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.
This will be the second season with an extremely tight playoff race in 5A. Due to the fact that the WPIAL 5A Champion enters the state bracket in the quarterfinals, only 8 WPIAL teams qualify for the playoffs. Only the top two teams in each conference are guaranteed a playoff spot with two of the three third place teams qualifying via a wild card. Last year, Pine-Richland rebounded from an early loss to Penn Hills to go on a 12-game run that included the WPIAL and PIAA Championship. Penn Hills blew a 20-point second half lead and lost to North Hills in overtime, which ultimately cost them a playoff spot when they fell to Woodland Hills in the final week of the season. With a number of teams returning talented players, the Northeast Conference figures to be a murderer’s row this season with difficult games every week.
The five remaining teams in 6A were the five that reached the postseason last year, which should make for a tight race this year. One playoff spot has been eliminated as the top four teams will qualify for the postseason. The WPIAL Champion will enter the PIAA playoffs at the quarterfinal stage. 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.
Pine-Richland
The Rams are the defending WPIAL and PIAA Champions. Last season got off to a bumpy start but a Week 4 QB change revolutionized the team and they went on a 12-game tear to capture their 5th WPIAL title and 3rd State title in 9 years. In fact, during that 9-year run they have made at least the semifinals every season. Head Coach Jon LeDonne added to his legacy after winning the 2018 WPIAL and PIAA titles at Penn Hills. The Rams return plenty of talent to make another run this season, starting up front with Wisconsin-commit Ryan Cory. At quarterback the Rams will return two players who saw time last year in Vaughn Spencer and Kanan Huffman. Senior RB Ethan Pillar will be the focal point of the offense after running for 1056 yards and 13 TDs last year. On the outside, the top two receivers graduated but the Rams do return both Vasile Balouris and Niko Andrews who both had double-digit catches last season. Pine-Richland has the pedigree to make another deep run in the playoffs and the coaching staff that has shown they are willing to make in-season adjustments. The Rams are certainly a threat to make it back to the WPIAL Championship Game for the 6th time in 7 years.
Woodland Hills
Last season was an up-and-down campaign for Woody High as the Wolverines relied heavily on their defense down the stretch. In a win-and-you’re-in Casket Match against Penn Hills, the Wolverines came out on top 7-3 then shut out Franklin Regional in the first round of the playoffs. Woody High returns a lot of players from last year’s team, including QB Cam Walter who threw for over 1000 yards and 8 TDs last year as a freshman. Walter and fellow rising sophomore Scoop Smith will be the centerpoints of the Wolverines attack for years to come. Last season Smith made a name for himself with highlight-reel plays, leading the team with 455 receiving yards, adding 137 rushing yards, and scoring 7 times. Smith will be joined on the outside by Amere Brown who averaged 16 yards per catch in a backup role last season. Second-leading rusher Brandon Jones figures to take on the lead role in the backfield this season after running for 509 yards and 5 TDs. Woody High might have the best line in 5A with two D1 recruits in Mej’uan Rose and Pierce Cannon who both have offers from MAC schools. Woody High will also have a new man at the helm this year in Brian Tarrant who is just the third head coach in school history. If the Wolverines can avoid a rocky start, they have the talent up front and youth movement at the skill positions to make a serious push for the Conference Title and potentially a deep run in the playoffs.
Penn Hills
The Indians had high hopes heading into last season, but struggled to find consistency throughout the year. Things looked promising after a 3-1 start that included a win over Pine-Richland. However, the wheels started to come off in late September with a 27-26 overtime loss to North Hills in which they blew a 20-0 second half lead. That game would prove to be the decisive result after Penn Hills was held out of the end zone against Woodland Hills in the season finale. Penn Hills missed out on the playoffs due to the head-to-head tiebreaker against North Hills. The Indians will look to return to the playoffs this year behind a pair of seniors in the backfield. QB Julian Dugger (1137 passing yards, 476 rushing yards, 12 total TDs) has been a starter since his freshman year and recently committed to Pitt. His backfield counterpart is Senior RB Amir Key (978 rushing yards, 222 receiving yards, 14 total TDs). Key (who has an offer from St. Francis) was not only the team’s leading rusher but also leading receiver and scorer last season. On the outside, D’Andre Cochran (246 yards, 2 TDs), Naytel Mitchell (161 receiving yards, 162 rushing yards 5 total TDs), and Cameron Thomas (60 yards, 1 TD) both return. Thomas has gotten some D1 offers as a defensive back, continuing the strong tradition of Penn Hills DBs in recent years. Linemen Carter Lance and Kelsey Hundley also have garnered D1 interest. On paper, Penn Hills looks like an extremely talented team that has all the components to make a deep run. The question for this team will be if they can put it all together on the field.
Shaler
Even though Shaler did not make the playoffs last year, the team certainly gave their faithful an exciting team to support. The Titans went 5-5 (no small feat for a team that has two of the longest losing streaks in the last 15 years) and boasted a 2000-yard passer and 1000-yard rusher. Senior QB Keegan Smetanaka returns after putting up 2113 yards and 31 TDs. Smetanaka should be in the running for the WPIAL passing title this season, especially since leading receivers Joe DeSabato (821 yards, 11 TDs) and Kaden Orga (604 yards, 6 TDs) both also return. Tight end Brandon London (442 yards, 4 TDs) completes the loaded senior class of skill position players that hope to take Shaler to the playoffs. The one hole they will need to fill is in the backfield where Smetanaka (171 rushing yards) is the top returning rusher. Julian Tortorea and Nate Rozzo both averaged around 5 yards per carry in limited work last year. The Titans should be able to build momentum in non-conference play, but the October stretch of North Hills, Pine-Richland, and Penn Hills will define their playoff aspirations.
North Hills
The Indians made the playoffs last year thanks to a stunning comeback win against Penn Hills in late September. North Hills stormed back from 20 points down to win in overtime and that head-to-head victory was enough to earn them a spot in the postseason on tiebreakers. In recent years, the Indians have transitioned from a run-heavy attack to opening up the passing game. Connor Davis saw some snaps as the backup QB last season and figures to step into the starting role this year. He will have some comfort in leading rusher Julius Green (340 yards, 4 TDs) returning. Additionally, while the top two receivers graduated, Jake Pollaro (130 yards, 2 TDs) and Curtis Knobeloch (129 yards, 1 TD) both return after posting double-digit receptions. Even though they made the playoffs last year, the Indians averaged just 16 points per game and will need to improve offensively if they are going to compete for a playoff spot again this year.
Fox Chapel
The Foxes were the only team in 5A to go completely winless last season. It was a brutal campaign for Fox Chapel that saw them lose every game by at least 14 points. The Foxes gave up 38+ points in 7 of their losses and broke the 14-point mark just once – in the season finale against Shaler. The 43 points per game Fox Chapel’s defense allowed was the most in 5A. The one bright spot on the team was QB Ben DeMotte who threw for 1191 yards and 6 TDs. Fox Chapel will have to work in new skill position players around DeMotte this year, but if they are going to succeed offensively he is the key leader with the most experience. The Foxes have a lot to fix on both sides of the ball and not many returning starters. They will likely need to lean on some underclassmen and make this a rebuilding year to start to put together the foundation for the future.
