The 2025 WPIAL Playoffs will open on Halloween night in Western Pennsylvania. 1A is the only classification where 16 teams qualify for the playoffs and there is a full playoff bracket. The champion will be crowned at Acrisure Stadium on November 22 and enter the State brackets the following week in the semifinals. Fort Cherry is the two-time defending WPIAL Champions and once again tops the bracket after an unbeaten season. Clairton put together an even better defensive season this year than they did last year, shutting out 8 of their 9 opponents. The WPIAL did a good job in this bracket giving teams relatively easy travel distances. There are three matchups of teams within 15 miles of each other. Here is a look at the eight opening round games in the 1A playoffs.
You can also check out this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show where we broke down the playoff qualifiers in all six classifications!
1. Fort Cherry (10-0) vs 16. Avella (6-4)
Fort Cherry is the two-time defending WPIAL Champions and have won 38 straight games against WPIAL opponents. Avella was awarded the final wild card in 1A after winning the 3-way tie for 4th place in the Tri-County South. This is the Eagles first playoff appearance since 2020 and they have the longest playoff victory drought in the WPIAL (since 1961). Fort Cherry is led by senior QB Matt Sieg, who earlier in his career was the first freshman member of the 1000/1000 club then just the second player to reach the threshold twice. This season he played through an injury so Fort Cherry did not ask him to throw as much as he did in past years. Sieg still finished the season with 403 passing yards and 8 TDs along with 1320 rushing yards and 24 TDs, breaking the WPIAL career total yardage record. With Sieg playing through injury, Fort Cherry almost exclusively ran the ball over the second half of the season. In addition to Sieg, there were plenty of opportunities for juniors Eli Salvini (605 yards, 14 TDs) and Ryan Huey (599 yards, 12 TDs). Avella also relied heavily on their dual-threat QB Charles Rush who compiled 747 passing yards and 8 TDs and ran for 515 yards and 7 TDs. Rush is joined in the Eagles backfield by Noah Kimberland (479 yards, 8 TDs). Avella also found a Swiss Army Knife in Bryce Wright who led the team with 498 receiving yards, ran for 358 yards, and scored 9 total TDs.
8. Leechburg (7-3) vs 9. Neshannock (7-3)
Leechburg is making their 4th consecutive playoff appearance after a 33-year drought. Both of these teams had very similar campaigns – losing in Week 0 to a 2A playoff team from a nearby district, winning 6 straight games, then losing 2 of their last 3. While Leechburg’s Week 9 loss was an upset by GCC, Neshannock lost a close game to Lawrence County rivals Laurel for the Big Seven Conference title. This game is a battle between two run-heavy teams. Leechburg relied almost exclusively on senior RB Tim Andrasy who was 7th in the entire WPIAL with 1505 yards and 24 TDs. Junior RB Nick Hilty (230 yards, 7 TDs) spelled Andrasy on occasion to keep the Blue Devils ground game rolling. Leechburg’s ground game was so good behind their powerful offensive line that junior QB Jaxson Vargo (292 yards, 3 TDs) only attempted about 4 passes per game. Neshannock’s offense ran through dual-threat QB Jino Mozzocio who threw for 1002 yards and 10 TDs and ran for 422 yards and 10 TDs. Mozzocio was joined in the Lancers backfield by the tandem of Anthony Eakin (800 yards, 14 TDs) and Justin Edworthy (364 yards, 5 TDs).
4. Laurel (9-1) vs 13. Jefferson-Morgan (8-2)
Laurel started the season with three wins over 2A playoff teams from the Midwestern Conference. The Spartans only loss came against Bishop Canevin and they rolled through Big Seven Conference play. Jefferson-Morgan was the defending Tri-County South Conference champions and won their first 7 games of this season before dropping 2 of their last 3 to Bentworth and California. Laurel has traditionally been a run-heavy team but opened up the offense with QB Luca Santini (1038 yards, 18 TDs) who broke the school’s career passing record this season. The Spartans will do everything they can to get the ball in the hands of Swiss Army Knife Kolton Carlson who leads the team in receiving (499 yards), is second in rushing (469 yards), and has scored 16 total TDs. The Spartans leading rusher is Nathan Hill (470 yards, 15 total TDs) who will get his share of work in the ground game. Jefferson-Morgan boasts some of the top statistical performers in1A. Star WR Deakyn Dehoet is 2nd in the class in receiving (741 yards), has run for 731 yards, and is third in the entire WPIAL in scoring with 28 total TDs. Quarterback Tritorn Farabee has thrown for 1058 yards and 14 TDs, complemented in the backfield by leading rusher John Woodward (872 rushing yards, 14 TDs).
5. South Side (8-2) vs 12. Chartiers-Houston (7-3)
South Side is making their 10th playoff appearance in the last 12 years after finishing second behind Laurel in the Big Seven. Chartiers-Houston is a great turnaround story. The Bucs went winless in 2023 and won just 1 conference game last year. South Side runs a triple-option offense centered entirely around their running game. Feature back Andrew Corfield leads the team in rushing (813 yards), receiving (140 yards), and scoring (17 total TDs). Amare Moman (699 yards, 7 TDs) and Will Morgan (377 yards, 5 TDs) are also part of the Rams rushing attack. Chartiers-Houston’s bounce-back season has come thanks to the talents of dual-threat QB Aaron Walsh (908 passing yards, 12 TDs; 840 rushing yards, 14 TDs). Walsh is joined by Dom Andreolli (531 yards, 5 TDs) in the backfield. His favorite target on the outside is Brody McCrerey (276 yards, 6 TDs) who gives the Bucs a receiving option that South Side does not have.
2. Clairton (10-0) vs 15. Monessen (6-4)
Clairton put together one of the greatest defensive seasons in WPIAL history. They allowed 19 points in Week 0 against Imani Christian then did not give up a point the rest of the year. In fact, their defense scored 5 touchdowns meaning their defense put more points on the board (30) than they allowed (19). Clairton is also the highest-scoring team in the entire WPIAL at 53.4 points per game. Monessen had an up and down year, winning their first 4 then losing 3 in a row before winning 2 of their last 3 (including a Casket Match against Cornell in Week 9) to earn a wild card. This year’s Clairton team has revolved around the passing attack led by senior QB Jeff Thompson III (1876 yards, 32 TDs). Sophomore star Brandon Murphy leads the receiving corps with 496 yards and 6 TDs (plus 3 rushing scores) and has D1 offers as a defensive end where he has 12 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions (including a pick-six). The Bears have a plethora of options in the receiving game with Taris Wooding (493 yards, 8 TDs) and all-around talents Donte Wright (457 receiving yards, 158 rushing yards, 15 total TDs) and Michael Ruffin (358 receiving yards, 172 rushing yards, 8 total TDs). Deon Lovelace-Pompey is a standout linebacker who also leads the Bears in rushing with 517 yards and 9 TDs. For Monessen, their offense runs through Tavian Taylor who leads the team in rushing (892 yards), receiving (194 yards), and scoring (13 total TDs). Junior QB Kaier Payne has thrown for 604 yards and 6 TDs.
7. Bentworth (8-2) vs 10. Jeannette (7-3)
Bentworth made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2014. This season the Bearcats came within a point of winning the Tri-County South Conference title (an 8-7 loss to California). Bentworth has the second-best defense in 1A, holding opponents to just 6 points per game. After making a run to the semifinals last year, Jeannette put together another solid season, finishing in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. The Jayhawks have won four in a row heading into the postseason. Bentworth’s rise has come on the legs of WPIAL leading rusher Ben Hays (1757 yards, 35 TDs). Hays has been so good in the ground game that QB Ty Watson only averages 5 pass attempts per game, throwing for 411 yards and 8 TDs. The matchup to watch will be Bentworth’s stout defense against Jeannette’s dual-threat QB Kymon’e Brown who has thrown for 1494 yards and 15 TDs and run for 878 yards and 15 more scores. The Jayhawks have a dynamic playmaker on the outside in 1A’s leading receiver Jayce Powell (796 yards, 11 TDs) who is a threat to score any time he touches the ball and will create matchup problems for Bentworth’s secondary.
3. Bishop Canevin (7-3) vs 14. GCC (5-5)
Bishop Canevin has flown under the radar a bit this season after losing their first two games to Clarkson North (Canada) and Seton LaSalle. But the Crusaders have wins over Steel Valley and Laurel on their resume and dominated all of their conference opponents not named Fort Cherry. The head-to-head win over Laurel got them the #3 seed. Bishop Canevin has a balanced offensive attack between QB Brady Wagner (868 yards, 13 TDs) and RB Myontae Mott (695 yards, 15 TDs). The Crusaders have a talented duo on the outside in Justin Melvin (414 yards, 5 TDs) and D1 recruit Damar Olds (402 yards, 6 TDs). GCC scored impressive non-conference wins over 3A Mt Pleasant and 2A Apollo-Ridge but hit a rough patch in conference play with losses to Riverview and Frazier. The Centurions turned things around in a big way in Week 9 with a 36-7 upset of second place Leechburg. That win ultimately earned them a wild card spot. In their Week 9 game, GCC moved star WR Samir Crosby back to quarterback where he played last season and he put up over 320 yards of total offense and 5 TDs. On the season, Crosby has tallied 430 passing yards and 6 TDs, 876 rushing yards, 267 receiving yards and found the end zone 18 times. Bobby Smithnosky (763 yards, 9 TDs) started the year at quarterback but gave way to Crosby late in the year. Keep an eye out for Jerry Davis who has put up 203 receiving yards, 111 rushing yards, and 5 total TDs.
6. California (9-1) vs 11. Frazier (6-4)
California won the Tri-County South once again and is the only TCS team to make the playoffs every year in the last decade. The Trojans only loss this season came against 2A Waynesburg and they did score an impressive win over Cornell in Week 1. Frazier put together a great season after winning just 4 games over the last 4 seasons. The Commodores got on the radar with a late September win over Brentwood then closing the season by beating Riverview, GCC, and Springdale. This is Frazier’s first playoff appearance since 2017. California has a run-heavy offense behind a powerful offensive line. Their top four rushers all average over 6.5 yards per carry, led by Malachi Peak (1490 yards, 20 TDs) and Landon Abercrombie (325 yards, 8 TDs). Cal’s running game has been so strong that QB Logan Hartley (675 yards, 8 TDs) has only attempted about 7 passes per game, primarily targeting Adin Keyes (308 yards, 4 TDs). This game features two of the top four rushers in 1A – California’s Peak and Frazier’s Derek Diamond (1657 yards 16 TDs) who finished 100 yards shy of the WPIAL-wide crown. Frazier does have more of a passing game than their opponents with QB Brady Secrest (1128 passing yards, 13 TDs; 7 rush TDs) at the helm. The Commodores top receiver is Chase Fulmer (589 yards, 5 TDs) who led 1A with 48 receptions.
