Home WPIAL Championship Game History 1980-2015

WPIAL Championship Game History 1980-2015

by Ian

In 1980 the PIAA established four classifications of high school football. In 1988 the PIAA would begin hosting a State Championship tournament where the district champions in each classification would compete for the State Crown.

Within the WPIAL, the structure of the playoffs has undergone a number of changes as well. Starting in 1980, 8 teams from each of the four classifications made the playoffs. In the 1982-1983 cycle, there were so many AAAA teams the classification was split into two divisions with each having an 8-team playoff and crowning their own champion. The rest of the 1980s decade had just 8 teams per classification in the playoffs.

The 1990s was a decade of various playoff formats and expansion efforts. In 1991, 12 teams made the WPIAL playoffs in each classification with the top four seeds in each class getting byes to the quarterfinals. From 1992-1995 the playoff structure returned to the model of 8 teams per classification. In the 1996-1997 cycle, the WPIAL went back to having 12 teams per classification in the playoffs. In 1998 and 1999, Classes AAAA, AA and A expanded to 16 playoff teams while AAA remained at 12.

The playoff formats stabilized at the turn of the century. Since 2000, all four classifications had 16 teams qualify for the playoffs. The four classification era ended in 2016 when the PIAA moved to six classes in football. For the Championship History of the six classification era, see here.

Year Class AAAA Class AAA Class AA Class A
1980 Mt. Lebanon 30,
Bethel Park 14
Thomas Jefferson 28,
Aliquippa 8
Seton-LaSalle 20,
New Brighton 13
Laurel 14,
Clairton 12
1981 Mt. Lebanon 34,
North Hills 6
Beaver Area 12,
Knoch 7
Jeannette 26,
Freeport 7
Serra Catholic 12,
Clairton 0
1982 Division 1:
North Hills 9,
Butler 0
Steel Valley 10,
Aliquippa 0
Beaver 18,
Jeannette 13
Monaca 14,
Clairton 12
Division 2:
Ringgold 6,
New Castle 3
1983 Division 1:
Mt. Lebanon 7,
North Allegheny 0
Mt. Pleasant 16,
Aliquippa 14
Jeannette 6,
Canevin 0
Western Beaver 29,
Frazier 16
Division 2:
Plum 10,
New Castle 6
1984 Mt. Lebanon 20,
Gateway 12
Aliquippa 20,
Mt. Pleasant 15
Beaver Falls 14,
Riverside 13
Duquesne 26,
Rochester 0
1985 North Hills 0,
Gateway 0 (tie, no OT)
Aliquippa 13,
Ambridge 0
Riverside 21,
Swissvale 15
Monaca 21,
Brentwood 13
1986 Gateway 7,
North Hills 6
Mt. Pleasant 14,
Kiski Area 13
Burrell 3,
Beth-Center 0
Farrell 28,
California 0
1987 North Hills 21,
Mt. Lebanon 0
Aliquippa 26,
New Castle 14
Sto-Rox 19,
Ellwood City 0
Wilmington 14,
Monaca 7
1988 Upper St. Clair 7,
Central Catholic 0
Aliquippa 36,
Blackhawk 7
Steel Valley 6,
Center 0
Wilmington 10,
Farrell 7
1989 Upper St. Clair 38,
North Hills 14
Aliquippa 17,
Seneca Valley 9
Steel Valley 20,
Freeport 14
Clairton 27,
Laurel 20
1990 North Allegheny 9,
Butler 0
Seton-La Salle 30,
Hopewell 23
Canevin 21,
Washington 20
Farrell 40,
Clairton 20
1991 Connellsville 17,
Upper St. Clair 7
Blackhawk 23,
Valley 13
Aliquippa 13,
Riverside 7
Rochester 20,
South Side Beaver 7
1992 Upper St. Clair 10,
North Allegheny 7
Blackhawk 20,
Knoch 0
East Allegheny 33,
Riverside 13
Rochester 28,
Clairton 12
1993 North Hills 21,
Upper St. Clair 14
Blackhawk 28,
McGuffey 0
Washington 12,
Riverside 7
Duquesne 55,
West Greene 0
1994 McKeesport 21,
Upper St. Clair 14
McGuffey 12,
Blackhawk 6
New Brighton 35,
Jeannette 6
Western Beaver 42,
Riverview 0
1995 Penn Hills 20,
Upper St. Clair 13
Belle Vernon 22,
Franklin Regional 6
Burrell 14,
Washington 13 (OT)
Farrell 30,
Monessen 14
1996 Woodland Hills 22,
North Allegheny 15
Blackhawk 24,
Belle Vernon 6
Aliquippa 26,
Mars 16
Farrell 26,
Riverview 25
1997 Upper St. Clair 28,
Penn-Trafford 27
West Allegheny 51,
Brownsville 24
South Park 38,
Shady Side Academy 6
Riverview 19,
Fort Cherry 14
1998 New Castle 14,
North Allegheny 7
Moon 34,
Blackhawk 7
Shady Side Academy 30,
Washington 12
Rochester 24,
Monaca 18
1999 Woodland Hills 21,
McKeesport 7
West Allegheny 37,
Belle Vernon 12
Waynesburg 30,
Washington 3
South Side Beaver 21,
Monaca 14
2000 Mt. Lebanon 14,
Woodland Hills 13
West Allegheny 21,
West Mifflin 7
Aliquippa 14,
Waynesburg 6
Rochester 13,
Monaca 6
2001 Woodland Hills 41,
Central Catholic 6
West Allegheny 23,
Hopewell 6
Washington 24,
Beaver Falls 14
Rochester 27,
Fort Cherry 19
2002 Woodland Hills 15,
North Hills 6
Hopewell 20,
Pine-Richland 15
Seton-LaSalle 20,
Mars 6
Rochester 26,
Duquesne 13
2003 Central Catholic 42,
Upper St. Clair 10
Pine-Richland 21,
Thomas Jefferson 7
Aliquippa 18,
Jeannette 4
Springdale 30,
Sto-Rox 13
2004 Central Catholic 28,
Gateway 0
Thomas Jefferson 20,
West Mifflin 0
Seton La Salle 42,
Aliquippa 35
Rochester 15,
Clairton 14
2005 McKeesport 19, Woodland Hills 7 Franklin Regional 31,
Thomas Jefferson 14
South Park 24,
GCC 20
Duquesne 14, Rochester 6
2006 Upper St Clair 18,
Penn Hills 12
Thomas Jefferson 34,
Blackhawk 15
Jeannette 24,
GCC 14
Clairton 16,
Rochester 13
2007 Central Catholic 35,
Gateway 34 (OT)
Thomas Jefferson 34,
Montour 0
Jeannette 61,
Beaver Falls 12
Serra Catholic 10,
Springdale 6
2008 Bethel Park 10,
Gateway 6
Thomas Jefferson 34,
Blackhawk 14
Aliquippa 8,
Beaver Falls 6
Clairton 12,
Monaca 6
2009 Woodland Hills 10,
Gateway 0
West Allegheny 36,
Hopewell 28
GCC 33,
Aliquippa 7
Clairton 14,
Rochester 13
2010 North Allegheny 21,
Woodland Hills 14
Central Valley 24,
Montour 7
South Fayette 19,
Aliquippa 6
Clairton 12,
Rochester 0
2011 North Allegheny 28,
Upper St Clair 21 (OT)
Montour 42,
Knoch 12
Aliquippa 14,
Jeannette 7
Clairton 42,
Sto-Rox 6
2012 North Allegheny 21,
Woodland Hills 20
West Allegheny 34,
West Mifflin 8
Aliquippa 34,
Washington 7
Clairton 58,
Sto-Rox 21
2013 Central Catholic 27,
Woodland Hills 7
West Allegheny 16,
Central Valley 6
South Fayette 34,
Aliquippa 28
North Catholic 14,
Sto-Rox 0
2014 Pine-Richland 21,
Central Catholic 13
Central Valley 35,
West Allegheny 28
South Fayette 31,
Aliquippa 22
Clairton 46,
Avonworth 14
2015 Central Catholic 24,
Penn-Trafford 17
Thomas Jefferson 20,
Central Valley 7
Aliquippa 44,
South Fayette 38
Clairton 40,
Jeannette 0