The 2024 WPIAL Championship Games will take place at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, November 23. This will be an all-day event starting with the 1A Championship game at 11am and concluding with the 4A title game at 8pm. Our friends on KDKA Radio will be broadcasting all of the games and they will also be televised on KDKA+ (Formerly the CW). Last week, the Champions in 6A and 4A were crowned with Central Catholic getting revenge on North Allegheny after falling to the Tigers in the title game the last two seasons. In 4A Thomas Jefferson beat McKeesport, giving Bill Cherpak the most WPIAL titles of any coach. For both Central Catholic and Thomas Jefferson it was their first Championships since 2020. Central thrashed State College 41-19 in the State Quarterfinals and will move on to face the District 3 Champion in the semifinals.
On this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show, we broke down the four WPIAL Championship games as well as the two State Quarterfinals in 6A and 4A.
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5A Championship Preview
1. Pine-Richland vs 3. Peters Twp
Saturday, November 23 8:00pm
Acrisure Stadium
WPIAL Blitz Show 5A Breakdown
How They Got Here
For the second straight season, Pine-Richland and Peters Twp will meet in the 5A Championship Game. Last year they had to play at Norwin because of the WPIAL 5A Champion entering the statewide bracket in the quarterfinals, but this year the two will square off at Acrisure. Pine-Richland was awarded the #1 seed thanks to an impressive resume that included a victory over 6A Champions Central Catholic. The Rams only loss this season came against 6A Runners-up North Allegheny on a last-minute touchdown. Against the rest of their schedule, Pine-Richland has won 8 games by double-digits, their only close 5A win coming over North Hills. In the semifinals the Rams defense stifled the high-flying Bethel Park offense, holding the Blackhawks to a season low 7 points.
Peters Twp is the defending WPIAL Champions, their first title in school history. The Indians only regular season loss came against Allegheny Six Conference Champions Upper St Clair. Peters avenged that loss in the semifinals, winning a defensive struggle. USC kicked a field goal in the waning seconds of the first half and Peters Twp returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Those were the only points in the 7-3 Indians victory to send them back to the title game.
Recent History
This is the fourth playoff meeting between Pine-Richland and Peters Twp in the last five years and the third Championship Game between the two. These two teams have been the dominant forces in 5A in recent years. Pine-Richland is playing in the title game for the fourth time in five years and Peters Twp is making their 4th Championship Game appearance since 2019. That 2019 WPIAL final was the first Championship Game appearance in Peters Twp’s history. Pine-Richland won the prior two meetings in the 2020 Championship and 2021 Quarterfinals. Peters Twp rolled to their first WPIAL title in school history last season but came up short against Imhotep Charter in the state finals. Pine-Richland has won three state titles in the last decade, including the 2020 and 2022 seasons.
Championship Pedigree
Peters Twp is the defending WPIAL Champions after routing Pine-Richland 43-17 last year. That was the Indians first title in school history. Peters Twp made their first foray into the state bracket last season, winning a tight state semifinal on a defensive stand, before falling to Imhotep Charter in the State Finals. Pine-Richland is appearing in their 3rd straight title game and 6th in the last 7 years, dating back to their days in 6A. The Rams are 6-3 all-time in WPIAL title games and can claim 8 championships (including the two won by RIchland High School in 1969 and 1970 prior to the merger of schools). Pine-Richland has found success on the statewide level, reaching the PIAA Championship five times and bringing three state crowns back to Gibsonia (in 2017, 2020, and 2022).
Dramatis Personae
Pine-Richland has the second-highest scoring offense in 5A (37 points per game). For the Rams everything starts with their running game and Maclane Miller (1221 yards, 15 TDs). Miller had 206 yards and 2 TDs in the Rams semifinal victory over Bethel Park, keeping the Black Hawks explosive offense on the sidelines. At quarterback, sophomore Aaron “Oobi” Strader has thrown for 1409 yards and 16 TDs while running for 308 yards and 4 scores. Pine-Richland has one of the top defensive backs in the WPIAL in Jay Timmons (son of former Steeler Lawrence Timmons). On defense, Timmons has 4 interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns). He is also the Rams leading receiver with 605 yards and 6 TDs. Fellow two-way WR/DB Tanner Cunningham has 322 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 2 interceptions (including one pick-six). Pine-Richland also has a talented kicker in Grant Argiro who has booted 8 field goals and has D1 offers.
Peters Twp has one of the top quarterbacks in 5A in junior Nolan DiLucia (2349 yards, 22 TDs). He has spread the ball around between six different receivers who have over 130 yards. Leading receiver Nick McCullough (984 yards, 17 total TDs) has breakaway speed and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. McCullough scored the only touchdown on a kickoff return in Peters’ semifinal victory over Upper St Clair. DiLucia has also worked the ball to Eli Prado (307 yards, 3 TDs), Jeremy Poletti (244 yards, 1 TD), and Locas Rost (210 yards, 2 TDs). Peters does take a balanced approach on the offensive side of the ball with Nick Courie (655 yards, 14 TDs) and Cole Neupaver (326 yards, 3 TDs) joining DiLucia (who himself has run for 429 yards and 4 TDs) in the backfield. The Indians are stacked with talent on the defensive side of the ball. Senior linebacker Mickey Vaccarello is a Stanford-commit. Junior edge rushers Reston Lehman (Penn State, Pitt, WVU, and more) and Lucas Shanafelt (Eastern Michigan) both have D1 offers.
3A Championship Game
2. Central Valley vs 5. Avonworth
Saturday, November 23 5:00pm
Acrisure Stadium
WPIAL Blitz Show 3A Breakdown
How They Got Here
Central Valley, Avonworth, and Beaver finished the regular season in a 3-way tie atop the Western Hills Conference. The WPIAL followed their tiebreaking procedures for playoff seeding and Central Valley received the #2 seed with Beaver 4th and Avonworth 5th. The three teams split their head-to-head games with Avonworth beating Central Valley 21-14 in Week 5. Both teams had to endure tough non-conference schedules so their overall records and statistics are somewhat atypical for teams reaching Championship Games, but their quality should not be doubted. Avonworth lost non-conference games to 4A Champions Thomas Jefferson and 4A semifinalist Aliquippa. Central Valley also lost to Thomas Jefferson plus 4A #2 seed Montour and 4A quarterfinalist Belle Vernon. The WPIAL didn’t do the Warriors many scheduling favors as they had to play North Hills (a 5A playoff team) in the regular season finale. The non-conference schedules aside, these two teams both excelled against 3A competition. Central Valley’s only loss to a 3A team was to Avonworth and the Lopes only loss was to conference co-champion Beaver in Week 9. Avonworth avenged that loss in the quarterfinals with a mercy rule of Beaver. In the semifinals, Central Valley ran past Elizabeth Forward and Avonworth won a defensive struggle against top-seeded Imani Christian.
Recent History
These two teams are very familiar with each other. This will be their fifth meeting in the last four seasons and the prior results are split 2-2. Since 2020 when Avonworth moved up to 3A, they have been scheduled every year. In 2020 the game was cancelled because of COVID which may have caused Avonworth to be left out of the playoffs by the WPIAL Committee. The following year the two did play in a game that decided the Northwest Six conference title (a 43-6 Central Valley win). In 2022, after winning 3 straight WPIAL titles and 2 state titles, Central Valley was forced up into 4A but the game continued as a non-conference meeting. Central Valley won in 2022 by a closer 37-22 margin before Avonworth turned the tables last season with a 28-20 victory. With Central Valley moving back down to 3A this season and rejoining the Western Hills Conference, the two teams met on the field for the fourth straight season with Avonworth winning a tough 21-14 game These two teams have never met in the playoffs but Avonworth did face Monaca, one of the predecessor schools to Central Valley in 2008 and 2009. In fact, Avonworth’s victory over Monaca in 2009 was the final football game in Monaca’s storied history.
Championship Pedigree
These two teams have been strong title contenders over the last decade. Central Valley, formed by the merger of Center and Monaca in 2010, burst onto the scene immediately by winning the WPIAL AAA title in their first year of existence. The Warriors would reach three straight title games from 2013-2015, winning the 2014 crown. At the outset of the 6 classification era, Central Valley was overshadowed by Beaver County rivals Aliquippa until 2019 when the Warriors beat the Quips in overtime in the Championship Game by stopping a two-point conversion. That Central Valley team went on the reach the State title game but lost to Wyoming Area. The following two years the Warriors swept through the WPIAL, winning back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles. Central Valley was then forced up to 4A where they were reunited with Aliquippa and fell to the Quips in the 2022 Championship Game. Overall, Central Valley is 5-3 in WPIAL finals and has won 5 WPIAL and 2 state titles. Including the three Championships won by Monaca, Central Valley can claim 8 titles overall.
Avonworth has been a district on the rise, both from a football standpoint and a population standpoint. The Lopes had been a Single-A team in the four class era and in 2014 made their first Championship Game appearance since 1959. They lost that game to Clairton and were placed in 2A at the outset of the six class era. Avonworth won the 2019 WPIAL title, defeating Washington, and reached the State finals before falling to Southern Columbia. Avonworth’s growing population moved them up to 3A the following year. They have been to the WPIAL Championship Game the last two seasons, falling to eventual State Champs Belle Vernon both times.
Dramatis Personae
Central Valley has battled through a number of injuries and finally got around to having a fully healthy team entering the playoffs. The Warriors will lean on their rushing attack and the two-headed beast in their backfield. Mason Dixon (1339 yards, 19 TDs) has overcome a number of injuries during his high school career and come back to lead the team in rushing, averaging over 10 yards per carry. Sophomore Jance Henry (788 yards, 12 TDs) who missed a few games due to injury this season, scored twice in the semifinals against Elizabeth Forward. Quarterback Steven Rutherford (891 passing yards, 5 TDs, 372 rushing yards, 6 TDs) started all but one game this season at quarterback. Rutherford got in on the action last week and showed off his wheels with a 91-yard touchdown run. When the Warriors do take to the air, the tandem of Kole Hiltz (256 yards, 3 TDs) and Quinn Connolly (243 yards, 2 TDs) have been Rutherford’s favorite targets. Central Valley has an absolute stud in the trenches in two-way lineman Brendan Alexander who has offers from numerous D1 schools including Penn State, Pitt, Wisconsin, and Duke.
Avonworth’s offense is built around their multifaceted rushing attack. The Lopes have 8 players with over 100 rushing yards on the season. In the playoffs, the Neal brothers have taken the helm of the backfield. Nico Neal (813 yards, 10 TDs) ran for 270 yards and 4 TDs in Avonworth’s revenge victory over Beaver. Last week it was his brother Luca (478 yards, 3 TDs) who stole the show with 176 yards and 2 TDs against Imani’s vaunted defense. Luca is also the Lopes leading receiver with 473 yards and 4 TDs. Both of the Neal brothers average over 8 yards per carry, making for an explosive tandem. Dimitri Velsaris (575 yards, 8 TDs) is also a factor in Avonworth’s ground game. Avonworth’s running game is able to excel thanks to their talent in the trenches with Nikolas Engelmore and Peter Bonnet who both have D1 offers. With the expansion of Avonworth’s ground game, Carson Bellinger (988 yards, 11 TDs) hasn’t had to throw much during the postseason, but is a very capable passer when needed.
2A Championship Game
1. Seton LaSalle vs 2. South Park
Saturday, November 23 2:00pm
Acrisure Stadium
WPIAL Blitz Show 2A Breakdown
How They Got Here
Both of these teams moved down from 3A to 2A this season and have put together historic seasons. South Park is playing in the Championship Game for the first time since 2005 and Seton LaSalle for the first time since 2004. Interestingly, neither team has ever lost a WPIAL Championship Game. This was Seton’s first trip to the playoffs since 2018 after running through the regular season and earning the top seed. Seton has the highest-scoring offense (42 points per game) and stingiest defense (10 points allowed per game) in 2A. The Rebels blew out Riverside in the Quarterfinals and ran past Steel Valley in the semis. This was the first time in three years that Steel Valley did not make it to Acrisure.
South Park won the Allegheny Conference title, their first conference championship since 2017 and first outright since 2005. South Park has not been to a WPIAL final since winning the WPIAL and PIAA Championship in 2005. South Park’s only loss this season came against a 3A playoff team (Deer Lakes). The Eagles have won in different ways this season, beating Steel Valley in a defensive struggle and a resurgent South Allegheny squad in a shootout. Overall South Park ranks in the Top 5 in 2A in offense (33 points per game) and defense (12 points against per game). In the playoffs South Park came from behind to grind down Mohawk then topped Ellwood City who had their first undefeated season since 1944.
Recent History
Seton LaSalle and South Park were conference opponents in 3A the last two seasons, so these schools are very familiar with each other. South Park’s 35-28 victory over Seton last year was the decisive result that determined the final playoff qualifier in their conference. Both of these teams are great turnaround stories. Seton LaSalle is two years removed from going 0-10 in 2022. The year prior, South Park went 2-7. South Park won both conference matchups over the last two years.
This is the 26th all-time meeting between the schools with Seton holding a 14-10-1 edge, but the first time they will meet in the playoffs. The schools played in the same AA conference for 12 years between 2002 and 2015. Interestingly, in the first meeting of these schools they both had different names when Snowden Twp tied South Hills Catholic 0-0 in 1959.
Championship Pedigree
Neither team has ever lost in a WPIAL Championship Game. Seton LaSalle is 5-0 and South Park is 2-0. Seton was a powerhouse when they joined the WPIAL from the Pittsburgh Catholic League and won back-to-back titles in 1979 and 1980. The Rebels also captured WPIAL crowns in 1990, 2002, and 2004. They have never won a State title but reached the Championship Game in 1990 and 2002. South Park has won two WPIAL titles in 1997 and 2005 with both victories catapulting the Eagles on to State Championships. Snowden Twp, the original name of South Park, won the 1955 WPIAL Class B title over Neville.
Dramatis Personae
Seton LaSalle’s high-flying offense has a balanced attack with playmakers all over the field. The Rebels are the highest-scoring team in 2A and have beat teams in multiple ways. Their passing attack has flourished with QB Michael Pastirik (1843 yards, 31 TDs) at the helm. Pastirik led the WPIAL in passing touchdowns during the regular season and has a dynamic tandem in Khalil Taylor (932 yards, 22 total TDs) and Richard Littlejohn (486 yards, 8 TDs). Taylor is an outstanding kick and punt returner, which should put added weight on special teams in this game. Taylor and Littlejohn are both sophomores and already have multiple D1 offers. On the ground, Logan King (1188 yards, 19 TDs) leads the way in the Rebels rushing attack. King was the star of the show in the semifinals with 134 rushing yards, 3 TDs on the ground, and a passing touchdown.
South Park has a ground-and-pound offensive approach and is perfectly comfortable playing old-school smash-mouth football and matriculating the ball down the field to grind out the clock. Eric Doerue (1596 yards, 22 TDs) led the Eagles rushing attack and is now South Park’s all-time leading rusher. Dual-threat QB Robert Lenzi (610 passing yards, 6 TDs; 864 rushing yards, 13 TDs) has more rushing attempts than passing attempts and averaged over 8 yards per carry. Watch out for playmaker Kenyan Brown (444 rushing yards, 225 receiving yards, 6 offensive TDs, 3 kick return TDs) who is a threat to score any time he gets the ball in his hands and a top-notch safety at the back end of the Eagles defense. In the trenches, the Cunningham brothers (Parker and Troy) are absolute maulers who pave the way for South Park’s rushing attack. Parker Cunningham is a James Madison-commit while Troy has offers from a number of MAC and FCS schools.
1A Championship Game
1. Fort Cherry vs 2. Clairton
Saturday, November 23 11:00am
Acrisure Stadium
WPIAL Blitz Show 1A Breakdown
How They Got Here
Fort Cherry is the defending WPIAL Champions and reached the state title game last year before falling to Steelton-Highspire. The Rangers have had to endure some adversity this season with star QB Matt Sieg playing through an early-season injury. Sieg, a junior who has committed to Penn State, broke a bone in his hand and had to play running back to start the year before moving back into the QB role mid-season. Nevertheless, the Rangers cruised through the regular season with the second-ranked offense (42 points per game) and defense (10 points allowed per game). Fort Cherry scored at least 40 points 9 times this year. Their closest games came against Bishop Canevin in Week 7 (a 49-34 victory where they pulled away late thanks to multiple turnovers) and in the quarterfinals against conference rival Cornell (a hard-fought 27-20 win).
Clairton had a historic season on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 2 touchdowns all year. The Bears have pitched 10 shutouts this season, including all three playoff rounds. Incredibly, Clairton has produced 160 negative plays for opposing offenses – 128 tackles for loss and 32 sacks. The Bears defense has also produced 8 defensive touchdowns, meaning they have scored more points on the defensive side of the ball than they have allowed. On the other side of the ball, Clairton also boasts the highest-scoring offense in the entire WPIAL, averaging an incredible 52 points per game. Clairton has only had two games decided by less than 35 points this year – their 24-0 semifinal victory over Bishop Canevin and their Week 0 30-7 win over 2A semifinalist Steel Valley (in which the Ironmen returned a fumble for a touchdown).
Recent History
Fort Cherry is coming off their best season in school history while Clairton has bounced back from a few “down” years (by Clairton’s lofty standards). This will be the 6th all-time playoff meeting between the two teams. They met in consecutive years in the 1990s with Fort Cherry winning in 1997 and Clairton the following year in 1998. They met again in 2002 with Fort Cherry scoring their second victory over the Bears in six years. Fort Cherry is one of the great turn-around stories in the WPIAL. They missed the playoffs for 4 straight years from 2018-2021, including an 0-10 season in 2019. But the Rangers bounced back and soared to new heights, losing to playoff nemesis Rochester in the quarterfinals in 2022 before getting their revenge en route to the first WPIAL title in school history last year. Clairton’s run of dominance began in the mid-2000s. The Bears reached the semifinals in 15 straight years from 2006-2020, including victories over Fort Cherry in 2013 and 2016.Since that 2020 Championship Game loss to Jeannette, Clairton went through a few “down” campaigns where they fell in the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2022. Interestingly both losses were to teams who were the eventual runners-up (OLSH and Bishop Canevin). Last year Clairton returned to the semis but lost to South Side Beaver who was also the runner-up, falling to Fort Cherry in the finals.
Championship Pedigree
Fort Cherry is coming off their first WPIAL Championship in school history. The Rangers made it all the way to the State finals last year where they lost to two-time defending Champs Steelton-Highspire. Fort Cherry can also claim the 1956 Class B title won by Midway, one of their predecessor schools. Overall, the Rangers are 1-2 in Championship Games with losses to Riverview in 1997 and Rochester in 2002.
The weight of the pedigree in this matchup is almost entirely with Clairton. The Bears are playing in their 21st WPIAL Championship Game. Clairton has won 14 WPIAL titles, 11 on the field and 3 that were awarded based on Gardner Points in 1929, 1931, and 1954. Their recent dominant run included five straight WPIAL titles from 2008-2012 and four State Championships during the “Killer T” era from 2009-2012. The “Bout Dat” crew of Tyler Boyd, Titus Howard and Terrish Webb went an incredible 65-1 during their 4-year high school careers. The next generation of Clairton athletes led by Lamont Wade won three straight WPIAL titles from 2014-2016. Clairton’s most recent championship came in 2019, making this the longest title-less drought for Clairton since the early 2000s.
Dramatis Personae
Fort Cherry’s offense runs through one of the top players in the entire WPIAL. Junior QB Matt Sieg, a Penn State-commit is one of just the three players in WPIAL history to have TWO seasons with 1000 passing and 1000 rushing yards. This year Sieg had to play running back for the first few games due to an injury to his hand but returned to his dual-threat QB role in Week 4. Overall he has thrown for 1124 yards and 19 TDs and ran for 1717 yards and 30 TDs. In Fort Cherry’s semifinal victory over Jeannette, Sieg had over 100 passing yards, 200 rushing yards, and 6 TDs. Leading receiver Shane Cornali (610 yards, 14 TDs) and Sieg’s backfield counterpart Ryan Huey (693 yards, 12 TDs) have scored double-digit TDs. In addition to Cornali, Braydon Cook (354 yards, 4 TDs) and Evan Rogers (209 yards, 3 TDs) are solid receivers who contribute in both the passing game and as blockers in the running game. Fort Cherry plays a selfless brand of football with everyone pitching in to block and help the offense flourish.
Clairton’s offense is loaded with talent all over the field, starting with QB Jeffrey Thompson (1872 yards, 27 TDs). The Bears top three rushers all averaged over 10 yards per carry, led by senior Drahcir Jones (1362 yards, 23 TDs) along with slot backs Donte Wright (376 rushing yards, 474 receiving yards, 16 total TDs) and Michael Ruffin (376 rushing yards, 282 receiving yards, 14 total TDs). Clairton has four players with over 300 receiving yards, making them almost impossible to defend all over the field. In addition to Wright and Ruffin, two-way stars Taris Wooding (543 yards, 6 TDs) and Zaemear Correll (363 yards, 5 TDs) are forces to be reckoned with on both offense and defense. The Clairton defensive backs play like they are wide receivers and have intercepted 15 passes this season, led by Wright and Jones with 5 picks each. Correll, Wright, and Wooding all have D1 offers. Freshman Brandon Murphy Jr has been an absolute game-wrecker for Clairton’s defense with 9 sacks and 22 tackles for loss and already has a few D1 offers.
