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 4A added a team this cycle and will have 22 teams, including two defending state champs. Aliquippa won the 4A state title last season and two-time 3A State Champs Central Valley also moved up to 4A this cycle. Once again, 13 4A teams will make the WPIAL playoffs. The top three seeds will get first round byes and the eventual WPIAL Champions will enter the state playoffs at the semifinals.
We have called the Greater Allegheny Conference the “GACrazy” and it lived up to the name last year with three teams finishing tied for fourth place and only two of them making the playoffs. The conference has a new look this year as 3 of the 8 members left in realignment. Kiski joins after moving down from 5A and North Catholic moves up from 3A after a season that ended with a trip to Heinz Field. Four of the five playoff teams from last season return, along with a new-look Mars team that hired former Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz this offseason.
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.
Armstrong
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 9
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 31
2021 Results: 8-4, lost to McKeesport in Quarterfinals
The Riverhawks made the playoffs for the 4th time in 7 seasons since the merger of Ford City and Kittanning. Last season they won their first playoff game since that merger, topping Montour 27-16 before falling to McKeesport in the quarterfinals. Armstrong had the fifth-highest scoring offense in 4A last season, averaging 33.5 points per game. They return one of the top QB-WR tandems in the WPIAL and are absolutely a threat to make some noise this season. Cadin Olsen was one of the top passers in the WPIAL and has committed to Penn. Last season he threw for 2501 yards and 28 TDs and added 830 yards and 18 TDs on the ground. His favorite target Isaiah Brown (906 yards, 9 TDs) is only a junior. RB Alex Patton (735 yards, 5 TDs) also returns for his junior season to give the Riverhawks a trio of talented offensive skill position players. Armstrong has the talent to compete for a conference title and possibly make a deep run in the playoffs with the right matchups.
North Catholic
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 20
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 46
2021 Results: 12-1, lost to Central Valley in 3A WPIAL Championship Game
The Trojans return to a classification in the top half of the alignment for the fist time since 1999. From when the Pittsburgh Catholic League joined the WPIAL in the 1970s through the end of the 90s, North was a AAA team. They moved down to AA then A in the early 2000s and stayed there until the six-classification era began in 2016 when they were in 2A. The Trojans then jumped to 3A in 2018 and are now in 4A in 2022, proving that the move to Cranberry from Troy Hill has certainly paid dividends for enrollment. On the field, North boasts the longest conference winning streak in the WPIAL at 25 games. They ran through the regular season last year, reaching the WPIAL final for just the second time in school history before falling to eventual State Champs Central Valley. Rising junior Jason Siket saw a few starts at QB last year as an injury replacement and threw for 340 yards and 6 TDs. The player to watch is junior sensation Jack Fennell who ran for 493 yards, had 332 receiving yards, and scored 13 total TDs including a few on kick returns. Chase Arrington (214 yards, 4 TDs) will take on a bigger role in the backfield alongside Fennell. Keep an eye out for DE/TE Daniel Long who was a monster pass rusher last season and added 160 yards and 2 TDs on offense. North returns some talented players, but the move up in classification should provide them a challenge.
Highlands
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 15
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 40
2021 Results: 7-4, lost to New Castle in the first round of the playoffs
The Golden Rams got off to a 4-0 start but their season was on the ropes after losing 3 straight in the middle of the season. But they turned it around to win their final 3 games and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the 6-classification era. The Rams have a ton of talent returning and should be comptetitive once again. Dual-threat QB Chandler Thimons returns for his senior year after throwing for 1340 yards and 17 TDs and running for 887 yards and 11 TDs. Leading rusher Luke Bombalaski (1276 yards, 16 TDs) returns for his junior season. Two of the top three receivers also return in senior Landan Signorella (536 yards, 7 TDs) and junior Brayden White (222 yards, 1 TD). Highlands should be right in the mix to compete for a playoff spot once again this season.
Hampton
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 7
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 27
2021 Results: 11-1, lost to Thomas Jefferson in Quarterfinals
The Talbots had a historic season, winning their first conference title since 2014. They posted an undefeated season on the backs of a strong rushing attack that saw two players break the 1000-yard mark. Brock Borgo (1090 yards, 17 TDs) returns for his junior year after averaging an astounding 11.6 yards per carry last season. If Borgo can repeat those kind of numbers with an increased workload he could compete for the WPIAL rushing crown. Senior Joey Mayer figures to take over the starting quarterback role and showed dual threat abilities last year, throwing for 246 yards and 4 TDs (while splitting QB duties) and rushing for 529 yards and 4 TDs. Mike Morgano (178 yards, 1 TD) also returns to the backfield after averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Leading receiver Benny Haselrig (163 yarsds, 1 TD) also returns for a team that doesn’t throw the ball much. Hampton will have to replace nearly their entire offensive line but if the new group can come together and continue to pave the way on the ground, the Talbots can compete for a conference title once again.
Mars
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 11
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 35
2021 Results: 2-8, missed playoffs
The Fighting Planets missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2004, snapping a 15-year streak. They were credited with 2 wins but one came via forfeit and the other was a 1-point win over Knoch. The big news this season is the hiring of former Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz. Mars has traditionally been a run-heavy team but Kasperowicz is known for his wide open passing attacks. This should suit the Planets personnel well with returning senior QB Rafeal Bentley (971 yards, 6 TDs). Leading receivers Noah Nesselroad (257 yards, 2 TDs), Aiden Alessio (185 yards, 1 TD), and Hayden Mayer (183 yards, 2 TDs) all return for the Fighting Planets. Mars was the lowest-scoring team in 4A last season at just 8 points per game and will need to find the end zone much more often this year to compete for a playoff spot.
Kiski
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 6
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 25
2021 Results: 6-5, missed playoffs in 5A
The Cavaliers move down from 5A to 4A this season. They made the playoffs twice in the last four years but have not won a playoff game since 1990. Last season, Kiski started 5-0 but dropped 4 of their last 5 games and came up just short of making the playoffs. Unfortunately, 16 seniors graduated from last year’s team so Kiski will have to find replacements at nearly every starting position. Senior Lebryn Smith and sophomore Carson Heinle both attempted a handful of passes in backup duties last season. Smith was the team’s third-leading receiver (123 yards, 1 TD), the only one of the top four to return. Kiski’s top three rushers also graduated. Even with the move down to 4A, Kiski will need to find immediate impact players in order to compete in a conference with so much returning talent.
Indiana
WPIAL ELO Rank (4A): 19
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 45
2021 Results: 5-6, lost to Thomas Jefferson in the first round of the playoffs
The Little Indians made the playoffs for the first time in the 6-classification era last season. Indiana runs a ground-heavy attack and had four players finish with over 300 rushing yards. Only one of them, Liam McFarlane (313 yards, 2 TDs), returns this season. McFarlane averaged 8.7 yards per carry, the best of the group. Indiana didn’t throw much last season, but WR Anthony Kowchuck (95 yards, 1 TD) returns for his junior year. Indiana allowed over 40 points in 3 of their last 4 games and will need to tighten up their defense in order to make it back to the playoffs for a second straight season.
