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. Once again this cycle, the 5A Classification in the WPIAL will have 18 teams that are split into three conferences. But 5A is not without some new faces. Four of the 18 teams will be new to 5A this season. Three of those new teams have moved down from 6A (Baldwin, Hempfield, and Norwin) and Plum moved back up after spending two seasons in 4A.
The biggest change to 5A this season is in the playoff format. The WPIAL Champion had previously entered the PIAA bracket in the semifinals, which allowed room for four rounds of WPIAL playoffs and the WPIAL Championship counted as the state quarterfinal. This cycle, the WPIAL Champion enters the PIAA bracket in the quarterfinals, which shortens the WPIAL playoffs by one week. Because of this, only 8 teams will qualify for the WPIAL 5A playoffs. This means just the first and second place teams from each of the three conferences plus two of the three third place teams will qualify for the postseason.
The Big East Conference features the defending WPIAL and PIAA Champions Penn-Trafford. Last year the Warriors captured their first WPIAL title in school history then went on to defeat Imhotep Charter in the state title game. This year’s schedule will be loaded with rivalries as Norwin and Hempfield join the conference, moving down from 6A. Plum also rejoins the conference after spending two years in 4A. Latrobe and Connellsville slid down to 4A this cycle while Woodland Hills stayed in 5A but moved to the Northeast Conference. 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.
finish.
Gateway
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 3
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 4
2021 Results: 7-4, Lost to Penn Hills in WPIAL Quarterfinals
The Gators have won two of the last five WPIAL 5A titles and before being upset by Penn Hills in the quarters last year had reached the semis in four straight seasons. Gateway has an absolutely loaded junior class, led by WPIAL leading passer Brad Birch (2750 yards, 32 TDs) and already has an offer from Oregon. Jaquon Reynolds led the team in rushing (604 yards) and is the top returning receiver (389 yards) and scored 6 times. Reynolds is also a junior and has offers from a number of MAC schools. Tight end Remy Bose (132 yards) also has some MAC offers. Senior WRs Dallas Harper (386 yards, 6 TDs) and Anez Jordan (251 yards, 2 TDs) should see plenty of opportunities in the passing game for Gateway this season as the Gators make a run at another WPIAL title.
Penn-Trafford
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 2
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 3
2021 Results: 13-2, won WPIAL and PIAA Championships for the first time ever
The 2021 season was a historic campaign for Penn-Trafford. Not only did they capture their first WPIAL title in school history, but they went on to defeat Imhotep Charter and win the 5A State title. Penn-Trafford saw 22 seniors graduate as state champions, but will now have to find replacements across the board. Their top four rushers all graduated and a lot of the weight of leadership will fall to Temple-commit Conlan Greene. Last year Greene played all over the field, seeing time at tight end, running back, and throwing a few passes including one for a touchdown in the State Championship. As a defensive end he was an absolute beast and had a sack at the end of the State Final that secured the victory. Greene will likely take over at quarterback this season in the revamped Warriors offense with Tommy Kalkstein (264 yards, 4 TDs) and Jacob Otto (197 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning receivers.
Plum
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 16
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 30
2021 Results: 3-8, Lost to Hampton in the First Round of the WPIAL 4A Playoffs
The Mustangs are the only team moving up from 4A to 5A this season. Plum saw some success the last two years in 4A, winning their first conference title since 1983 and their first playoff game in 30 years. Last season they got off to a rough 0-5 start that include a forfeit to Mars but rebounded to win 3 of their last 5 and sneak into the playoffs where they narrowly lost to Hampton. Plum endured some growing pains last year as Sean Franzi (1184 yards, 12 TDs) got his feet under him as a sophomore quarterback. Now as a junior, he has a talented surrounding cast. Leading rusher Eryck Moore (1037 yards, 10 TDs) returns for his senior season and sophomore Nicholas Odom (305 yards, 4 TDs) will also get some carries. Keep an eye out for Darian Nelson (238 yards, 4 TDs) who was the team’s third-leading receiver as a freshman and will likely take on more of a featured role this year.
Franklin Regional
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 12
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 23
2021 Results: 3-8, Lost to Penn Hills in the first round of the WPIAL 5A playoffs
The Panthers returned to the playoffs last year after missing the postseason in 2020, which ended a 16-year run of playoff appearances. Last year’s iteration won just 3 games overall but got the two that mattered over Connellsville and a thrilling comeback over Latrobe to get into the playoffs. Roman Sarnic will likely step in at quarterback this season after seeing some spot duty last year. Second-leading rusher Zach Bewszka (247 yards, 5 TDs) returns after running for 5.6 yards per carry last season. The player to watch for the Panthers is junior Ayden Hudock who is the top returning receiver (293 yards) and added 85 yards on the ground, scoring 6 times. If the Panthers are going to make a run at the playoffs they will need to improve a defense that gave up nearly 30 points per game, the third-worst mark in 5A.
Norwin
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 13
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 24
2021 Results: 4-6, missed playoffs by losing tiebreaker
The Knights have not been to the playoffs since 2017 and have not won a playoff game since 2007. Last year they started 2-1 with wins over Latrobe and Connellsville but dropped 5 in a row to fall out of playoff contention. They nearly salvaged their season with wins over Canon-Mac and Hempfield to end the year but missed out on the last playoff spot on tiebreakers. Now, Norwin moves down to 5A in hopes of rejuvenating their program. Norwin has an exciting talent in junior Jackson Pons who led the team in receiving (457 yards, 1 TD) and already has a few college offers. Their top three rushers graduated, leaving Christian Beck (120 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning rusher. Norwin had the fourth-best defense in 6A last year but averaged just 16.6 points per game offensively which hampered their prospects. If they can find the end zone this year and keep up the defensive intensity, they might be able to compete for a playoff spot.
Hempfield
WPIAL ELO Rank (5A): 17
WPIAL ELO Rank (Overall): 32
2021 Results: 2-8, missed playoffs
The Spartans have not made the playoffs since 2016 and are hopeful that the move down to 5A can spur some growth in the program. Hempfield enters the season with an 11-game losing streak against conference opponents after getting swept last season. Hempfield has a large class of rising seniors, led by QB Jake Phillips and RB Gino Caesar. Second-leading receiver Ian Tuffs is also part of the senior class that will look to break their playoff drought. In order to do so, Hempfield will need to improve a defense that allowed 38 points per game, the second-most in 6A.
