Abington Heights (9-2)

Abington Heights (9-2)

Berwick (10-1)

1 p.m. Saturday

District 2 Class 3A

Championship

Admission: $6 for adults, $4 for students

The Coaches: Abington's Joe Repshis (71-22, 8th year); Berwick's George Curry (423-91-5, 43rd year)

Last Meeting: Abington 53-19 in 2009

All-Time Series: Tied 1-1

Quick Fact: Berwick's 3-0 victory over Abington for the 2008 D2-3A title was the lowest scoring championship game in District 2 history.

What's At Stake: The winner plays the winner of tonight's District 11 championship game between Allentown Central Catholic (6-5) and Southern Lehigh (8-3). The game will be at a District 2 site.

Scouting Abington: Eight quarters and counting. It's been that long since the Comets' offense has found the end zone. Abington was shut out 35-0 by Scranton in its regular-season finale and needed two interceptions returned for touchdowns by Dante Pasqualichio to defeat Valley View 13-6 in the semifinals.

While the offense has struggled, it can be potent. Pasqualichio is a solid runner and thrower. The Comets use three running backs, but none was effective last week.

The defense has a couple strong pass rushers in Paul Hubbard and Simon Patrick Williams and that could be troublesome since Berwick allowed seven sacks last Saturday. The Comets have limited six opponents to one touchdown and shut out another, Pittston Area in their opener.

Scouting Berwick: The Dawgs won their seventh in a row with a 28-7 victory over Dallas in the semifinals. They scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away.

QB C.J. Curry threw for 133 yards, but was sacked seven times. RB Matt Cashman was bottled up for just 47 yards. The 1,300-yard rusher has been held under 100 yards in five of Berwick's last six games. Jeff Steeber has been impressive as a runner and receiver, while WR Jake Pecorelli is a standout on both sides of the ball.

The defense played much better in the second half vs. Dallas, recording all eight of its sacks. Its ability to slow down Dallas' solid attack was probably the deciding factor. The Dawgs have two shutouts and have held four opponents to one touchdown.

What To Expect: It could be a perfect storm for Berwick. Its defense played well in the final two quarters vs. Dallas while Abington's offense hasn't produced lately. But things can change.

-- John Erzar