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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
