Home WPIAL WPIAL 2019 Week 7 Playoff Scenarios

WPIAL 2019 Week 7 Playoff Scenarios

by Ian

There are three weeks remaining in the WPIAL football regular season. So far, 18 teams have clinched their spots in the 2019 postseason. This leaves 44 places across the six classifications that are still up for grabs. You can see which teams are currently in position for those spots at our WPIAL Standings Page. In 5A and 1A, the final playoff spots are determined by Wild Cards, which are detailed on our Wild Card Standings Page. Here are the WPIAL playoff scenarios for this week’s games, detailing how teams can clinch spots in the 2019 playoffs.

How Tiebreakers Work

In all classifications, qualification is based on order of finish within conference standings. Order of finish is first determined by a team’s conference record. Non-conference games do not count towards making the playoffs. If teams are tied, the first tiebreaker is always head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker is a Gardner Points system (essentially a strength of victory metric). Teams receive 10 Gardner Points for each conference win by the teams that they defeated in conference games. The third tiebreaker is a WPIAL Tiebreaker Points system (essentially a margin of victory metric). In conference games, teams gain or lose Tiebreaker Points based on the margin of victory or margin of defeat. The maximum amount of Tiebreaker Points that can be gained or lost in a conference game is 10, so any double-digit win or loss only counts as +10 or -10. Finally, if teams are still tied, a coin flip is used to determine the order of standings (this happened last year in the 1A Tri-County South). At any point in the tiebreaker system if a team is eliminated the process starts over with head-to-head results.

6A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure: Top 6 make the playoffs. Top 2 teams get first round byes.

  • North Allegheny, Central Catholic, Mt. Lebanon, and Pine-Richland have already clinched playoff spots.
  • No clinching scenarios this week as Seneca Valley plays a non-conference game.

5A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure:  Top 5 from each conference make the playoffs. One 6th place team makes the playoffs based on the 5A Wild Card. Top two from each conference (plus 2 third place teams) get home playoff games.

Allegheny Eight Conference

  • Bethel Park has already clinched a playoff spot.
  • The winner of Upper St Clair-Moon clinches a playoff spot.
  • Upper St Clair clinches a playoff spot with a loss to Moon AND a Chartiers Valley loss
  • Peters Twp clinches a playoff spot with a win over Chartiers Valley
  • Baldwin clinches a playoff spot with a win over Bethel Park

Big East Conference

  • Penn-Trafford, Gateway, McKeesport, and Franklin Regional have already clinched playoff spots
  • The winner of Plum-Latrobe clinches a playoff spot if Connellsville loses to Franklin Regional

Northern Conference

  • Penn Hills has already clinched a playoff spot.
  • Mars clinches a playoff berth with a win over Fox Chapel.
  • North Hills clinches a playoff spot with a win over Armstrong AND a Fox Chapel loss

4A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure:  Top 4 from each conference make the playoffs. Top 2 from each conference get home playoff games.

Big Eight Conference

  • Thomas Jefferson clinches a playoff spot with a win over Laurel Highlands
  • Belle Vernon clinches a playoff spot with a win over West Mifflin OR a Laurel Highlands loss
  • Greensburg Salem clinches a playoff spot with a win over Ringgold
  • West Mifflin clinches a playoff spot with a win over Belle Vernon OR losses by both Laurel Highlands and Ringgold

Northwest Eight Conference

  • South Fayette clinches a playoff spot with a win over Highlands
  • Knoch clinches a playoff spot with a win over New Castle
  • Blackhawk plays a non-conference game but can clinch a playoff spot if New Castle and Montour both lose

3A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure:  Top 4 from each conference make the playoffs. Top 2 from each conference get home playoff games.

Big East Conference

  • North Catholic clinches a playoff spot with a win over Uniontown

Tri-County West Conference

  • Aliquippa clinches a playoff spot with a win over South Park
  • Central Valley clinches a playoff spot with a win over Hopewell
  • South Park clinches a playoff spot with a win over Aliquippa and a Hopewell loss
  • Beaver Falls clinches a playoff spot with a win over Waynesburg and a Hopewell loss

2A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure: Top 4 from each conference make the playoffs. Top 2 from each conference get home playoff games.

Allegheny Conference

  • Avonworth, Apollo-Ridge, and Shady Side Academy have already clinched playoff spots.
  • East Allegheny clinches a playoff spot with a win over Avonworth

Interstate Conference

  • McGuffey, Washington, and Southmoreland have already clinched playoff spots
  • Charleroi clinches a playoff spot with a win over McGuffey OR a Brownsville loss

Midwestern Conference

  • Freedom clinches a playoff spot with a win over Neshannock

Three Rivers Conference

  • Burgettstown and Brentwood have clinched playoff spots
  • South Side Beaver clinches a playoff spot with a win over Seton LaSalle

1A Playoff Scenarios

Playoff Structure: Top 2 from each conference make the playoffs. Two 3rd place teams makes the playoffs based on the 1A Wild Card. Conference champions (plus 1 second place team) get home playoff games.

Big Seven Conference

  • Sto-Rox clinches a playoff spot with a win over Bishop Canevin

Eastern Conference

  • Jeannette clinches a playoff spot with a win over GCC

Tri-County South Conference

  • West Greene has clinched the conference title.

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