The 2022 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the last few weeks we have been working our way through previewing all 17 conferences in preparation for kickoff on August 26. We are also thrilled to announce that the WPIAL Blitz Show will be back on the YouTube airwaves this season. Follow the Sports Stream Premium channel with new shows dropping each Tuesday during the season!
This year, our WPIAL coverage is proudly presented by Sports Solutions Marketing. The Sports Solutions network provides pay per view hosting and broadcasting for high school sporting events. More information is available via EasternPAFootball.com.
The 2022 season is a realignment year in Pennsylvania. New classification and conference alignments were announced back in the spring. Class 1A was the only one in the WPIAL to increase in size. In total, six teams were added to bring the total to 30 1A teams. With that many teams, it also meant the addition of a fourth conference to the alignment. This cycle, 16 teams will make the 1A playoffs with four from each conference qualifying. The eventual WPIAL Champions will enter the state playoffs at the semifinals.
The Eastern Conference produced the last three WPIAL Champions. Bishop Canevin, who has since been realigned into the Black Hills Conference, won last season. Jeannette claimed the WPIAL title in 2020 and perennial powerhouse Clairton did so in 2019. With Canevin moving out and Imani Christian moving up to 2A, the Eastern Conference adds Frazier moving down from 2A into the mix. The rest of the conference remains the same from a league that produced 4 quarterfinalists last season. The top four teams from this eight-team league will make the playoffs.
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.
Clairton
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 4
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 81
2021 Results: 7-3, lost to OLSH in quarterfinals
Clairton won the Eastern Conference title last season but was upset by OLSH in the quarterfinals. That was the first time the Bears did not reach the semifinals since 2005. Their strong regular season campaign featured a win over eventual WPIAL Champs Bishop Canevin and pitching three shutouts with a stout defense. Capone Jones, who has one of the best names in the WPIAL, returns at quarterback. Last year he did about an equal amount of running and passing, throwing for 633 yards and 5 TDs and running for 750 yards and 8 TDs. The Bears lost 12 seniors to graduation, including their top 3 running backs. Keire Dixon, Martin Lawrence, and Lawrence Short are their top returning players at the skill positions. Clairton also has an insanely talented group of freshmen coming in that have been lighting it up in 7-on-7 competition all summer. Even though the Bears had an early exit from the playoffs last year, they should never be considered out of contention.
Leechburg
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 17
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 103
2021 Results: 9-3, lost to Cornell in quarterfinals
The Blue Devils had a historic breakthrough last season, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in 32 years. Not only did they make the postseason, but they earned a home playoff game and knocked off California in the opening round. This year, with Pitt-commit Braylan Lovelace returning, they are considered among the favorites in 1A. Only five seniors graduated from last year’s team and Lovelace will be the focal point of the offense after running for 1506 yards and 30 TDs last season. Sophomore Jayden Floyd played some receiver last year but will transition into the quarterback role this season. He will get back the team’s top two receivers in Tyler Foley (710 yards, 5 TDs) and Logan Kline (614 yards, 11 TDs). Leechburg was the highest-scoring team in 1A last season, averaging nearly 42 points per game. With Lovelace, Foley and Kline returning, the firepower is there to have another stellar season.
GCC
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 18
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 105
2021 Results: 6-5, lost to OLSH in first round
The Centurions returned to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons last year, but fell to eventual runners up OLSH in the opening round. They put together a strong campaign and their three conference losses (to Bishop Canevin, Clairton, and Leechburg) were all one-score games. Junior Tyree Turner (875 yards, 8 TDs) and senior Nate Dlugos (438 yards, 2 TDs) split time at quarterback last season. Dlugos also played receiver and led the team with 334 yards and 5 TDs. Amari Mack (294 yards, 4 TDs) also returns on the outside. Leading rusher Jaydin Canady (406 yards, 7 TDs) transferred to GCC from Jeannette last season. The Centurions return a lot of talent at the offensive skill positions and at linebacker (a traditional strongpoint of the GCC program).
Springdale
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 19
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 106
2021 Results: 7-5, lost to Rochester in quarterfinals
The Dynamos have bounced back from a few down years. Last season they bounced back from a 3-game losing streak to win 3 of their last 4 and make the playoffs. In the opening round they shut out an explosive West Greene offense before falling to Rochester in the quarterfinals. Springdale’s losses to Conference Champ Clairton and WPIAL Champs Bishop Canevin were both in close, low-scoring games. Unfortunately for new head coach Ryan Tempalski, 16 seniors graduated from last year’s squad. Rising juniors Chase Weihrauch and Brayden Layhew both took a few snaps in backup QB duties last season. Weihrauch was effective elsewhere on offense, tallying 111 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards, and scoring twice. Springdale has a strong group of young linemen and this may be a rebuilding campaign with just two seniors on the roster.
Jeannette
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 5
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 89
2021 Results: 1-9
After winning the WPIAL title and reaching the state finals in 2020, Jeannette saw a mass exodus of players and coaches. The Jayhawks pieced together a young, inexperienced roster last season in legendary coach Roy Hall’s final season. Tom Paulone takes over as head coach this year and will still have a relatively young roster. Junior Payton Molter saw some time as a backup QB last year. Fellow juniors Michael Mason (180 yards) and Antonio Clark (121 yards, 1 TD) are the team’s top returning rushers. If Jeannette is going to get back into contention for a playoff spot, they will need to improve an offense that averaged just 5 points per game – the lowest in 1A.
Frazier
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 10
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 96
2021 Results: 0-9 in 2A
The Commodores move down from 2A to 1A after a winless campaign in 2021. Frazier’s closest game was a 1-point loss in non-conference play against 1A Bentworth. Other than that, all of their losses were by at least 20 points and they had to forfeit two games. Sophomore Dailan McManus was the backup QB last season and will compete for time with dual-threat QB Adam Phillips. Leading rusher Dominic Taranto (210 rushing yards, 170 receiving yards, 2 total TDs) returns for his junior year as a young Frazier team tries to make its way in the Eastern Conference.
Riverview
WPIAL ELO Rank (1A): 29
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 118
2021 Results: 1-8
The Raiders won just 1 game last season and have not made the playoffs since 2016. Their defense gave up nearly 44 points per game last year, the third-most in 1A. Quarterbacks Ben Hower and Rocco Cecere both return. Second-leading rusher Landon Johnson (230 yards, 1 TD) will take over the lead back role. On the outside, leading receivers Kevin Tomlinson and Toby Green both return. Riverview was able to play a lot of underclassmen last season, and with a relatively small junior class will likely do so again this year.
