WPIAL sets up 2024 football championship brackets

Pittsburgh, Pa. The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) on Saturday set the terms for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships, presented by Noble Environmental, with 65 teams qualifying across the six classifications. The brackets were announced exclusively on the WPIAL/KDKA Radio Selection Saturday Show, presented by PennWest University, beginning Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Teams competed in one section in Class 6A, three different sections in Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A and Class 5A, and four sections in Class 1A. In Class 6A, the top four teams qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships, while the top three teams plus additional wild cards punched their ticket in Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 5A. In Class 4A, the top two teams plus two wild cards compete against each other in the postseason.

In Class 6A's lone sectional, Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0) captured its second straight sectional title and third in six seasons.

In Class 5A, the section champions were Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0) in Section I, Woodland Hills (8-2, 6-0) in Section II and Upper St. Clair (10-0, 6). -0) in section III. Woodland Hills and Upper St. Clair broke droughts of nine and seven seasons, respectively, while Pine-Richland won five sectional titles in six seasons.

The Class 4A sectional winners included McKeesport (6-4, 5-0) in Section II, Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 5-0) in Section III, and a tie between Aliquippa (6-2, 4 -0) 1), Montour (8-1, 4-1) and West Allegheny (4-3, 4-1) in Section I. Aliquippa has won a share of its fifth consecutive section championship, while three straight sectionals for McKeesport and five in seven years for Thomas Jefferson. Montour and West Alleghenys' stocks in Section I mark the first time they have topped their section since 2012 and 2016, respectively.

In Class 3A, Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0) won Section II, Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0) won Section III, and Avonworth (7-3, 5-1), Beaver (8 – 2, 5-1) and Central Valley (5-5, 5-1) split Section I. This marks the third straight championship for Avonworth, three in five seasons for Elizabeth Forward and four in six seasons for Central Valley. Beaver and Imani Christian Academy last won their sections in 2009 and 2017, respectively, prior to this season.

The Class 2A sectional champions were South Park (9-1, 6-0) in Section I, Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0) in Section II and Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0) in section III. All three schools have suffered lengthy droughts for sectional champions, as Seton LaSalle and South Park last won in 2017, and Ellwood City's title is its first since 1997.

In Class 1A, the section winners were Clairton (10-0, 7-0) in Section I, Jefferson-Morgan (10-0, 7-0) in Section II, Fort Cherry (10-0, 6-0) in Section III , and Neshannock (9-1, 6-0) in Section IV. Fort Cherry and Neshannock are both repeat sectional winners, while it is five in six seasons for Clairton. Jefferson-Morgan's title is the first since 2006.

During last season's WPIAL football championships, North Allegheny outlasted Central Catholic in Class 6A (44-41), Peters Township defeated Pine-Richland in Class 5A (43-17), Aliquippa defeated McKeesport in Class 4A (35-21), Belle Vernon topped Avonworth in Class 3A (26-0), Beaver Falls topped Steel Valley in Class 2A (14-12), and Fort Cherry topped South Side in Class 1A (42-28).

The WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships presented by Noble Environmental begin Friday, Nov. 1 with first-round games in all classifications except Class 6A. Championship games for Class 4A and Class 6A will be played on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Norwin High School, and championship games for Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 5A will be held at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23. The WPIAL champion in each classification will qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) football championships, beginning in the quarterfinals for Class 4A and Class 6A on Nov. 22-23, and in the semifinals for Class 1A, Class. 2A, Class 3A and Class 5A on November 28-29. All championship games will be held December 5-7 at Cumberland Valley High School.

CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 8
Championship information: Saturday, November 16 at Norwin High School 6:05 p.m
Number of qualifications: 4
Top four seeds: #1 Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0), #2 North Allegheny (9-1, 5-1), #3 Mount Lebanon (3-7, 3-3), #4 Seneca Valley (3 – 6, 3-3)
Final 2023: North Allegheny 44, Central Catholic 41

CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 1
Championship information: Saturday, November 23 at Acrisure Stadium 8:00 PM
Number of qualifications: 12
Top four seeds: #1 Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0), #2 Upper St. Clair (10-0, 6-0), #3 Peters Township (9-1, 4-1), #4 Woodland Hills ( 8-2, 6-0)
Qualifying teams: Bethel Park, Franklin Regional, Greater Latrobe, Moon, North Hills, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills
Final 2023: Peters Township 43, Pine Richland 17

CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 1
Championship information: Saturday, November 16 at Norwin High School 12:05 p.m
Number of qualifications: 8
Top four seeds: #1 Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 6-0), #2 Montour (8-1, 4-1), #3 McKeesport (6-4, 5-0), #4 Aliquippa (6-2, 4- 1)
Qualifying teams: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, Mars, McKeesport, Montour, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Allegheny
Final 2023: Aliquippa 35, McKeesport 21

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 1
Championship information: Saturday, November 23 at Acrisure Stadium 5:00 PM
Number of qualifications: 12
Top four seeds: #1 Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0), #2 Central Valley (5-5, 5-1), #3 Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0), #4 Beaver (8-2 , 5-1)
Qualifying teams: Avonworth, Beaver, Central Valley, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Greensburg Salem, Highlands, Imani Christian Academy, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Southmoreland
Final 2023: Belle Vernon 26, Avonworth 0

CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 1
Championship information: Saturday, November 23 at Acrisure Stadium 2:00 PM
Number of qualifications: 13
Top four seeds: #1 Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0), #2 South Park (9-1, 6-0), #3 Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0), #4 Steel Valley (7-3 , 5-1)
Qualifying teams: Carlynton, Ellwood City, Keystone Oaks, Mohawk, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside, Seton LaSalle, South Allegheny, South Park, Steel Valley, Washington, Waynesburg Central, Western Beaver
Final 2023: Beaver Falls 14, Staalvallei 12

CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULE
Start date: Friday November 1
Championship information: Saturday, November 23 at Acrisure Stadium 11am
Number of qualifications: 16
Top four seeds: #1 Fort Cherry, #2 Clairton, #3 Bishop Canevin, #4 Neshannock
Qualifying teams: Bentworth, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, California, Clairton, Cornell, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Laurel, Leechburg, Monessen, Neshannock, Rochester, South Side
Final 2023: Fort Cherry 42, Zuidzijde 28

BY THE NUMBERS

• 128: The number of schools that have at least one WPIAL football champion.
• 109: The number of seasons the WPIAL has been crowned football champions. Wilkinsburg was the first in 1914.
• 85: The number of points scored in last year's Class 6A championship game, a league record. North Allegheny defeated Central Catholic 44-41, with its 85 combined points surpassing the 82 from the 2015 Class 2A title, a 44-38 win for Aliquippa over South Fayette.
• 70: The number of seasons between Rochester's first and second WPIAL football titles, which is the longest gap between the first two championships for any school. The Rams shared the 1921 crown with Westinghouse after a 0-0 tie, then claimed their second WPIAL championship in 1991 with a 20-7 win over South Side in the Class 1A final. The schools that could break that record this year are California (age 75, 1949), Ellwood City (age 99, 1925) and Trinity (age 76, 1948).
• 51: The number of teams in the 2024 fields that qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships last season.
• 20: The number of WPIAL football championships won by Aliquippa, a league record. The Quips won in 1952, 1955, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 023.
• 10: The number of schools that qualified for the WPIAL Football Championships in search of their first title.
• 5: Longest streak of consecutive WPIAL football championships achieved by Clairton. The Bears won five consecutive Class 1A titles between 2008 and 2012.
• 3: The number of championship game rematches held during the 2023 WPIAL Football Championships. The same two teams met in both 2022 and 2023 for the finals in Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 6A. Both Belle Vernon and North Allegheny defended their championships against Avonworth and Central Catholic, respectively, while Beaver Falls earned revenge over Steel Valley in Class 2A.
• 2: The number of schools that won their first WPIAL football championship last season. In Class 5A, Peters Township captured its first WPIAL football crown with a 43-17 victory over Pine-Richland, while Fort Cherry topped South Side 42-28 in the Class 1A final. Both the Indians and Rangers were making their third appearances in the WPIAL championship game.

CLASS 6A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Central Catholic (8-2, 6-0)

CLASS 5A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Pine-Richland (8-1, 5-0)
Section II: Forest Hills (8-2, 6-0)
Section III: Upper St. Clair (10-0, 5-0)

CLASS 4A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Aliquippa (6-2, 4-1); Montour (8-1, 4-1); Western Allegheny (4-3, 4-1)
Section II: McKeesport (6-4, 5-0)
Section III: Thomas Jefferson (10-0, 5-0)

CLASS 3A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Avonworth (7-3, 5-1); Beaver (8-2, 5-1); Central Valley (5-5, 5-1)
Section II: Imani Christian Academy (10-0, 6-0)
Section III: Elizabeth Forward (7-3, 5-0)

CLASS 2A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Zuidpark (9-1, 6-0)
Section II: Ellwood City (9-0, 7-0)
Section III: Seton LaSalle (9-0, 6-0)

CLASS 1A SECTION CHAMPIONS
Section I: Clairton (10-0, 7-0)
Section II: Jefferson-Morgan (10-0, 7-0)
Section III: Fort Kers (10-0, 6-0)
Section IV: Neshannock (9-1, 6-0)

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