This year’s season in 4A played out much the same as last year. Seven of the eight playoff teams are the same, with the exception of Beaver missing the playoffs and Montour making it in their place. Both last year and this year, New Castle, Montour, and Knoch finished in a 3-way tie. Last season that tie was for 4th place and only New Castle made the playoffs. This year the tie was for 3rd place, leaving Knoch as the team on the outside looking in after a 5-0 start. Thomas Jefferson and South Fayette continued their regular season dominance.
Other WPIAL Playoff Primers: 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A
The Bracket
The Teams
Big Eight Conference
Thomas Jefferson Jaguars
Conference Record: 7-0 Overall Record: 10-0
How they got here: The Jaguars rolled through the regular season, one of 4 WPIAL teams to finish with an unbeaten record. TJ had the best defense in the entire WPIAL, giving up just 33 total points all season and pitching 5 shutouts. Offensively, the Jaguars averaged 48 points per game, the second-highest in 4A and had a player in the Top 4 in the classification in passing (Shane Stump, 1776 yards), rushing (Dylan Mallozzi, 955 yards), and receiving (Dan Deabner, 659 yards).
Recent History: Thomas Jefferson is making their 25th consecutive playoff appearance, tied with Aliquippa for the longest active streak. They have reached the semifinals in 20 of the last 21 years. TJ has reached Heinz Field in four straight years, winning 3 WPIAL titles before losing to South Fayette on a last-minute interception at the goal line last year.
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 31
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 60-22
Best Playoff Result: Won WPIAL Championship in 1980, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Won PIAA Championship in 2004, 2007, and 2008.
Belle Vernon Leopards
Conference Record: 6-1 Overall Record: 8-1
How they got here: The Leopards rebounded from a Week 2 loss to Thomas Jefferson by rolling over their next 7 opponents, winning every game by 40+ points. Belle Vernon finished ahead of Thomas Jefferson in scoring at 49 points per game, the highest in 4A.
Recent History: Belle Vernon is making their 11th consecutive playoff appearance. Belle Vernon has lost to the eventual WPIAL Champion in the semifinals each of the last two years (Thomas Jefferson and South Fayette).
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 29
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 16-27
Best Playoff Result: Won WPIAL Championship in 1995, beating Franklin Regional 22-6. That year, they lost to Sharon in overtime in the PIAA semifinals.
Greensburg Salem Golden Lions
Conference Record: 5-2 Overall Record: 5-5
How they got here: The Lions got off to a 1-3 start but bounced back to win 4 of their last 6 games, including a 13-10 victory over West Mifflin.
Recent History: This is Greensburg Salem’s second straight playoff appearance. Last year was the first time the Lions qualified for the playoffs since 2011. Their last playoff win came in 2000.
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 18
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 4-17
Best Playoff Result: Reached the AAA semifinals in 1985. Greensburg High School was awarded the 1927 WPIAL Championship.
West Mifflin Titans
Conference Record: 4-3 Overall Record: 5-5
How they got here: West Mifflin won their first 4 games against 4A opponents, losing twice to 5A teams. But they lost 3 of their last 4 games, with the season finale against Thomas Jefferson marred by a number of players suspended for skipping practice.
Recent History: West Mifflin is making their 10th consecutive playoff appearance. They reached Heinz Field in 2012 and made the semifinals in 2016.
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 20
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 17-18
Best Playoff Result: West Mifflin North won the WPIAL Championship in 1963, beating Butler 12-6. West Mifflin lost in WPIAL Championship Games in 2000, 2004, and 2012.
Northwest Eight Conference
South Fayette Lions
Conference Record: 7-0 Overall Record: 9-1
How they got here: South Fayette lost to Upper St Clair in Week 0. The Lions bounced back to breeze through their conference schedule and win their 8th straight conference title. South Fayette did have a few close calls at the end of the year, beating Highlands by 3 and Montour by 7.
Recent History: South Fayette is making their 11th consecutive playoff appearance. Last year, South Fayette reached the Championship Game for the first time in the 6-classification alignment and defeated Thomas Jefferson on a last-minute goal line interception. The Lions lost to Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA quarterfinals.
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 24
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 28-18
Best Playoff Result: Won WPIAL Class A Championship in 1936. Awarded WPIAL Class A Championship based on Gardner Points in 1964 (no Championship Game played). Won WPIAL AA Championship in 2010, 2013 and 2014 and won the PIAA Championship in 2013 and 2014. Won WPIAL 4A Championship in 2018.
Blackhawk Cougars
Conference Record: 5-2 Overall Record: 6-4
How they got here: After losing their first two games, including a 1-point loss to Knoch, Blackhawk won 5 of their next 6 games. The Cougars topped Montour and New Castle to secure their playoff position and earn a home game for the second straight year.
Recent History: Blackhawk reached the semifinals last season, falling to Thomas Jefferson. Since reaching the WPIAL Championship Game in 2008, Blackhawk has made just one other playoff appearance (2012).
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 21
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 35-16
Best Playoff Result: Blackhawk was the team of the 1990s reaching the WPIAL Championship Game 6 times and winning the WPIAL AAA Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996. Lost in the PIAA AAA Championship Games in 1992 to Berwick, 1993 to Allentown Central Catholic, and 1996 to Berwick.
New Castle Red Hurricanes
Conference Record: 4-3 Overall Record: 6-4
How they got here: New Castle’s Week 1 victory over Montour wound up being a deciding factor in their playoff chase. The Canes alternated wins and losses throughout the season with their Week 7 win over Knoch giving them a needed tiebreaker. New Castle was the second-highest scoring team in the conference at 31 points per game.
Recent History: New Castle is making their 7th consecutive playoff appearance. They reached the WPIAL Championship in 2016 where they fell to Thomas Jefferson. The Hurricanes have lost in the first round each of the last two seasons, falling to the eventual 4A runners-up (Montour and Thomas Jefferson).
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 29
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 28-19-2
Best Playoff Result: Beat Charleroi in 1924 AAA WPIAL Championship Game. Tied Jeannette and McKeesport for 1932 WPIAL AAA Championship (no Championship Game played). Awarded 1933 and 1934 WPIAL AAA Championship based on Gardner Points (no Championship Game played). Won WPIAL AAA Championship in 1942, 1948, 1949, 1967, and 1973. Tied Upper St Clair 0-0 for the 1975 WPIAL Championship (no overtime). Won 1998 WPIAL Quad-A Championship. Lost 56-7 to Central Bucks West in the 1998 PIAA Quad-A Championship Game.
Montour Spartans
Conference Record: 4-3 Overall Record: 5-5
How they got here: Montour got off to a slow start at just 1-4 but won 4 in a row, including a 14-7 win over Knoch, to get back into the playoffs. Though the Spartans were just 5-5 overall, all of their losses were by 8 or fewer points. Montour had the second-best defense in the conference, allowing just 16 points per game.
Recent History: Montour missed the playoffs last year after a run to the Championship Game in 2017. Montour has reached the playoffs in 12 of the last 13 seasons, reaching Heinz Field 4 times during that run.
WPIAL Playoff Appearances: 24
All-Time WPIAL Playoff Record: 23-18-1
Best Playoff Result: Montour has won 5 WPIAL titles. Montour tied Avella in the Class B (later Single-A) Championship in 1957 (no overtime) and defeated Edgewood in the 1958 Championship. Montour won back-to-back titles in Class A (later AA) in 1963 over Freeport and 1964 over Arnold. Montour won the 2011 WPIAL AAA Championship and lost to Bishop McDevitt in the PIAA semifinals.
Players to Watch
Shane Stump (QB), Dylan Mallozzi (RB), Dan Deabner (WR) – Thomas Jefferson’s offensive trio all finished in the Top 4 in 4A in their respective categories this season. Stump threw for 1776 yards and 25 TDs, Mallozzi ran for 955 yards and 15 TDs, and Deabner had 659 receiving yards and 13 TDs.
Naman Alemada (QB – South Fayette) – Alemada topped Sto-Rox’s Eric Wilson by just 6 yards to finish the regular season as the WPIAL’s leading passer with 2591 yards and 29 TDs.
Demetris McKnight (RB – New Castle) – 4A’s leading rusher ran for 1056 yards and did some of everything for the Canes. He also added 330 receiving yards and scored 17 total TDs. McKnight also threw 3 TD passes, bringing his offensive output to 20 total TDs.
Marques Watson-Trent (RB – Blackhawk) – Trent led 4A in scoring with 18 total TDs.
Charley Rossi, Joey Audia, and Ryan McGuire (WR – South Fayette) – The trio of Lions receivers all finished the season with over 550 yards and 7 TDs. Rossi led the way with 685 yards followed by Audia (671 yards) and McGuire (561 yards)
