Boyertown, Spring-Ford, Phoenixville girls teams grab top 10 seeds in districts

The Spring-Ford girls soccer team was unbeaten in the entire postseason in 2013 – with the exception of one team.

The Rams and defending PIAA champion Neshaminy, which got the better of the newly-crowned back-to-back Pioneer Athletic Conference champions in districts and the PIAA final, could renew acquaintances in the District 1-AAA quarterfinals with a state berth on the line for the second year in a row.

But Saturday is a long way away, especially the first week of the District 1-AAA soccer playoffs.

Boyertown, Spring-Ford and Phoenixville received top 10 seeds for this week’s District 1 girls soccer tournament, which gets under way Tuesday when all seven PAC-10 qualifiers (boys and girls) will be in action.

Spring-Ford is seeded No. 7 while Boyertown, the PAC-10 Liberty Division champion in the regular season, is seeded No. 5, the highest of any local AAA team, missing a first-round bye by one spot. The Frontier Division champion Phoenixville came in at No. 9, while No. 27 Owen J. Roberts rounds out the girls AAA field.

On the boys side, PAC-10 runner-up Boyertown is seeded No. 13 and PAC-10 champion Owen J. Roberts is slotted at No. 19. Methacton also qualified for the boys AAA field, at No. 21.

In Class AA, the Pottsgrove boys are seeded No. 2 behind top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep. On the girls side, PAC-10 finalist Pope John Paul II comes in at No. 4 and earned a home game against No. 5 Springfield-Montco. Upper Perkiomen is seeded No. 7 and matches up with No. 2 Lower Moreland.

The Boyertown girls (13-4) open their bid to return to the PIAA playoffs, where they reached the quarterfinals last year, at home against No. 28 Upper Dublin (5:30 p.m.). Boyertown was topped only by No. 1 Pennsbury, No. 2 Central Bucks East, No. 3 Pennridge and No. 4 Rustin, the four teams to receive first-round byes.

Spring-Ford (14-3-3) hosts No. 26 West Chester Henderson (7 p.m.) in the first round and is in the same quarter as Neshaminy (10-5-3), seeded No. 15, and No. 2 C.B. East (14-2-2), which reached the PIAA semifinals in 2013 and ended Boyertown’s season.

Phoenixville (14-4-1) hosts No. 24 William Tennent in the opening round (7 p.m.). The Phantoms, which were in Class AA a year ago and reached the final, are grouped in No. 1 seed Pennsbury’s quarter. Pennsbury is 15-0-3 this season.

The OJR girls (9-7-2) travel to No. 6 Council Rock North on Tuesday (7 p.m.).

In boys AAA, Unionville captured the No. 1 seed, followed by Neshaminy, Conestoga and Wissahickon, all of which receive first-round byes.

Boyertown (15-5) hosts No. 20 Lower Merion in the first round (7:30 p.m.), with a prospective meeting with No. 4 Wissahickon in the second round.

No. 19 Owen J. Roberts, which topped Boyertown 2-1 in the PAC-10 final last Thursday (PAC-10 playoff games do not factor into district seedings), visits No. 14 Great Valley (7 p.m.).

No. 21 Methacton (10-6) travels to No. 12 Strath Haven for its first-round encounter.

Pottsgrove’s bid in Class AA begins next Tuesday, Oct. 28, in a semifinal matchup with No. 3 Lower Moreland. It will be the 7 p.m. matchup of a doubleheader at a site to be determined.

District 3

The Daniel Boone boys and girls teams each qualified for the District 3-AAA Championships, which began with play-in rounds Saturday.

The Blazer boys (11-5-1) earned the No. 8 seed and host No. 9 Manheim Township (15-4-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Daniel Boone girls (15-5), which fell to eventual champion Wilson in the Berks semifinals last Monday, are the No. 11 seed and travel to No. 6 Hershey (15-3) for a 5 p.m. game Tuesday.