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.
This cycle will see a huge shakeup in 4A. Perennial powerhouse Thomas Jefferson moved up to 5A while defending Champions Aliquippa moved back to 3A. South Fayette, who had a great run in 4A from 2016-2020, moves back down from 5A and the Fayette County schools also rejoined the WPIAL from playing an independent schedule. The WPIAL has not yet announced the playoff structure for 4A but since the WPIAL Champion enters the state bracket in the quarterfinals, it is likely that only 8 teams will once again make the playoffs.
The Greater Allegheny Conference saw three teams leave (Knoch and West Mifflin moved down to 3A and Mars was realigned into the Parkway). Perennial powerhouse McKeesport swept through the conference last cycle and has lost in the 4A Championship Game each of the last three seasons. Will this be the year the Tigers finally break through? The conference was restocked by two playoff teams that moved down from 5A – Kiski and Shaler. 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.
McKeesport
2025 Result: 7-2, Greater Allegheny Conference Champions, lost to Aliquippa in 4A Championship Game
All-Time: 735-425-48 (6th in wins, 13th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1932, 1938, 1994, 2005), 2 State Championships (1994, 2005)
McKeesport has been to the Championship Game in three straight seasons but come up short each time. After a tumultuous off-season that saw their coaching staff resign, the Tigers enter 2026 as the clear favorites in 4A. Aliquippa, who won 4 of the last 5 4A titles, has moved back down to 3A and Thomas Jefferson (the 2024 4A Champions) moved up to 5A. The other reason for optimism is the return of Georgia-commit Kemon Spell to the backfield after he ran for 1755 yards and 32 TDs last year. McKeesport has always run the triple-option and Spell will certainly be the focal point of the attack this year. If the Tigers can find a quarterback, they have _-commit Javien Robinson (370 yards, 5 TDs) to throw to on the outside. Rising junior Jordan Stuvaints attempted a handful of passes last season and may take over under center. Seniors Nicholas Beerman (230 yards, 1 TD) and Javier Everett (212 yards, 1 TD) also return to the McKeesport backfield. Overall, optimism is high but McKeesport did have 25 seniors graduate from last year’s team, so a number of young players will need to step up, particularly in the trenches.
Kiski
2025 Result: 4-6, lost to Shaler in 5A first round
All-Time: 324-316-7 (84th in wins, 57th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1971 WPIAL Champions
Kiski moves back down to 4A this cycle after spending two years in 5A where they finished in a 3-way tie in the middle of their conference both seasons. In 2024 they were in a 3-way tie with Latrobe and Gateway for 4th place but the Selection Committee picked Latrobe for the playoffs. Last year, Kiski won the 3-way tie for 3rd place with Armstrong and Gateway, earning their way into the postseason. The Cavaliers rebounded from a 1-4 start to win 3 in a row which was enough to get them to the playoffs. Junior QB Landyn Artman returns under center after throwing for 1548 yards and 15 TDs. He gets back leading receiver Teegan Shirley (532 yards, 5 TDs). Sophomore Ashton Taylor got some carries last year as a freshman and scored 3 TDs. The Cavaliers also have a four star prospect in the trenches in junior Nick Anderson who has offers from several Big Ten schools.
Shaler
2025 Result: 3-7, lost to Pine-Richland in 5A quarterfinals
All-Time: 280-465-30 (96th in wins, 112th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
After a 2023 season where Shaler had a 5-5 campaign, one of their best teams in school history, the Titans struggled to replace a large graduating class and couldn’t get much traction in 2024. The Titans struggled out of the gate last year, losing 6 of their first 7 games, including 3 1-score losses. But the Titans pulled off a victory over North Hills in Week 7 and beat Fox Chapel to put themselves in playoff position. The Titans won their first playoff game since 2009 with a 28-8 win over Kiski. Both Shaler and Kiski now move down to 4A and will be conference opponents. Shaler will have to replace some starters and will likely rely on a pair of juniors to lead the way in the backfield. Adam White saw time as the backup quarterback and threw a touchdown pass last year while Avery Kinter ran for 468 yards and 3 TDs. On the outside, the Titans have a duo of senior receivers in Braedyn Witkowski (328 yards, 4 TDs) and Luke Glaser (212 yards).
Hampton
2025 Result: 5-5, missed playoffs
All-Time: 344-407-21 (77th in wins, 81st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Hampton had an up-and-down 2025 campaign but finished strong, winning 3 of their last 4 games including a Week 9 victory over West Mifflin. Ultimately they were not selected as one of the wild card teams in 4A due to a head-to-head loss to Chartiers Valley. The Talbots relied on a number of senior playmakers last season and will have to work in new starters across the board. Chief among those is Heath Borgo who had 130 rushing yards, a team-high 281 receiving yards and 4 TDs. Three different players saw time at quarterback last year but only junior Andrew Reschoff (264 yards, 1 TD) returns this season.
Indiana
2025 Result: 3-7, missed playoffs
All-Time: 457-464-36 (39th in wins, 61st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Indiana’s 3 wins in 2025 was an improvement over their 1-win season in 2024. Now the Indians look to take the next step forward and compete for a playoff spot for the first time since 2021. To do so they will need to improve a defense that allowed 38 points per game, the 3rd highest mark in 4A. Junior dual-threat QB Jason Strack returns under center and will be joined by senior RB Roman Jones who found the end zone 3 times last year. Sophomore Jace Brocious also scored 3 TDs for the Indians.
