The 2026 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the next few weeks we will be previewing all 18 conferences in preparation for kickoff on August 28. 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.
There were no changes to the teams in 6A this season and the same seven teams as last cycle will once again all be in one conference. The top four teams will qualify for the postseason. The WPIAL Champion once again enters the PIAA playoffs at the quarterfinal stage. Other than Mt. Lebanon’s 2021 run to the state title, 6A has been dominated by Central Catholic and North Allegheny in recent years. Those two have met in WPIAL Championship Game in four straight seasons and look like the teams to beat once again. Central Catholic is the two-time defending WPIAL Champions but has fallen in the State Championship game both times. In 2024 they lost to St. Joe’s Prep and last year they lost to La Salle. Central once again looks like the team to beat in the WPIAL and the Vikings have their sights set on taking the next step and claiming the State title. 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 Catholic
2025 Result: 9-1, WPIAL 6A Quad County Conference Champions, WPIAL 6A Champions, PIAA Runners-Up
All-Time: 610-335-44 (13th in wins, 12th in Win%)
Championship Pedigree: 10 WPIAL Championships (2003, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025), 4 State Championships (1988, 2004, 2007, 2015)
The Vikings are the two-time defending WPIAL Champions and lost in the State title game each of the last two years. They have been to the WPIAL Championship Game in seven straight seasons and in 12 of the last 13 years, dating back to the four classification era. Last year’s Central Catholic team was built around a young core that makes the Vikings not only the clear favorite in the WPIAL but among the top contenders for the State title as well. The biggest piece of offseason news for Central Catholic is that they now have a home stadium. Rather than playing games at Carnegie Mellon or other schools, the Vikings now have a field of their own as part of the Hazelwood Green development. Junior QB Owen Herrick returns after throwing for 2469 yards and 20 TDs in his first season as a starter and has 14 D1 offers. The Vikings are always a strong rushing team and return three outstanding talents to their backfield. Roman Thompson was the feature back last season, running for 882 yards and 29 TDs but his real talent is on the defensive side of the ball where he is a Maryland-commit at linebacker. Junior Chrys Black Jr burst onto the scene in the postseason last year, finishing with 628 rushing yards and 9 total TDs and was one of the most explosive playmakers through offseason camps. Rhode Island-commit Jayden Alexander (742 yards, 8 TDs) rounds out the dynamic backfield trio Central will deploy this season. Herrick’s top three receivers graduated, and the top returning target is senior Max Roman (148 yards, 1 TD). From a pedigree standpoint, Central boasts the best offensive line in the WPIAL, possibly in the entire state. They have three seniors who are committed to power conference schools – Ohio State-commit Jimmy Kalis and Notre Dame-commit James Halter at tackle and Penn State-commit Jon Sassic at center. Guards Elvis Bethea and Roman Maurizio both have offers from Pitt and other ACC schools. On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Zachary Gleason is a West Virginia-commit.
North Allegheny
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Central Catholic in WPIAL Championship
All-Time: 479-264-14 (32nd in wins, 11th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 5 WPIAL Championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2022, 2023), 3 State Championships (1990, 2010, 2012)
The Tigers have reached the WPIAL finals in four straight seasons, winning the title in 2022 and 2023 before falling to Central Catholic the last two years. Last year’s team had an up-and-down campaign that featured a number of close games but they were able to turn it on when they needed to against Norwin in the semifinals. Senior QB Brady Brinkley returns under center after throwing for 1805 yards and 16 TDs. Last year’s North Allegheny team was a run-heavy outfit and with leading rusher Luke Rohan graduating, the weight of the offense will turn to senior Anthony Sisinni (131 yards, 2 TDs) and junior Caden Petro (114 yards) who both averaged over 5 yards per carry. If North Allegheny goes to a more pass-oriented approach with Brinkley as the catalyst of the offense, they will have an experienced connection on the outside. Leading receiver Ben Kern (412 yards, 2 TDs) returns for his junior year and Mason Brown (297 yards, 1 TD) will be a senior. Overall, this is a North Allegheny team that once again is capable of reaching the WPIAL finals.
Canon-McMillian
2025 Result: 4-6, lost to Central Catholic in the semifinals
All-Time: 405-556-43 (51st in wins, 97th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Last year was an emotional campaign for the Big Macs as head coach Mike Evans was on a leave of absence to undergo treatments for cancer. Brian DiLallo stepped in and Canon-Mac did make the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years and have built a program that consistently contends for the postseason. That may not sound like much, but considering they only had two appearances in the prior 13 years, it is certainly progress. The best offseason news for Canon Mac was that Coach Evans would be able to return to the sidelines this season. A number of offensive skill position players return which should put the Big Macs right back into playoff contention once again. Canon Mac has moved to a pass-heavy offense in recent years and have a budding star in senior QB Ty Jansma who threw for 1805 yards and 13 TDs last season. Roman Cimarolli (383 yards, 1 TD) is the top returning receiver. While Canon Mac doesn’t run the ball much, both Mason Calgaro (396 yards, 3 TDs) and Braelon Wingfield (196 yards, 4 TDs) return to the backfield. Canon Mac wasn’t that far behind a second place finish last year – they lost to North Allegheny by 8 and Norwin by just 3. The Big Macs will look to take a step forward this season with all their returning talent and contend with North Allegheny for the #2 spot behind Central Catholic.
Norwin
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to North Allegheny in the semifinals
All-Time: 408-617-36 (50th in wins, 109nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Last year was Norwin’s best season in decades. The Knights won 7 games for the first time since 2007. Norwin was one of the most exciting teams in the WPIAL last season with 6 of their 10 games being decided by single-digits. Norwin also made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 but came up short against North Allegheny 35-17. With 18 seniors graduating from that team, they will need to find new starters on both sides of the ball, including at quarterback. The good news for the Knights, which should keep them in contention for a playoff spot, is the return of leading rusher Gio Rothrauff (1293 yards, 7 TDs). Norwin will also get a boost from Yough transfer John Gergely who ran for 559 yards and 5 TDs last year. Whoever the Knights slot in at quarterback will have the comfort of throwing to leading receiver Potter Brozeski (355 yards, 3 TDs).
Seneca Valley
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 279-326-11 (97th in wins, 78th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Seneca Valley has only made the playoffs once in the last four seasons. The Raiders have had numerous close calls in recent years. In 2023 they missed due to a 3-point loss to Mt. Lebanon and in 2024 made the playoffs on a 1-point win over Canon-McMillan. Last year, after battling through injuries, Seneca Valley finished in a 3-way tie for 4th place but missed out due to a 4-point loss to Canon Mac. The Raiders did close their season strong with an upset victory over rivals North Allegheny. Senior QB Jamen Alwine threw a few passes as a backup last year and figures to compete for the starting role. The Raiders do return their leading receiver, junior Rory O’Shea (365 yards, 4 TDs). In the backfield, Seneca Valley’s top three backs graduated, leaving senior Maximo Robinson (101 yards) as the top returning rusher.
Mt. Lebanon
2025 Result: 2-8, missed playoffs
All-Time: 630-312-30 (12th in wins, 7th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 8 WPIAL Championships (1966, 1970, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 2000, 2021), 1 State Championship (2021)
Replacing a legendary coach is never easy, and after Bob Palko left Mt. Lebanon in 2022, the Blue Devils are now on their 3rd head coach. Mt. Lebanon brought back Bruce Fronk, who was part of Bob Palko’s State Championship-winning staff, to take over a team that won just two games and had their do-everything quarterback graduate. While Mt. Lebanon does not return many starters this year, there is some reason for optimism in the future. The current 8th and 9th graders have been dominating on the middle school circuit for years and have some talented players coming up in the community. The task for Fronk will be to build the culture and work ethic for the young talent to step into in the coming years. For this season, the top returning skill position players are leading receivers Maxton Siegel (399 yards, 2 TDs) and Jaxson Driscoll (167 yards, 1 TD).
Hempfield
2025 Result: 5-5, missed playoffs
All-Time: 314-353-13 (89th in wins, 74th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
After going 1-9 in 2023 in 5A, Hempfield steadily improved despite moving up to 6A. The Spartans went 4-6 in 2024 and 5-5 last season. The next step is to be more competitive against 6A opponents where they went just 1-5 last season. In order to compete for their first playoff appearance since 2016, Hempfield will need to improve a defense that allowed 33 points per game last year, the highest mark in 6A. Unfortunately for Hempfield, most of their skill position players graduated including their quarterback, top two rushers and top 3 receivers. Carden Lippmann was the backup QB last year and threw a TD pass.
