The 2025 WPIAL Playoffs will open on Halloween night in Western Pennsylvania. 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. South Allegheny entered Week 9 as the only unbeaten team in 2A but lost to Steel Valley, costing them the outright conference title. The WPIAL opted to give the three conference champions the first round byes. For the second straight year, Seton LaSalle is the top seed in the 2A playoffs. Midwestern Conference Champion Western Beaver is the #2 seed and Steel Valley is the #3 seed with South Allegheny seeded fourth. Here is a look at the four opening round games in the 2A playoffs.
You can also check out this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show where we broke down the playoff qualifiers in all six classifications!
8. Mohawk (5-5) vs 9. OLSH (5-5)
Both of these teams are coming off big Week 9 wins that solidified their playoff positions. 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. OLSH also started the season 2-4 and won 3 of their last 4 games to earn a wild card. Their 1-point win over South Park and Week 9 win over Keystone Oaks elevated the Chargers to the top wild card in 2A. Mohawk’s turnaround came thanks to dual-threat QB Bobby Fadden who threw for 1243 yards and 12 TDs and ran for 475 yards and 9 TDs. The Warriors had to rotate a number of players through the backfield due to injury and wound up with freshman Lucas Stratton (608 yards, 8 TDs) leading the team in rushing. OLSH also battled through injuries this year, using 3 different players at quarterback. Sophomore JJ Hayden (228 yards, 5 TDs) is the latest of the bunch, starting the last few weeks and leading OLSH to the postseason. The Chargers have a young and talented group as freshman RB Jamire Samuels (453 yards, 4 TDs) led the team in rushing.
4. South Allegheny (9-1) vs 13. Waynesburg (5-5)
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. South A is the highest-scoring team in 2A, averaging 45 points per game. Last year they won their first playoff game since 1986. Waynesburg has not won a playoff game since 2000. The Raiders won their way into the final wild card by winning 3 of their last 4. 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 (1341 yards, 23 TDs) time to operate and RB Joey Gamret (787 yards, 14 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 (745 yards, 18 TDs) who led 2A with 43 receptions and was 3rd in the classification in yards. On the other side, Waynesburg also has an explosive tandem in their passing attack. Junior QB Teagen Crouse led 2A in passing with 1671 yards and 11 TDs and added 424 yards and 9 TDs on the ground. His primary target, fellow junior Jack Ricciuti led 2A with 843 receiving yards and 5 TDs. Senior RB Zachery Jiblits ran for 525 yards, had 292 receiving yards, and scored 8 times.
5. Washington (8-2) vs 12. Beaver Falls (4-6)
Washington’s only losses this year came to Steel Valley and Seton LaSalle, who they fell to in a Week 9 showdown for the conference title. The Prexies enter the playoffs with the top defense in 2A, holding opponents to just 10 points per game. Beaver Falls rebounded from a winless 2024 campaign to win 4 in a row in the middle of the season. The Tigers ended a 15-game losing streak with an 8-6 win over Mohawk in Week 4. Beaver Falls played 6 one-score games this season. Both teams have relied on dual-threat quarterbacks to make their offenses run. Washington’s offense runs through senior Tristan Reed (1146 passing yards, 9 TDs; 424 rushing yards, 12 TDs). The Prexies have surrounded Reed with a talented group of playmakers including junior RB Jamarie Walker (405 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 312 yards, added 314 receiving yards, and scored 5 TDs. Beaver Falls put the ball in the hands of sophomore QB Xavier Clark who threw for 662 yards and 4 TDs and ran for 723 yards and 10 TDs. Clark has been complemented by an experienced group of playmakers led by seniors Christian Dawkins (724 rushing yards, 121 receiving yards, 5 total TDs) and Kenny Jewell (310 rushing yards, 284 receiving yards, 4 total TDs).
7. Apollo-Ridge (7-3) vs 10. Riverside (5-5)
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. Riverside lost their Week 9 game to Mohawk but was rewarded with a wild card. This game features two of the Top 5 quarterbacks in 2A, who both bring some dual-threat abilities. Apollo-Ridge’s Alex Clawson is 4th in the class with 1335 passing yards and 11 TDs and has added 322 rushing yards and 4 scores. His counterpart for Riverside is 2A’s 5th leading passer Aidan Gaydosz (1289 passing yards, 10 TDs; 232 rushing yards, 3 TDs). Continuing the similarities, Apollo-Ridge WR Jaden McCray (769 yards, 14 total TDs) is second in 2A in receiving yards while Riverside’s Hunter Garcia (537 yards, 3 TDs) ranks fifth. The difference between the two teams is in their approach to the running game. Apollo-Ridge uses more of a committee approach and Clawson will share the workload with Zac Myers (399 yards, 3 TDs) and Preston Clemens (364 yards, 3 TDs). Riverside, on the other hand, has a feature back in Mason Hollar (1003 yards, 13 TDs) who was one of five players in 2A to top the 1000-yard mark.
6. Ellwood City (6-4) vs 11. Keystone Oaks (4-6)
Ellwood City won their final three games, including wins over rival Riverside and a comeback 1-point win over Beaver Falls, to clinch a playoff spot. Keystone Oaks locked up their spot in the playoffs in Week 7 after a 7-point win over Waynesburg but backed into the postseason by ending the year losing 3 of their last 4. Ellwood City, who reached the semifinals for the first time since 1986 last season, opened up their offense this season with QB Tyler Smiley (1452 yards, 17 TDs). Smiley finished 2nd in the classification in passing, primarily targeting Domenik Hogue (575 yards, 5 TDs). On the ground, the Wolverines relied on the tandem of Richard Cureton (705 yards, 8 TDs) and Gulian Frisk (333 yards, 2 TDs). Keystone Oaks’ offense ran through dual-threat QB Owen Gerhart (724 passing yards, 7 TDs; 727 rushing yards, 10 TDs). Nearly all of Gerhart’s touchdown passes have gone to 6’2″ senior WR Sean O’Brien (392 yards, 6 TDs ). Gerhart’s counterpart in the Golden Eagles backfield is junior Brady McDine who has run for 404 yards and 3 TDs.
