Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held their final fall championships of the 2025-26 season at the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships presented by Noble Environmental at Acrisure Stadium.
 
Peters Township has now won two WPIAL title in the last three years as they collected their first WPIAL championship in 2023 by defeating Pine-Richland.
 
Avonworth has repeated as a WPIAL champion for the first time in program history as they now have four championships overall with the other titles coming in 1959, 2019 and 2024.

Seton LaSalle is now a six-time WPIAL Champion as they’ve won their first championship since the 2004 season.

Clairton has now won their 15^th WPIAL Championship and is second among all WPIAL schools as they sit behind all-time leader Aliquippa who has 21 WPIAL titles.
  
CLASS 5A RECAP
Two-seed Peters Township stormed back from a 19–0 halftime deficit and completed the biggest comeback in WPIAL championship history with a thrilling 20–19 victory to claim the WPIAL 5A title.

Top-seeded Pine-Richland came out firing, marching 73 yards on a 12-play opening drive capped by a one-yard Jay Timmons rushing touchdown to take a 6–0 lead. Both teams traded stalled drives throughout the quarter, and no further points were scored until the second.

The Rams opened the second quarter with possession and quickly added to their lead. Junior quarterback Aaron Strader punched in a three-yard rushing touchdown to make it 12–0, capitalizing on a short 39-yard field. After another exchange of three-and-outs, the Rams struck again. With 6:47 left in the half and facing a fourth-and-12, Strader delivered a perfect 23-yard scoring pass to junior wideout Khalil Taylor, extending the lead to 19–0. Pine-Richland dominated the first half, holding the ball for 21:18 compared to Peters Township’s 8:42, and converting 4 of 8 third downs and a perfect 3 of 3 on fourth down.

After both teams squandered early second-half possessions, Peters Township finally found life. Running back Cole Neupaver broke loose from the Pine-Richland 26-yard line and sprinted 74 yards for the Indians’ first score of the day. The two-point try failed, but the deficit was cut to 19–6 with 7:47 left in the third. The Peters defense then took over, holding the Rams to -8 yards across their next two drives and giving the offense momentum. Neupaver struck again early in the fourth, this time with a 22-yard touchdown run, trimming the lead to 19–13 with 10:58 remaining.

After the defense forced yet another three-and-out, the comeback push continued. Starting at their own 34, Peters Township methodically marched down the field. Facing a fourth down at the Rams’ 46, senior quarterback Nolan Dilucia delivered one of his best throws of the night—finding Luke Rost for 32 yards to set up the Indians in the red zone. Neupaver finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown, his third of the half, giving Peters Township a 20–19 lead after scoring 20 unanswered points.
Pine-Richland had one final chance. With 3:47 left, Timmons hauled in a 31-yard pass to move the Rams to the Peters 38, but consecutive penalties on third and fourth down stalled the drive, sealing the Indians’ championship win.

Neupaver powered the Peters Township offense with 107 rushing yards on 25 carries and three second-half touchdowns. Dilucia finished 5-of-12 for 76 yards and added 32 rushing yards on nine attempts. Defensively, James Spratt was outstanding with 22 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery, while linebacker Reston Lehman added nine stops, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

For Pine-Richland, Timmons led the way with 71 rushing yards on 11 carries and one touchdown, plus 42 receiving yards on two catches. Strader contributed 78 passing yards and a touchdown while rushing for 49 yards and another score. Defensively, Grant Pillar totaled 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Peters Township reached its third straight WPIAL championship appearance with wins over Bethel Park (42–14) and Upper St. Clair (31–6), while Pine-Richland advanced with victories against Shaler (42–10) and Moon (34–24).
 
 
CLASS 3A RECAP
Top-seeded Avonworth seized control early and never let go, riding a dominant defensive performance and a pair of interception-return touchdowns to defeat Imani Christian, 30–6, and repeat as the WPIAL Class 3A championship at Acrisure Stadium.

The Lopes set the tone defensively from the start. After a pair of early punts, Avonworth struck first when junior defensive back Romello Harris jumped a route and returned an interception 12 yards for a touchdown with 3:20 left in the opening quarter, giving the Lopes a 7–0 lead.

Avonworth extended its advantage in the second quarter. A short field set up Calder Mahan’s 39-yard field goal to make it 10–0, and with just 34 seconds left in the half, playmaker Luca Neal broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run, sending the Lopes into halftime ahead 17–0. Defensively, Avonworth controlled the first half, holding Imani to just 62 yards while forcing two turnovers.

The Lopes’ defense continued its dominance immediately after halftime. With Imani backed deep, senior Jaden Jones snagged a pass and returned it 40 yards for Avonworth’s second pick-six of the day, pushing the lead to 24–0 just four minutes into the third quarter. Moments later, Jones struck again—this time on offense—hauling in a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Bellinger, extending the lead to 30–0 and effectively putting the game out of reach.

Imani Christian broke through early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Gabe Jenkins connected with David Davis on a 54-yard strike to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jenkins, trimming the deficit to 30–6 with 11:45 remaining. But that was the lone scoring drive of the day for the Saints, who were plagued by four interceptions and nine penalties.

For Avonworth, Neal led a balanced offensive attack with 105 rushing yards on 12 carries plus 63 receiving yards, totaling 184 all-purpose yards. Bellinger was efficient, completing 4-of-5 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Jones delivered a huge two-way performance with a receiving touchdown and a defensive score.

Defensively, Avonworth was the story. The Lopes forced four interceptions, including pick-sixes from Harris and Jones, and held Imani Christian to just 231 total yards. Linebacker Gavin McDowell, safety Jackson Krul, and defensive back Evan Loutzenhiser each recorded nine total tackles to lead the unit.

Imani Christian was paced by Jenkins, who rushed for 55 yards and scored the Saints’ lone touchdown while throwing for 118 yards. Davis added 98 all-purpose yards, including a 54-yard reception that set up the fourth-quarter score.

Avonworth got to the title game by upending eight-seeded Freeport 56-7, then raced by North Catholic 44-24 in the semifinal round. Imani Christiian Academy made their way to the finals by defeating 10-seed Hopewell 42-6 then shutout Central Valley 48-0 to make it to Acrisure Stadium.
 
 
CLASS 2A RECAP
Seton LaSalle claimed the WPIAL Class 2A title with a dramatic 21–14 comeback win over Steel Valley, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit with 21 straight points in the second half.

After a scoreless first half dominated by defense and field position, the game exploded after halftime when Steel Valley’s Tyrell Breland returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. Less than a minute later, Da’Ron Barksdale broke loose for a 21-yard scoring run, putting the Ironmen ahead 14–0 just 34 seconds into the third quarter.

Seton LaSalle finally answered midway through the third when Will Martin capped a short field with an 8-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 14–7. The Rebels’ defense then delivered a game-swinging moment, as Will Martin jumped a pass for an interception and returned it to the Steel Valley 20. Two plays later, Martin scored again from six yards out early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 14–14.

With momentum fully shifted, Seton LaSalle put together the drive of the day late in the fourth. A physical, 9-play, 77-yard march — powered by big runs from Kymarr Freeman and Kia Jones — set up Martin for his third touchdown of the game, an 11-yard burst with 30 seconds remaining that gave the Rebels their first lead, 21–14. The defense held on the final possession, sealing Seton LaSalle’s championship behind a dominant ground attack that piled up 329 rushing yards, including 129 from Freeman, 100 from Jones, and 47 plus all three TDs from Martin.

Seton LaSalle powered to the championship by defeating Mohawk 42-7, then narrowly beat fifth-seeded Washington 27-19 to make it to Acrisure Stadium for the second time in school history. Steel Valley first blew by Ellwood City 42-6 then defeated two-seeded Western beaver 34-7 to make it to the 2A final.
 
 
CLASS 1A RECAP
Clairton captured the WPIAL Class 1A championship with a hard-fought 8–6 victory over Laurel, leaning on a disciplined defensive effort and a perfectly executed late-half scoring drive.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Bears seized momentum late in the second with a 12-play, 80-yard march that mixed steady runs with timely throws. Quarterback Jeff Thompson capped the drive by finding Brandon Murphy for a 12-yard touchdown, and Clairton converted the two-point try to take an 8–0 lead into halftime.

The Bears continued to control the tempo through the third quarter behind strong performances from Devon Lovelac-Pompey and Donte Wright, who powered the ground game and helped Clairton manage the clock. Laurel battled back in the fourth, finally breaking through when Nathan Hill scored on a five-yard run to cut the lead to 8–6. However, the Spartans’ two-point conversion attempt was stopped, keeping Clairton narrowly in front.

From there, Clairton’s defense finished the job.The Bears tightened up on Laurel’s final possessions, eliminating big-play opportunities and forcing the Spartans into difficult third- and fourth-down situations.

Clairton started their playoff journey by shutting out 15-seeded Monessen 50-0, then won a battle against 10-seed Jeannette 38-33 and finally beat Bishop Canevin 42-22 in the semifinals. Laurel opened the playoffs by upending 13-seed Jefferson Morgan 35-0 then raced by Chartiers-Houston 40-21, then upset top-seeded Forth Cherry 24-14 to make it to Acrisure Stadium for the first time in program history.