The 2025 WPIAL Playoffs will open on Halloween night in Western Pennsylvania. In 4A, due to the WPIAL Champion entering the statewide bracket in the quarterfinals, only 8 teams made the playoffs. The champion will be crowned at Pine-Richland High School on November 15. The PIAA’s decision related to the WPIAL Champion entering the statewide bracket limited the number of weeks available for the WPIAL playoffs, shrinking the playoff field. With no byes, only the top two teams from each conference were guaranteed playoff spots along with two wild cards. West Allegheny went from leading the Parkway Conference in Week 9 to missing the playoffs entirely. Additionally, the WPIAL rules state that conference champions are guaranteed first round home games, so the three conference winners had to be seeded in the top four of the bracket. Here is a look at the four quarterfinal in the 4A 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!
1. McKeesport (7-3) vs 8. Chartiers Valley (7-3)
McKeesport has lost in the WPIAL final the last two seasons and are looking to win their first Championship since 2005. The Tigers three losses all came without star junior RB Kemon Spell in the lineup. Spell is the top-ranked junior RB in the nation and put up 1076 yards and 23 TDs this season despite missing a few games with an injury. McKeesport runs a triple-option attack and usually doesn’t throw much but QB Matthew Miller (692 yards, 9 TDs) has been able to make plays through the air when he needs to. The Tigers have a D1 talent on the outside in WR Javien Robinson (256 yards, 4 TDs). Chartiers Valley got the final playoff spot thanks to a 1-point overtime win over West Allegheny early in the season where the Colts converted a 2-point conversion for the win. Chartiers Valley has a balanced offensive attack with Luke Miranda throwing for 1170 yards and 13 TDs. Tayshaun Lewis (477 yards, 4 TDs) has led the Colts backfield with Julius Best (279 yards, 8 total TDs) as Miranda’s top target on the outside.
4. Thomas Jefferson (8-2) vs 5. Mars (8-2)
This game is one of the best coaching matchups you’ll ever see in the WPIAL playoffs. Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak has won the most WPIAL titles of any coach (10) and 5 state titles while Mars’ Eric Kasperowicz has won 4 WPIAL titles and 2 state titles. Thomas Jefferson is the defending WPIAL Champions and making their 31st straight playoff appearance (tied with Aliquippa for the longest active streak). Mars has reached the semifinals in each of the last two seasons. This game features two of the top five rushers in the WPIAL. Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Eber (1607 yards, 30 TDs) carried the Jaguars to a WPIAL title last season with workhorse performances in the playoffs. On the other side, Mars’ Ayden Yocum (1731 yards, 18 TDs) was the WPIAL’s second-leading rusher. The difference in this game, however, could come through the air. Thomas Jefferson has not thrown the ball much this year with Harrison Kolling (686 yards, 7 TDs) averaging just 12 attempts per game. In their two losses, the opposing defense scored on pick-sixes in the second half when TJ was attempting to mount a comeback. Mars installed sophomore Colin Yurisinec (1346 yards, 12 TDs) at quarterback this year. The Planets have a game-breaking receiver in Sacred Heart-commit Gabe Hein (848 yards, 11 TDs) on the outside who was the WPIAL’s third-leading receiver.
2. Trinity (6-4) vs 7. Aliquippa (6-3)
Trinity is the Big Six Conference Champions, the first conference title for the Hillers since 1986. Aliquippa had an up-and-down season but a win over West Allegheny was enough to get the Quips a wild card. This is the 31st consecutive playoff appearance for Aliquippa, tied with Thomas Jefferson for the longest active streak. The Hillers have a dynamic backfield led by dual-threat QB Jonah Williamson who has thrown for 1394 yards and 19 TDs and run for 975 yards and 16 TDs. Williamson, a Harvard-commit, came up just shy of reaching the 1000/1000 mark this season. But Williamson is not the only threat in the Hillers offense as junior RB Owen Gardner did top the 1000-yard mark with 1114 rushing yards and 11 TDs. Aliquippa got Championship-winning head coach Mike Warfield back on the sidelines this season, but the Quips year hit a road bump when Yale-commit Marques Council suffered a season-ending injury. Wide receiver Qa’lil Goode stepped in at QB over the last few weeks. On the season, Goode has totalled 180 passing yards; 383 receiving yards, 128 rushing yards, and 10 total TDs. The aptly-named JJ Work (653 yards, 8 TDs) has shouldered the load of the ground game which has become the focal point of the Quips offense since Council was injured.
3. New Castle (8-2) vs 6. Montour (7-3)
New Castle won their first conference title since 2008 thanks to a head-to-head victory over Montour. The Red Hurricanes had the stingiest defense in 4A, allowing just 10 points per game and pitching four shutouts. In their prior meeting with Montour, New Castle won 34-14. Since that game, which dropped Montour to 4-3 on the season, the Spartans have rattled off 3 straight convincing victories in which they scored 34+ in each game. That included wins over Aliquippa and West Allegheny. New Castle has one of the most exciting freshmen in the WPIAL in Marino Graham who threw for 1450 yards and 19 TDs and led the team in rushing with 842 yards and 13 TDs. Graham has a pair of talented receivers on the outside in Kai Cox (548 yards, 6 TDs) and Chase Lemmon (465 yards, 9 TDs). Montour is also led by a young quarterback in sophomore Brandon Bennett (1385 passing yards, 14 TDs; 300 rushing yards, 5 TDs). The Spartans have been able to balance their offensive attack on the legs of senior RB Caden Halajcio (1189 yards, 15 TDs). Junior WR Zander Stern (719 yards, 10 TDs) has emerged as Bennett’s top target while freshman playmaker Archie Collins (265 receiving yards, 241 rushing yards, 8 total TDs) has made a splash.
