For seven weeks, the Grove City High School football team was in playoff mode.

Now, the Eagles are officially in the playoffs.

The District 10 committee Sunday night tapped Grove City for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Class AA playoffs after deciding last week to wait seven more days to finalize the bracket.

Grove City (7-2) was in competition with Fort LeBoeuf (7-2) for the final at-large bid in the district, and it made for an anxious weekend as the Eagles awaited their fate.

It also made for an anxious Friday night.

"I guess if you aren't nervous before a game, you should get out, but what this did was make the game even more stressful," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell.

Grove City beat Brookville 28-0 for its sixth shutout in its last seven games. Fort LeBoeuf squeaked past Iroquois 14-13.

That was enough to lower the Eagles' stress level Sunday night.

Grove City will have a lot of time to stress out before its next game.

The Eagles will travel to Erie Veterans Stadium to play North East at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the first round of the playoffs.

That's 15 days between games. That's no problem, Bell said.

"This has been exhausting for the players as much mentally as physically," Bell said. "We're looking forward to this week. We get a chance to go back and work on some things we just didn't have time to work on during the season."

It will also give Grove City a chance to rest some of its stars.

Wide receiver Jesse Alfreno and offensive and defensive tackle Kent Uber have been banged up. For them, the extra week is a blessing.

It might also be a blessing for a team that has played under considerable pressure since dropping their first two games of the season.

After losses to Harbor Creek - the other Class AA at-large team in the playoffs - and Greenville, the Eagles rolled off seven consecutive wins in which the defense has given up just 14 points.

Bell said he isn't worried that the momentum his team has built will be interrupted now that his team finally made the postseason.

"We had so many emotional games during that seven-game run," Bell said. "We had an emotional game against Wilmington and Slippery Rock and Hickory. We had all these games we had to win, and we won them. I think we're capable of playing three or four more good games in a row."

The Eagles will face a team in North East (9-0) that has surrendered just one touchdown against its first-team defense all season.

"This North East team has good size, and you talk about teams that don't make any mistakes - this team doesn't make any mistakes," Bell said. "But our kids have a chance to watch more film because of the week off. These are some pretty smart kids. If you give them an extra week to watch film, you have to feel pretty good about that."

One thing is for sure. Grove City feels pretty good now that they are in the playoffs after a trying time waiting and wondering.

"I told the kids, 'I don't think anyone wants to play us,'" Bell said. "Mentally, we don't have to worry about whether we are in the playoff or not. We just have to worry about playing the game."