We have reached the final week of the WPIAL football regular season. There are seven conference titles still to be decided and 12 remaining guaranteed playoff spots up for grabs. Additionally, the WPIAL selection committee will pick 19 wild cards to join the playoff field. Here is a conference-by-conference breakdown of the races for conference titles and the automatic playoff spots. I’ll have a post later in the week analyzing the wild card scenarios in each classification.
Check out my WPIAL Standings Page for a full list of conference standings with all tiebreakers included and tune in to the WPIAL Blitz Show on Monday night at 9:30pm for some playoff discussion!
6A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top 4 teams make the playoffs
- Central Catholic has clinched the conference title
- North Allegheny has clinched a playoff spot
- Norwin clinches a playoff spot with a win over Mt. Lebanon OR a Canon-McMillan loss
- Canon-McMillan clinches a playoff spot with a win over Central Catholic OR a Mt. Lebanon loss
- Mt. Lebanon clinches a playoff spot with a win over Norwin
- Game-by-Game Scenarios:
- If Norwin beats Mt. Lebanon – Norwin and Canon-McMillan are in
- If Mt. Lebanon beat Norwin and Canon-McMillan wins – Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon are in
- If Mt. Lebanon beats Norwin and Canon-McMillan loses – Norwin and Mt. Lebanon are in
5A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top 3 in each conference automatically qualify, plus 3 wild cards chosen by the selection committee
Allegheny Six Conference
- Peters Twp has clinched the conference title
- Moon has clinched a playoff spot
- Upper St Clair clinches a playoff spot with a win over Baldwin OR a Bethel Park loss
- Bethel Park clinches a playoff spot with a win over Peters Twp AND an Upper St Clair loss
- South Fayette can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Big East Conference
- Woodland Hills has clinched the conference title
- Penn-Trafford has clinched a playoff spot
- Kiski clinches a playoff spot with a win over Woodland Hills OR an Armstrong win
- Gateway plays a non-conference game, but clinches a playoff spot with losses by BOTH Kiski and Armstrong
- Armstrong can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Northeast Conference
- Pine-Richland has clinched a playoff spot and can clinch the conference title with a win over Shaler
- Shaler clinches the conference title with a win over Pine-Richland
- North Hills plays a non-conference game but clinches a playoff spot with a Penn Hills loss
- Shaler clinches a playoff spot if they lose to Pine-Richland by only 1 or 2 points
- Penn Hills clinches a playoff spot with a win AND a Shaler loss by 3 points or more
- If Penn Hills wins and Shaler loses, there will be a three-way tie for second place that will be decided on Tiebreaker Points (Currently: Shaler +10, North Hills +8, Penn Hills 0).
- After the second place team is determined by tiebreaker points, third place will be decided based on head-to-head (Shaler beat North Hills, North Hills beat Penn Hills, Penn Hills beat Shaler).
- Plum can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
4A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top TWO teams from each conference earn automatic playoff spots plus TWO wild cards chosen by the selection committee
Big Six Conference
- Trinity has clinched the conference title
- Thomas Jefferson has clinched a playoff spot
- Chartiers Valley can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Greater Allegheny Conference
- McKeesport has clinched the conference title
- Mars has clinched a playoff spot
Parkway Conference
- West Allegheny clinches the conference title with a win over Montour
- New Castle clinches the conference title with a win over Blackhawk AND a West Allegheny loss
- Montour clinches the conference title with a win over West Allegheny AND a New Castle loss
- The West Allegheny-Montour winner clinches a playoff spot
- New Castle clinches a playoff spot unless New Castle, Aliquippa, and West Allegheny all lose, in which case both Montour and West Allegheny will get into the playoffs
- Aliquippa can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
3A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top three in each conference automatically qualify, plus 3 wild cards chosen by the selection committee
Allegheny Seven Conference
- Imani Christian, Highlands, and Freeport have all clinched playoff spots
- Imani Christian clinches the conference title with a win over Freeport OR a loss by 5 points or fewer
- Freeport clinches the conference title with a win over Imani by 6 points or more
- Burrell can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Interstate Conference
- Elizabeth Forward has clinched the conference title
- Southmoreland has clinched a playoff spot
- Derry clinches a playoff spot with a win over Yough OR a Mt Pleasant loss
- Mt Pleasant clinches a playoff spot with a win over Elizabeth Forward AND a Derry loss
Western Hills Conference
- Avonworth has clinched the conference title
- Central Valley has clinched a playoff spot
- North Catholic clinches a playoff spot with a win over Hopewell OR a loss by 5 points or less if Beaver also loses
- Beaver clinches a playoff spot with a win over Avonworth AND a North Catholic loss
- Hopewell clinches a playoff spot with a win over North Catholic by 6 points or more AND a Beaver loss
2A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top three in each conference automatically qualify, plus 4 wild cards chosen by the selection committee
Allegheny Conference
- South Allegheny, Apollo-Ridge, and Steel Valley have clinched playoff spots
- South Allegheny clinches the conference title with a win over Steel Valley OR a loss by 6 points or fewer if Apollo-Ridge wins
- Steel Valley clinches the conference title with a win over South Allegheny AND an Apollo-Ridge loss OR a win by 7 points or more if Apollo-Ridge wins
- OLSH and South Park can not earn an automatic playoff spot but are in the running for a Wild Card
Century Conference
- Washington, Seton LaSalle, and Keystone Oaks have clinched playoff spots
- The Washington-Seton LaSalle winner clinches the conference title
- Waynesburg can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Midwestern Conference
- Western Beaver has clinched the conference title
- The Ellwood City-Beaver Falls winner clinches a playoff spot
- Ellwood City also clinches a playoff spot with a loss AND a Mohawk win.
- Riverside clinches a playoff spot with a win over Mohawk
- Mohawk clinches a playoff spot with a win over Riverside AND a Beaver Falls loss
- Freedom and New Brighton can not earn an automatic playoff spot but are in the running for a Wild Card
1A Playoff Scenarios
Qualification: Top three in each conference automatically qualify, plus 4 wild cards chosen by the selection committee
Big Seven Conference
- Laurel, South Side, and Neshannock have clinched playoff spots
- Laurel clinches the conference title with a win over Neshannock OR a loss by less than 10 points if South Side wins
- Neshannock clinches the conference title with a win over Laurel AND a South Side loss
- If Neshannock beats Laurel by 10+ AND South Side wins by 10+ then the top three teams will finish in a tie in all tiebreakers.
- Shenango can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Black Hills Conference
- Fort Cherry has clinched the conference title
- Bishop Canevin and Chartiers-Houston have clinched playoff spots
- Cornell and Monessen can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
Eastern Conference
- Clairton has clinched the conference title
- Leechburg and Jeannette have clinched playoff spots
- Frazier, Brentwood, Riverview, and GCC can not earn an automatic playoff spot but are in the running for a Wild Card
Tri-County South Conference
- California, Bentworth, and Jefferson-Morgan have clinched playoff spots
- California clinches the conference title with a win over Jefferson-Morgan
- Jefferson-Morgan clinches the conference title with a win over California AND a Bentworth loss
- Bentworth clinches the conference title with a win over Avella by more than 1 point AND a California loss
- Avella can not earn an automatic playoff spot but is in the running for a Wild Card
