Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) set its brackets for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships presented by Noble Environmental on Saturday, with 65 teams qualifying across the six classifications. The brackets were announced exclusively on the WPIAL/KDKA Radio Selection Saturday Show presented by PennWest University beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Teams competed in one section in Class 6A, three different sections in Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A, and Class 5A, and four sections in Class 1A. In Class 6A, the top four teams qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships, while the top three teams plus additional wild cards punched their ticket in Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 5A. In Class 4A, the top two teams plus two wild cards will compete in the postseason.
In the lone section at Class 6A, Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0) captured its second straight section title and third in six seasons.
At Class 5A, the section champions were Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0) in Section I, Woodland Hills (8-2, 6-0) in Section II, and Upper St. Clair (10-0, 6-0) in Section III. Woodland Hills and Upper St. Clair broke droughts of nine and seven seasons, respectively, while it’s five section titles in six seasons for Pine-Richland.
The Class 4A section winners included McKeesport (6-4, 5-0) in Section II, Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 5-0) in Section III, and a three-way tie between Aliquippa (6-2, 4-1), Montour (8-1, 4-1), and West Allegheny (4-3, 4-1) in Section I. Aliquippa has won a share of its fifth consecutive section championship, while it’s three straight for McKeesport and five in seven years for Thomas Jefferson. Montour and West Allegheny’s shares of Section I mark the first time since 2012 and 2016, respectively, that they topped their section.
In Class 3A, Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0) won Section II, Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0) took Section III, and Avonworth (7-3, 5-1), Beaver (8-2, 5-1), and Central Valley (5-5, 5-1) shared Section I. This marks the third straight section championship for Avonworth, three in five seasons for Elizabeth Forward, and four in six seasons for Central Valley. Beaver and Imani Christian Academy last won their sections in 2009 and 2017, respectively, prior to this season.
The Class 2A section champions were South Park (9-1, 6-0) in Section I, Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0) in Section II, and Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0) in Section III. All three schools snapped extended section champion droughts, as Seton LaSalle and South Park last won in 2017, and Ellwood City’s title is its first since 1997.
At Class 1A, the section winners were Clairton (10-0, 7-0) in Section I, Jefferson-Morgan (10-0, 7-0) in Section II, Fort Cherry (10-0, 6-0) in Section III, and Neshannock (9-1, 6-0) in Section IV. Fort Cherry and Neshannock are both repeat section winners, while it’s five in six seasons for Clairton. Jefferson-Morgan’s title is its first since 2006.
In last season’s WPIAL Football Championships, North Allegheny outlasted Central Catholic in Class 6A (44-41), Peters Township defeated Pine-Richland in Class 5A (43-17), Aliquippa bested McKeesport in Class 4A (35-21), Belle Vernon topped Avonworth in Class 3A (26-0), Beaver Falls edged Steel Valley in Class 2A (14-12), and Fort Cherry topped South Side in Class 1A (42-28).
The WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships presented by Noble Environmental begin on Friday, Nov. 1 with first round games in all classifications but Class 6A. Championship games for Class 4A and Class 6A will be played on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Norwin High School, and championship games for Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 5A will be held at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23. The WPIAL champion in each classification will qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Football Championships, which begin in the quarterfinal round for Class 4A and Class 6A on Nov. 22-23, and in the semifinal round for Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 5A on Nov. 28-29. All championship games will be held on Dec. 5-7 at Cumberland Valley High School.
CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 8
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 16 at Norwin High School – 6:05 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 4
Top Four Seeds: #1 Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0), #2 North Allegheny (9-1, 5-1), #3 Mt. Lebanon (3-7, 3-3), #4 Seneca Valley (3-6, 3-3)
2023 Final: North Allegheny 44, Central Catholic 41
CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 1
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium – 8:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 12
Top Four Seeds: #1 Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0), #2 Upper St. Clair (10-0, 6-0), #3 Peters Township (9-1, 4-1), #4 Woodland Hills (8-2, 6-0)
Qualifying Teams: Bethel Park, Franklin Regional, Greater Latrobe, Moon, North Hills, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills
2023 Final: Peters Township 43, Pine-Richland 17
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 1
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 16 at Norwin High School – 12:05 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 8
Top Four Seeds: #1 Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 6-0), #2 Montour (8-1, 4-1), #3 McKeesport (6-4, 5-0), #4 Aliquippa (6-2, 4-1)
Qualifying Teams: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, Mars, McKeesport, Montour, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Allegheny
2023 Final: Aliquippa 35, McKeesport 21
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 1
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium – 5:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 12
Top Four Seeds: #1 Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0), #2 Central Valley (5-5, 5-1), #3 Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0), #4 Beaver (8-2, 5-1)
Qualifying Teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Central Valley, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Greensburg Salem, Highlands, Imani Christian Academy, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Southmoreland
2023 Final: Belle Vernon 26, Avonworth 0
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 1
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium – 2:00 PM
Amount of Qualifiers: 13
Top Four Seeds: #1 Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0), #2 South Park (9-1, 6-0), #3 Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0), #4 Steel Valley (7-3, 5-1)
Qualifying Teams: Carlynton, Ellwood City, Keystone Oaks, Mohawk, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside, Seton LaSalle, South Allegheny, South Park, Steel Valley, Washington, Waynesburg Central, Western Beaver
2023 Final: Beaver Falls 14, Steel Valley 12
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start Date: Friday, Nov. 1
Championship Info: Saturday, Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium – 11:00 AM
Amount of Qualifiers: 16
Top Four Seeds: #1 Fort Cherry, #2 Clairton, #3 Bishop Canevin, #4 Neshannock
Qualifying Teams: Bentworth, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, California, Clairton, Cornell, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Laurel, Leechburg, Monessen, Neshannock, Rochester, South Side
2023 Final: Fort Cherry 42, South Side 28
BY THE NUMBERS
- 128: The number of schools who have boasted at least one WPIAL football champion.
- 109: The number of seasons the WPIAL has crowned a football champion. Wilkinsburg was the first in 1914.
- 85: The number of points scored in last year’s Class 6A championship game, a league record. North Allegheny defeated Central Catholic, 44-41, with the 85 combined points surpassing the 82 tallied in the 2015 Class 2A title tilt – a 44-38 win for Aliquippa over South Fayette.
- 70: The number of seasons between Rochester’s first and second WPIAL football title, which is the longest gap for any school between its first two championships. The Rams shared the 1921 crown with Westinghouse after a 0-0 tie, then claimed their second WPIAL championship in 1991 with a 20-7 victory over South Side in the Class 1A final. The schools that could break that record this year are California (75 years, 1949), Ellwood City (99 years, 1925), and Trinity (76 years, 1948).
- 51: The number of teams in the 2024 fields that qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships last season.
- 20: The number of WPIAL football championships won by Aliquippa, a league record. The Quips won in 1952, 1955, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- 10: The number of schools that qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships searching for their first title.
- 5: The longest streak of consecutive WPIAL football championships, accomplished by Clairton. The Bears won five straight Class 1A titles from 2008 to 2012.
- 3: The number of championship game rematches held during the 2023 WPIAL Football Championships. The same two teams met in both 2022 and 2023 for the finals in Class 2A, Class 3A, and Class 6A. Both Belle Vernon and North Allegheny defended their championships against Avonworth and Central Catholic, respectively, while Beaver Falls earned revenge over Steel Valley in Class 2A.
- 2: The number of schools who won their first WPIAL football championship last season. At Class 5A, Peters Township captured its first WPIAL football crown with a 43-17 win over Pine-Richland, while in the Class 1A final, Fort Cherry topped South Side, 42-28. Both the Indians and Rangers were making their third WPIAL championship game appearance.
CLASS 6A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0)
CLASS 5A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0)
Section II: Woodland Hills (8-2, 6-0)
Section III: Upper St. Clair (10-0, 5-0)
CLASS 4A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Aliquippa (6-2, 4-1); Montour (8-1, 4-1); West Allegheny (4-3, 4-1)
Section II: McKeesport (6-4, 5-0)
Section III: Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 5-0)
CLASS 3A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Avonworth (7-3, 5-1); Beaver (8-2, 5-1); Central Valley (5-5, 5-1)
Section II: Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0)
Section III: Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0)
CLASS 2A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: South Park (9-1, 6-0)
Section II: Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0)
Section III: Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0)
CLASS 1A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Clairton (10-0, 7-0)
Section II: Jefferson-Morgan (10-0, 7-0)
Section III: Fort Cherry (10-0, 6-0)
Section IV: Neshannock (9-1, 6-0)
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