28th season, the program is one of the most stable and successful in District 2.
From 2011 to 2020, Delaware Valley had four seasons of at least 10 wins and finished with an 88-29 record, which was best among the big schools. The Warriors dominated when the state moved from four classifications to six in 2016, capturing eight straight District 2 Class 6A titles. Last season, Delaware Valley earned the Class 5A championship.
Valley View Cougars
It should come as no surprise that most successful program in the 1970s and 1980s draws on that tradition.
Blakely, Jessup, and Archbald joined to form Valley View High School in 1969. Frank Pazzaglia was the head coach, and the program went 88-21-3 from 1970 to 1979 and 88-25-3 from 1980 to 1989.
The Cougars average 7.2 wins per season in the last 25 seasons. Valley View finished with a 74-40 record from 2011 to 2020, second to Delaware Valley.
After the abbreviated COVID-19 season in 2020, Valley View has a 49-15 record to top the big schools in the LFC. The Cougars won five District 2 championships and five LFC titles in this quarter-century.
Abington Heights Comets
In the late 1990s, Abington Heights’ success and large roster numbers played a key role in the restructuring of the Big 11 and Suburban Conferences.
From 2001 to 2010, the Comets were the premier big-school program in District 2, but especially among teams in the Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association. Abington Heights boasted an 84-30 record from 2001 to 2010, having 15 more wins than Delaware Valley.
Abington Heights, however, did endured some tough stretches. Starting with a 1-10 season in 2017, the Comets went 11-43, including the 2020 season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Comets have recovered. They are 29-29 from 2021 to 2025 in the aftermath of that lost season in 2020, with a District 2 Class 5A title in 2024.
Scranton Knights
Boosted by its best 10-year stretch in the program’s history from 2001 to 2010, Scranton is the only other big-school program to be above .500 in the last 25 seasons.
From 2001 to 2010, the Knights were 62-42. They won a District 2 Class 4A championship in 2003 and LFC Division I titles in 2002 and 2003.
Scranton went 57-49 over the next 10 years and captured a District 2 Class 4A championship in 2011 and LFC Division I titles in 2011 and 2012.
During the 25 years, Scranton has had three head coaches: John Marichak (nine seasons, 57-46), Mike Marichak (11 seasons, 61-48) and Steve Shumbres (eight seasons, 33-50). Jack Miles, who starts his first season in 2026, served as an assistant coach at Scranton.
Lackawanna Football Conference (JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF GRAPHIC)
SMALL SCHOOLS
Dunmore Bucks
Dunmore, a program that competes in Class 2A and occasionally in Class 1A, has thrived more than any other after the dissolution of the Big 11.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Bucks regularly challenged for Big 11 titles. They captured the conference flag in 1973, 1974 and 1975 with a 27-4-1 record. They also won the crown in 1978 with a 10-0-1 record.
In 1985, Dunmore had one of the finest seasons in area history with a 13-0 record. The Bucks followed that up with a 9-0 conference record and a 13-1 finish on the way to the 1989 PIAA Class 1A championship.
Dunmore added Big 11 championships in 1993 and 1995, ending a 25-year stretch where the program won a championship in eight seasons.
However, just as Abington Heights, Delaware Valley and Scranton showed signs of blossoming participation, Dunmore’s small enrollment hurt its roster size, and the program endured a 3-15 conference record in the final two years (1996-97).
After the realignment, Dunmore built upon an already rich tradition. The Bucks lead all LFC programs with a 236-80 record the last 25 seasons. There have been only two head coaches: the late Hall of Famer Jack Henzes and former Dunmore standout Kevin McHale.
Since 2001, Dunmore has reached three PIAA championship games (2007, 2010 and 2014), and won 12 District 2 championships and 10 LFC titles.
From 2011 to 2020, Dunmore’s 108-23 record is the best 10-year stretch of any LFC program.
Lakeland Chiefs
The Chiefs jumped right out of the gate in the new alignment.
Lakeland had a 100-25 record from 2001 to 2010. Starting in 2001, the Chiefs won 10 or more games in four straight seasons and had a 25-game regular-season winning streak in that time. During that run, the program won four District 2 Class 2A championships under the guidance of coach Dan Case.
Jeff Wasilchak, who had success at Lackawanna Trail, took over the program in 2008. During his 11 seasons, the Chiefs averaged 7.4 wins and had 10-win seasons in 2010 and 2016.
Lakeland has had a roller-coaster ride with seasons at both ends of the spectrum.
In 2022, the Chiefs finished 12-1 and won the District 2 Class 2A championship. They followed with back-to-back seasons that produced a 4-17 record. Last fall, Lakeland went 11-2 and won another District 2 Class 2A crown.
In the last five seasons, the Chiefs are tied with Riverside (37-22) for third behind Lackawanna Trail (52-14) and Scranton Prep (52-15) for the best records among small schools.
Old Forge Blue Devils
During the 1980s, Old Forge left the Big 11 and joined the Suburban Conference. It was the first signal of the changing landscape of NEPA football.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Blue Devils were one of the premier programs in the area, but when neighboring schools formed jointures and enrollments soared, Old Forge remained a one-school town.
When the LFC format was instituted, and in its current alignment, many of Old Forge’s opponents remained from the old Suburban Conference. The Blue Devils have a 201-90 record in the last 25 years.
Michael Schuback has been the head coach for 23 of the 25 seasons and has 194 wins. He has guided the Blue Devils to eight District 2 Class 1A championships and a trip to the PIAA Class 1A final in 2013. They also earned nine LFC Division III titles and four Division IV crowns.
From 2011 to 2020, Old Forge had 96 wins, second to Dunmore’s 108. From 2001 to 2020, the Blue Devils had a 171-65 record.
Scranton Prep Cavaliers
Scranton Prep is a private school with the largest enrollment among the small schools.
Competing mostly against big schools in the LFC alignment, the Cavaliers have found their stride. The program is 200-90 since 2001, but in the last 15 years it has a 147-38 record.
Hall of Fame coach Nick Donato helped turn the program into a perennial power, leading the Cavaliers to their first LFC Division I title in 2013 and first District 2 Class 3A crown in 2015.
Terry Gallagher took over for Donato after serving as the defensive coach. In his 10 seasons, Gallagher averages 10.3 wins per season with a 103-24 record. Scranton Prep has nine District 2 and nine LFC division championships during the last 25 seasons.
From 2015 to 2018, Scranton Prep had a 49-7 record.
Lackawanna Trail Lions
The program that often has the smallest enrollment has had outstanding success.
The Lions have had coaching stability.
Jeff Wasilchak coached the Lions from 1997 to 2008 and built them into a steady winner with seven District 2 titles and nine league titles. Rob Deremer coached for a short time before Steve Jervis took over, guiding the program to 136 wins in 17 seasons.
Lackawanna Trail is the fifth small school to have 200 wins in the last 25 seasons, joining Dunmore, Old Forge, Lakeland and Scranton Prep.
The Lions’ most recent run is best among small schools with a 52-14 record. Lackawanna Trail has 14 District 2 championships (13 in Class 1A, 1 in Class 2A), leading the small schools in the last 25 seasons.
Lackawanna Trail also reached a PIAA Class 1A final in 2018.
Riverside Vikings
Riverside is the 10th and final LFC program with a winning record in the last 25 seasons.
The Vikings are 158-129 and reached a PIAA Class 1A final in 2010. From 2001 to 2010, Riverside tied Old Forge with 75 wins. It won District 2 Class 1A titles in 2008 and 2010, LFC Division II crowns in 2007 and 2008, and a Division III title in 2004.
Over the next 10 season, Riverside played steady football, but it had a 46-62 record and did not win any championships.
In the last five seasons, Riverside regained momentum.
The Vikings, in coach Harry Armstrong’s second stint, won a District 2 Class 2A title and reached the PIAA Class 2A semifinals in 2024. They had a 37-22 record, tying Lakeland for third among small schools.
Lackawanna Football Conference (JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF GRAPHIC)