As hard to believe, the 2025 WPIAL season has reached the midway point. This weekend will be the fifth of ten regular season games. Last week, conference play kicked off in nearly every section throughout the WPIAL. This week continues the trend with only a few conferences waiting until next week to start conference play.
On this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show, we were fortunate enough to interview Avonworth Head Coach Duke Johncour coming off the Lopes back to back wins over Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson. We also recapped all of the Week 3 action, discussed our Rankings and previewed Week 4. Our WPIAL Blitz Show Player of the Week from Week 3 was Hopewell QB James Armstrong. In a game where the Vikings came up just short against Beaver, Armstrong set a WPIAL record for total yardage. He had an incredible stat line of 346 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 263 rushing yards, and 2 rushing TDs. Check out his highlights on Hudl. We’ll be back on Monday night at 9:30 this week for another great show! Tune in on the SSP Network on YouTube.
As playoff races start to heat up, be sure to check my WPIAL Standings Page here on the site, which I’ll keep updated with all of the tiebreakers. Without further ado, here are the Week 4 Games of the Week!
6A Game of the Week
North Allegheny (1-0, 4-0) at Norwin (1-0, 3-1)
Both teams started conference play with a bang. North Allegheny ran through an undefeated Hempfield team while Norwin got a big victory over Seneca Valley. Norwin is a questionable call at the goal line against their rivals Penn-Trafford away from being 4-0 this year. Both teams are averaging over 40 points per game so this should present a good test for both defenses. Norwin has not made the playoffs since 2017 and a win over North Allegheny would be a program-defining statement victory for the Knights. Norwin’s offense is led by dual-threat QB Tristyn Tavares who has thrown for 469 yards and 7 TDs and run for 404 yards and 8 scores. Tavares accounted for 5 TDs in last week’s win over Seneca Valley. His favorite targets have been Potter Brozeski (224 yards, 3 TDs) and Jake Knight (108 yards, 1 TD). Joining Tavares in the backfield is Giovanni Rothrauff (491 yards, 4 TDs) who is averaging over 6 yards per carry. North Allegheny’s offense is built around their ground game and workhorse back Luke Rohan who leads the team in three offensive categories (350 rushing yards, 187 receiving yards, 9 total TDs). When Rohan isn’t running the ball, dual-threat QB Brady Brinkley has been efficient, throwing for 576 yards and 7 TDs and also running for 4 scores. North A has strength in the trenches with Pitt-commit Lincoln Hoke (son of former Steeler Chris Hoke). On the outside, Korry Pitts who is a Monmouth-commit at corner but will also play wide receiver where he has 119 yards and 2 TDs this year.
5A Game of the Week
Plum (0-1, 2-2) at Pine-Richland (1-0, 3-1)
Believe it or not, this is the only game this weekend between 5A opponents where both teams are .500 or better. Plum is looking to rebound after being upset in their conference opener by winless Shaler. Pine-Richland seems to have found their groove after a Week 1 loss to Central Catholic and looks the part of defending champions. Plum has a balanced offensive attack led by junior QB John Nonnenberg (892 passing yards, 9 TDs; 151 rushing yards, 3 TDs). He has spread the ball around to four different receivers who already have over 100 yards each. Sloan Humphries (258 yards, 2 TDs) and Niko Signor (230 yards, 1 TD) lead the way on the outside with Brendan Marston (155 yards, 2 TDs) and Semaj Robinson (145 yards 2 TDs) also factoring into the passing game. Out of the backfield, CJ Hart (229 yards, 3 TDs) has been the big play threat, averaging over 8 yards per carry while Elijah Jackson (190 yards, 1 TD) has ground out tough yards. Pine-Richland also has a junior dual-threat quarterback at the helm of their offense. Aaron “Oobi” Strader is one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the state and has thrown for 891 yards and 11 TDs and run for 312 yards and 2 scores. Strader has one of the most talented receiving corps in the state with Florida State-commit Jay Timmons (317 yards, 6 TDs), Penn State-commit Khalil Taylor (103 yards, 4 TDs) and slot receiver Jalen Neals (270 yards, 2 TDs). Maclane Miller (358 yards, 5 TDs) has been the workhorse out of the backfield. Pine-Richland is loaded up front on the line with multiple players with D1 offers.
4A Game of the Week
Mars (3-1) at Montour (3-1)
This is the KDKA Radio Game of the Week and will be their feature broadcast on Friday night. The game is a rematch of the first round playoff upset that saw Mars knock off #2 seed Montour in thrilling fashion. This game presents a contrast of styles as Montour is one of the highest scoring teams in 4A whereas Mars is one of the stingiest defenses. The Planets have two impressive victories in defensive struggles against 5A opponents. Mars has plugged in sophomore Colin Yurisinec (500 yards, 6 TDs) at quarterback, who had a massive Week 0 with 4 TD passes in their win over Beaver. All 6 of his TD passes have gone to Gabe Hein (279 yards, 6 TDs). Mars has been able to grind out wins by relying on their rushing attack of Ayden Yocum (410 yards) and short-yardage back Hunter Schroder (106 yards, 2 TDs). Montour’s only returning starter at the offensive skill positions was RB Caden Halajcio (531 yards, 6 TDs) who has led their attack. Sophomore Brandon Bennett (568 yards, 5 TDs) has stepped in at quarterback along with a new group of receivers. Junior Zander Stern (255 yards, 4 TDs) and freshman Archie Collins (116 yards, 3 TDs) have led Montour’s receiving corps. The Spartans’ ability to plug in young players has had an immediate benefit and given them a core to build around for future seasons.
3A Game of the Week
Hopewell (0-1, 3-1) at Avonworth (0-0, 4-0)
Avonworth is coming off victories over Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson that have solidified the Lopes as one of the top teams in the entire WPIAL. The Lopes are the defending 3A Champions and we were fortunate enough to have Head Coach Duke Johncour on our WPIAL Blitz Show this week. Hopewell lost a shootout in their Western Hills Conference opener against Beaver. The Vikings drove down the field and scored in the final seconds to cut the lead to one. Hopewell opted to go for two and the win, but came up short, ultimately falling 51-50 in an absolute thriller. Hopewell sophomore QB James “BooBoo” Armstrong not only has a great quarterback name (can’t get better than “Armstrong”) set a WPIAL record for total yards last week with over 600 along with 6 TDs. On the season he has thrown for 885 yards and 9 TDs and run for 482 yards and a team-high 8 scores. Aliquippa transfer RB Nasir Wade (417 rushing yards, 179 receiving yards, 5 total TDs) has created a formidable tandem with Armstrong in the backfield. When those two aren’t running the ball, Hopewell has four other receivers with over 100 yards in sophomores Avery Bokor (202 yards, 3 TDs) and Tre Cameron (182 yards, 2 TDs) along with seniors Logan Triscila (158 yards, 2 TDs) and Kingston Krotec (155 yards, 2 TDs). Avonworth has a balanced offensive attack and has had success both on the ground and through the air. Senior QB Carson Bellinger has thrown for 795 yards and 7 TDs, including a 92-yarder last week. Dimitri Velisaris (454 yards, 9 TDs) leads the Lopes rushing attack and found the end zone twice last week. Luca Neal moved from running back to receiver this year, and has led the team with 402 yards and 6 TDs. Equally impressive has been Avonworth’s defense which stifled Thomas Jefferson last week and blew open the game with two third quarter touchdowns. Senior linebacker Evan Loutzenhiser scored on both a pick-six and fumble return. Hopewell’s dynamic offense against Avonworth’s stingy defense will be one of the best matchups to watch across the entire WPIAL this weekend.
2A Game of the Week
South Allegheny (1-0, 4-0) at South Park (0-1, 3-1)
South Park is the defending 2A Champions but is coming off a big loss to Steel Valley in their conference opener. On the other side, South Allegheny is one of just two remaining undefeated teams in 2A. A South A win would put the Gladiators in position to challenge Steel Valley for the conference title. South Park is looking to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play, which would put the Eagles in the position of needing to win out to get one of the guaranteed playoff spots. South Allegheny has one of the highest-scoring offenses in 2A, averaging over 40 points per game. Led by the arm of Alijah Cook (528 yards, 10 TDs) and the dynamic receiving tandem of Drew Cook (278 yards, 5 TDs) and Kymair Brown (104 yards, 2 TDs) the Gladiators are a high-flying attack. They will stress South Park’s defense in a completely different way than Steel Valley’s ground assault. In addition to the dynamic passing attack, South A has three rushers with over 150 yards who all average over 7 yards per carry. Joey Gamret (311 yards,2 TDs) leads the way with Hakim Harrell (175 yards, 3 TDs) and Austin Schane (165 yards, 4 TDs) in complementary roles. South Park’s offense runs through dual-threat QB Robert Lenzi (355 passing yards, 4 TDs, 202 rushing yards, 3 TDs). The Eagles are more of a traditional run-first team and will use both Quintin Napper (309 yards, 4 TDs) and Colsen Heynes (202 yards, 3 TDs) out of the backfield alongside Lenzi.
1A Game of the Week
Monessen (1-0, 4-0) at Fort Cherry (1-0, 4-0)
A battle of unbeatens atop the Black Hills Conference. Fort Cherry has won 32 straight games against WPIAL opponents and 17 consecutive conference games. All four of the Rangers outings have been blowouts this year, with an average margin of victory of 47-7. Due to this, Penn State-commit Matt Sieg hasn’t had to shoulder as much of the load as other players have been worked into the offensive rotation. Sieg is only averaging about 6 passes and 5 rushes per game so far, but has produced 389 yards and 8 TDs through the air and 256 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. (For those keeping score at home, Sieg is averaging a touchdown in one out of every three pass and rush attempts.) In addition to Sieg, Eli Salvini (199 yards, 6 TDs) and Christian Yanosko (160 yards, 2 TDs) have shared the workload in the backfield. All three are averaging over 8 yards per carry. On the outside, leading receiver Evan Rogers (198 yards, 3 TDs) is Sieg’s big play target. Monessen’s 4-0 start has been led by their defense, which is holding opponents to just under a touchdown per game. The Greyhounds have a balanced offensive attack. Running back Tavian Taylor has been the focal point of the offense with 353 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards, and 6 total TDs). Kaier Payne (414 yards, 6 TDs) averages just about 10 pass attempts per game and has a big-play receiver in Jay’veyon Jeffries (174 yards, 1 TD).
Non-Conference Game of the Week
Ringgold (3-1) at Southmoreland (4-0)
This game presents quite the matchup. Not too long ago, both of these programs were down in the dumps and languishing in playoff droughts and losing streaks. Southmoreland has undergone quite the turnaround and made the playoffs five times in the last six years. Ringgold broke through last season by snapping a lengthy losing streak. The fact that these squads have a combined 7-1 record is a testament to the coaching staffs and everyone involved with their respective programs. Ringgold’s only loss this year came in Week 0 against South Allegheny. The Rams have found a groove behind a trio of offensive playmakers, starting in the backfield with Amoni Ward (709 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards, 8 total TDs) who is one of the leading rushers in the WPIAL. Ringgold has also has an electric receiver in Demetri Lowe (330 yards, 4 TDs) with a capable quarterback in Dennis Hawkins (560 yards, 8 TDs). Southmoreland, with former WPIAL-leading rusher Dustin Shoaf as their new head coach, has been lighting up the scoreboard this season to the tune of 42 points per game. The Scotties offense has been led by junior QB Dawson Wolfe (487 passing yards, 8 TDs; 195 rushing yards, 6 TDs). His favorite targets have been the tandem of senior receivers Makel Darnell (177 yards, 2 TDs) and Ty Whoric (103 yards, 1 TD). Joining Wolfe in the backfield is the sophomore duo of Averyon Darnell (196 yards, 2 TDs) and Jackson Mickens (163 yards, 6 total TDs). Southmoreland has the talent all over the field to beat teams in multiple ways, which has put the Scotties in position to be the prime challenger to Elizabeth Forward in the 3A Interstate Conference.
