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 saw a lot of movement out of 2A. 2024 WPIAL Champions South Park and 2024 semifinalist Ellwood City both moved up to 3A while 2025 semifinalist Washington moved down to 1A. The most notable teams to join 2A this cycle are Bishop Canevin and Neshannock. As with previous cycles, 13 teams will make the WPIAL playoffs. The top three seeds will get byes but conference champions are not guaranteed a bye. 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, though the WPIAL has not found much success on the statewide level, winning just one 2A State Title in ten years.
The Midwestern Conference returns all but two members from last season. Ellwood City moved up to 3A and Union returned to 1A. Replacing Union is Neshannock, a fellow Lawrence County team. Western Beaver is the defending conference champions and returns a number of key starters after a run to the semifinals last year. The Midwestern Conference was one of the closest in the WPIAL last year as only two games separated 2nd place from 6th place. All of the other teams in the conference also return starters, which should once again make for a very competitive league. 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.
Western Beaver
2025 Result: 9-1, lost to Steel Valley in semifinals
All-Time: 330-268-6 (79th in wins, 36th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1976, 1983, 1994)
The Golden Beavers have made the playoffs in six straight seasons and lost to Steel Valley each of the last three years. In 2023 and 2024 the meeting came in the quarterfinals and last year in the semifinals. The only blemish on their regular season was an upset loss to Mohawk. The Golden Beavers cruised through their schedule with the highest-scoring offense in the conference (34 points per game), the third-highest in 2A. Western Beaver had two 1000-yard rushers last season, led by senior Wyatt Sparbanie (1249 yards, 25 TDs). Amari Marshall took over the quarterback role as a freshman last year, throwing for 750 yards and 6 TDs and running for 1085 yards and 9 scores. With the Marshall-Sparbanie tandem in the backfield for another season, Western Beaver is the clear favorites to repeat as Midwestern Conference Champions.
Beaver Falls
2025 Result: 4-6, lost in first round to Washington
All-Time: 709-445-52 (8th in wins, 21st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (1928, 1960, 1984, 2016, 2020, 2023)
Beaver Falls rebounded from a winless campaign in 2024 to win 4 conference games and finish in a 3-way tie for third place which was enough to earn a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The Tigers have a rich tradition and made four straight WPIAL finals before their winless 2024 season. Junior QB Xavier Clark was the catalyst of the offense, throwing for 662 yards and 4 TDs and running for 723 yards and 10 TDs. Second-leading receiver Keyshawn Jamison (220 yards, 1 TD) also returns for the Tigers who look to take the next step from being a fringe playoff team to challenging for the conference title.
Mohawk
2025 Result: 5-5, lost to Seton LaSalle in quarterfinals
All-Time: 383-489-41 (58th in wins, 89th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL Championship
Mohawk has had a historic run of success in recent years. In 2023 the Warriors reached the semifinals for the first time in school history. They made the playoffs again last year, for the fifth straight season, and won a playoff game for the third year in a row. Mohawk’s 2025 campaign started slow with losses in 4 of their first 5 outings. They dropped 3 of their first 4 conference games by a total of 11 points and were squarely behind the eight ball going into a matchup with conference leader Western Beaver. In one of the biggest upsets of the season, Mohawk pounded Western Beaver by 20 points which catapulted the Warriors onto a four-game winning streak. The Stratton brothers will be a big part of Mohawk’s success this year as both return to the backfield. Sophomore Lucas Stratton (682 yards, 5 TDs) was the team’s leading rusher while rising senior Cash Stratton (186 yards, 2 TDs) had an injury-shortened season but averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Mohawk will have to replace do-it-all QB Bobby Fadden but has a pair of senior receivers in Landyn Argiro (424 yards, 2 TDs) and Cory Fennell (277 yards, 1 TD) with experience on the outside.
Riverside
2025 Result: 5-5, lost to Apollo-Ridge in first round
All-Time: 301-269-4 (95th in wins, 48th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1985 WPIAL Champions
The Panthers made the playoffs for the third time in four seasons after an exciting regular season that featured a number of tight games. Riverside found ways to win the close ones, beating Northgate by 6, Union by 2, and Beaver Falls by 3. A Week 9 loss to Mohawk created a three-way tie for third place but the WPIAL picked the Panthers as one of the 2A Wild Cards. Junior QB Aidan Gaydosz (1289 passing yards, 10 TDs, 232 rushing yards, 3 TDs) is entering his third year as a starter. Leading rusher Mason Holler (1003 rushing yards, 122 receiving yards, 13 total TDs) returns for his senior season after averaging nearly 6 yards per carry. Riverside’s top two receivers graduated, leaving tight end Chase Boehm (111 yards) as the top returning target other than Holler. If Riverside can tighten up a defense that allowed 29.6 points per game (the most in the conference), the Panthers have the talent on offense to be a strong playoff contender once again.
Neshannock
2025 Result: 7-3, lost to Fort Cherry in 1A quarterfinals
All-Time: 323-339-15 (85th in wins, 65th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Lancers return to 2A this cycle after spending two seasons in 1A. Neshannock had two good regular seasons, winning the conference title in 2024. However, the Lancers had early playoff exits both seasons with a first round upset by Jeannette in 2024 and a quarterfinal loss to Fort Cherry last year. Neshannock’s top two rushers graduated, leaving junior Justin Edworthy (349 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards, 6 total TDs) as the top returning back. He did average over 8 yards per carry last season as the Lancers most explosive rusher, so don’t expect much of a dropoff in production. Fellow junior Nico Medure saw some time as the backup quarterback last year, throwing for 232 yards and 5 TDs. He will have the comfort of returning two of the top three receivers in Ryan Cameron (256 yards, 4 TDs) and Sammy Flora (229 yards, 2 TDs).
New Brighton
2025 Result: 6-4, missed playoffs
All-Time: 573-515-59 (15th in wins, 50th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 3 WPIAL Championships (1950, 1951, 1994)
After a quarterfinal appearance in 2021 where New Brighton upset Washington in the first round of the playoffs, the Lions did not win a game for two seasons. That 21-game losing streak came to an end in Week 0 of 2024. Progress continued last season as New Brighton posted a winning record and missed out on the playoffs by one game. The Lions started 2025 with 3 straight non-conference wins but were blown out by both Freedom and Riverside. They turned things around with victories over Ellwood City and Mohawk, but a Week 7 loss to Beaver Falls put the Lions behind the eight ball. New Brighton battled conference champions Western Beaver but lost by 6 points in Week 8. New Brighton played a number of close games last season with three wins and one loss by less than a touchdown. Senior QB Carter Jackson returns after throwing for 945 yards and 7 TDs last season. Leading rushers Heath Lewis (11 TDs) and Mike Cleckly (4 TDs) also return as the Lions look to get back to the postseason.
Freedom
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 389-569-54 (58th in wins, 103rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
The Bulldogs missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season but managed shutout victories over Rochester and New Brighton in the first four weeks of the season. The wheels came off after the New Brighton win and the Bulldogs won just one of their last six outings. Freedom had a run-heavy offense last season and return leading rushers Kayden Bailey (848 yards, 11 TDs) and Zach Shiring (388 yards, 1 TD). Junior Karter Brown (428 yards, 4 TDs) returns for his second year at quarterback and will likely be given a bigger role this season.
