WPIAL Week 9 Playoff Scenarios

As we enter the final week in the WPIAL football season, the postseason races are reaching their conclusion. 55 of the 64 playoff spots have been secured, with 9 remaining to be clinched this week. Beyond just making the playoffs, teams have the opportunity to earn first round playoff games at home (given to the Top 4 teams in 3A/4A/5A/6A and the Top 8 teams in 1A/2A) and to win conference titles. It should be noted that the WPIAL officially awards “Conference Co-Champion” trophies to any teams that finish with the same record. However, for purposes of determining the final order of standings for playoff positioning, all positional ties must be broken. Therefore, when I note a team as “Conference Champion” that includes all playoff tiebreakers. This week, I decided to break up my traditional “Games of the Week” post into two post – this one detailing all of the playoff scenarios and a second post coming Friday highlighting the Games of the Week.

The WPIAL playoff structure is different for each classification. There are 8 playoff spots in 6A, 5A, 4A, and 3A and 16 playoff spots in 2A and 1A. Playoff spots are earned based on the place of finish within a team’s respective conference. The conference standings are first and foremost determined by Conference Record, Head-to-Head, Gardner Points, and WPIAL Tiebreaker Points tiebreakers. Gardner Points are essentially “strength of victory” points (10 points earned for each win by the teams your team defeated) and WPIAL Tiebreaker Points are “margin of victory” points (+ or – up to 10 points based on scoring margin, wins/losses over 10 points only count as +/- 10 “Tiebreaker Points”).

The current standings for all 6 classifications can be found here.

6A Playoff Scenarios

• 8 of 8 playoff spots have been clinched
• 3 of 4 home games have been clinched
• No conference titles have been clinched

Northern Seven Conference

• Pine-Richland, Central Catholic, North Allegheny, and Penn Hills have clinched the four playoff spots
• Pine-Richland has clinched a home playoff game
• Pine-Richland wins the conference title with a win over North Allegheny OR a loss by less than 9 if Central Catholic also wins
• North Allegheny wins the conference title with a win over Pine-Richland and a Central Catholic loss
• Central Catholic clinches a home playoff game with a win and a North Allegheny loss OR a win and a North Allegheny win by less than 9
• North Allegheny clinches a home playoff game with a Central Catholic loss by more than 3
• Penn Hills can not earn a home playoff game

Southeastern Conference

• Bethel Park, Mt Lebanon, Peters Twp and Norwin have clinched the four playoff spots
• Bethel Park and Mt Lebanon have clinched home playoff games
• The winner of Bethel Park-Mt Lebanon will win the conference title

5A Playoff Scenarios

• 8 of 8 playoff spots have been clinched
• 3 of 4 home playoff games have been clinched
• 1 of 2 conference titles have been clinched

Allegheny Nine Conference

• Upper St Clair, West Allegheny, Woodland Hills, and Fox Chapel have clinched the four playoff spots
• Upper St Clair has clinched the conference title
• West Allegheny has clinched a home playoff game

Big East Conference

• Penn-Trafford, Gateway, Franklin Regional, and McKeesport have clinched the four playoff spots
• Penn-Trafford has clinched the conference title
• The winner of Gateway-Franklin Regional clinches a home playoff game
• McKeesport can not earn a home playoff game

4A Playoff Scenarios

• 7 of 8 playoff spots clinched
• 3 of 4 home playoff games clinched
• 1 of 2 conference titles clinched

Big Nine Conference

• Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson, and West Mifflin have clinched playoff spots
• Belle Vernon has clinched the conference title
• Thomas Jefferson has clinched a home playoff game
• Trinity clinches a playoff spot with a win over Ringgold OR with a loss and a Greensburg Salem win
• Ringgold clinches a playoff spot with a win over Trinity AND a Greensburg Salem loss
• Greensburg Salem can not make the playoffs

Northwest Nine Conference

• South Fayette, Montour, New Castle, and Mars have clinched the four playoff spots
• South Fayette has clinched a home playoff game
• The winner of South Fayette-Montour will win the conference title
• Montour clinches a home playoff game if one of the following scenarios occurs:
  • A win over South Faytette
  • A loss AND a Mars loss
  • A loss AND wins by New Castle and Mars IF Mars does not catch them on tiebreaker points (Currently: Montour +50, Mars +38)
• Mars clinches a home playoff game with a win over Knoch AND a Montour loss AND one of the following:
  • A New Castle loss
  • Surpassing Montour in tiebreaker points (Currently: Montour +50, Mars +38)
• New Castle can not earn a home playoff game

3A Playoff Scenarios

• 6 of 8 playoff spots clinched
• 2 of 4 home playoff games clinched
• 2 of 3 conference titles clinched

Beaver Valley Conference

• Aliquippa and Quaker Valley have clinched playoff spots
• Aliquippa has clinched the conference title
• Quaker Valley clinches a home playoff game with a win over Ellwood City
• Beaver has clinched third place.  Beaver must beat Beaver Falls in order to have a chance for the Wild Card

Allegheny Conference

• Seton La Salle and Freeport have clinched playoff spots
• Seton La Salle has clinched the conference title
• In order to get a home playoff game, Freeport must beat Valley AND Quaker Valley, South Park, and Derry must all lose
• Shady Side Academy has clinched third place. If Beaver beats Beaver Falls, Shady Side Academy needs either Freeport or Seton La Salle to lose in order to have a chance to earn a Wild Card.

Interstate Conference

• Elizabeth Forward and South Park have clinched playoff spots.
• Elizabeth Forward can only finish 1st or 2nd. South Park can finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Derry can finish 2nd or 4th. McGuffey can finish 3rd or 4th.
• There are 4 scenarios in play in the Interstate Conference:
  • If Derry and South Park both win – There is a 3-way tie for first place at 6-1 between Elizabeth Forward, Derry, and South Park. Elizabeth Forward finishes 1st on Tiebreaker Points, then Derry is 2nd on a head-to-head victory over South Park. South Park would still earn a Wild Card as a 6-1 3rd place team.
  • If Derry wins and South Park loses – Elizabeth Forward and Derry tie for the conference title at 6-1. Elizabeth Forward is 1st on a head-to-head victory over Derry and Derry is 2nd. South Park is 3rd but would still earn a Wild Card based on Gardner Points over Beaver and Shady Side Academy.
  • If McGuffey beats Derry and South Park wins – South Park and Elizabeth Forward tie for the conference title at 6-1. South Park is 1st on a head-to-head victory over Elizabeth Forward and Elizabeth Forward is 2nd. McGuffey is 3rd based on a head-to-head win over Derry. McGuffey has a chance at the Wild Card, depending on other results.
  • If McGuffey beats Derry and South Park loses – Elizabeth Forward wins the conference at 6-1. South Park, Derry, and McGuffy are in a 3-way tie at 5-2. South Park is 2nd based on Gardner Points then McGuffey is 3rd on a head-to-head win over Derry. McGuffey has a chance at the Wild Card, depending on other results.

3A Wild Card

• There are 256 different scenarios in play for the two Wild Card spots.
• Beaver (Beaver Valley Conference) and Shady Side Academy (Allegheny Conference) have clinched third place. Either South Park or McGuffey will finish 3rd in the Interstate Conference
• South Park will earn one of the Wild Card spots if they finish 3rd.
• If Beaver loses to Beaver Falls, Shady Side Academy and the 3rd place team from the Interstate Conference (South Park or McGuffey) will get the Wild Cards
• If Beaver beats Beaver Falls AND if Freeport and Seton La Salle both win, Beaver and the 3rd place team from the Interstate Conference (South Park or McGuffey) will get the Wild Cards
• If teams have identical records, the first tiebreaker is Gardner Points. Currently: South Park 130, Beaver 100, Shady Side Academy 90, McGuffey 50
  • South Park will win any tiebreaker involving Gardner Points
  • Beaver can get to 110 with a win over Beaver Falls. Beaver can earn 10 more Gardner Points for any win by Ellwood City (over Quaker Valley), Hopewell (over Aliquippa), or Mt Pleasant (over Southmoreland)
  • Shady Side Academy will get to 100 Gardner Points after the Burrell-Deer Lakes game. Shady Side Academy can earn 10 more Gardner Points for any win by Valley (over Freeport) or Keystone Oaks (over Seton La Salle)
  • McGuffey can get to 110 Gardner Points if they beat Derry and after the Mt Pleasant-Southmoreland game. McGuffey can earn 10 more Gardner Points if Yough beats South Park.
• If two teams are tied after the Gardner Points tiebreaker, the tie moves on to WPIAL Tiebreaker Points.
  • Shady Side Academy will win any tiebreaker involving Tiebreaker Points
  • If McGuffey beats Derry by 6 or more, they would win any tie involving Tiebreaker Points with Beaver.
  • If McGuffey wins by 5 or fewer, Beaver could tie or surpass them on Tiebreaker Points (Currently: McGuffey +17, Beaver +12)
  • If McGuffey and Beaver finished tied on Tiebreaker Points, a coin flip will determine the final Wild Card

3A Third Place Wild Card
Team	Wild Card Record	Tiebreakers		Wild Card Wins
		Gardner	WPIAL
x-South Park	5-1	130	29
Shady Side Academy	5-2	90	30
Beaver	4-2	100	12
McGuffey	4-2	50	17

2A Playoff Scenarios

• 15 of 16 playoff spots clinched
• 5 of 8 home games clinched
• All 3 conference titles clinched

Century Conference

• Washington, Charleroi, Burgettstown, Beth-Center, and Frazier have clinched playoff spots
• Washington has clinched the conference title
• Charleroi has clinched a home playoff game
• Burgettstown has clinched third place
• Bentworth has clinched 6th place

Midwestern Conference

• CWNC, Riverside, Neshannock, Mohawk, and Freedom have clinched playoff spots
• CWNC has clinched the conference title
• Riverside has clinched a home playoff game
• The winner of Neshannock-Mohawk will finish 3rd
• Laurel has clinched 6th place

Three Rivers Conference

• Steel Valley, East Allegheny, Brentwood, Serra Catholic, and Avonworth have clinched playoff spots
• Steel Valley has clinched the conference title
• East Allegheny clinches a home playoff game with a win over Serra Catholic
• Serra Catholic clinches a home playoff game with a win over East Allegheny AND a Brentwood loss
• Brentwood clinches a home playoff game with a win AND a Serra Catholic win

2A Third Place Home Games

• Burgettstown is 3rd in the Century Conference. The winner of Neshannock-Mohawk is 3rd in the Midwestern Conference
• In the Three Rivers Conference:
  • If East Allegheny beats Serra and Steel Valley beats Brentwood, Avonworth is 3rd. Burgettstown and the 3rd place team from the Midwestern Conference would get home playoff games.
  • If East Allegheny and Brentwood win, Brentwood is 3rd. Burgettstown and the 3rd place team from the Midwestern Conference would get home playoff games.
  • If Serra and Brentwood win, Serra is 3rd. The home games would likely come down to tiebreaker points (Currently: Burgettstown +30, Neshannock +25, Serra +14, Mohawk +10).

2A Third Place Home Games (Top 2 teams receive home playoff game)
Team	Wild Card Record	Tiebreakers		Conf Wins
		Gardner	WPIAL
x-Burgettstown	5-2	90	30
x-Neshannock	4-2	60	25
x-Mohawk	4-2	60	10
x-Brentwood	3-3	50	-2
x-Serra Catholic	4-2	50	14
x-Avonworth	3-4	40	3

2A Wild Card

• Bentworth (Century Conference), Laurel (Midwestern Conference), and South Allegheny (Three Rivers Conference) have all clinched 6th place
• None of the three teams plays a game that counts towards the Wild Card standings this weekend
• Laurel will win the Wild Card UNLESS Brownsville beats Charleroi OR Chartiers-Houston beats Frazier. If either or both of those occur, Bentworth will earn the Wild Card.

2A Sixth Place Wild Card
Team	Wild Card Record	Tiebreakers		Conf Wins
		Gardner	WPIAL
Laurel	2-5	10	-26
Bentworth	2-5	10	-32
South Allegheny	1-6	0	-35

1A Playoff Scenarios

• 11 of 16 playoff spots clinched
• 4 of 8 home games clinched
• 1 of 3 conference titles clinched

Big Seven Conference

• OLSH, Rochester, Western Beaver, and Union have clinched playoff spots
• OLSH has clinched a home playoff game
• OLSH clinches the conference title with a win over Sto-Rox on Saturday OR a Rochester loss
• Rochester clinches the conference title with a win over Western Beaver AND an OLSH loss
• The winner of Rochester-Western Beaver clinches a home playoff game
• Shenango clinches a playoff spot with a win over Union
• Sto-Rox clinches a playoff spot with a win over OLSH AND a Shenango loss
• Sto-Rox clinches a playoff spot with a loss to OLSH AND losses by both Shenango and Northgate
• Summit Academy clinches a playoff spot if Shenango and Sto-Rox both lose AND Northgate wins

Eastern Conference

• Jeannette, Imani Christian, and Clairton have clinched playoff spots
• Jeannette has clinched a home playoff game
• If Jeannette beats Clairton, Jeannette wins the conference title and Imani Christian clinches a home playoff game
• If Clairton beats Jeannette
  • Clairton wins the conference title if Imani loses to Leechburg on Saturday
  • Jeannette wins the conference title if Clairton wins by less than 10
  • If Clairton and Imani win by 10+, a coin flip would determine the top team, but all three teams would get home playoff games
• Springdale AND Bishop Canevin clinch playoff spots if Springdale beats GCC OR if GCC wins by less than 10
• If GCC beats Springdale by 10+, a coin flip will determine which team between GCC, Springdale, and Bishop Canevin finishes 4th. Head-to-head would determine 5th place (Springdale beat Canevin and Canevin beat GCC previously).

Tri-County South Conference

• California, Carmichaels, Fort Cherry and West Greene have clinched playoff spots
• California has clinched the conference title
• Carmichaels has clinched a home playoff game
• Jefferson-Morgan clinches a playoff spot with a win over Fort Cherry OR a Monessen loss
• Monessen clinches a playoff spot with a win over Mapletown AND a Jefferson-Morgan loss

1A Third Place Home Games

• In the Big Seven Conference, the loser of Rochester-Western Beaver will finish 3rd.
• In the Eastern Conference, Clairton finishes 3rd with a loss to Jeannette or with a win by less than 10. If Clairton beats Jeannette by 10, the top 3 Eastern Conference teams (Jeannette, Imani, Clairton) will all get home games.
• In the Tri-County South, Fort Cherry is 3rd with a win over Jefferson-Morgan OR a West Greene loss. West Greene is 3rd with a win over California AND a Fort Cherry loss.

1A Third Place Home Games (Top 2 teams receive home playoff game)
Team	Wild Card Record	Tiebreakers		Conf Wins
		Gardner	WPIAL
x-Rochester	6-1	150	57
x-Clairton	6-1	120	50
x-Western Beaver	5-2	120	21
x-Fort Cherry	5-2	100	23
x-West Greene	5-2	50	34

1A Wild Card

• The 6th place team from the Tri-County South can not get the Wild Card
• In the Big Seven Conference:
  • If Shenango and Sto-Rox win, Sto-Rox is 6th with a 4-4 record
  • If Shenango and Northgate both win and Sto-Rox loses, Northgate is 6th with a 3-5 record
  • If Northgate wins and Shenango and Sto-Rox both lose,  Shenango is 6th with a 3-5 record
  • If Shenango, Sto-Rox, and Northgate all lose, Summit Academy is 6th with a 3-5 record
• In the Eastern Conference:
  • If Springdale beats GCC, GCC is 6th and can not earn the Wild Card. The 6th place team from the Big Seven Conference would earn the Wild Card
  • If GCC beats Springdale by less than 10, GCC is 6th with a 3-5 record and 60 Gardner Points
    • GCC would lose the Wild Card to Sto-Rox, Northgate, or Summit Academy based on the above scenarios
    • If GCC and Shenango were 6th, GCC could win the Wild Card if Leechburg beats Imani OR if GCC surpasses Shenango on Tiebreaker Points (Currently: Shenango -12, GCC -23)
  • If GCC beats Springdale by 10+, a coin flip will determine 4th place in the Eastern Conference and head-to-head will determine 5th and 6th place.
    • If Springdale is 6th, they would top any Big Seven team except Sto-Rox for the Wild Card.
    • If Bishop Canevin is 6th
      • If Bishop Canevin beats Carmichaels, Bishop Canevin would top any Big Seven team for the Wild Card
      • If Bishop Canevin loses to Carmichaels, Bishop Canevin can only win the Wild Card if Shenango finishes 6th in the Big Seven AND loses to Union by 9+
    • If GCC is 6th, they can only win the Wild Card if Shenango is 6th and lose to Union by at least 2. If Union beats Shenango by 1, a coin flip would decide the Wild Card.

1A Sixth Place Wild Card
Team	Wild Card Record	Tiebreakers		Conf Wins
		Gardner	WPIAL
Springdale	4-3	70	10
Shenango	3-4	50	-12
Sto-Rox	3-4	80	-9
Bishop Canevin	3-4	40	-10
Summit Academy	3-5	50	-10
Northgate	2-5	90	-37
GCC	2-5	20	-23