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 year’s WPIAL content is sponsored by Get Recruited Consulting. Find them on Twitter and check out their offer to schedule a free film review.
This cycle saw a massive influx into 3A, which is now one of the premier classifications in the WPIAL. Avonworth is the two-time defending WPIAL Champions and have made it to the finals in four straight seasons. The Lopes are coming off their first State Championship in school history. Moving down from 4A is defending WPIAL Champions Aliquippa who made four straight 3A title games from 2016-2019 before being forced up to 4A by the PIAA’s Success Formula. Also moving back into 3A is Belle Vernon who won the 2022 and 2023 WPIAL and State Championships. The WPIAL has dominated 3A on a statewide level as well, winning 8 of the 10 Championships in the 6 Classification Era. With the addition of 9 teams to the 3A ranks this season, the WPIAL will have four conferences and 16 teams will make the playoffs. The top three teams from each conference along with four Wild Card teams will qualify for the postseason.
The Three Rivers Conference is a new addition to 3A this year as the number of teams necessitated a fourth conference. The conference includes the two 3A finalists from last season – WPIAL and State Champions Avonworth and Propel/Imani. Propel was part of a co-operative agreement with Imani last year and has taken over the role of being the sponsoring school, so the team will have largely the same lineup but will be called “Propel Braddock Hills” this year. West Mifflin joined the conference after moving down from 4A. South Park and Shady Side Academy both missed the playoffs in 2A last year and moved up this cycle. Finally, Yough was moved over from the Interstate Conference to round out the new Three Rivers Conference. Interestingly, given Yough’s location on the Youghigheny River, this could have been named the Four Rivers Conference. 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.
Avonworth
2025 Result: 10-0, Western Hills Conference champions, WPIAL Champions, PIAA Champions
All-Time: 480-513-45 (30th in wins, 67th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1959, 2019, 2024, 2025), 2025 PIAA Champions
Avonworth is coming off a historic season where they went undefeated, won their second straight WPIAL title, and won their first State Championship. The Lopes have reached the WPIAL Championship in four straight seasons and the state finals in two straight years. Both times they faced Northwestern Lehigh, losing in overtime in 2024 then routing the Tigers 31-7 last year. Avonworth had one of the top defenses in 3A last year and their first team unit did not allow more than 14 points to any team. Avonworth was arguably the best team in both 3A and 4A last season as they defeated both 2024 4A Champion Thomas Jefferson and 2025 4A Champion Aliquippa in non-conference play. Avonworth will have to work in a number of key starters, including 3-year QB Carson Bellinger. Rising junior Jackson May saw some time as a backup last season and may step into the starting role. Leading rusher Dimitri Velisaris (1492 yards, 24 TDs) returns for his senior season. The Lopes have some talented underclassmen in the backfield as well – Logan Krul ran for 486 yards and 4 TDs as a freshman and rising junior Gavin McDowell ran for 292 yards and 2 TDs. On the outside, the star of the team is junior Jaden Jones (1023 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs on defense) who already has numerous D1 offers. Senior Bryce Metz is the team’s leading tackler and will play some tight end (155 yards, 1 TD). Keep an eye out for rising junior Romello Harris-Blanchard who led the team in sacks (10.0) and tackles for loss (14.0) last season. Avonworth should once again be among the favorites to make a run at the WPIAL title, even with the loaded field in 3A this season.
Propel Braddock Hills
2025 Result (Imani Christian): 10-0, Allegheny Seven Conference Champions, lost in WPIAL finals to Avonworth
All-Time (Imani Christian): 68-58 (119th in wins, 44th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Propel participated in a co-operative agreement with Imani Christian last season. This year, Propel has taken over as the “sponsoring school” with Imani’s students eligible to play for their team through the co-op agreement. However, since Propel has never sponsored a team before, they will be considered a “new” team for historical records purposes. Propel did bring over Imani’s coaching staff so this team should look largely similar to the Imani squad from last year. Senior dual-threat QB Gabe Jenkins is a Colorado-commit on the defensive side of the ball. Last year Jenkins threw for 1765 yards and 28 TDs and led Imani in rushing with 1409 yards and 13 TDs. Propel has plenty of young talent in the backfield with rising sophomore Ty Sewell (481 yards, 4 TDs) and junior Daniel Stevens (275 yards, 3 TDs). The top two receivers from Imani’s tream graduated, leaving the aforementioned Stevens (411 yards, 7 TDs) as the top returning receiver. Fellow junior David Campbell (124 yards, 2 TDs) and TE/DE Dajuan Craighead (114 yards, 4 TDs) will likely see bigger roles in the offense this year. Rising senior Maurice Williams was a beast in the middle of Imani’s defense, leading the team with over 100 tackles and 27 TFLs. The WPIAL moved Propel over from the Allegheny Conference and into a conference with Avonworth, who Imani lost to in the WPIAL finals last year and the semis the year prior.
West Mifflin
2025 Result: 3-7, missed playoffs in 4A
All-Time: 319-324-12 (86th in wins, 62nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
West Mifflin has pinballed between 3A and 4A the last few cycles. They made consecutive trips to the 3A quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023 before missing the playoffs in 4A the last two years. Now the Titans move back to 3A and feature one of the most dynamic running backs in the WPIAL. Senior RB Armand Hill is a West Virginia-commit who has run for over 4600 yards in his career. Hill ran for 1396 yards and 9 TDs as the focal point of the Titans offense last season. While Hill gets most of the touches on offense, junior QB Zawaun Glover returns after throwing for 536 yards and 5 TDs last year.
South Park
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs in 2A
All-Time: 434-384-27 (45th in wins, 47th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1997, 2005, 2024), 2 State Championships (1997, 2005)
The year after winning their third WPIAL title in school history, South Park struggled through conference play and ultimately missed the playoffs. The Eagles started their season with three convincing victories and looked the part of a defending champion, but three straight routs by Steel Valley, South Allegheny, and Washington put them behind the eight ball. South Park was more competitive down the stretch as they battled for a playoff spot but ultimately lost to OLSH by 1, Apollo-Ridge by 11 and Shady Side Academy by 10. The Eagles now move up to 3A but return two of their top three rushers which should provide some stability. Lead back Quintin Napper (778 yards, 11 TDs) and Colsen Heynes (259 rushing yards, 162 receiving yards, 7 total TDs) are both rising seniors and should be the focal points of South Park’s ground-and-pound offense. A number of young players saw time on the outside last season as freshman including TE Brody Dellarose (189 yards, 2 TDs) who is the top returning receiver and Logan Hoover (130 yards). Fellow rising sophomore Kolby Kostelnik saw some time as the backup quarterback last season and will likely compete for the starting role.
Shady Side Academy
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs in 2A
All-Time: 559-466-46 (17th in wins, 42nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1998 WPIAL Champions
The Bulldogs have bounced between 2A and 3A for four straight cycles. After playing in 2A in 2020 and 2021, they moved to 3A in 2022 and 2023 where they made the playoffs both years. Last cycle Shady Side returned to 2A but missed the playoffs both years. They did end the 2025 season on a high note with a win over South Park but the season was marred by an early-season decision to forfeit against Clairton. A pair of rising juniors give Shady Side some hope to contend for a playoff spot heading into this season. At quarterback, dual-threat Javon Johnston threw for 1094 yards and 10 TDs and ran for 196 yards and 5 TDs. Johnston also won the State Championship in the Triple Jump last spring. On the outside, junior WR BJ Mallory (307 yards, 3 TDs) is the top returning receiver. In order to compete for a playoff spot in this tough conference, Shady Side will need to get a little more out of their offense which averaged just 19 points per game last season.
Yough
2025 Result: 2-8, missed playoffs
All-Time: 172-369-11 (116th in wins, 120th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Yough is one of two teams that has not made the playoffs during the six classification era. Last year’s season started strong with wins over Brentwood and Charleroi. However, the wheels fell off for the Cougars in early September and they scored just 4 times over the next 7 games. In conference play, Yough gave up over 40 points in all five games. Dual-threat QB Aiden Shaffer returns for his senior season after throwing for 589 yards and 5 TDs and running for 527 yards and 5 more scores. In order to compete for a playoff spot, Yough will need to improve an offense that averaged just 10 points per game, the 3rd lowest amount in 3A.
