The 2022 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the next few weeks we will be 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 2A lost four teams in the realignment cycle, going from 27 to 23 teams. With fewer teams, the conferences have consolidated from four down to three. With fewer teams this cycle, 14 2A teams will make the WPIAL playoffs with the top two seeds receiving byes. The eventual WPIAL Champions will enter the state playoffs at the semifinals.
The Allegheny Conference expanded from six teams to eight, but four of them are newcomers. Departing the league are Shady Side Academy (who moved up to 3A) while Summit Academy dropped down to 1A. Burrell, Derry, and Yough join the conference from 3A while Imani Christian is the only school moving up from 1A this cycle. Imani’s move-up was mostly caused by a co-op agreement with Propel Braddock Hills which added to their enrollment figure. Steel Valley won the conference title last year but was upset in the second round of the playoffs while second-place Serra Catholic went on to win the WPIAL title. With eight teams in the Allegheny Conference, the top five will qualify for 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.
Steel Valley
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 4
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 55
2021 Results: 11-1, lost to Beaver Falls in semifinals
The Ironmen won the Allegheny Conference title last season with a physical rushing attack and defense. They capped off the regular season with a victory over eventual WPIAL Champions Serra Catholic. Unfortunately, injuries in the postseason derailed their run towards another title. Senior QB Cruce Brookins will be the focal point of Steel Valley’s ground-and-pound offense and already has offers from West Virginia, Akron, and Kent State. Last year Brookins ran for 1051 yards and 15 TDs. He had twice as many rushing attempts as passing attempts and threw for 323 yards and 4 TDs. Jesean Wright (111 rushing yards, 101 receiving yards, 3 total TDs) also returns to the backfield after averaging 8 yards per carry in backup duties. Two-way lineman Gregory Smith has offers from a number of MAC and FCS schools. Steel Valley absolutely has the talent to contend for the WPIAL title again this season.
Serra Catholic
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 1
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 51
2021 Results: 15-2, won WPIAL title and reached PIAA Championship Game
Last year was a historic campaign for the Eagles. Serra won their third WPIAL title in school history and made it to the state title game before falling to Southern Columbia. Serra’s defense was absolutely incredible last season, forcing 9 turnovers in the WPIAL Championship and 6 more in the state semifinals against Farrell. The Eagles had 15 players graduate from their Championship-winning squad and will need to work in new starters across the board. Elijah Ward figures to take over at QB after stepping in as an injury replacement last year and throwing for 457 yards and 2 TDs. Amire Spencer (323 yards, 2 TDs) is the only one of Serra’s top 6 receivers who returns this season. Mike Schanck also returns at defensive end after a great 2021 campaign.
Ligonier Valley
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 14
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 77
2021 Results: 8-3, lost to South Side Beaver in the first round
The Rams joined the WPIAL in 2020 from D-6 and put together two solid seasons. They made the playoffs last year, falling to South Side Beaver in the opening round. Ligonier Valley’s only regular season losses were to Steel Valley and Serra Catholic. Broderick Schreyer and Haden Sierocky both spent time at QB last season and return for their senior years. Schreyer threw for 473 yards and 7 TDs. Sierocky was more of a dual threat, throwing for 388 yards and 5 TDs and running for 299 yards and 4 TDs. Ligonier Valley is a good offensive team that averaged nearly 30 points per game last year, the sixth-best mark in 2A. They should be right in the mix for a playoff spot again this year.
Apollo-Ridge
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 8
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 67
2021 Results: 2-7, missed playoffs
A year after a trip to the WPIAL semifinals, Apollo-Ridge had to endure a rebuilding campaign. Their only conference victory came over Summit Academy and they also topped Burrell in non-conference play. Dual-threat QB Karter Schrock (595 passing yards, 4 TDs, 211 rushing yards, 2 TDs) returns for his junior year. He will be joined in the backfield by senior RB Nick Curri who led the team in rushing (530 yards), receiving (299 yards), and scoring (3 total TDs). Senior RB Landon Harmon (265 yards, 2 TDs) averaged over 6 yards per carry last season. All in all, the Vikings return a lot of talented players who gained significant experience last season. They should be able to compete for a playoff spot this year.
Burrell
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 10
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 70
2021 Results: 3-8, lost to Mt. Pleasant in the first round of the 3A playoffs
The Bucs broke an 8-year playoff drought last season and now move down to 2A with some momentum on their side. Burrell’s tenacity showed up last year. After losing their first 6 games they could have packed it in, but instead pulled together 3 wins in their last 4 games to end their playoff drought. Chase Fenner and Devin Beattie both return this season in the Bucs offense that runs an up-tempo style but can still pound it with a power running game.
Imani Christian
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 23
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 111
2021 Results: 2-7, missed playoffs in 1A
The Saints were forced to move up from 1A to 2A this season due to a co-op agreement with Propel Braddock Hills. Imani struggled last season, winning just two games and averaging just 8 points per game on offense. The school hired former Sto-Rox coach LaRoi Johnson as their head coach in the hopes of reinvigorating their offense. Johnson’s Sto-Rox teams were known for lighting up the scoreboard and he was the offensive coordinator at Imani during their run to the WPIAL finals in 2017. Sophomore Dayshaun Burnett is a rising star and already has offers from Pitt, Penn State, and West Virginia.
Yough
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 16
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 84
2021 Results: 1-9, missed playoffs in 3A
The Cougars move down to 2A after struggling the last few years in 3A. They have not made the playoff since 2013 and are coming off a 1-win season where their only triumph was in Week 8 over Brownsville. Yough will look to improve an offense that averaged under 10 points per game, the fifth-lowest in 3A. The Cougars will also need to improve on defense after giving up 35 points per game, the fourth-most in 3A. The move down to a smaller classification should help the Cougars be more competitive.
Derry
WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 7
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 64
2021 Results: 0-9, missed playoffs in 3A
The Troans are coming off a winless campaign but are hopeful that the move down to 2A will help to revitalize their program that has struggled over the last two seasons. New head coach Mike Arone will look to develop the young talent of sophomore QB Zach Revoir and junior RB Ahmad Ward. Derry struggled on both sides of the ball last year, averaging just 7.7 points per game on offense, the third-lowest in 3A. Defensively, they allowed nearly 55 points per game – the highest mark in the entire WPIAL.
