WPIAL Streaks Entering 2022

The 2022 WPIAL football season is just days away from kicking off. Last year we returned to a full slate of the regular season and playoffs after the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Last year was a historic season for streaks being broken. Uniontown, who opted to play an independent schedule, ended the longest losing streak in the state (35 games) with a Week 2 win over Carrick. Two weeks earlier, Northgate, who had the longest losing streak in the WPIAL (32 games) ended their streak with a Week 0 win over Carlynton. That was Uniontown’s first win since 2016 and Northgate’s first win since 2017. Northgate also snapped their conference losing streak (26 games) with a Week 4 win over Union. After Uniontown and Northgate’s victories, Ambridge became the holder of the longest losing streak, but that was short-lived as the Bridgers topped Hopewell in Week 5. Ambridge’s victory ended a 28-game overall losing streak and a 34-game conference losing streak. The regular season ended with Leechburg snapping a 32-year postseason drought and qualifying for the playoffs. Additionally, impressive streaks for Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson continued as they have both reached the playoffs in 27th straight year. Aliquippa incredibly made the WPIAL title game in 14th consecutive season.

Here’s a look at the current streaks for WPIAL teams entering 2022 – both the good and the bad of wins, losses, playoff streaks, and playoff droughts. Of note, due to the COVID pandemic there were a number of games cancelled the last two seasons. We are only counting games actually played towards these streaks.

Wins

We start by looking at the teams that ended the 2020 season on a high note and are carrying winning streaks into 2020.

Overall Wins

1. Central Valley – 27
2. Mt. Lebanon – 15
3. Aliquippa – 12
4. Penn-Trafford – 11

The WPIAL claimed 4 of the 6 State Championships last season with Mt. Lebanon winning 6A, Penn-Trafford winning 5A, Aliquippa winning 4A, and Central Valley winning 3A. Central Valley is the two-time defending State Champions and their last loss came in the state finals in 2019 to Wyoming Area. Mt. Lebanon was the only other WPIAL team to complete a perfect season. Aliquippa won the 4A WPIAL and State titles but lost an early-season non-conference game to Central Valley. Penn-Trafford rebounded from two early defeats to win their first WPIAL and State titles in school history.

WPIAL Wins

1. Central Valley – 30
2. Mt. Lebanon -12
3. Aliquippa – 10
4. Penn-Trafford – 9
5. Bishop Canevin – 8
6. Serra Catholic – 4

While four WPIAL teams captured state titles, Central Valley was the only one to repeat as WPIAL champions. The Warriors winning streak stretches back to mid-2019 as their last loss to a WPIAL opponent came against Thomas Jefferson in a non-conference game. Mt. Lebanon ran the table in the 2021 regular season, and their last defeat was in the 2020 semifinals to Central Catholic. As mentioned above, Aliquippa‘s only loss last season came against Central Valley. Penn-Trafford‘s Week 3 loss to Peters Township was the last defeat for the Warriors. Bishop Canevin and Serra Catholic were both WPIAL Champions that finished second in their conferences after losing regular season games to Clairton and Steel Valley, respectively.

Conference Wins (Regular Season Only)

1. North Catholic – 25
2t. Penn-Trafford – 21
2t. Central Valley – 21
4. Clairton – 18
5. Elizabeth Forward – 14
6. Washington – 11
7t. Aliquippa – 10
7t. Mt. Lebanon – 10
7t. Laurel – 10

The 2020 season saw South Fayette’s incredible 64-game conference winning streak come to an end in Week 3 against Peters Twp. The top four entering 2021, North Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Central Valley, and Clairton all were perfect in conference play once again. Those four teams have not lost a conference game since 2018. However, North Catholic and Central Valley will be moving up from 3A to 4A this season which will increase their level of competition. Elizabeth Forward‘s last conference loss came against North Catholic in 2019 before they were realigned into separate conferences the last two seasons. Aliquippa‘s last conference loss came in 2019 against Central Valley before the Quips were forced up to 4A.

Losses

On the flip side, there are a number of schools that are carrying lengthy losing streaks into 2022 and have not tasted victory in some time.

Total Losses

1. Ellwood City – 25
2. Brownsville – 20*
3. Connellsville – 17
4. Summit Academy – 12
5. Hopewell – 11
6t. Derry – 9
6t. Frazier – 9
8t. Shaler – 8
8t. Brentwood – 8
10. Hempfield – 7

Uniontown (35 games), Northgate (32 games), and Ambridge (28 games) all saw their losing streaks come to an end last season. The longest losing streak in the WPIAL now belongs to Ellwood City whose last win came at the end of 2018 against Brentwood. Interestingly, the Wolverines start this season with a non-conference game against Brentwood. Brownsville‘s streak is at 20 straight losses. The Falcons have moved to play an independent schedule this season but we will keep an eye on their overall losing streak. Connellsville has not won a game in two seasons but moves down from 5A to 4A this year. Summit Academy did not play in the 2020 season so their last victory came in Week 7 of 2019. Hopewell and Derry are the only other schools on the list whose streaks go back beyond the 2021 season.

Conference Losses

1. Ringgold – 29*
2. Ellwood City – 23
3. Connellsville – 16
4. Hempfield – 11
5. Shaler – 10
6. Blackhawk – 9
7. Brentwood – 8
8. Hopewell – 7
9t. South Fayette – 6
9t. Summit Academy – 6
9. Frazier – 6

Last season saw 3 of the 4 longest conference losing streaks in the WPIAL come to an end. The longest conference losing streak in the WPIAL rests with Ringgold, with two caveats. Ringgold defeated Uniontown in 2020, but Uniontown was classified as an “independent” after deciding not to compete in the WPIAL for the 2020 season, so the Rams streak of conference losses stayed alive. Additionally, Ringgold’s 2019 loss to West Mifflin was retroactively change to a forfeit because West Mifflin used an ineligible player, but the result on the field was a loss, so for our purposes Ringgold’s streak is judged based on on-field results. Ellwood City and Connellsville have not won conference games since 2018. Interestingly, with Connellsville moving down to 4A this season they are aligned into a conference with Ringgold, so one of those streaks will come to an end in that game. Hempfield moves down from 6A to 5A this season. Shaler and Summit Academy (who did not play in 2020) have not won conference games since 2019. It is worth noting that three teams currently playing independent schedules left the WPIAL with long conference losing streaks still in tact. Uniontown lost their last 26 conference games, Butler lost their last 18, and Brownsville lost their last 14.

Playoffs

The first section covered streaks relating to single games. Now, we look at the broader picture of season-by-season streaks. There are 11 teams that reached the postseason in every year of the last decade. Only four teams did not make a playoff appearance in the last decade. With the smaller playoff fields last season due to the COVID-shortened season, four teams saw their decade-plus playoff streaks snapped. Bethel Park’s streak ended at 19 years, Franklin Regional at 16 years, Avonworth at 12 years, and West Mifflin at 10 years. It is worth noting that if 2020 had a normal playoff structure, Bethel Park and West Mifflin still would have seen their streaks end.

Championship Game Appearances

1. Aliquippa – 15
2t. Central Valley – 3
2t. Central Catholic – 3
4. Beaver Falls – 2
5t. Belle Vernon, Bishop Canevin, Mt. Lebanon, Moon, North Catholic, OLSH, Penn-Trafford – 1

Arguably one of the most impressive streaks in WPIAL history is Aliquippa‘s current run of 14 consecutive trips to Heinz Field. The Quips are a 1A-sized school that played in AA until the 2016 realignment when they opted to play in 3A then were forced up into 4A in 2020. Thomas Jefferson’s streak of 6 straight Championship Game appearances came to an end last year when they lost to Belle Vernon in the semifinals. The last time Aliquippa did not appear in a WPIAL title game was in 2007 when they lost in the semifinals to a Jeannette team led by Terrelle Pryor.

Central Valley is the three-time defending WPIAL 3A Champions and moves up to 4A this year. Central Catholic has reached 3 straight WPIAL finals but fell to Mt. Lebanon last year. Beaver Falls has reached the WPIAL title in both seasons since moving down to 2A.

Playoff Qualification Streaks

1t. Aliquippa – 27
1t. Thomas Jefferson – 27
3. McKeesport – 24
4. Upper St Clair – 22
5. Central Catholic – 19
6. North Allegheny – 18
7. Clairton – 16
8. Belle Vernon – 13
9. Washington – 11
10. North Catholic – 10

In 2019, Woodland Hills missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995, breaking a 23-year streak. The prior year, 1994, was the last time Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson missed the postseason. Both of their streaks sit at an impressive 27 straight seasons entering 2022. McKeesport and Upper St Clair are the other two programs who have made the playoffs every year this century with McKeesport’s streak dating to 1998 and Upper St Clair’s to 2000.  Two of the 10 longest playoff streaks were broken last year when Mars (16 straight years) and South Fayette (12 straight years) failed to qualify.

Schools with playoff streaks extending beyond the current six-classification structure include: Washington (11 years), North Catholic (10 years), Pine-Richland (9 years), and Mt. Lebanon (8 years). Other schools that have reached the playoffs in all six years of the six-classification alignment include: California, East Allegheny, Gateway, OLSH, and Serra Catholic.

Postseason Appearance Droughts

Brownsville – 21
1. Carlynton – 20
2. Ellwood City – 10
3t. Hopewell – 9
3t. Jefferson-Morgan – 9
5t. Valley – 8
5t. Yough -8

The 2019 season was an historic year as Southmoreland snapped their 40-year playoff drought and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 1979. The Scotties made it back to the playoffs last year for the second time in three seasons. Last year was also historic for Leechburg as the Blue Devils snapped a 32-year playoff drought that stretched back to 1988.

The longest drought belongs to Brownsville who have not made the playoffs since 2000, but the Falcons have moved to playing an independent schedule and are not eligible for the WPIAL playoffs. Therefore, Carlynton tops the list of playoff droughts for teams playing a WPIAL schedule. They have not made the playoffs since 2001, though the Cougars did have a .500 season in 2011. Uniontown is the only other WPIAL program that did not reach the postseason at least once in the past decade, and with the Red Raiders opting to play an independent schedule their drought will continue.

Ten active WPIAL teams have yet to make a playoff appearance during the six-classification era. Ellwood City‘s last appearance was in 2011 while Burrell, Hopewell, and Jefferson-Morgan qualified a year later in 2012. South Allegheny was part of that 2012 cohort before making the playoffs this past season. Valley and Yough both qualified in 2013 and Connellsville, Knoch, and Waynesburg the following year in 2014. Bentworth and Deer Lakes reached the playoffs in 2015 but have not made the postseason in the last six years.  This past season, South Allegheny, Highlands, Ambridge, and Laurel Highlands made the playoffs for the first time in the six-classification era.

Playoff Victory Droughts

Last year was also a historic season for playoff victories. In 4A, both Laurel Highlands and Armstrong captured their first playoff wins in school history. Laurel Highlands had the most playoff appearances (10) without a victory. That title now falls to Mapletown who made the playoffs last year for the 8th time in school history but lost. Armstrong was formed in 2015 by the merger of Kittanning and Ford City and won their first playoff game in 4 appearances. Before the merger, Ford City had last won a playoff game in 2010 and Kittanning had lost 12 in a row since their last playoff victory in 1975.

Southmoreland just snapped a 40-year playoff drought but has lost all of their postseason appearances. Summit Academy, the school for adjudicated youth, is also 0-2 in the playoffs all-time. Deer Lakes is the only other current WPIAL school that has never won a playoff game, only qualifying twice in school history (2010 and 2015) though it should be noted that East Deer won the 1946 WPIAL title prior to the merger that created Deer Lakes. Ligonier Valley joined the WPIAL from District 6 in 2020 and has not won a playoff game in their two seasons in the WPIAL but won multiple D6 titles in the last decade.

There are 24 other schools that have not won a playoff game in over a decade. In addition to snapping their 32-year playoff drought, Leechburg won their first playoff game since 1978, ending a 42-year drought which was the third-longest in the WPIAL. Fox Chapel ended a 23-year playoff victory drought with a win over Upper St Clair. The teams that have gone at least a decade without a playoff victory are listed in the table below:

Conclusion

Which WPIAL streaks will continue this season? Which will be broken? The WPIAL’s full playoff vision for this cycle will come to fruition as some conferences will be able to qualify 4 or 5 teams for the playoffs.