The 2025 WPIAL playoffs began last week with first round games in 1A through 5A. In 2A, 13 teams made the playoffs with the top three earning byes. The champion will be crowned at Acrisure Stadium on November 22 and enter the State brackets the following week in the semifinals. The three teams that received first round byes get to play home playoff games this week. There were no upsets in the first round of the 2A bracket, leaving the top eight seeds in the quarterfinals. Of note, Western Beaver will be hosting their first Friday night playoff game after installing lights at their stadium this year.
Check out this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show where we broke down all of the playoff matchups!
1. Seton LaSalle (9-1) vs 8. Mohawk (6-5)
at Dormont Stadium
Seton LaSalle is the top seed in 2A for the second straight year. The Rebels fell to South Park in the Championship Game last year. Mohawk reached the semifinals for the first time in school history in 2023. Seton had to replace a number of starters on this year’s team and is more of a run-heavy outfit led by Kymarr Freeman (1321 yards, 21 TDs). Kia Jones Jr took over the quarterback role in the middle of the season, throwing for 772 yards and 7 TDs and running for 440 yards and 5 scores. In addition to Freeman and Jones, Deondre Hill has run for 477 yards and 5 TDs. Seton’s leading receiver is Matthew Brodzinski (330 yards, 3 TDs). The Rebels defense is led by two FCS commits at outside linebacker – Monmouth-commit Aaron Loritts and Duquesne-commit Will Martin. Mohawk is one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL. After losing to New Brighton to fall to 2-4, the Warriors rattled off three straight wins to get into the playoffs, including a 20-point victory over conference champions Western Beaver. Mohawk’s turnaround came thanks to dual-threat QB Bobby Fadden who threw for 1383 yards and 14 TDs and ran for 561 yards and 9 TDs. In their first round win over OLSH, Fadden ran for 86 yards and threw for 140 yards and 2 TDs – both going to leading receiver Joey Nail (507 yards, 8 TDs). The Warriors had to rotate a number of players through the backfield due to injury and wound up with freshman Lucas Stratton (632 rushing yards, 498 receiving yards, 8 total TDs) leading the team in rushing.
4. South Allegheny (10-1) vs 5. Washington (9-2)
at Charleroi
South Allegheny finished in a 3-way tie for the conference title, their first since 1986. The Gladiators looked primed for one of the top seeds in the bracket before they fell in Week 9 to Steel Valley. Washington also lost to Steel Valley earlier in the season. This is a matchup of strength-on-strength as South A is the highest-scoring team in 2A (46.8 points per game) while Washington has the stingiest defense (9.4 points against per game). Similar to South A, Washington came up short in Week 9 which cost them the conference title. South Allegheny has a balanced offense that thrives behind a massive line. The Gladiators have dominated in the trenches this season, giving QB Alijah Cook (1482 yards, 26 TDs) time to operate and RB Joey Gamret (894 yards, 16 TDs) plenty of space to run. Alijah Cook finished 3rd in the classification in passing, thanks to South A’s game-breaking receiver on the outside Drew Cook (797 yards, 22 TDs) who led 2A with 47 receptions and was 3rd in the classification in yards. In their opening round victory over Waynesburg, Cook had two receiving touchdowns and a punt return touchdown. Washington’s offense runs through senior Tristan Reed (1188 passing yards, 11 TDs; 453 rushing yards, 14 TDs). Reed had two passing and two rushing touchdowns in Wash High’s opening round win over Beaver Falls. The Prexies have surrounded Reed with a talented group of playmakers including junior RB Jamarie Walker (418 yards, 7 TDs) and senior RB Jahvon Woods who has found the end zone 10 times. Sophomore sensation Ameer Nelson is used all over the offense and has run for 327 yards, added 339 receiving yards, and scored 6 TDs.
2. Western Beaver (9-1) vs 7. Apollo-Ridge (8-3)
at Western Beaver
Western Beaver won the Midwestern Conference title, their first outright conference crown since 2007. The Golden Beavers only hiccup was a 40-20 upset by Mohawk when they were without their star rusher. This will be the first night playoff game Western Beaver has ever hosted as they just installed lights at their field this season. Western Beaver averages over 36 points per game (4th in 2A) and has two 1000-yard rushers. Lead back Wyatt Sparbanie (1249 yards, 25 TDs) is the focal point of the offense. Dual-threat QB Amari Marshall has thrown for 750 yards and 6 TDs and run for 1085 yards and 9 scores. Both Sparbanie and Marshall have averaged over 12.5 yards per carry this season, a credit to the dudes up front in the trenches for the Golden Beavers. Their ground game has been so good that Marshall has only attempted about 8 passes per game, but when he does take to the air he primarily targets Avon Pressley (366 yards, 5 TDs). Apollo-Ridge finished in last place in the Allegheny Conference last season and shared the conference title this year. The Vikings last-minute touchdown in Week 6 to beat Steel Valley put them in a three-way tie atop the section. Apollo-Ridge’s Alex Clawson is 4th in the class with 1425 passing yards and 11 TDs and has added 453 rushing yards and 4 scores. Apollo-Ridge WR Jaden McCray (789 yards, 18 total TDs) is second in 2A in receiving yards. McCray did it on the ground in the opening round, rushing for 81 yards and all 4 of the Vikings touchdowns. In the backfield, Apollo-Ridge uses more of a committee approach as Clawson and McCray will share the workload with Preston Clemens (423 yards, 3 TDs) and Zac Myers (399 yards, 3 TDs).
3. Steel Valley (7-3) vs 6. Ellwood City (7-4)
at Steel Valley
Steel Valley won the three-way tie atop the Allegheny Conference to earn a first round bye. The Ironment started the season with losses to Westinghouse and Bishop Canevin before righting the ship in conference play. Both of these teams lost in the semifinals last season. The similarities continue in that both teams won their final three games of the regular season to secure their playoff positions. Steel Valley’s run-heavy offense has been borne by the legs of Pitt-commit Da’Ron Barksdale (1505 yards, 24 TDs). Barksdale started the season at quarterback but shifted to just the running back role as Tyson Barron (484 yards, 5 TDs) stepped in behind center. The Ironmen ground game has been so dominant that Barron only averages about 8 pass attempts per game, primarily targeting Tyrell Breland (433 yards, 3 TDs). Ellwood City, who reached the semifinals for the first time since 1986 last season, opened up their offense this season with QB Tyler Smiley (1721 yards, 19 TDs). Smiley finished 2nd in the classification in passing, primarily targeting Domenik Hogue (723 yards, 6 TDs) and Dailonn Currie (392 yards, 6 TDs). Both Hogue and Currie had over 100 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines opening round victory over Keystone Oaks. On the ground, the Wolverines relied on the tandem of Richard Cureton (764 yards, 10 TDs) and Gulian Frisk (410 yards, 3 TDs).
