Home WPIAL 2022 WPIAL PREVIEW: 3A Western Hills Conference

2022 WPIAL PREVIEW: 3A Western Hills Conference

by Ian

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 3A will have one fewer team this cycle, dropping down to 19 schools. Both WPIAL finalists from last season (Central Valley and North Catholic) have moved up to 4A. In fact, Quaker Valley and Elizabeth Forward are the only current 3A teams to have played in a 3A Championship game in the six-classification era. Aliquippa, Central Valley, and North Catholic are in 4A while Beaver Falls and Derry are now in 2A. This also means there will be a new champion on the block as all six 3A titles since 2016 had been won by Ohio Valley schools (Beaver Falls, Quaker Valley, Aliquippa, and Central Valley). This has not just a local but a statewide impact as the WPIAL 3A Champion has played in all 6 State title games and won 5 of them. Once again, 12 3A teams will make the WPIAL playoffs with the top four seeds receiving byes. The eventual WPIAL Champions will enter the state playoffs at the semifinals.

The Western Hills Conference is a newly formed conference that features a conglomeration of the three remaining teams from the Northwest Six that did not change classifications (Avonworth, Quaker Valley, and Hopewell), along with four newcomers.  South Park moves in from the Interstate Conference as the Eagles fit better geographically with this group. West Mifflin and Beaver move down from 4A while Seton LaSalle voluntarily played up in 3A.

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.

Avonworth

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 6
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 49

2021 Results: 9-3, lost to North Catholic in the semifinals

After winning the 2019 WPIAL 2A Championship, Avonworth moved up to 3A. In 2020 they were controversially left out of the playoffs, but returned last year in a run to the semifinals. With former conference foe Central Valley moving up to 4A this season, Avonworth is certainly in a prime position to contend not only for the conference title but also the WPIAL title. Nate Harper returns for his senior year after throwing for 1232 yards and 11 TDs. Harper’s leading receiver Peyton Faulkner (356 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. The Lopes will need to find a new workhorse in the backfield and will have plenty of options. Brandon Biagiarelli (255 yards, 3 TDs) and Nico Neal (245 yards, 3 TDs) both averaged around 5 yards per carry. Luke Hilyard was a big play machine last year, running for just 220 yards but scoring 9 times and averaging 8.5 yards per carry. Avonworth had the second-best defense in 3A last season, holding opponents under 10 points per game. The Lopes should be considered strong contenders for the WPIAL crown again this season.

Beaver

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 7
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 50

2021 Results: 7-3, lost in the first round of the 4A playoffs to Laurel Highlands

The Bobcats are moving down from 4A after a successful 7-2 season where they won a number of close games. Beaver swept through the month of October but all 4 of their wins were in one-score games and a few came in overtime. In the playoffs, they fell by a point to Laurel Highlands. Beaver is a run-heavy team that graduated their top two rushers. Liam Gibson (169 yards) and sophomore JJ Shallcross (106 yards, 2 TDs) are the top returning rushers. Isaac Pupi may take over at quarterback after filling in for a week due to injury last year, but Pupi was also Beaver’s second-leading receiver. Beaver did take on a few of their new conference opponents in non-conference play last year, topping Quaker Valley, Hopewell, and Seton LaSalle. Beaver should be right in the mix with Avonworth to compete for the conference title.

West Mifflin

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 2
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 37

2021 Results: 2-8, missed playoffs in 4A

The Titans fell on hard times the last few seasons. They faced WPIAL sanctions in 2020 and won just two games in each of the last two years. They move down to 3A this cycle with the hopes of rejuvinating a program that went to the playoffs in 10 straight seasons before 2020. Dual-threat QB Tayshaun McMillan returns for his senior season along with leading rushers Tyrelle Ogletree and James Fulmore. West Mifflin averaged just 12 points per game last season, the third-lowest mark in 4A. They will need to improve their offensive output in order to compete for a playoff spot in 2022.

Seton LaSalle

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 19
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 88

2021 Results: 3-7, missed playoffs in 2A

The Rebels are moving up from 2A to 3A this season and have not made the playoffs in 4 seasons. This is Seton’s longest streak without a postseason appearance since the mid-80s. Last year’s squad overcame four straight midseason losses to win 2 of their last 3 games but missed out on the 2A Wild Card. Now, the competition ratchets up with the move up to 3A. Luke Kosko started at quarterback as a freshman last season. Leading receiver Dominic Monz is a rising junior so the Rebels certainly have a core to build their offense around in years to come.

South Park

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 13
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 66

2021 Results: 2-7, missed playoffs

The Eagles started strong in conference play with consecutive wins, but dropped their final five outings to miss the playoffs for just the 3rd time since 2013. The good news for the Eagles is that only 6 seniors graduated from last year’s team, leaving plenty of returning experience. QB Harper Conroy didn’t throw much (280 yards, 1 TD) and ran for 2 more TDs. Second-leading rusher Eric Doerue was only a freshman but scored twice last season. He should take on a bigger role with Conroy in the backfield this year.

Hopewell

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 12
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 65

2021 Results: 0-9, missed playoffs

The Vikings have hit rock bottom after an 0-9 campaign in 2022. Hopewell had just 4 seniors on the roster last year, which allowed a number of underclassmen to gain experience and playing time. Starting QB Kaden Sarver and leading rusher Dayton Mitchell are both rising juniors. Receivers Cameron Fedorka and Isaiah Pisano both return after finding the end zone twice last year. Hopewell scored just 50 points last season, and will need to see dramatic improvement on both sides of the ball in order to compete for a playoff spot. On defense they gave up 45 per game, the second-most in 3A.

Quaker Valley

WPIAL ELO Rank (3A): 9
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 59

2021 Results: 2-8, missed playoffs

Since winning the WPIAL and PIAA 3A titles in 2018, Quaker Valley has bottomed out. The Quakers went winless in 2020 and their only wins last season were in a non-conference game against Brentwood and over Hopewell. They were held under 14 points in 6 games and gave up 30+ points 7 times. Quaker Valley gave up nearly 38 points per game, the fourth highest mark in 3A. If the Quakers are going to get back into playoff contention this year they will certainly need to improve defensively. Wide receiver Jacob Pickett scored 3 times last year, the only returning player who found the end zone.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.