The 2023 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 25. We are also thrilled to announce that the WPIAL Blitz Show will be back on the YouTube airwaves this season. Subscribe to the Sports Stream Premium channel with new shows dropping each Tuesday during the season!
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The playoff format in 2A is straightforward. Five teams from the Allegheny and Midwestern conferences make the playoffs while four teams from the Century qualify for the postseason. A year after being swept out of the first round of the playoffs, the Century turned around and produced 4 first round winners. The headliner was Washington’s upset of defending champions Serra Catholic. The Prexies return a number of talented players but also lost a few to graduation and transfer. This might be the most wide open conference in the WPIAL where any of the top four teams are capable of finishing at the top.
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.
Washington
The Prexies ran out of the gate to a 5-1 record with their only loss coming by 1 point to defending champs Serra Catholic. But things got strange once the calendar flipped to October. Washington got mercy ruled by Sto-Rox and lost by double-digits to both Keystone Oaks and McGuffey, dropping them to fourth in the conference. But in the playoffs they pulled one of the biggest upsets of the first round, knocking out Serra by a 49-21 margin. They fell to Neshannock by just 3 in a tight quarterfinal. Leading receiver Ruben Gordon (505 yards, 15 TDs) and leading rusher Ed Lewis (803 yards, 13 TDs) both return for the Prexies. Second-leading receiver Zxavian Willis (293 yards, 5 TDs) also returns to give Washington plenty of options in the passing game once they find a quarterback. With all of their returning talent, the Prexies are certainly capable of winning the conference and making a deep run in the playoffs.
Keystone Oaks
The Eagles opened conference play by being mercy ruled by Sto-Rox but bounced back to sweep through the rest of their Century schedule. They finished second in the league thanks to a last-second hail mary to beat McGuffey. The Eagles topped Apollo-Ridge in a tight first round game before falling to Sto-Rox (again) in the quarterfinals. Keystone Oaks has a legitimate D1 prospect in Syracuse-commit Clinton Robinson who posted 538 receiving yards, 292 rushing yards and scored 11 times last year. Robinson single-handedly won the Eagles playoff game with a 56-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Robinson will move to quarterback this year in an effort to get the ball in his hands every play. Fellow senior Dimajio Locante (159 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards, 3 TDs) also returns for the Eagles. KO has multiple dynamic offensive weapons and the key this season will be to build a structure around them to fit everyone into the right positions on the field. The Eagles have the talent to contend for the conference title and make a run in the playoffs.
McGuffey
The Highlanders triple option rushing attack roared through the 2022 season, putting up 36 points per game. McGuffey made the playoffs for the 5th straight year and for the third time in four years won a playoff game. The Highlanders have not been deeper in the playoffs than the quarterfinals since winning the WPIAL AAA Championship in 1995. Even though last year’s team went 8-3, they were not that far from winning the conference title. Their two conference losses were to Sto-Rox in a 6-0 slugfest and a 32-30 loss to Keystone Oaks on a last second Hail Mary. The Highlanders handled rival Washington in the final week of the season. McGuffey had seven players rush for at least 100 yards last year. The top three graduated, leaving Dylan Droboj (382 yards, 6 TDs), Connor Crowe (126 yards, 1 TD), and Charles Wagers (122 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning rushers. Crowe averaged a team-high 12.6 yards per carry. McGuffey will also benefit from transfer Logan Carlisle who split time at quarterback for rival Washington and showed dual-threat ability. Carlisle threw for 688 yards and 9 TDs and ran for 265 yards and 7 scores. The addition of Carlisle to McGuffey’s running game makes the Highlanders a constant threat to contend for the conference title.
Sto-Rox
The Vikings entered the 2022 campaign with high hopes as one of the favorites to contend for the WPIAL title. A pair of 3-point losses in non-conference play to Steel Valley and Avonworth put a slight damper on the start to the season but did not deter them. Sto-Rox pounded Keystone Oaks, squeaked past McGuffey, then rolled through the rest of the regular season. They started the playoffs with back-to-back shutouts before falling to Beaver Falls in the semifinals. Sto-Rox lost 13 seniors to graduation, including most of their big-time offensive playmakers. The top 6 rushers graduated, leaving Robert Sykes and Eric McGuire as the top returning backs. The good news for the Vikings is that both averaged over 8 yards per carry in limited work last season and should make for a dynamic duo if they can keep that up in increased roles.
Brentwood
Brentwood has not made the playoffs since their trip to the semifinals in 2019. But things seem to be moving in the right direction. The Spartans rebounded from a 1-win season in 2021 to triple that total last year. Brentwood will need to improve on both sides of the ball in order to contend for the playoffs this season. They averaged just 15 points per game while giving up 35 per contest. Cedric Davis split time at quarterback last year as a freshman, throwing for 455 yards and 5 TDs. Leading offensive playmakers Daelinn Drew (278 rushing yards, 180 receiving yards, 5 TDs) and CJ Fox (146 rushing yards, 140 receiving yards, 4 TDs) both return. Brentwood’s young core should put them in position to continue the upward trajectory and potentially contend for a playoff spot.
Charleroi
The Cougars won just two games last season, a non-conference victory over Jeannette and the season finale against winless Waynesburg. Charleroi didn’t score much last year, averaging just 10 points per game and being shut out 4 times. Leading rushers Gianni Pelligrini (6 TDs) and Noah Pletcher (1 TD) both return. Jackson Keranko started at QB as a freshman last year and threw 2 TD passes. Overall, this was a very young team last year who should be better this season. If Charleroi is going to contend for a playoff spot, they will need to be better on defense where they gave up 42 points per game and held just two opponents under 30.
Waynesburg
The Raiders have made the playoffs just once in the last 19 years (in 2014). They have gone winless in 2 of the last 3 seasons and have won just 3 conference games in the 7 years since making that playoff appearance. Waynesburg averaged just 12 points per game while allowing over 40 per contest. Quarterback Chase Fox threw for a touchdown and ran for 6 more last season. Leading rusher Daniel Huffman (3 TDs) also returns for a Waynesburg team who is just searching for a victory. The good news is that their non-conference slate features some games against Greene County schools that play in 1A, giving them some opportunity to find a victory and end their losing skid.
