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 cycle will see a huge shakeup in 4A. Perennial powerhouse Thomas Jefferson moved up to 5A while defending Champions Aliquippa moved back to 3A. South Fayette, who had a great run in 4A from 2016-2020, moves back down from 5A and the Fayette County schools also rejoined the WPIAL from playing an independent schedule. The WPIAL has not yet announced the playoff structure for 4A but since the WPIAL Champion enters the state bracket in the quarterfinals, it is likely that only 8 teams will once again make the playoffs.
The Big Six Conference is almost entirely different than it was last cycle. Only three teams (Chartiers Valley, Ringgold and Laurel Highlands) are the same. The top two teams from last year – Thomas Jefferson and Trinity – both moved up to 5A while Belle Vernon moved down to 3A. The Fayette County schools that had been independents (Albert Gallatin and Uniontown) have been added to the Big Six, along with South Fayette who moved down from 5A. 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.
South Fayette
2025 Result: 5-5, missed playoffs in 5A
All-Time: 521-376-39 (23rd in wins, 32nd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (1936, 1964, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018), 2 State Championships (2013, 2014)
Last year was the second season at the helm for Marty Spieler who replaced legendary coach Joe Rossi. After a playoff appearance in 2024, the Lions looked poised for a second trip last season but were surprisingly left out by the WPIAL selection committee. This was a tough pill to swallow after a 5-1 start to the season and a narrow loss to Moon in the season finale. Now, South Fayette moves back down to 4A where they did not lose a conference game from 2016-2019 and won a WPIAL title in 2018. The Lions will need to find a new quarterback this year, but both senior Braeden Plasko and junior Logan Dedes saw time in backup duty last year. South Fayette has a budding star in sophomore RB Aayden Wright who ran for 467 yards and 9 TDs last year as a freshman, averaging over 7 yards per carry. The top three receivers all graduated, which means South Fayette will likely lean on Wright and the running game in their bid to contend for yet another 4A conference title.
Ringgold
2025 Result: 4-6, missed playoffs
All-Time: 254-310-12 (101st in wins, 85th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1982 WPIAL Champions
The biggest news for Ringgold in 2024 was the Rams ending the longest losing streak in the WPIAL, which dated back to Week 4 of 2021. Last year they took the next step forward and after a 3-1 start were in position to contend for the playoffs heading into the final two weeks of the season. Unfortunately for the Rams, they were blown out by both Belle Vernon and Chartiers Valley, dropping them to 5th in the conference. There is reason for confidence heading into this season as Ringgold looks to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Senior QB Dennis Hawkins threw for 1069 yards and 11 TDs last season, primarily targeting Demetri Lowe (688 yards, 6 TDs). Lowe is one of the top recruits in the state at wide receiver. That tandem will make Ringgold difficult to defend, especially with a run game led by junior Nick Stasko who ran for 198 yards and 3 TDs last season in backup duty.
Albert Gallatin
2025 Result: 10-0, played as independent
All-Time: 253-359-17 (102nd in wins, 100th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1961 & 1974); Masontown won 4 WPIAL Championships (1937, 1940, 1947, 1950), German Twp 1969 WPIAL Champions
Albert Gallatin was the first WPIAL school to make the move to playing as an independent, back in 2019. It has been a long rebuild of the program for Coach Drew Dindl and the Colonials. Last season was the high-water mark in not just the rebuild but in program history. The 10-0 season was the first time since the school was formed through a merger in 1987 that they went undefeated. Albert Gallatin’s undefeated season included wins over WPIAL 3A Greensburg Salem in Week 0, City League Carrick, and Fayette County rivals Connellsville, Uniontown, and Brownsville. The Colonials run a wishbone option offense but had two 1000-yard backs graduate. Quarterback Bronx Jamison (414 passing yards, 9 TDs; 691 rushing yards, 6 TDs) is the top returning player. Senior RB Roman Smith (430 yards, 7 TDs) and junior Clayton Bolinger (302 yards, 2 TDs) will likely take on the starting roles in the backfield to complement Jamison.
Chartiers Valley
2025 Result: 7-3, lost in first round to McKeesport
All-Time: 258-381-5 (100th in wins, 107th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Coming off a 3-7 season, Chartiers Valley made a big splash early in 2025 by beating West Allegheny 29-28 in Overtime. Little did they know that would be the decisive head-to-head result that earned the Colts their 3rd trip to the postseason in 6 years. That may not sound like much, but it represents progress for a program that made the playoffs just twice in the decade prior. Chartiers Valley’s Week 0 loss to South Fayette was their only setback through mid-October when they sat tied atop the conference with a 6-1 record after a 1-point win over Belle Vernon. Losses to Trinity and Thomas Jefferson put their playoff status in doubt but a season finale shutout over Ringgold gave the Colts enough of a resume to earn the final Wild Card spot. The Colts had 17 seniors graduate and will need to replace nearly all of their starters on both sides of the ball. Junior RB Zachary Efthimiades scored 3 TDs last year and is the top returning rusher.
Laurel Highlands
2025 Result: 2-8, Missed playoffs
All-Time: 213-378-7 (111th in wins, 116th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Never won a WPIAL title
Laurel Highlands won their first two outings last season, including a 27-0 shutout of rival Uniontown, but were plagued by injuries and a porous defense the rest of the way. Over the final 8 games, the Mustangs never scored more than once and gave up at least 47 points in every outing. While the Mustangs didn’t manage much offensively last year, injuries to upperclassmen gave young players the opportunity to gain experience. Gabe Centofanti (371 yards, 3 TDs) started half the year at quarterback as a freshman. Rising Senior RB Gio Guerriere (155 yards, 2 TDs) played just two games but averaged over 8 yards per carry. At receiver, fellow rising senior Nicholas Crouch played just 4 games but had 142 yards and a touchdown. Laurel Highlands will need to get past the injury bug and shore up the defensive side of the ball in order to compete for a playoff spot this year. Additionally, with Fayette County foes Uniontown and Albert Gallatin re-joining the WPIAL, Laurel Highlands should have a more favorable travel schedule while adding some historic rivals back to their slate.
Uniontown
2025 Result: 2-8, played as independent
All-Time: 502-565-45 (25th in wins, 73rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 2 WPIAL Championships (1962 & 1965)
Uniontown is back in the WPIAL after playing as an independent for the last six seasons. At the time they left, Uniontown carried the longest losing streak in the state. That was snapped in 2021 and Uniontown did find some success in their time as an independent, going 5-5 in 2022 and having 4-win campaigns in 2023 and 2024. Before going independent, the last time Uniontown won more than 3 games in a season was 2009. Uniontown’s only wins last season came over City League Perry and fellow Fayette County independent Brownsville. They lost Fayette County rivalry games to both Laurel Highlands and Connellsville. The Red Raiders return a large senior class this season, led by QB Brayden Hinzy and running backs Cameron Dugan and Michael Thomas. On the outside, a pair of rising juniors in Marcus Evans and Nate Hice are the top returning receivers. Uniontown will also get a boost from Southmoreland transfer Jackson Mickens who ran for 442 yards and 7 TDs last season and has 5 D1 offers.
