Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) announced its playoff brackets in six classifications for the 2023 WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships, with championship games in Class 5A and Class 6A to be held on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Norwin High School, and title tilts in Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 4A to be held on Friday, Nov. 24 at Acrisure Stadium.
A total of 67 teams from the six classifications qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships. Postseason contests begin on Friday, Nov. 3 with first-round contests in all classifications but Class 6A, as that classification begins play on Friday, Nov. 10 with semifinal games. Teams qualify for the postseason by finishing in the top four in sections of seven teams or less and finishing in the top five in sections of eight. In Class 1A, the top four sections in each section qualify, regardless of how many teams are in that section.
Central Catholic (9-1, 4-0) topped the only section in Class 6A, while in Class 5A, Peters Township (10-0, 5-0) captured Section I, Gateway (5-5, 5-0) took home Section II, and Penn Hills (8-2, 5-0) claimed the Section III plaque.
In Class 4A, Aliquippa (9-0, 7-0) reigned in Section I, Mars (8-2, 6-0) collected the Section II plaque, and McKeesport (9-1, 6-0) topped the Section III field. Avonworth (10-0, 6-0) is an unbeaten champion in Section I for Class 3A, East Allegheny (8-2, 5-0) captured Section II, and Belle Vernon (8-1, 5-0) took home Section III.
At Class 2A, Steel Valley (8-1, 7-0) and Neshannock (9-1, 7-0) went unbeaten in conference play to win Section I and Section II, respectively, while Washington (9-1, 5-1) won Section III on a head-to-head tiebreaker. In Class 1A, Clairton (8-2, 6-0) bested the Section I competition, California (9-1, 7-0) claimed the Section II plaque, Fort Cherry (10-0, 7-0) earned Section III, and South Side (10-0, 6-0) captured Section IV.
The champion in each classification qualifies for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Football Championships, which begin for Class 5A and Class 6A in the quarterfinal round on Nov. 24-25, and in the semifinal round for Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 4A on Dec. 1-2. Championship games in all six classifications will be held on Dec. 8-10 at Chapman Field on the campus of Cumberland Valley High School.
The reigning WPIAL football champions are Union in Class 1A, Steel Valley in Class 2A, Belle Vernon in Class 3A, Aliquippa in Class 4A, Pine-Richland in Class 5A, and North Allegheny in Class 6A.
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Championship Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 18 at Norwin High School – 6:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 4
Top Four Seeds: #1 Central Catholic (9-1, 4-0), #2 North Allegheny (9-1, 3-1), #3 Canon-McMillan (6-4, 2-2), #4 Mt. Lebanon (5-5, 1-3)
2022 Final: North Allegheny 35, Central Catholic 21
CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Championship Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 18 at Norwin High School – 12:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 8
Top Four Seeds: #1 Peters Township (10-0, 5-0), #2 Penn Hills (8-2, 5-0), #3 Pine-Richland (7-3, 4-1), #4 Gateway (5-5, 5-0)
Qualifying Teams: Bethel Park, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Moon, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland
2022 Final: Pine-Richland 34, Upper St. Clair 3
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Championship Game Details: Friday, Nov. 24 at Acrisure Stadium – 8:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 13
Top Four Seeds: #1 Aliquippa (9-0, 7-0), #2 McKeesport (9-1, 6-0), #3 Montour (9-1, 6-1), #4 Mars (8-2, 6-0)
Qualifying Teams: Aliquippa, Central Valley, Chartiers Valley, Greater Latrobe, Highlands, Kiski Area, Mars, McKeesport, Montour, North Catholic, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Allegheny
2022 Final: Aliquippa 34, Central Valley 7
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Championship Game Details: Friday, Nov. 24 at Acrisure Stadium – 5:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 12
Top Four Seeds: #1 Belle Vernon (8-1, 5-0), #2 Avonworth (10-0, 6-0), #3 Elizabeth Forward (9-1, 4-1), #4 East Allegheny (8-2, 5-0)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Elizabeth Forward, Knoch, Mt. Pleasant, Shady Side Academy, South Park, Southmoreland, West Mifflin
2022 Final: Belle Vernon 24, Avonworth 7
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Championship Game Details: Friday, Nov. 24 at Acrisure Stadium – 2:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 14
Top Four Seeds: #1 Steel Valley (8-1, 7-0), #2 Neshannock (9-1, 7-0), #3 Washington (9-1, 5-1), #4 Imani Christian Academy (7-2, 5-1)
Qualifying Teams: Beaver Falls, Burrell, Derry, Ellwood City, Imani Christian Academy, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Mohawk, Neshannock, Serra Catholic, Steel Valley, Washington, Waynesburg Central, Western Beaver
2022 Final: Steel Valley 34, Beaver Falls 14
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Championship Game Details: Friday, Nov. 24 at Acrisure Stadium – 11:00 AM
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 South Side (10-0, 6-0), #2 Fort Cherry (10-0, 7-0), #3 Bishop Canevin (7-1, 5-1), #4 Clairton (8-2, 6-0)
Qualifying Teams: Bishop Canevin, Burgettstown, California, Clairton, Cornell, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Laurel, Leechburg, Monessen, Rochester, South Side, Union, West Greene
2022 Final: Union 26, Bishop Canevin 0
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