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.
Thirteen teams qualify for the 2A playoffs. The top three teams from each of the three 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. Seton LaSalle dominated the conference last year and made a run to the WPIAL finals. The Century Conference also produced one of the best storylines in the WPIAL as Carlynton made the playoffs for the first time since 2001. 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.
Seton LaSalle
2024 Result: 9-0, Century Conference Champions, lost to South Park in WPIAL Championship
All-Time: 384-286-13 (59th in wins, 33rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 5 WPIAL Championships (1979, 1980, 1990, 2002, 2004)
Seton LaSalle is one of the best turnaround stories in the WPIAL. Two years removed from a winless season, the Rebels went undefeated last year and made a run all the way to the WPIAL finals where their luck ran out against a gritty South Park squad. The Rebels have been at the center of an offseason controversy where transfer QB Anthony Smith (who starred as a freshman last year at Southmoreland) was ruled ineligible by the WPIAL and PIAA. The Rebels may turn to sophomore Kia Jones Jr who has D1 offers from Boston College, Memphis, and Toledo for his play at cornerback. Whoever settles into the quarterback role will have second-leading receiver Richard Littlejohn (490 yards, 8 TDs) and Monmouth-commit Aaron Loritts (185 yards, 3 TDs) returning on the outside. Littlejohn, only a junior, has offers from several MAC schools. Loritts and Duquesne-commit Will Martin are both defensive stars at linebacker. Martin played some tight end last season, racking up 149 yards. Sophomore LB Elijah Hickman has offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, and Akron, giving Seton the best linebacking corps in the classification. The top returning rusher is senior Deondre Hill (182 yards, 3 TDs) who averaged 7.6 yards per carry as a backup last year. Seton had the most explosive offense in 2A, averaging nearly 40 points per game. Once they get the quarterback position figured out, the Rebels have the talent to once again win the Century Conference and contend for a WPIAL title.
Washington
2024 Result: 5-5, lost to Steel Valley in first round
All-Time: 741-380-57 (4th in wins, 10th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 8 WPIAL Championships (1917, 1920, 1923, 1926, 1993, 2001, 2017), 2001 State Champions
The Prexies have made the playoffs in 14 straight seasons. Last year they did have to sweat it out a bit after finishing in a fourth place tie with Carlynton, but were awarded a wild car berth thanks to eking out a 1-point Week 6 win over Keystone Oaks. The good news for Wash High is that a number of key starters return from last year’s team, starting with dual-threat QB Tristan Reed (812 passing yards, 9 TDs; 435 rushing yards, 10 TDs) who is a Miami (OH)-commit. Rising junior Trenton Grooms (837 yards, 4 TDs) was the team’s leading rusher. Sophomore Ameer Nelson (407 yards, 3 TDs) and senior Cayden Cook (230 yards, 3 TDs) also return to the Prexies backfield. Leading receiver Caleb Patton (479 yards, 7 TDs) returns for his senior season. While Wash High took their lumps last year, they have the returning talent to contend at the top of the conference this season.
Waynesburg
2024 Result: 6-4, lost to South Allegheny in first round
All-Time: 388-582-36 (53rd in wins, 106th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1999 WPIAL Champions
The Raiders made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003. and just the second time since 2003 last season. Waynesburg started conference play in a big way with a win over Washington but back-to-back defeats to Steel Valley and Seton LaSalle set them back. The Raiders rebounded with a 1-point overtime win over Carlynton. After losing to Keystone Oaks they won their final two outings to clinch a playoff spot. Waynesburg lost their 1000/1000 Club QB and will now look to either senior Jeffrey Blair or junior Teagan Crouse who both saw time as backup quarterbacks last season. Crouse was the more explosive player (168 rushing yards, 281 receiving yards, 3 total TDs), averaging 8 yards per carry. Second-leading rusher Ross Tennant (305 yards, 6 TDs) is only a junior which should give Waynesburg some stability in the backfield. Waynesburg’s top receivers all return, led by Jack Ricciuti (489 yards, 3 TDs) and Zachery Jiblits (310 yards, 2 TDs). With back-to-back playoff appearances under their belts, the next step for Waynesburg’s rebuilding program is to capture their first playoff victory since reaching the WPIAL finals in 2000.
Keystone Oaks
2024 Result: 4-5, lost to Mohawk in first round
All-Time: 465-459-3 (33rd in wins, 58th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Golden Eagles played a number of close, low-scoring games last season and won enough of them to make the playoffs for the 5th straight year. Keystone Oaks lost their quarterback, leading rushers, and leading receiver to graduation. Owen Gearhart mostly played receiver (114 yards, 2 TDs) last season but also threw 2 TD passes. Senior WR Sean O’Brien was the big play target in the passing game, going for 210 yards and 3 TDs. With the top three backs all graduating, sophomore Jovan Harrison is the top returning rusher. This may be a rebuilding year for Keystone Oaks who will have to once again rely on their defense (which was the second-best in the conference) to keep them in games.
Carlynton
2024 Result: 6-4, lost to Western Beaver in first round
All-Time: 184-336-10 (115th in wins, 117th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Carlynton was one of the best stories in the WPIAL last season. The Cougars went from winning 2 games over the 2021-2022 seasons to a 2-win 2023 to snapping their 23-year playoff drought in 2024. Carlynton played postseason football for the first time since 2001 and showed toughness and determination even in their defeats. The Cougars lost to Keystone Oaks and Waynesburg in back-to-back weeks by a total of 4 points, which could have derailed their season in early October. But Carlynton buckled down and smashed Sto-Rox then topped Washington by 1 point to put themselves in playoff position. With their starting quarterback and running back graduating, Carlynton now needs to find replacements in order to stay in the playoff conversation. They will have the comfort of returning leading receiver Damien Holloway (569 yards, 7 TDs). The top returning rusher is junior Justin Berger who averaged 4.4 yards per carry in limited work last season.
Charleroi
2024 Result: 1-9, missed playoffs
All-Time: 571-481-60 (15th in wins, 44th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1936, 1959)
The Cougars are coming off a 1-win campaign and have not won more than 2 games in a season over the last five years. Their one victory over Sto-Rox last year did end the longest losing streak in the WPIAL at the time. The Cougars were not far off from playoff contention as they lost by just 7 to Keystone Oaks and by 6 to Ligonier Valley, who was a wild card contender from the Allegheny Conference. Senior QB Jackson Keranko (1115 yards, 12 TDs) returns for his senior season at the helm of the offense as Charleroi looks to build towards playoff contention. Keranko’s top two receivers graduated, leaving Braedin Lunger (259 yards, 2 TDs) as the top returning target. The Cougars don’t run the ball much, but leading rusher Nate Rock (235 yards, 1 TD) does return to the backfield. In order to contend for a playoff spot, Charleroi will need to get more out of their offense which averaged just 15 points per game last year (third-lowest in 2A).
Sto-Rox
2024 Result: 0-9, missed playoffs
All-Time: 326-264-9 (83rd in wins, 37th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1966, 1987)
After a run of making at least the semifinals in four straight seasons, Sto-Rox has fallen on hard times. They won just 2 games in 2023 and went winless last season. Sto-Rox was the second-lowest scoring team in 2A (averaging just 6.5 points per game) while having the second-worst defense (allowing 37 points per game). After an 11-point loss to Charleroi in Week 5, Sto-Rox scored just 7 points over the final month of the season. The Vikings have a number of players returning as they hope to rebuild around a young core. Juniors QB Deron Woodson and RB Devant Jackson will be the focus of the offense as Sto-Rox looks to get back on track this season.
