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 lot of movement out of 2A. 2024 WPIAL Champions South Park and 2024 semifinalist Ellwood City both moved up to 3A while 2025 semifinalist Washington moved down to 1A. The most notable teams to join 2A this cycle are Bishop Canevin and Neshannock. As with previous cycles, 13 teams will make the WPIAL playoffs. The top three seeds will get byes but conference champions are not guaranteed a bye. The top three teams from each conference along with four Wild Card teams will qualify for the postseason. The WPIAL Champion enters the state bracket in the semifinals, though the WPIAL has not found much success on the statewide level, winning just one 2A State Title in ten years.
The Century Conference has just three returning members, including defending WPIAL Champions Seton LaSalle. The Rebels are among the top contenders for this year’s title as well. Two teams joined the conference after reaching the playoffs in 1A – Bishop Canevin and Chartiers-Houston. Canevin is also considered a top contender for this year’s WPIAL title and the Seton-Canevin game might be the best 2A game on the regular season slate. McGuffey and Quaker Valley also join the conference, moving down from 3A where both failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons in the brutally tough Western Hills 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.
Seton LaSalle
2025 Result: 9-1, Century Conference Champions, WPIAL Champions, lost to Farrell in PIAA semifinals
All-Time: 384-286-13 (59th in wins, 33rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (1979, 1980, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2025)
Seton LaSalle had one of the best turnaround stories in the WPIAL. After a winless 2022 campaign, Seton moved down to 2A in 2024 and went undefeated in the regular season before falling to South Park in the WPIAL finals. Last year the Rebels lost their season opener to North Catholic then stormed through the 2A portion of their schedule with the closest games coming against Washington in the regular season finale and the semifinals. In the WPIAL Championship, they fell behind Steel Valley 14-0 early in the second half but battled back to win 21-14, capturing the 6th title in school history and first in over 20 years. Junior QB Kia Jones threw for 772 yards and 7 TDs and ran for 440 yards and 5 TDs after taking over the role halfway through last season. Jones is also a top recruit at defensive back with offers from Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan State, and several SEC schools. Leading rusher Kymarr Freeman (1321 yards, 21 TDs) is also among a strong junior class and averaged an electric 12 yards per carry last year. Leading receiver Matthew Brodzinski (330 yards, 3 TDs) is also a junior. Defensively, linebacker Elijah Hickman also has several offers including West Virginia and Maryland. With the strong returning core from a Championship-winning squad, Seton is once again among the title favorites in 2A.
Bishop Canevin
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Clairton in 1A Semifinals
All-Time: 359-296-12 (71st in wins, 40th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1990, 2021)
The Crusaders had a strong run over the last five years in 1A, reaching the semifinals all five seasons and winning the 2021 WPIAL title. Now they move up to 2A with a roster capable of competing for the conference and WPIAL title. Canevin does have some experience against 2A programs, beating Steel Valley and losing to Seton LaSalle last year. Their only losses to 1A competition came to Fort Cherry in a game that decided the conference title and against Clairton in the playoffs. The Crusaders return a number of seniors that played key roles on last year’s team. Brady Wagner (868 yards, 13 TDs) will once again be at the helm of Canevin’s offense. Wagner was ineligible for the playoffs last season after he transferred from Mt. Lebanon which caused Canevin to move their top receiver to quarterback. This year they won’t have that problem and will keep the continuity between Wagner and fellow senior Justin Melvin (692 receiving yards, 8 TDs). Out of the backfield, Myontae Mott (1081 yards, 19 TDs) returns for his third year as the Crusaders starting back. Joining Mott in the backfield is sophomore RB Neuval Bone who already has offers from Florida State, Maryland, and several MAC schools. On defense, linebacker Minikon Johnson is a UConn-commit. Canevin has three players committed to D1 schools. In addition to Johnson, defensive end Lamier Wade is also a UConn-commit and offensive lineman Charles Butler has committed to Rutgers.
Keystone Oaks
2025 Result: 4-6, lost to Ellwood City in first round
All-Time: 469-466-3 (35th in wins, 59th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Last year was an up-and-down season for Keystone Oaks that saw them fall in the first round of the playoffs to Ellwood City. The Golden Eagles started slow, losing their first three games. Things turned around in mid-September with three wins over the bottom of the conference. A mid-October 21-14 victory over Waynesburg was enough to secure KO a playoff spot for the 6th straight season. Sophomore QB Brody Kickler saw time as a backup last year and threw for 137 yards and 1 TD. The Eagles also return second-leading rusher Brady McDine (404 yards, 3 TDs). In order to challenge their McNeilly Road rivals for the conference crown, Keystone Oaks will need to get more production on offense after averaging just 17 points per game last season.
Quaker Valley
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs in 3A
All-Time: 249-392-14 (103rd in wins, 111th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2017 WPIAL Champions, 2017 State Champions
The Quakers have fallen on some hard times since their miraculous run to the 2017 3A State Title. Before last year’s 4-win season they had won just 6 total games over the prior five years. There is renewed hope for the Quakers who move down to 2A this cycle after playing in the brutal 3A Western Hills Conference last year. Quaker Valley beat Keystone Oaks in a non-conference game and conference foe McGuffey is moving down with them. Quaker Valley had a senior-heavy roster last season and will have to work in new starters at nearly all of the offensive skill positions.
Chartiers-Houston
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Laurel in 1A quarterfinals
All-Time: 395-393-18 (56th in wins, 60th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1968, 1971, 1972)
The Bucs have put together a great rebuilding story. After a winless 2023 campaign, they won 3 games in 2024 then had an 7-3 season and won a playoff game last year. Char-Houston jumped out early in the season with non-conference wins over Springdale and Mapletown. After losing two of their first three conference games, the Bucs went on a tear, winning four in a row including a 1-point win over Cornell that secured a third place finish. In the opening round, Char-Houston upset South Side 26-21 for the school’s first playoff victory since 2000. Things will get tougher this season as they move up to 2A and will have to replace dual-threat QB Aaron Walsh who graduated. Junior RB Dom Andreolli did a bit of everything for the Bucs last year with 615 rushing yards, 165 receiving yards, and 8 total TDs. Andreolli will likely be the focal point of the offense while Char-Houston works in a new quarterback. Whoever steps in under center will have a tandem of experienced senior wide receivers in Brody McCrerey (379 yards, 9 TDs) and Julius Livinston (150 yards, 4 TDs).
McGuffey
2025 Result: 0-10, missed playoffs
All-Time: 308-452-25 (90th in wins, 105th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1994 WPIAL Champions
The Highlanders moved up from 2A to 3A last cycle and went winless over two seasons. Now McGuffey moves back down to 2A where they had made the playoffs in six straight seasons between 2018 and 2023. McGuffey runs a triple-option attack and returns leading rusher Dennis Furmack (291 yards, 3 TDs). Fellow rising junior Caleb Simons scored twice for the Highlanders last season and also returns to the backfield. A number of underclassmen saw time for McGuffey last year and the move down to 2A should be beneficial to get back to their winning ways.
Carlynton
2025 Result: 1-9, missed playoffs
All-Time: 185-345-10 (115th in wins, 118th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Carlynton was one of the best stories in the WPIAL in 2024 when they snapped a 23-year playoff drought. Unfortunately, the Cougars fell back down to earth last year with a 1-win campaign. Carlynton’s only victory came in Week 0 against City League independent Carrick. Carlynton’s lack of a kicking game did impact two other results as they lost 7-6 to Avella and 8-6 to Sto-Rox. Otherwise, it was a mostly forgettable season with the lowest-scoring offense in 2A (averaging just 6 points per game and being shut out 4 times). Carlynton does return a few starters including leading rusher Justin Berger (384 yards, 4 TDs) and junior QB Maddox Horrell (391 yards, 2 TDs).
