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 just 5 WPIAL teams competing in 6A. Last season saw North Allegheny run through the regular season and playoffs, capturing their first WPIAL title in a decade. The rest of the teams wound up in a tight race with Canon-Mac edging Seneca Valley for the last playoff spot based on a head-to-head tiebreaker. The playoff race came down to the last week of the season which made for an exciting finish. This is a year of change in 6A as two prominent programs – Central Catholic and Mt. Lebanon – will have new head coaches as their WPIAL and PIAA title-winning coaches retired. Former Seneca Valley OC Ryan Lehmeier takes over the Central Catholic program while former Elizabeth Forward HC Mike Collodi takes the helm at Mt. Lebanon.
Last season, the 6A playoff format featured five teams. 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.
North Allegheny
2022 Result: Won WPIAL title, lost to State College in the PIAA quarterfinals
The Tigers are the defending WPIAL Champions. They had a perfect 4-0 run through 6A play and defeated Central Catholic in the Championship to claim their first title since the Ross Morgan Rager. NA returns a bulk of their playmakers from the Championship squad. WPIAL Blitz 6A Player of the Year Khiryn Boyd was a threat to score any time the ball was in his hands. Boyd accounted for 700 receiving yards, 278 rushing yards, and 12 total TDs. Quarterback Logan Kushner returns after throwing for 1393 yards and 15 TDs and adding 230 yards and 9 TDs on the ground. Tyree Alualu, the son of former Steelers D-lineman Tyson Alualu, has numerous D1 offers as a linebacker and is an absolute wrecking ball for the Tigers defense. Alualu is also their top returning rusher (264 yards, 5 TDs). In the trenches, Cameron Chmura has offers from a number of MAC and Ivy League schools. Daniel Sellers plays tight end and defensive end and has offers from a handful of FCS schools. After falling to State College in the PIAA quarterfinals last year, North Allegheny returns the talent to make a run at not just another WPIAL title but potentially a deep run in the state playoffs.
Central Catholic
2022 Result: Lost to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Championship Game
The Vikings have appeared in the WPIAL Championship game in 9 of the last 10 seasons, but come up short each of the last two years. They return a loaded lineup and have their sights set on not just a WPIAL crown but also on challenging the New York-New Jersey-Maryland all-star team (St. Joe’s Prep) for statewide supremacy. Central Catholic will have a bit of a different look this year as long-time coach Terry Totten retired and was replaced by former Seneca Valley offensive coordinator Ryan Lehmeier. While Totten’s style tended to favor a ground-and-pound running game, Lehmeier is one of the bright young offensive minds in Western PA and will return the WPIAL’s second-leading passer Payton Wehner (2504 yds, 17 TDs). Wehner returns his leading receiver Peter Gonzalez (son of former Pitt and Steelers QB Pete Gonzalez) who committed to Penn State after racking up 735 yards and 6 TDs last year. In addition to Gonzalez, the Vikings passing attack also returns Vernon Settles (660 yards, 2 TDs) and junior Bradley Gompers (294 yards, 1 TD) who have both attracted D1 interest. Junior DB Xxavier Thomas has been on the radar since his freshman year when he produced multiple pick-sixes and he found the end zone 4 times last year. Central Catholic might have the best linebacking corps in the WPIAL with first-team all-state LB Anthony Speca (another Penn State-commit), Cole Sullivan (a Michigan-commit), Pitt-commit Ty Yuhas, and the aforementioned Bradley Gompers.
Mt. Lebanon
2022 Result: Lost to Central Catholic in the WPIAL semifinals
The Blue Devils will also have a new man at the helm this year after the legendary Bob Palko retired. Palko brought the Blue Devils back to the top in 2021 with their first WPIAL title in 20 years and a State Championship. Former Elizabeth Forward coach Mike Collodi will take over after a historic run for the Warriors that saw them reach their first WPIAL Championship game in school history. Last year Mt. Lebanon had to overcome numerous injuries and had a lot of young players see time. David Shields, who was forced into duty at quarterback last year, will not return to the team. Shields was the star pitcher on Mt. Lebanon’s WPIAL title-winning baseball team, threw a no hitter in the WPIAL Championship game and will dedicate himself to baseball full-time. The Blue Devils should be strong in the trenches once again with Navy-commit Connor Young leading the way up front. There will be a lot of turnover at the skill positions, but the defense has a star in the middle in Air Force-commit Beckham Dee who was also the team’s leading receiver (326 yards, 3 TDs) last season. Kicker Ben McAuley booted 7 field goals last season, including a key kick to beat Central Catholic during the regular season.
Canon-McMillan
2022 Result: Lost to North Allegheny in WPIAL semifinals
The Big Macs made the playoffs last season in a strange set of circumstances that saw Seneca Valley blow a 4th quarter lead against North Allegheny and lose out on a playoff tiebreaker. In the postseason, Canon-Mac battled against eventual WPIAL Champions North Allegheny but fell 7-0 in the semifinals. Most of their offensive skill position starters from last year’s team graduated. The Big Macs return QB Mike Evans (1448 yards, 18 TDs) which should give them a dynamic offensive attack. Defensively the Big Macs should be strong with standout linebacker Kaeden Singleton (a Delaware-commit) leading the way. Singleton has been making waves on defense and special teams since his freshman year with blocked kicks and sacks. Two-way lineman Liam Reamer also has some FCS offers. The key to the Big Macs ground game this year will be speedy RB Zach Welsh who played at Washington last season and averaged 9.5 yards per carry.
Seneca Valley
2022 Result: Missed playoffs
The Raiders had high hopes going into last season but ultimately fell short. Their season came to a disappointing end after having the opportunity entering Week 8 to claim a share of the conference title. Instead, two narrow defeats left them outside the playoffs looking in. The nail in the coffin was blowing a 12-point second half lead to North Allegheny in the final week of the season. Seneca Valley will need to replace most of their offensive starters. Third-leading receiver Amari Henson (294 yards, 1 TD) returns for his senior season.
