The 2026 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the next few weeks we will be previewing all 18 conferences in preparation for kickoff on August 28. We are also thrilled to announce that the WPIAL Blitz Show will be back on the YouTube airwaves this season. Subscribe to the Sports Stream Premium channel and watch our live broadcasts on Monday nights or on replay any time. This year’s WPIAL content is sponsored by Get Recruited Consulting. Find them on Twitter and check out their offer to schedule a free film review.
This cycle did not see a ton of movement in 1A. Three teams moved up to 2A and three teams moved down to 1A. Most notably, Washington (a 2A semifinalist last year) moved down to 1A. As with previous cycles, 16 teams will make the WPIAL playoffs. The top three teams from each conference along with four Wild Card teams will qualify for the postseason. The WPIAL Champion enters the state bracket in the semifinals.
Clairton is the defending WPIAL and State Champions. The Bears had one of the best defenses in the WPIAL over the last two seasons. Their closest game last year was a quarterfinal shootout with rival Jeannette. Those two should once again battle atop the Eastern Conference and be among the contenders for the WPIAL title. The only change to the conference was swapping Brentwood and Serra Catholic for better geographic alignment in the Eastern Conference and Black Hills Conference. Be sure to keep tabs on our WPIAL Standings Page throughout the season and follow our WPIAL Twitter account @WPIAL_Blitz. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.
Clairton
2025 Result: 9-1, Eastern Conference Champions, WPIAL and PIAA Champions
All-Time: 753-375-41 (5th in wins, 8th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 15 WPIAL Championships (1929, 1931, 1954, 1989, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2025), 5 State Championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2025)
The Bears won their 15th WPIAL title and 5th State Championship in school history last season. A year after coming up just short against Fort Cherry in the finals, Clairton rode a stifling defense that stopped Laurel on a decisive two-point conversion to win 8-6. Clairton boasted one of the best defenses in the WPIAL last season. After allowing 19 points to 3A Imani Christian in Week 0, Clairton did not allow a single point until the WPIAL quarterfinals against Jeannette. The Jeannette game (a 38-33 victory) was their closest of the season and after beating Bishop Canevin by 20 and Laurel by 2 in the WPIAL finals, Clairton steamrolled the statewide competition. The Bears beat Greenville 57-0 in the State semis then perennial state powerhouse Bishop Guilfoyle 35-3 in the PIAA Championship. Winning their first state title since 2012 was the perfect way to christen the new Tyler Boyd Stadium in Clairton. The Bears pitched 10 shutouts last season and were the highest-scoring team in 1A, averaging 47 points per game. Clairton had a large senior class graduate, but have a strong group of underclassmen, led by junior Brandon Murphy (704 receiving yards, 150 rushing yards, 14 total TDs, 14 TFLs, 4 sacks, 3 INTs) who is one of the top recruits in the state in the 2028 class. Fellow junior Tyron Armstrong saw some time as the Bears backup quarterback last year. Four of Clairton’s top six rushers graduated, leaving just Murphy and sophomore Robert Scott Jr (115 yards, 1 TD) who averaged 9.6 yards per carry. Defensively, Murphy and linebacker Darren Pinson (100 tackles, 9 TFLs) return to lead the unit that allowed the fewest points in the WPIAL last season. Clairton has some slots to replace in their lineup after last year’s Championship-winning squad, but the Bears have the depth of talent to once again be the team to beat in 1A.
Jeannette
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Clairton in quarterfinals
All-Time: 794-349-40 (2nd in wins, 5th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 10 WPIAL Championships (1932, 1939, 1956, 1971, 1981, 1983, 2006, 2007, 2017, 2020), 2 State Championships (2007, 2017)
The Jayhawks have bounced back in a big way after their down year of 2021. Jeannette rebounded from back-to-back midseason losses to Leechburg and Clairton to catch fire on offense down the stretch. In the playoffs they got a rematch with Clairton and became the first 1A team to put points up against the Bears defense. Not only did Jeannette score, but they hung with Clairton all night before ultimately falling 38-33. Leading receiver Jayce Powell (950 yards, 13 total TDs) returns for the Jayhawks as their top returning playmaker. Keep an eye out for sophomore Dhestin Sanders who had 168 receiving yards, 108 rushing yards, and 2 TDs last year as a freshman. Jeannette will need to find a new starting quarterback to get their playmakers the ball, and could turn to sophomore Anthony Stuchell who saw some time as a backup last year. Jeannette has the talent and firepower to once again be a strong contender in 1A.
GCC
2025 Result: 5-5, lost to Bishop Canevin in first round
All-Time: 390-260-10 (57th in wins, 26th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2009 WPIAL Champions
The Centurions barely made the playoffs last season, needing a Wild Card after losses to Riverview and Frazier. They salvaged their season with a Week 9 win over Leechburg before losing a 50-35 shootout to Bishop Canevin in the opening round. Junior Bobby Smithnosky split time at quarterback last year, throwing for 763 yards and 9 TDs. He also scored 5 rushing TDs but wasn’t much of a threat in the ground game. GCC’s top returning rusher is junior Blase Bugosh (197 yards, 1 TD). On the outside, senior Colin Snively (173 yards, 4 TDs) is the top returning receiver. The Centurions should be right in the mix for the playoffs once again this season.
Leechburg
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Neshannock in first round
All-Time: 419-529-38 (48th in wins, 88th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1953, 1965, 1966)
The last five years have been quite the run for the Blue Devils. In 2021 they made the playoffs for the first time in 33 years. Leechburg followed it up by making the playoffs each of the last four seasons to give themselves a five-year streak. The Blue Devils lost their leading rusher to graduation but have a core of rising seniors to build around. Dual-threat QB Jaxson Vargo (382 passing yards, 3 TDs; 316 rushing yards, 4 TDs) did about as much running as throwing last season. He will be joined in the backfield by Nick Hilty (230 yards, 7 TDs) who averaged an incredible 15 yards per carry last season. With Hilty’s explosiveness, Leechburg should be able to lean on their ground game as they did for much of last season.
Serra Catholic
2025 Result: 2-8, missed playoffs
All-Time: 248-360-6 (104th in wins, 104th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1981, 2007, 2021)
Serra moved down from 2A to 1A last cycle and have been rebuilding their program under Coach Keem. Serra took a few positive steps forward last year with wins over Summit Academy and Burgettstown. The Eagles also had a close loss to Monessen. The team battled through injuries which severely limited their roster. This season, the hope is that the Eagles can stay healthy and get back into contention for the postseason. Serra moves over the Eastern Conference which should be a better geographic fit rather than taking trips to Burgettstown and Fort Cherry. The Eagles have some young players who they are hoping to build around, including junior QB Rayshawn Pritchard and sophomores Chris Green and Cordarrell Rodgers who both found the end zone 3 times last year.
Riverview
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 274-265-11 (98th in wins, 56th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1997 WPIAL Champions, predecessor schools won 3 WPIAL Championships Oakmont won 2 (1928, 1965) and Vernoa won 1 (1962)
The Raiders have not made the playoffs since 2016. Riverview did go 5-5 in 2023, their first non-losing season since 2010. Last year got off to a solid start with non-conference wins over Beth-Center and Valley. Riverview got to 4-2 with wins over rival Springdale and a Saturday afternoon Oakmont Park upset over GCC. But the wheels fell off after that and the Raiders dropped their last four outings, being shut out in the final two. Riverview does have a core of senior leaders that saw significant time last year. Connor Kmetz (895 yards, 11 TDs) returns at quarterback along with the Raiders two leading rushers Kaden Levy (451 yards, 12 TDs) and Miles Duncan (415 yards, 1 TD). The Raiders hope their experienced backfield can carry them into playoff contention.
Springdale
2025 Result: 0-9, missed playoffs
All-Time: 426-511-30 (47th in wins, 83nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1932, 1946, 1973, 2003)
The Dynamos were a consistent playoff participant for the entire 2000s decade. Unfortunately Springdale is coming off two of the worst seasons in WPIAL history. They managed just 19 total points in 2024 and improved marginally to scoring 56 points last season. Springdale has been shut out 9 times over the last two seasons, but credit where it’s due – after forfeiting to Leechburg last year due to an injury-shortened roster, they went out and played against Clairton the following week. Springdale’s closest game was a 29-point loss to Avella. Leading rusher Corey Brooks returns for his senior season after scoring 3 times last year. The Dynamos need to improve on both sides of the ball after posting the lowest-scoring offense in 1A (6 points per game) and allowing the most points (49 points against per game). For years, Springdale’s legendary source of power and inspiration had been the smokestack along the Allegheny River which towered over their field. But with the power plant demolished and a proposed data center raising discussions on community planning, Springdale is looking for answers both on and off the field.
