The green stripes are back.

They are the fluorescent green stripes that highlight a team’s name on the District 11 website’s football power rankings when they have qualified for the district playoffs.

They made their first appearance on the site on Wednesday, and nine of the 18 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference teams got the green. The league is guaranteed of 12 each year because eight teams go in 6A and the 6A classification exclusively features EPC teams, as does the four-team 5A field.

In 5A, the green could have been placed over Whitehall, East Stroudsburg South, Pocono Mountain East, and Pleasant Valley before the season even began. In 6A, the top three teams — Easton, Nazareth and Parkland — have officially clinched spots, although their postseason bids were never in doubt.

In 4A, Bethlehem Catholic and Allentown Central Catholic have clinched spots. Winless East Stroudsburg North doesn’t look like it will make 4A. Becahi and ACCHS have combined for seven of the nine championships crowned since the PIAA went to a six-classification format in 2016.

So, as Week 9 of the high school football schedule kicks off a with a rivalry game Thursday night between Parkland and Whitehall, the quest for more green stripes continues.

Here’s a look at the matchups (all are 7 p.m. starts):

Thursday night game
Parkland (8-0, 5-0) at Whitehall (7-1, 5-0)

Storylines: The Lehigh County division title is on the line as the Trojans and Zephyrs renew their rivalry and have the stage all to themselves. Both teams have been rolling offensively. The Zephyrs are averaging a league-best 44.9 ppg, but allow 27.3. Parkland scores 38.3 ppg and allows a league-low 8.3. In fact, the Trojans are the only team in the league that doesn’t allow at least two touchdowns per game. Whitehall will be the No. 1 seed in D11 5A no matter what happens, but Parkland needs a win here to have a shot at the top seed in 6A. Parkland leads the series 35-20 and has won nine of the last 10, including 31-7 last year.

Players to watch: Parkland doesn’t possess a top-5 rusher, passer, or receiver, but TJ Lawrence is fifth in the league in scoring with 16 touchdowns. Liam Spang is eighth in the league in tackles with 52 stops, including three sacks. Whitehall’s Tanner Dogmanits is second in the league in passing with 1,632 yards and 18 TDs. His brother, Talon, is third in the league in catches with 35 for 732 yards and 11 scores.

Keith Groller’s pick: Parkland 34-14

Friday night games
Allentown Central Catholic (4-4, 3-2) at Dieruff (1-7, 1-4)

Storylines: The Vikings are likely locked into the No. 3 seed in 4A and are likely to get a quarterfinal-round home game. They would love to build some momentum after a 37-7 loss to Parkland in which their running game was limited to 37 yards and the only score came on a 62-yard TD pass from Patrick Cahill to Tahir Edmondson. Dieruff had just 96 total yards against Emmaus. Three quarterbacks combined to complete 8 of 22 passes for 38 yards. Dieruff is averaging just 10 points per game. Only East Stroudsburg North is scoring fewer. ACCHS won last year’s game 34-9 and has won 13 in a row in the series.

Players to watch: Edmondson, a talented sophomore, has 30 catches for 474 yards and six scores. Cahill now has 1,249 yards passing and 13 TDs. Di’Quiawn Leak and Tate Shoemaker have combined for 71 tackles for the ACCHS defense, while Jayden Garcia leads the Huskies with 38 tackles, including 2.5 sacks.

Keith Groller’s pick: ACCHS 40-12

Allen (3-5, 0-5) at Emmaus (3-5, 2-3)

Storylines: The Canaries continue to be overmatched most weeks while playing in the EPC, but they continually battle as hard as they can with an undersized roster. They are coming off a 48-8 loss to Whitehall, while Emmaus is trying to keep its District 11 hopes alive. The Green Hornets beat Stroudsburg 48-10 on Sept. 12 and yet appear likely to be shut out of 6A, while the Mounties get one of the eight spots. For Emmaus, the last hope is getting an upset win over Parkland in Week 10 in their Cedar Crest Boulevard rivalry, but must take care of Allen first.

Players to watch: Richmond-bound Robert Edwards III has 53 tackles, including two sacks for the Emmaus defense. Asher Dougherty has 39 stops, including three sacks. TeShon Gaynair has seven sacks for the Canaries.

Keith Groller’s pick: Emmaus 33-7

Bethlehem Catholic (5-3, 2-3) at Liberty (5-3, 3-2)

Storylines: The battle of Bethlehem always has extra meaning, and this one has district positioning at stake. The Golden Hawks have clinched a D11 4A spot and could conceivably pass Southern Lehigh for the top spot if they win their last two games and the Spartans lose one of their remaining games. Liberty is in good position despite tough back-to-back losses to Nazareth and Easton and needs a win to clinch a D11 6A berth and boost confidence levels after a pair of losses by a combined 13 points.

Players to watch: The return of both of the Vassa brothers from injury was a big plus for Becahi last week. Carter Vassa leads the EPC in both receptions (45) and receiving yards (786). Axel Burkart has surpassed Cayden Vassa in pass attempts (99 to 73) and passing yards (944 to 685), but Vassa is still one of the league’s top rushers with 715 yards on the ground and 10 TDs. Liberty’s Antonio Fontanez is tops in the EPC in passing yards (1.764) and TD passes (27). The Hurricanes’ potent receiving combo of Jake Pukszyn and Zyaire Davis has combined for 61 catches and 21 TDs.

Keith Groller’s pick: Liberty 31-28

Freedom (5-3, 4-1) at Easton (8-0, 5-0)

Storylines: It has been an impressive, but not totally unexpected, resurgence by the Patriots after they started 0-2 and 1-3. Few have a better knack of bringing teams along over the course of the season than coach Jason Roeder, and part of the reason for the early struggles was the toughness of the schedule, which ultimately has been beneficial. Freedom has allowed just 27 points during its four-game winning streak, but the assignment gets much tougher against an Easton team that is third in the league in scoring at 39.5 points per game. Liberty did a great job of containing Cole Ordway last week, but Ordway remains one of the great dual-threats in EPC football.

Players to watch: Freedom’s Lashawn Johnson ran for 140 yards in his return to the lineup after an injury forced him to miss two games. Johnson has 823 yards rushing on the season. Patriots QB Michael Stofanak continues his resurgence. He’s up to 1,128 yards passing and 12 TDs. Ordway has dropped to second in the league in rushing with 1,143 yards, but is still averaging 11 yards per carry and has 21 TDs. He has 779 yards in the air.

Keith Groller’s pick: Easton 27-21

Nazareth (7-1, 4-1) at Northampton (3-5, 1-4)

Storylines: The Blue Eagles are in the 6A field and still have a shot at the top seed. Northampton needs a win to assure itself of a spot. This figures to be another high-scoring game that has been the custom for the Blue Eagles. They score 42.0 ppg, second best in the league, and allow 25.5. Northampton scores 34.3 ppg and allows 31.4. Nazareth won last year’s game 47-21 and has 12 in a row in the series.

Players to watch: The Blue Eagles are known for their offense, but have the top tackler in the league in Cooper Wenrich with 108 tackles. Northampton’s Rocco Amato has 46 stops. Nazareth’s Marquez Wimberly, who has had a lot more carries since the injury to Peyton Falzone, leads the league in rushing with 1,162 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is averaging 9.1 yards per carry.

Keith Groller’s pick: Nazareth 49-28

East Stroudsburg South (1-7, 1-4) at Stroudsburg (4-4, 3-2)

Storylines: On the heels of a district championship, it has been a disheartening season for the Cavaliers. But in this traditional rivalry that used to be played on Thanksgiving, they will give it their best shot to win the Little Brown Jug. Stroudsburg lost to Liberty, Emmaus, and Easton by an average of 44 points, but has won the games in its own backyard to put itself in good position for another district berth. South won last year’s game 20-0.

Players to watch: Stroudsburg’s Keyen Johnson is third in the league in rushing with 1,065 yards and nine scores. He averages 6.8 yards per carry. The Mounties’ Jack Michell has thrown for 1,088 yards and 12 TDs. Karis Wilkins leads the Stroudsburg defense with 72 tackles.

Keith Groller’s pick: Stroudsburg 28-14

Pleasant Valley (3-5, 2-3) at Pocono Mountain West (5-3, 2-3)

Storylines: The Bears are coming off a disappointing 28-0 loss to Pocono Mountain East, while the Panthers got their offense going in a 49-25 win over East Stroudsburg South. West needs to win to hold Emmaus for the last spot in D11 6A. West won last year’s meeting 17-12.

Players to watch: West’s Christian Stiehler continues to be one of the best players, and certainly one of the top sophomores, in the EPC. He ran for 274 yards and five TDs in last week’s win. He is fourth in the league in rushing with 974 yards and second in the league in tackles with 79. PV’s Chris Ward 430 yards rushing, and Jaxson Hains has 613 yards passing.

Keith Groller’s pick: Pocono Mountain West 28-7

Pocono Mountain East (5-3, 2-3) at East Stroudsburg North (0-8, 0-5)

Storylines: The Cardinals are looking to keep the momentum going entering districts. They are coming off an impressive shutout win over Pleasant Valley, while the Timberwolves continue to struggle for points and that elusive first win. Wayne King’s 74-yard TD run accounted for their lone points last week in a 28-6 loss to Stroudsburg.

Players to watch: East’s Amari Green has 848 yards rushing and 10 TDs. Ceejay Serfass has 1,466 yards passing and 12 TDs in the air, and Justin Williams is second in the league in catches with 40 for 657 yards.

Keith Groller’s pick: Pocono Mountain Easton 42-6

Note: Keith Groller’s picks were 8-1 last week and 67-18 on the seasonÂ