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.
Only eight teams qualify for the 4A playoffs. The top two teams from each of the three conferences are guaranteed playoff spots. The final two wild card spots are decided by the WPIAL selection committee, rather than by a formula as was the case in prior cycles. Last year the Parkway finished with two three-way ties: Aliquippa, Montour, and West Allegheny at the top and New Castle, Blackhawk, and Ambridge at the bottom. Montour beat Aliquippa by 1 in the regular season but lost to West Allegheny in overtime in the season finale. In the playoffs, Aliquippa lost to eventual WPIAL Champions Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals, ending the Quips run of 16 straight Championship Games. 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.
Aliquippa
2024 Result: 6-2, Parkway Conference Co-Champions, lost in semifinals to Thomas Jefferson
All-Time: 791-331-42 (1st in wins, 4th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 20 WPIAL Championships (1952, 1955, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023), 5 State Championships (1991, 2003, 2018, 2021, 2023)
The biggest news for Aliquippa this season is on the sideline, where Mike Warfield has returned to the head coaching role. The Quips shared the conference title with Montour and West Allegheny last season. Despite holding the tiebreaker on margin of victory points (their loss to Montour was just by 1 point), the WPIAL gave the Quips the 4-seed, setting up a semifinal with top seeded Thomas Jefferson. Aliquippa’s semifinal loss ended their incredible run of 16 straight appearances in the WPIAL finals. The Quips lost a few contributors to national recruiting powerhouses like IMG and St. Frances Academy, but have plenty of talent to be a top competitor once again this season. Quarterback Marques Council (1477 yards, 16 TDs) will be at the helm of the offense for his second straight season and has committed to Yale. Qa’Lil Goode is the top returning receiver (242 receiving yards, 123 rushing yards, 4 total TDs) and also has an offer from Yale along with other FCS schools. Junior RB Cameron Cannon (170 yards, 3 TDs) is the top returning rusher and should not be overlooked after averaging 8.5 yards per carry last season. In the trenches, Justus Starks is a powerful interior lineman with offers from Robert Morris and St. Francis. Watch out for game-wrecking pass rusher Tekoah Gilbert who was first team All-State last year. AS usual, the Quips are also blessed with up-and-coming talent. All in all, Aliquippa absolutely has the talent this season to once again contend for the WPIAL crown.
West Allegheny
2024 Result: 4-3, lost to Thomas Jefferson in quarterfinals
All-Time: 385-375-14 (56th in wins, 57th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 8 WPIAL Championships (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016), 2001 State Champions
West Allegheny was one of the unluckiest teams last season, having their first two games called early due to thunderstorms. When the Indians finally got on the field, they had to face two high-quality 5A opponents. An early October loss to Aliquippa had them flying under the radar as a borderline playoff contender before their Week 9 showdown with unbeaten Montour. West Allegheny’s defense rose to the occasion and stifled the high-flying Spartan offense with the Indians ultimately prevailing in overtime to force a three-way tie atop the conference. The Indians ground-and-pound offense lost their top two rushers to graduation but returns junior Brodie Cornell (264 yards, 1 TD) who averaged over 6 yards per carry. While West A didn’t throw much, senior QB Brody Malatak (368 yards, 3 TDs) will be back under center. Leading receiver Teagan Tomei (140 yards, 1 TDs) also returns to give Malatak a comfortable option on the outside. Junior defensive lineman Tyler Hatton has turned some heads and already landed offers from UNLV and Robert Morris. With only 8 teams qualifying for the playoffs this year, West A’s Week 9 game against neighboring Montour may be the deciding game in the Parkway playoff race.
Montour
2023 Result: 8-1, lost to Mars in the quarterfinals
All-Time: 473-356-20 (31st in wins, 34th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 5 WPIAL Championships (1957, 1958, 1963, 2011)
Through Week 8, Montour looked like the team to beat in 4A. The Spartans had reached the semifinals the previous year and were sitting at 8-0 after beating conference rivals Aliquippa by one point. All that stood between the Spartans and an unbeaten season was West Allegheny. But Week 9 did not go as expected and regulation ended in a 7-7 tie before West A emerged victorious in overtime. Montour still got the #2 seed in the playoffs but lost a thrilling shootout to Mars in the opening round. Now they will need to replace nearly their entire core of starters after losing 17 players to graduation. Leading rusher Caden Halajcio (948 yards, 4 TDs) is the only returning starter at the offensive skill positions. He has D1 offers from Robert Morris and Mercyhurst and is a key part of Montour’s defense at linebacker. Second-leading rusher Luca Nuovo (129 yards, 2 TDs) also returns. At quarterback, both junior Dalton Young and sophomore Damien Baron saw time as backups last season. Montour lost five of their top six receivers to graduation with only junior Dom Baron (203 yards, 2 TDs) returning.
New Castle
2024 Result: 5-4, missed playoffs
All-Time: 760-442-69 (3rd in wins, 17th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 11 WPIAL Championships
New Castle was one of the most exciting teams of the early season, rebounding from consecutive 1-9 campaigns to win their first four outings. The Red Hurricanes stumbled when they hit conference play, losing their first four games before topping Blackhawk in Week 9 to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2021. Most of their top skill position players were part of a 12-man senior class that was able to go out as winners. Replacing their production and contributions will be no easy task. At quarterback, rising senior Travis Whetzel (109 yards, 1 TD) saw some time as a backup last year. Jermaine Walker was only a freshman last year and ran for 243 yards and 2 TDs. Walker averaged 7.4 yards per carry and is the Red Hurricanes top returning rusher. On the outside, Chase Lemmon (393 yards, 4 TDs) and Damian Harrison (106 yards, 3 TDs) both return at receiver. New Castle will look to build upon their early-season success that they found last year and make more noise in the Parkway Conference as they push to make a run at the playoffs.
Blackhawk
2024 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 333-217-8 (80th in wins, 24th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996)
The Cougars bounced back from a 1-9 campaign to get off to a 4-3 start to the 2024 season. Conference play proved difficult and Blackhawk dropped their last three games, including the finale to New Castle. The Cougars have a strong class of rising juniors that they will lean on this year as they look to build for the future. Brayden McCarthy led the Cougars in rushing (579 yards, 8 TDs), was the second-leading receiver (384 yards, 5 TDs) and took two kickoff returns to the house. He will lead a trio of backs that includes fellow junior Ryan Prisuta (150 yards, 2 TDs) and sophomore Hayden Magill (102 yards, 1 TD). Blackhawk will have to find a new quarterback this season and may turn to rising sophomore Jack Chevalier who saw some time as a backup last year. On the outside, the top returning receiver outside of McCarthy is AJ Montgomery (146 yards). Blackhawk had the third-highest scoring offense in the conference last season, but struggled to stop anyone on defense, allowing nearly 34 points per game (the most in the conference and 4th most in 4A).
Ambridge
2024 Result: 4-5, missed playoffs
All-Time: 445-515-40 (42nd in wins, 78th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1932 WPIAL Champions
The Bridgers last made the playoffs in 2021 in 3A before moving up to 4A in 2022. The next two years were a struggle for Ambridge with consecutive 2-8 campaigns before doubling their win total last season. Ambridge lost most of their starters to graduation as part of a 19-man senior class. Rising senior Daevon Cain saw some time as the backup quarterback last season. Martese Priest (140 yards) is the top returning rusher for the Bridgers. Ambridge played solid defense last season but their offense averaged 19 points per game, the lowest output in the Parkway Conference. They will need to find a way to put more points on the board, particularly in conference play where they averaged just 11 points per game, in order to rise out of the bottom pack this season.
