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. The only change to the Northeast Conference was swapping out Woodland Hills for Plum. This move gave greater geographic consistency to both the Northeast and Big East conferences.
The biggest changes in 5A happened at the state level. To start, the PIAA returned the WPIAL Champion to entering the state playoffs in the semifinals. In the last cycle, because the WPIAL Champion entered the state bracket in the quarterfinals, there were only enough weeks for three rounds of WPIAL playoffs so only 8 teams could qualify. This resulted in an 8-2 Upper St Clair team missing the playoffs last year. This cycle is a return to normalcy for 5A. In total, 12 teams will make the playoffs. The top 3 finishers in each conference will be guaranteed a playoff spot and the WPIAL Committee will select three Wild Card teams to round out the bracket. 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
2023 Result: 7-3, lost to Peters Twp in WPIAL Championship Game
All-Time: 406-291-13 (48th in wins, 31st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (2003, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022), Richland HS won 2 WPIAL Championships (1969 & 1970), 3 State Championships (2017, 2020, 2022)
The Rams are a force to be reckoned with in 5A and one of the top contenders for the WPIAL crown. Pine-Richland has reached the WPIAL final in 6 of the last 7 years, winning 4 titles in that span. This year, the reigns of the offense will be given to dual-threat sophomore QB Aaron “Oobi” Strader. Last year as a freshman Strader threw for 321 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 579 yards and 5 scores. His crowning achievement was a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the Rams semifinal victory over conference rival Penn Hills. Juniors Maclane Miller (315 yards, 2 TDs) and Joshua Watson (121 yards) will join Strader in the backfield after all three averaged over 7 yards per carry last season. Junior WR/CB Lawrence “Jay” Timmons, son of former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, already has an offer from Akron and has garnered interest from other D1 schools.
Penn Hills
2023 Result: 8-2, Northeast Conference Champions, Lost to Pine-Richland in 5A semifinals
All-Time: 545-315-22 (18th in wins, 13th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (1976, 1977t, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2018), 2 State Championships (1995, 2018)
The Indians have reached the semifinals in two of the last three seasons. Last year they topped Pine-Richland in the Jon LeDonne Bowl during the regular season but fell to the Rams on a last-minute drive in the playoffs. A number of long-time starters have graduated as part of a 17-man senior class and Penn Hills will look to reload to stay in the championship conversation. At quarterback, Devin Harris transferred to Penn Hills from Shady Side Academy after throwing for 1141 yards and 12 TDs last year. Rising senior Naytel Mitchell figures to be the star of the team. He was third in both rushing (319 yards) and receiving (342 yards) and scored twice last year. Second-leading receiver Martel Palmer (388 yards, 7 TDs) also returns. Penn Hills has become a defensive back factory in recent years and sophomore Carter Bonner figures to be next in line with offers from Penn State, Pitt, WVU, and Michigan State.
Plum
2023 Result: 4-6, Missed playoffs in 5A
All-Time: 346-441-25 (72nd in wins, 89th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1983 WPIAL Champions
The Mustangs move over from the Big East to the Northeast conference this season, essentially flipping spots with Woodland Hills. The move makes geographic sense for both teams and should put Plum right in the mix to battle for a playoff spot. The Mustangs will have a solid group of returning skill players led by leading rusher Nick Odom (1043 yards, 7 TDs) and leading receiver Darian Nelson (619 yards, 9 TDs), who has an offer from St. Francis. Defensive end Darian Slaughter, who has the best name for a pass rusher in the WPIAL, also has an offer from St. Francis.
North Hills
2023 Result: 4-6, Missed playoffs in 5A
All-Time: 516-329-27 (21st in wins, 24th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1982, 1985t, 1987, 1993), 1993 State Champions
The Indians have made the playoffs in 4 of the last 6 seasons but have not won a playoff game since a run to the semifinals in 2010. They did make a late run last season, winning 3 of 4 to set up a showdown with Pine-Richland in Week 9 with a postseason berth on the line. While North Hills has traditionally been a run-heavy offense, they have opened up the passing game in recent years under head coach Pat Carey. After only 8 seniors graduated last year, North Hills will bring back a number of key starters. Their top two rushers both return in Jack Martin (352 yards, 2 TDs) and Julius Green (204 rushing yards, 133 receiving yards, 2 total TDs). The Indians are also stacked with young talent at receiver with junior Josiah Mathis (478 yards, 4 TDs) and sophomore Johnell Edison (200 yards, 2 TDs) both returning after averaging over 12 yards per catch last season.
Shaler
2023 Result: 5-5, Missed playoffs in 5A
All-Time: 273-450-30 (89th in wins, 112th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Titans had a 5-5 campaign last season with one of their best teams in school history. Unfortunately, they played in a brutally tough conference and went just 1-4 in section play. Shaler has not made the playoffs since 2019 and had 22 seniors graduate from last year’s squad. The top returning rusher is Joe Rispoli who averaged 7 yards per carry on just a handful of touches. The top seven receivers all graduated and this looks to be a rebuilding campaign for the Titans.
Fox Chapel
2023 Result: 0-10, Missed playoffs in 5A
All-Time: 226-384-8 (107th in wins, 113th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Foxes have fallen on hard times over the last cycle. They enter the 2024 campaign with the WPIAL’s second-longest losing streak at 21 games. Fox Chapel went 0-20 over the last two seasons and had the unfortunate combination of the lowest-scoring offense (6 points per game) and worst defense (42 points allowed per game) in 5A last season. Their closest game was a 15-point loss to Norwin and they were shut out 5 times. The good news for Fox Chapel is that they started a lot of underclassmen last season so they do have experienced players returning. Three rising juniors all spent time at QB last season – Max Melocchi (401 yards, 1 TD), Nathan Johnson (253 yards, 1 TD), and Joey Geller (161 yards). Leading rushers Adrian Valdez (196 yards, 1 TD) and D’Angelo Hamilton (181 yards, 2 TDs) and second-leading receiver Lincoln Burgess (205 yards) will all return.
