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 bit of a shakeup in 5A. Peters Twp and Pine-Richland have faced off in the last three 5A Championship Games. Three teams departed 5A in realignment – Kiski, Shaler, and South Fayette. Additionally, Baldwin moved to playing an independent schedule. The bigger story is who moved up from 4A – perennial powerhouse Thomas Jefferson, defending conference champions Trinity, West Allegheny with legendary coach Bob Palko back at the helm, and Connellsville re-joining the WPIAL from an independent schedule. The WPIAL has not yet announced the playoff structure for 5A but since the WPIAL Champion enters the state bracket in the semifinals, it is likely that 12 teams will once again make the playoffs.
The Northeast Conference has been dominated by Pine-Richland since the Rams moved down from 6A in 2020. The Rams have made the WPIAL finals in five of the last six seasons, winning three Championships. The big story coming into this season is Eric Kasperowicz returning to his alma mater to coach at North Hills. Realignment also brought Moon and Armstrong into the conference. Interestingly, the only team in this alignment that did not make the playoffs last year is Penn Hills who narrowly missed out. All six teams have experienced starters returning which should make for a competitive slate of conference games. 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.
Pine-Richland
2025 Result: 9-1, Northeast Conference Champions, lost to Peters Twp in the WPIAL Championship
All-Time: 428-295-13 (46th in wins, 30st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (2003, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022), Richland HS won 2 WPIAL Championships (1969 & 1970), 3 State Championships (2017, 2020, 2022)
The Rams have reached the WPIAL final in 8 of the last 9 years, winning 5 titles in that span. They faced Peters Twp in the title game in each of the last three seasons, winning in 2024. Dual-threat senior QB Aaron “Oobi” Strader burst onto the scene as a freshman and led the team to the PIAA semis as a sophomore. Last year he threw for 2217 yards and 34 TDs while adding 762 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. Strader will once again be throwing to Nebraska-commit Khalil Taylor who put up 571 yards and scored 25 total TDs last season between receiving, returning, and defense. Taylor is without a doubt the most dangerous player in the WPIAL with the ball in his hands. Other than Strader, the top returning rusher is backup junior Cooper Stiscak (276 yards, 4 TDs) who also saw some time as the backup QB last year.
Moon
2025 Result: 7-3, Lost to Pine-Richland in the semifinals
All-Time: 375-478-19 (66th in wins, 90th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1998 WPIAL Champions
Moon finished second in the tough Allegheny Six conference last season and made a run to the semifinals, avenging an early season loss to Penn-Trafford in the quarters. That was Moon’s third trip to the semifinals in the last five seasons, which interestingly have come every other year. The Tigers gave top-seeded Pine-Richland a battle but came up short 34-24. Now, they move to the Northern Conference and become conference foes of Pine-Richland. The Tigers play a hard-nosed brand of ground-and-pound football but will have to replace 28 seniors that graduated from last year’s squad. The top returning player is junior Dionte’ Henry who ran for 348 yards and 3 TDs and also attempted a handful of passes. Senior Maxwell Harkins was the backup QB last season and saw time in a few games. Whoever steps in at quarterback will have the comfort of throwing to leading receiver Savario Vandetti (453 yards, 6 TDs) on the outside.
North Hills
2025 Result: 3-7, lost to Bethel Park in the first round
All-Time: 527-340-27 (21st in wins, 23rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 4 WPIAL Championships (1982, 1985t, 1987, 1993), 1993 State Champions
The Indians have made the playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons but have not won a playoff game since a run to the semifinals in 2010. The biggest news for North Hills is the hiring of Eric Kasperowicz as head coach. In addition to winning a WPIAL and State title as a player at North Hills, Coach Kasper has both WPIAL and State titles under his belt at Pine-Richland and most recently revitalized the Mars program. Coach Kasper’s wide open downfield passing offense will be the next step for North Hills which was traditionally a run-heavy team but had started to open things up the last few years. Rising junior Austin Ellis (499 yards, 5 TDs) saw time at quarterback over the second half of last season and figures to step into the starting role. Seniors Jack Broderick (292 yards, 3 TDs) and Justus Green (118 yards, 3 TDs) are the top returning receivers. In the backfield, leading rusher Johnell Edison (629 yards, 5 TDs) returns for the Indians.
Penn Hills
2025 Result: 3-7, missed playoffs
All-Time: 555-327-22 (18th in wins, 16th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 6 WPIAL Championships (1976, 1977t, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2018), 2 State Championships (1995, 2018)
Penn Hills’ 2025 season got off to a rocky start with losses in 4 of their first 5 outings. They seemed to turn things around mid-season with wins over Shaler and 6A Mt. Lebanon, putting themselves in position to contend for a playoff spot. One win in the final two weeks over either North Hills or Plum would’ve sent them to the postseason, but the Indians dropped both games. This led to a coaching change with alum and former Pitt linebacker Dan Mason taking charge of the program. The talent is there for the Indians to be a contender as a number of young platers saw time last year. Rising junior Jayson Taylor (614 yards, 5 TDs) stepped in at quarterback halfway through last season. On the outside, leading receiver Richard Littlejohn (417 yards, 6 TDs) is an explosive playmaker. Leading rushers Doryan Peay (810 yards, 5 TDs) and Michael Ford (162 yards, 2 TDs) are both rising seniors.
Armstrong
2025 Result: 4-6, lost to Moon in the first round
All-Time: 60-54 (120th in wins, 49th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: Armstrong, along with predecessor schools Kittanning, and Ford City, has never won a WPIAL title
Armstrong earned the final wild card in the 5A playoffs last season. The River Hawks finished in a 3-way tie with Kiski and Gateway for 3rd place in the Big East Conference. Kiski won the tiebreaker on point differential while Armstrong’s win over Gateway was enough to put them in 4th place. On the whole, it was four points that determined Armstrong’s playoff status – a 3-point win over Latrobe and a 1-point win over Gateway. Armstrong now moves from the Big East to the Northeast Conference led by a strong senior class. Senior QB Jaydon Oliver (1666 yards, 9 TDs) missed some time last season but has thrown for over 4700 yards in his career. Rising junior Deo Beck (696 yards, 7 TDs) stepped in at QB while Oliver was out last season. Oliver is also the team’s top returning rusher (471 yards, 6 TDs). The River Hawks are absolutely loaded at wide receiver, returning their top four targets – all rising seniors. Quinton Olsen (987 yards, 9 TDs) leads the way with Theron Cupec (448 yards, 2 TDs), Kayden Lewis (400 yards, 2 TDs), and Xavier Williams (293 yards, 2 TDs) also featuring in Armstrong’s spread attack. Scoring points will not be a problem for Armstrong, but to compete for a playoff spot they will need to shore up a defense that allowed 33.5 points per game last year, the second-most in 5A.
Plum
2025 Result: 5-5, lost to Upper St Clair in the first round
All-Time: 353-455-25 (72nd in wins, 91st in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 1983 WPIAL Champions
Plum had a rollercoaster 2025 season. The Mustangs won two of their first 3, with the only loss coming in 3 OTs against Latrobe. They stumbled out of the gate in conference play, losing 4 in a row mid-season. But Plum turned things around to finish strong, beating Fox Chapel and Kiski (which gave them an argument for Wild Card consideration). Then in the season finale against Penn Hills, which turned into a win-and-get-in Casket Match. On the final play of the game, Plum lined up for a game-winning field goal but it was blocked and recovered by the kicker who ran it in for the winning score. Dual-threat QB John Nonnenberg (1416 passing yards, 12 TDs; 321 rushing yards, 3 TDs) returns for his senior season to lead the Mustangs attack. Second-leading rusher CJ Hart (533 yards, 7 TDs) also returns to the backfield after averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Three of Plum’s top four receivers graduated, leaving just junior Semaj Robinson (213 yards, 3 TDs) as the top target for Nonnenberg on the outside.
