After a pandemic-shortened 2020 high school football season, we are back for a full campaign in 2021. There were a number of changes that the WPIAL had planned to institute from both a scheduling and a playoff format standpoint in 2020 that were delayed until 2021. All of the schedules are now back-loaded with conference game and the WPIAL attempted to schedule intriguing matchups and historical rivalries in the first few weeks before conference play begins.
This year, our WPIAL coverage is once again sponsored by the Sports Stream Premium Network and PA Mortgage Protection and Life Insurance. The Sports Stream Premium Network enables schools to turn their livestreamed events into pay-per-view events where schools receive 100% of the revenue generated.
Last season 4A saw an influx of new teams that saw success. Only Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon had made the playoffs in 4A the year before. Thomas Jefferson successfully defended their WPIAL and PIAA Championships, winning a thrilling WPIAL Championship over Aliquippa in overtime. McKeesport, who moved down from 5A, gave Thomas Jefferson their only loss in 2020 with a victory in the regular season finale. The Big Eight should be one of the best conferences in the WPIAL this season as teams like Trinity and Laurel Highlands who missed the playoffs last season return a number of key starters and could be in the mix while Thomas Jefferson, Belle Vernon, and McKeesport have designs on the WPIAL title. This season, with the WPIAL’s full scheduling and playoff plan back in effect, 13 teams will make the 4A playoffs with the top four teams from the Big Eight qualifying.
Be sure to keep tabs on our WPIAL Standings Page throughout the season and follow our WPIAL Twitter account @WPIAL_Blitz. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.
Thomas Jefferson
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 1
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 5
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The Jaguars repeated as WPIAL and PIAA Champions, earning their 5th WPIAL title in the last 6 seasons. The road was not without some bumps as they lost the regular season finale to McKeesport, needed a second-half comeback to beat Plum in the WPIAL semis and defeated Aliquippa in an overtime thriller in the WPIAL Championship. After graduating 17 players from the State Championship team, the Jaguars are reloaded for another run. TJ will once again be strong in the trenches as two-way lineman Nick Bryan has offers from a number of MAC and FCS schools and junior TE/DE Jordan Mayer has a Boston College offer. Thomas Jefferson has reached the playoffs in 26 straight seasons and reached the WPIAL title game in 6 straight years. Leading rusher Conner Murga (820 yards, 14 TDs) returns for his senior season and will be the focal point of the Jaguars offensive attack. Joe Lekse and Brody Evans both saw only a handful of snaps in backup quarterback duty last season and will compete for the starting job.
Belle Vernon
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 3
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 19
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Belle Vernon has built a strong program under Matt Humbert and have reached at least the WPIAL semifinals in each of the last four seasons. The Leopards have defeated Thomas Jefferson a few times in the regular season in the last decade but haven’t been able to get past them in the playoffs. This year’s team might just be the one to challenge for their first WPIAL title since 1995 as they return a loaded group of talented players, led by dual-threat QB Devin Whitlock (513 passing yards, 6 TDs; 1092 rushing yards, 15 TDs) who is one of the most exciting players in the WPIAL with the ball in his hands. Rising star Quinton Martin burst onto the scene last year and already has multiple offers from power conference schools including Pitt, Penn State, and WVU after rushing for 421 yards and 5 TDs as a freshman. Martin also added 119 yards and 1 TD as a receiver, making himself and Whitlock one of the most dangerous backfield combinations in the entire WPIAL. Leading receiver Tanner Steeber (120 yards, 2 TDs) also returns for the Leopards.
McKeesport
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 2
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 9
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McKeesport moved down from 5A last season and after a Week 1 loss to Belle Vernon, bounced back to win their next six games. There were some tight victories in there including a 3-point win over Trinity, a 5-point win over West Mifflin, and a 6-point victory over Thomas Jefferson. Their triple-option offensive attack never quite got clicking last season and they came up short in a 12-9 loss to Plum in the playoffs. With their wishbone offensive attack, McKeesport rarely throws the ball. QB Caleb Reist was more than twice as productive on the ground (380 yards, 5 TDs) as he was through the air (147 yards, 2 TDs). Reist will return for his senior season along with FB Keyshawn Humphries (187 yards, 1 TD). Keep an eye out for junior Jahmil Perryman (186 yards, 1 TD) and senior Kenneth Thompson (183 yards, 2 TDs) who both averaged over 7 yards per carry in limited work last season.
Laurel Highlands
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 16
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 44
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The Mustangs finished 2020 in thrilling fashion with a 34-33 victory over Trinity, avenging their narrow loss the prior season. Laurel Highlands has not been to the playoffs since 2015 but boast one of the top juniors in the entire WPIAL. Rodney Gallagher has been a star since his freshman year and has power conference offers to play both football and basketball. The Mustangs started the year with Gallagher at quarterback where he threw for 332 yards and 4 TDs then moved him to receiver where he put up 273 yards and 2 TDs. Over the course of the season he also put up 196 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. Rising senior Joe Chambers took the helm at QB when Gallagher moved outside and threw for 414 yards and 3 TDs. If they are going to make a run at the playoffs they will need to improve on a defense that allowed 35 points per game last season, the fifth-most in 4A.
Trinity
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 13
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 39
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Despite finishing with a 3-4 record, Trinity did not miss the postseason by much. Two close losses to McKeesport (by 3) and Laurel Highlands (by 1) was all that kept the Hillers out of the postseason. Trinity is a team that always seems to be knocking right on the door for a playoff spot but has made the postseason just twice in the last decade. QB Connor Roberts returns for the Hillers after throwing for 662 yards and 9 TDs. Watch out for Drew Cain who put up 129 yards and 2 TDs on the ground last year but is a jack-of-all-trades that can be moved around the offensive formation. Senior WR Tysean Lacks was on the receiving end of two of Roberts TD passes last season and should be the primary target in the passing game.
West Mifflin
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 10
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 36
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The Titans struggled offensively last season, scoring in double-digits just twice (but winning both of those games). They also had the spectre of a playoff ban levied by the WPIAL for use of an ineligible player hanging over them. West Mifflin saw their 10-year playoff streak end last season but will look to get back on the right track in 2021. A pair of rising juniors in Tayshawn McMillan (141 yards, 2 TDs) and Shai Newby (137 yards) both spent time at quarterback last year. Leading rusher Tyrell Ogletree (201 yards, 2 TDs) will return for his senior season.
Ringgold
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 20
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 51
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Since their run to the semifinals in 2016, the Ringgold Rams have fallen on hard times. They have gone three seasons without a conference victory and have lost 22 straight to Big Eight opponents with their last win coming in 2017 over Uniontown. They did beat Uniontown last year, but it did not count as a conference victory as Uniontown opted out of the WPIAL to play as an independent. Leading rushers Landon Oslowski and John Plefko (167 yards, 4 TDs) both return for their senior seasons.
