A win and a trip to the PIAA state semifinals would mean everything to the Williams Valley Vikings after the team fell in the quarterfinals last year and the first round in 2023.
It would be especially meaningful for a senior group that has won three consecutive District 11 Class 2A Championships — all over Schuylkill Haven — with this year’s being especially impressive.
“The tradition of winning here has been around for a long time, and I believe it’s our eighth district championship title in the last 10 years and the second time in school history we’ve won a third straight,” Williams Valley coach Ben Ancheff said. “Them growing up and watching the older kids and then getting prepared the same way for Friday nights like this is what it’s all about.”
Williams Valley (12-1; 8-1) will face Lansdale Catholic (11-2; 5-1) in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals on Friday evening at Lehighton High School.
“We stay focused this time of the year and keep the ball moving, having good practices,” senior lineman Eli Weiss said. “I wouldn’t want to play for any other program and I’d want to continue helping with the program when I’m done.”
Williams Valley ranks No. 3 in this week’s PennLive.com state football high school rankings.
The Vikings came up short against Riverside in last year’s state quarterfinals, falling 24-21 after turning the ball over six times. In 2023, Williams Valley suffered a 42-21 loss to Dunmore in the first round.
“I’d tell the younger kids to not take this for granted, because we’ve been there a couple times and lost and it really hurts,” senior quarterback Brady Shomper said. “Knowing it’s my senior year, I’m just going out there playing it like it’s our last.”
Williams Valley senior Brady Shomper (7) throws a pass as Marian Catholic hosts Williams Valley at Men of Marian Stadium, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Rush Twp. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
Record breaking squad
Two Williams Valley program records were broken this season.
Shomper became the Vikings’ all-time career leader in touchdown passes when he threw his 67th against Executive Education in the District 11 Class 2A playoff opener on Nov. 1.
Quin Smeltz broke her sister Sage’s career record of 68 extra points in the district semifinals against Minersville on Nov. 8.
“This team’s experience goes a long way, and a lot of these guys have played more than 40 games at this point, so they have a lot of time on the field against quality opponents,” Ancheff said. “There’s different styles and matchups in our league that I think benefit us down the stretch.”
In 2024, Fletcher Thompson became the first freshman in Williams Valley history first-ever 1,000-yard rusher as a freshman in school history.
A veteran core
A major reason Williams Valley allowed just 15 points per game this season has been their veteran-led defensive front which consists of seniors Eli Weiss and Bryce Zilinski, as well as juniors Camron Green and Shawn Romberger.
That veteran defensive line has combined for 31 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks this season, and helped limit Schuylkill Haven’s Colton Reber to under 80 yards in the second half of the district title game.
“We just want to treat it like another game, that’s how we have to look at it right now,” said Weiss. “(Schuylkill Haven has) a tough group of guys and they give us a challenge every year, and this year we’re a lot more worried about the state championship.”
Trevon Bair currently leads the Vikings with 109 total tackles, an average of 8.4 per game, and five sacks.
“I think we play our best football the deeper we get into the season. Everyone sticks together and all our relationships are bonded together better,” Bair said. “Everyone has a better bond this deep into the season so we always play best this time of the year.”
The Williams Valley football team celebrates Williams Valley junior Colin Crisswell’s (2) touchdown catch as Schuylkill Haven and Williams Valley face off during the District XI class 2A football championship at Blue Mountain High School, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
Laser focused
When former head coach Stephen Seddesse stepped down following a Week 7 win over Panther Valley and Ancheff stepped into the role for the rest of the season, the mood didn’t change.
It made Bair realize that everything the Vikings need to win a state championship is everything they already have — and nothing outside of their own locker room.
“This group has been at it since they were six years old, and a lot of these kids grew up playing for our ‘Little Vikes’ program and they were competitive all the way up through now,” Ancheff said. “It’s great for the community and hopefully we can keep this thing rolling.”
What didn’t change in Ancheff’s eyes was the team’s discipline once Seddesse departed. The offensive execution also improved drastically throughout the year with the seniors connecting through the pass game.
Shomper has thrown 30 touchdown passes and 1,996 yards this fall, and the Vikings will need to keep the strong air attack going in order to make a deep run in the state playoffs.
“We’re focused on getting further. We’ve shot ourselves in the foot the last couple of years,” Shomper said. “We lost to the team that beat Lansdale Catholic last year, so we’ve got to execute every play.”
The path to get back to the PIAA 2A state playoffs wasn’t a breeze, either.
Williams Valley opened the District 11 playoffs by taking down Executive Education, followed by a semifinal win over Minersville, led by senior quarterback Dante Carr.
Then the Vikings came back to beat undefeated Schuylkill Haven in the District 11 Championship. Shomper threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Colin Crisswell with 56 seconds to go and secured the victory with an interception.
“This win was the best of the three because of all the adversity we faced all year. And with everyone picking us to lose that game, it was great to win,” Bair said. “It was probably the toughest one to win after going down 24-7 and I don’t think anyone expected us to come back and win.”
Friday’s matchup will be Williams Valley’s first ever with Lansdale Catholic. The Vikings will play for a spot in the PIAA semifinals at 7 p.m. at Lehighton High School.