The 2025 WPIAL Playoffs will open on Halloween night in Western Pennsylvania. In 3A, 12 teams made the playoffs with the top four 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 top four teams in the 3A bracket received first round byes. Defending Champion Avonworth is the top seed after their undefeated season. Imani Christian, last year’s top seed, also went unbeaten this year and received the #2 seed. The slight surprise in the bracket was Central Valley, the second place team out of the Western Hills conference, receiving the #3 seed over Interstate Conference Champion Elizabeth Forward. The Committee clearly rewarded Central Valley’s more difficult non-conference schedule with a better seed, though Elizabeth Forward had a better overall record. Here is a look at the four opening round games in the 3A 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. Freeport (7-3) vs 9. Beaver (5-5)
Both of these teams lost in the quarterfinals last year with Freeport falling to Central Valley and Beaver losing to Avonworth for the third straight season. Freeport lost to Highlands in overtime earlier this year when their extra point was blocked. Beaver lost to North Catholic in overtime after beating Hopewell by stopping a two-point conversion in the final minute. Both teams are coming off blowout losses to their respective conference champions. Freeport has a dynamic tandem in dual-threat QB Drew Ross and RB Amos Glenn who scored the third-most touchdowns in the WPIAL this season with 28. Glenn compiled 1087 rushing yards, 161 receiving yards and had four return touchdowns. Ross played through injury this year and was still able to put up 606 passing yards and 9 TDs along with 209 rushing yards and 6 more TDs. Beaver has a balanced offensive attack that can light up the scoreboard. The Bobcats were led by a trio of seniors at their offensive skill positions. Quarterback Travis Clear threw for 1653 yards and 11 TDs while his backfield counterpart Jonah Justice ran for 1051 yards and 11 TDs. On the outside, Philip Marino Jr (833 yards, 6 TDs) finished in the Top 5 in the WPIAL in receiving yards.
5. North Catholic (7-3) vs 12. Burrell (4-6)
North Catholic had one of the highest-scoring offenses in 3A this year, averaging over 44 points per game. North won shootouts against Beaver and Hopewell over the last three weeks to secure themselves as the third place team in the Western Hills Conference. Burrell won a number of close games this season to get into the playoffs. The Bucs beat Mt. Pleasant in a non-conference game which was the deciding result in getting the final playoff spot. In conference play, Burrell beat East Allegheny by 1 and Deer Lakes by 7 in a Week 9 shootout. For the second straight season, North Catholic QB Joey Felitsky (2437 yards 33 TDs) won the WPIAL passing title. Felitsky spread the ball around to 4 different receivers who all had over 250 yards, led by Will Waskiewicz (708 yards, 11 TDs) and Preston Simko (694 yards, 15 TDs). On the ground, Logan Schade (798 yards, 16 TDs) averaged over 10 yards per carry to give the Trojans an explosive threat out of the backfield. Burrell’s offense has centered around dual-threat quarterback Antonio Perkins who did most of his damage on the ground, running for 1652 yards and 25 TDs. Perkins also threw for 736 passing yards and 1 TD, primarily targeting Zack Coudriet (326 yards 2 TDs). Complementing Perkins in the Bucs rushing attack is Trey Coury (683 yards 5 TDs).
7. Southmoreland (9-1) vs 10. Hopewell (6-4)
Southmoreland’s only loss this year came against conference champions Elizabeth Forward. The Scotties are one of just two teams in the WPIAL who have never won a playoff game. After a 40-year playoff drought, Southmoreland is making their 6th playoff appearance in the last 7 years. On the other side, Hopewell snapped the longest active playoff drought in the WPIAL, making the postseason for the first time since 2012. Both teams have dual-threat QBs at the helm of their offenses. Southmoreland is led by junior Dawson Wolfe (1068 passing yards 11 TDs; 318 rushing yards 8 TDs). Joining Wolfe in the backfield is the tandem of Averyon Darnell (565 yards, 7 TDs) and Jackson Mickens (445 yards, 11 TDs) who give the Scotties a formidable rushing attack. On the other side, Hopewell has one of the most exciting sophomores in the WPIAL in James Armstrong who has thrown for 2015 yards and 19 TDs and run for 672 yards and 14 scores. Armstrong has been playing through an injury the last few weeks which has given more opportunities to explosive sophomore RB Nasir Wade (1152 rushing yards, 361 receiving yards, 14 total TDs). On the outside, Tre Cameron (522 yards, 5 TDs) has been Armstrong’s favorite target.
6. Highlands (7-3) vs 11. Derry (6-4)
Highlands finished second in the Allegheny Seven conference after a 1-point overtime victory over Freeport. The Rams played conference champions Imani closer than any other 3A team, losing 27-7. Derry moved up to 3A last year and finished at the bottom of the Interstate Conference. The Trojans turned things around this year and after losing their first two conference games, won their final three outings to earn a guaranteed playoff spot. These are both ground-and-pound teams who rely heavily on their star running backs. For Highlands, sophomore Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg (1434 yards, 24 TDs) has burst onto the scene in a big way, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. Derry’s resurgence has been led by junior RB Max Doherty (1221 yards, 17 TDs). Both quarterbacks have been effective when called upon with Highlands’ Jamarkus Prager throwing for 1100 yards and 7 TDs while Derry’s Anthony Sacco has thrown for 891 yards and 9 TDs.
