The 2024 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 23. 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 and watch our live broadcasts on Monday nights or on replay any time.
This is a realignment season but some statewide changes have caused some shakeups in the WPIAL. Beginning with this two-year cycle, the PIAA changed the way students who attend charter or homeschools are counted. This enabled a lot of private schools to slide down in classifications while increasing the enrollment numbers for nearly every public school. North Catholic was a beneficiary, being able to move down from 4A to 3A. Two-time defending 3A State Champs Belle Vernon moved up to 4A while Central Valley, who won the 3A state title in 2020 and 2021, move back down to 3A. All in all, a WPIAL team has won 7 of the 8 3A state titles during the six classification era. Twelve teams will make the 3A playoffs once again this season. The top three from each conference are guaranteed a playoff spot and the final three spots will be given to wild cards selected by the WPIAL Committee.
The aforementioned two-time State Champs Central Valley return to 3A and are not only the presumed favorites in the WPIAL but also the top-ranked team in the state. The Western Hills Conference may very well have the top 3 3A teams statewide between Central Valley, Avonworth (who has made the last two WPIAL title games), and Beaver. North Catholic also moves down from 4A while McGuffey moves up from 2A. The Western Hills is the toughest 3A league and could easily earn 2 of the 3 wild card slots this year. 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.
Central Valley
2023 Result: 8-4, lost to Mars in 4A quarterfinals
All-Time: 144-35-0 (117th in wins, 1st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 5 WPIAL Championships (2010, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021), predecessor school Monaca won 3 WPIAL titles (1975, 1982, 1985), 2 State Championships (2020, 2021)
The Warriors won three straight WPIAL titles and two State crowns from 2019-2021 but were forced up into 4A last cycle. They reached the 4A WPIAL Championship in 2022 but fell in the first round last year. Now, Central Valley moves back down to 3A intent on making another run at not only a WPIAL but also a state title. Last year’s squad was loaded with underclassmen starters, meaning the Warriors bring back a seasoned and battle-tested team this year. The strength of the team is in their running game where Jance Henry (1008 yards, 13 TDs) was the top rusher as a freshman and already has college offers from Pitt, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, WVU, and a host of MAC schools. Rising seniors Mason Dixon (819 yards, 12 TDs) and Brandon Singleton (561 yards, 4 TDs) along with junior JJ Work (239 yards, 4 TDs) will be part of a loaded Warriors backfield. Dual-threat QB Steven Rutherford threw for 1347 yards and 11 TDs and ran for 445 yards and 10 TDs last season as a junior. On the outside, the top five receivers all return. Quinn Connolly (264 yards, 2 TDs), Kole Hiltz (256 yards), and Jaiden Underwood (161 yards) are all rising seniors. Junior TE/LB Ethan Shearer (250 yards, 3 TDs) has offers from Eastern Michigan and Miami (OH) while sophomore WR/DB Mekhi Ahmed (134 yards) has a Miami (OH) offer. In the trenches, Brendan Alexander has a slew of offers including Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Stanford, Duke, and others. Central Valley might be the top-ranked 3A team in the state heading into the season.
Avonworth
2023 Result: 12-1, lost to Belle Vernon in 3A WPIAL Championship
All-Time: 453-509-45 (37th in wins, 71st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1959, 2019)
The Lopes are coming off a perfect regular season that saw them make a second straight appearance in the WPIAL finals, but for the second straight year fall to eventual state champions Belle Vernon. The two best 3A teams in the WPIAL might both be in the Western Hills Conference with Central Valley moving back into the classification. Avonworth returns plenty of talent, starting with junior QB Carson Bellinger who threw for 1556 yards and 21 TDs last year. Out of the backfield, Dimitri Valisaris (895 yards, 13 TDs) led the Lopes in rushing as a freshman last year. Nico Neal (232 yards, 4 TDs) returns for his senior season. Both returning rushers averaged over 7 yards per carry behind the Lopes strong line. On the outside, the top four receivers graduated, leaving junior Cooper Scharding (171 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning receiver. With the young talent at the skill positions, Avonworth figures not only to be a contender this season, but also a force for years to come. Linemen Nikolas Engelmore has offers from RMU and Maine and Peter Bonnet has a Miami (OH) offer.
Beaver
2023 Result: 9-3, lost to Avonworth in 3A quarterfinals
All-Time: 675-422-55 (11th in wins, 22nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1972, 1981, 1982)
The Bobcats are coming off a 9-3 season where they were the second-highest scoring team in 3A, averaging 39 points per game. Two of their three losses came to conference champion Avonworth, the regular season meeting taking the Lopes to the wire in a 5-point loss. With most of their top skill position players returning, Beaver should have an explosive offense once again. The strength of the Bobcats is in their rushing game and both 1000-yard backs return. Qualan Cain (1124 yards, 16 TDs) and Drey Hall (1012 yards, 11 TDs) are both rising seniors. Junior QB Travis Clear (1051 yards, 13 TDs) gets his top two receivers back – both of whom have D1 offers. Amari Jackson (681 yards, 10 TDs) was the Bobcats top receiver and has offers from Bowling Green and a number of FCS schools. Brady Mayo did a little of everything (319 receiving yards, 257 rushing yards, 7 total TDs) and has a Bucknell offer.
North Catholic
2023 Result: 5-6, lost to Trinity in 4A first round
All-Time: 476-321-32 (27th in wins, 28th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2013 WPIAL Champions, 2013 State Champions
The Trojans spent the last two years in 4A where they were a borderline playoff team (missing out in 2022 and losing in the first round last season). Now they move back down to 3A where they had a strong run the four years prior, including three semifinals appearances and a trip to the Championship Game in 2021. North will be reunited with old rivals Avonworth from their days in Single-A in the early 2010s. The star of the Trojans team is senior TE Brady O’Hara who has committed to Penn State. He led all Trojan receivers with 308 yards and 2 TDs last season. Most of the other top skill position players (including the top five rushers) all graduated. North does have some other returning contributors in the receiving corps in junior Ryker Kennedy (103 yards) and senior Jack White (2 TDs). Senior DE Joe Safar has a Youngstown State offer. North has the talent to contend for a playoff spot but might be hard-pressed to challenge the top two in the league for a conference crown.
McGuffey
2023 Result: 8-4, 2A Century Conference co-champions, lost to Washington in 2A Quarterfinals
All-Time: 308-433-25 (87th in wins, 101st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1994 WPIAL Champions
The Highlanders move up from 2A to 3A this year after a strong run in recent years. McGuffey has made the playoffs in 6 straight seasons and been a strong challenger for the conference title each season. McGuffey traditional has a strong running game with a triple option attack. The top three rushers have all graduated, leaving Malachi Ealy (422 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards, 5 total TDs) and Aiden O’Dell (5 yards per carry, 1 TD) as the top returning backs. Junior Dakota Reedy and senior Logan Carlisle both attempted a few passes last season in backup duty. McGuffey has been a very solid 2A squad for a number of years, but the step up in competition will be a challenge. Last season, they held opponents to just 15 points per game, a number they’ll need to replicate in order to contend for a playoff spot this year.
Hopewell
2023 Result: 1-9, missed playoffs in 3A
All-Time: 366-424-25 (64th in wins, 73rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2002 WPIAL Champions, 2002 State Champions
The last decade has been a struggle for the Vikings who have not made the playoffs since 2012 and are coming off a 1-9 campaign. Hopewell will look to turn things around on the strength of their rising junior class that includes starters at all three skill positions. Junior QB Kingston Krotec (630 yards, 4 TDs) is joined in the backfield by Josh Brunton. On the outside, the entire receiving corps is made up of juniors, led by Julian Baldwin (122 yards, 2 TDs), Zander Muzy, and Logan Triscila (1 TD). Hopewell had the unfortunate combination of a struggling offense (13 points per game, the third-lowest in 3A) and a porous defense (38 points allowed per game, the third-most in 3A).
Quaker Valley
2023 Result: 1-9, missed playoffs in 3A
All-Time: 243-379-14 (102nd in wins, 111th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2017 WPIAL Champions, 2017 State Champions
The Quakers have fallen on some hard times since their miraculous run to the 2017 3A State Title. Over the last four seasons they won just 4 total games and are coming off back-to-back 1-win campaigns. Last year’s season was highlighted by a thrilling 38-30 win over conference foe Hopewell. Senior RB Jack Diemert led the Quakers in rushing (1046 yards), receiving (217 yards), and scoring (8 total TDs). Both juniors Ben McHenry (337 yards, 4 TDs) and Atticus Barr (139 yards, 2 TDs) spent time at quarterback last year. McHenry flashed some dual-threat abilities, running for 228 yards and a TD. If Quaker Valley is going to contend this year, they will need to improve an offense that was the lowest-scoring unit in 3A (10 points per game) and a defense that allowed 43 points per game, the second-most in 3A.
