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!
This year, our WPIAL coverage is proudly presented by GoMVB Sports and Sports Solutions Marketing. High school athletes should check out GoMVB Sports – SSM for tips on how to beef up their social media presence to attract college coaches and college recruiters. The Sports Solutions network provides pay per view hosting and broadcasting for high school sporting events. More information is available via EasternPAFootball.com.
The playoff format in 3A is straightforward. Four teams from each of the three conferences make the playoffs. Avonworth ran the table in the conference last year but graduated nearly all of their starters. West Mifflin and South Park both return their leading rushers after finishing in a three-way tie for second. That should make for a good race for the Western Hills Conference title this season. Avonworth is coming off a trip to the WPIAL Championship game where they fell to Belle Vernon last year. Overall, the Western Hills had three teams make the quarterfinals.
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
The Lopes have had a historic run of success over the last few seasons, winning the 2A WPIAL Championship in 2019 then reaching the 3A semis in 2021 and falling in the 3A Championship last season. Avonworth’s defense was outstanding last season, holding opponents to just 10 points per game while their offense averaged a conference-leading 34 per game. Avonworth’s only regular season loss came against 4A runner up Central Valley. In the playoffs, they rolled past Beaver and Shady Side Academy before falling to eventual state champs Belle Vernon in the WPIAL finals. Carson Bellinger saw a handful of snaps as a freshman backup QB last season, throwing 3 TD passes. While many of the starters graduated, second-leading rusher Brandon Biagiarelli (490 yards, 12 TDs) returns after averaging over 6 yards per carry. Biagiarelli has committed to Bucknell. Look for Luke Hollywood (190 yards, 1 TD) to also take on a bigger role in the Lopes ground game this season. Second-leading receiver Andrew Kuban (338 yards, 5 TDs) also returns. While Avonworth graduated a lot of starters, they still have the talent to contend for the conference title.
West Mifflin
The Titans overcame an 0-3 start to 2022 and returned to the playoffs after a two year absence. West Mifflin edged Beaver and South Park in a 3-way tie for second place in the conference. The Titans games against both went to overtime and were settled by a touchdown. After a slow offensive start to the season where they managed just 14 points through 3 games, West Mifflin turned it on. They scored 30+ points in all 6 of their wins but were held under 14 in their 6 losses. The Titans return a tandem of running backs who shouldered the load last season. DelRon White ran for 11 TDs and rising junior Richie Fix ran for 10 scores. Paving the way for them up front is Rico Steele who has numerous offers from MAC schools and Jaiden Brown-Demery. David Fleming started his high school career at Central Catholic but transferred to West Mifflin and could see time at quarterback. West Mifflin has the explosive rushing attack to make some noise this season and once again be in the mix for the conference title.
South Park
The Eagles overcame a slow 1-4 start to their season to make the playoffs for the 7th time in 10 years. Starting in late September, South Park won three straight games by 25+ points to put themselves in solid playoff position. After losing a non-conference game to McGuffey, they capped off their regular season with an overtime victory over West Mifflin that forced a 3-way tie for second place. Leading rusher Eric Doerue (1168 yards, 20 TDs) was only a sophomore last season. Doerue also led the Eagles in receiving with 194 yards. His backfield companion AJ D’Agostino (114 rushing yards, 176 receiving yards, 4 total TDs) also returns. While South Park doesn’t throw much, Zach Ludwig figures to step in at QB after seeing some time as a backup last year and throwing for 2 TDs. Tight end Wyatt Markovich (167 yards, 2 TDs) returns for his junior year to give the Eagles a solid core of young but experienced players.
Beaver
The Bobcats put together a strong 2022 campaign as they moved down from 4A to 3A. After losing the season opener to Western Beaver, they rebounded to top county rivals Beaver Falls and Freedom. The only hiccup in their regular season was consecutive conference losses to West Mifflin and Avonworth. Beaver finished in a 3-way tie for second place and defeated Deer Lakes in the opening round of the playoffs before falling again to Avonworth. While most of their starters graduated, there is talent waiting in the wings. Senior RB Caleb Berardelli averaged 7.8 yards per carry and junior Qualan Cain averaged 6.5 per carry in limited work last season. Cain scored 4 times and is the top returning scorer. Kicker Evan Baker booted 6 field goals last year and returns for his senior season. Beaver had the second-best offense in the conference last season, scoring 29 points per game.
Hopewell
The six classification era has not been good to Hopewell as they have failed to make the playoffs for the last 10 seasons. The Vikings won just 3 games last season and were shut out three times. Nevertheless, they controlled their own destiny late in the season as they finished with games against South Park, West Mifflin, and Beaver. Had they been able to win any of those three they would have made the playoffs. A number of young players saw significant time for Hopewell, including Kingston Krotec who started at quarterback as a freshman (666 yards, 8 TDs). Krotec also ran for 134 yards and a TD. Second-leading rusher Jacob Brunton (143 yards) also returns to the Vikings backfield. Fellow rising sophomore Zander Muzy was a big-play maker for Hopewell on the outside with 127 receiving yards and 3 TDs. Look for Muzy to grow into Krotec’s top target for years to come. The arrow is pointing up for Hopewell but the Vikings will need to improve significantly on an offense that averaged just 15 points per game if they are going to end their playoff drought.
Seton La Salle
In the decade between 2002 and 2012, the Rebels won two WPIAL titles and reached the semifinals two more times. But the next decade was not as good to them. Seton did reach the semis in 2014 and 2017 but have not been to the playoffs since 2018 when they played in 2A. Despite their recent struggles, the administration opted to play up in 3A this cycle instead of in 2A. Seton’s winless 2022 campaign followed three years where they won just 6 games in total. The Rebels biggest issue was on the defensive side of the ball where they allowed 47 points per game, the most in all of 3A. Leading receiver Aric White was the only player to score more than 1 TD last season and returns for his senior year. Leading rusher O’Malley Daly also returns as the Rebels look to build around their young players.
Quaker Valley
Since winning the WPIAL and PIAA Championship in 2017, the Quakers have hit rock bottom. They have missed the playoffs each of the last four seasons and have won just 5 total games over that timespan. Last year the Quakers only victory came against Seton La Salle. Only 1 of their 9 losses (a 12-point loss to Freedom) was closer than 20 points. Quaker Valley will have to find new starters across the board on offense after their top performers all graduated. Sophomore QBs Logan Benedict and Ben McHenry both saw a handful of snaps as backups last year with Benedict throwing a touchdown pass. TJ Debelak averaged 8 yards per carry and could see a bigger role in the ground game as the Quakers look to build a foundation of young players.
