The 2025 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 22. 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.
Sixteen teams qualify for the 1A playoffs. The top three teams from each of the four conferences are guaranteed playoff spots. The final four wild card spots are decided by the WPIAL selection committee, rather than by a formula as was the case in prior cycles. Neshannock moved down to 1A last year and won the Big Seven Conference crown. The playoffs were not kind to the Big Seven as three teams were bounced in the first round with only South Side advancing. 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.
Neshannock
2024 Result: 9-1, Big Seven Conference Champions, lost to Jeannette in first round
All-Time: 315-335-15 (87th in wins, 66th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Lancers moved down from 2A to 1A last season and looked poised to make a deep run after a 9-1 regular season where their only loss was by 7 points to 2A Midwestern Conference Champions Ellwood City. But they couldn’t get the running game going in the first round of the playoffs and were upset by 14-seed Jeannnette. The good news for Neshannock is their primary playmakers all return, giving them another shot at a big season. Senior QB Jino Mozzoccio threw for 1455 yards and 14 TDs and ran for 744 yards and 14 scores. Backfield counterpart Anthony Eakin (840 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards, 11 total TDs) also returns to the fold. Watch out for sophomore Justin Edgeworthy (345 yards, 5 TDs) who averaged an incredible 11 yards per carry last year as a freshman. Neshannock did see two of their top three receivers graduate, leaving Ethan Beaman (235 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning target. However, with the trio of Mozzoccio, Eakin and speedster Edgeworthy in the backfield, the Lancers may not need to throw much this season. Their first round upset by Jeannette aside, Neshannock boasted the fourth-best defense in 1A (holding opponents to 15 points per game) and should once again be consider a strong championship contender.
South Side
2024 Result: 6-3, lost to Bishop Canevin in Quarterfinals
All-Time: 310-333-19 (88th in wins, 69th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1970, 1999), 1999 State Champions
The Rams reached the WPIAL finals in 2023 and followed it up with a semifinal appearance last season where they lost a tight game to Bishop Canevin. The Rams triple-option offense was the second-highest scoring unit in the conference (28 points per game). Senior RB AC Corfield led the team in rushing (1005 yards), receiving (299 yards), and scoring (11 total TDs). Due to an injury to QB Will Morgan, freshman Dawson Frasier stepped in and threw for 513 yards and 4 TDs while running for 140 yards and 5 TDs. South Side’s offense is built around their running game which will also feature sophomore Amare Moman (310 yards, 8 TDs). The Rams certainly have the offensive talent between the headliner Corfield and the rising sophomore class of Frasier and Moman to be a contender for the conference title this season.
Laurel
2024 Result: 5-5, lost to California in first round
All-Time: 370-547-10 (64th in wins, 105th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1980 WPIAL Champions
Laurel’s 2024 season was a testament to never giving up. The Spartans lost their first four games but bounced back to win 5 in a row and set up a showdown with Lawrence County rival Neshannock for the conference title in Week 9. Laurel played stingy defense all season and even their early losing streak was a slight misnomer as they lost to Ellwood City in overtime and lost one-score games to 2A playoff teams Mohawk and Riverside. The Spartans showed their grit in conference play but ultimately came up short against Neshannock for the Big Seven title and lost the ensuing week to California in the playoffs. Laurel had traditionally been a run-heavy outfit but shifted to relying on Luca Santini’s arm last season. Santini threw for 1795 yards and 11 TDs and ran for 183 yards and 4 scores. Offensive playmaker Kolton Carlson returns for his senior season afer leading the Spartans in receiving (587 yards), was second in rushing (200 yards), and their leading scorer (10 total TDs). Second-leading receiver Jack Miles (459 yards, 3 TDs) is also a rising senior. While Laurel will need to score more than the 19 points per game they averaged last season in order to contend for the conference title once again.
Rochester
2024 Result: 3-6, lost to Clairton in first round
All-Time: 696-436-54 (9th in wins, 22nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 8 WPIAL Championships (1921, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004), 3 State Championships (1998, 2000, 2001)
The Rams have made the playoffs in 8 of the last 9 years. Rochester got off to a slow start last season, losing their first four outings before turning it around in conference play. The Rams won 3 out of 4 in the middle of the season and played South Side to just a 2-point loss in Week 9. In the eyes of the WPIAL committee, this proved enough to earn the Rams a wild card. Rochester had 13 players graduate from last year’s team and will need to find replacements at several offensive positions. The Rams are a traditional, run-heavy offense which does make plugging in new players from the pipeline a bit easier. Leading rusher Jason Clinton (690 yards, 9 TDs) was only a sophomore last year and third-leading rusher Thomas Henry (305 yards, 3 TDs) returns for his senior season. Rochester doesn’t throw the ball much (they averaged just 5 attempts per game last year) but their two quarterbacks who saw time (junior Brandon Siget and senior Patrick Bable) both return.
Northgate
2024 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 221-257-7 (109th in wins, 79th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
The Flames have not made the playoffs since 2016, but have shown continued improvement over the last few seasons. Northgate went 3 seasons without a win from 2018-2020 and finally broke through in 2021. They have been right around .500 the last few seasons and had the third-highest scoring offense in the conference last year (24 points per game). Northgate did some preparing for the future as they let freshman QB Devontae Smith (328 yards, 3 TDs) see some action last year. The Flames lost their top two rushers to graduation but return the electric Zion Ward (258 yards, 4 TDs) who averaged over 8 yards per carry. As Smith steps in at quarterback, he will have the comfort of returning the top two receivers in Anthony Barron (326 yards, 1 TD) and Johrdon Hairston (263 yards, 3 TDs).
Shenango
2024 Result: 2-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 433-388-38 (43rd in wins, 49th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
After a run to the semifinals in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, Shenango missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons. The Wildcats had two of their first three games postponed last year after thunderstorms wrecked havoc on the region. After starting conference play with a win over Northgate, Shenango lost five in a row to fall out of the playoff picture. The good news for the Wildcats is that they only lost four seniors to graduation so most of their key players will return, including four starters on the line. Junior Niko DeSalvo saw some time as the backup quarterback last year and figures to step into the starting role. DeSalvo was also the team’s third-leading rusher (221 yards, 3 TDs) which should give Shenango some dual-threat potential with him under center. Second-leading rusher AJ Ferilla (450 yards, 4 TDs) returns for his senior season. On the outside, the top two receivers graduated, leaving senior Treyton Ross (185 yards) as the top target. If Shenango wants to contend for a playoff spot, they need to tighten up a defense that allowed 31 points per game, the second-most in the conference.
Summit Academy
2024 Result: 1-7, missed playoffs
All-Time: 47-193-0 (121st in wins, 121st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Summit Academy is a school for adjudicated youth in Butler County. Due to the short-term stays of their students, they have complete roster turnover every season. Summit has made the playoffs twice in their history, most recently in 2017. Given the completely new roster, it is impossible to predict how they will perform this season. The school’s primary focus in fielding a team is to teach the kids life lessons through football.
