Perennial powers earn top seeds for WPIAL football playoffs

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, October 28, 2019 | 7:28 PM

Some of the winningest football programs in WPIAL history are favored to claim another title.

WPIAL officials released the 2019 playoff pairings Monday night at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree, and the top seeds were a who’s who of perennial powers.

The group includes Class 6A top seed Central Catholic, which boasts six district titles since 2003; Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson, which has won eight championships, including three in the past four seasons; Class 2A top-seeded Washington, a seven-time champ; and Class A No. 1 Clairton, which has won 13 WPIAL crowns and 691 games.

Only Jeannette (756), New Castle (745), Aliquippa (732), Washington (707) and Greensburg Salem (699) have more all-time wins.

In addition, Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford has been one of the WPIAL’s top teams the past decade and Class 3A top seed Central Valley has won two WPIAL titles since its inception in 2010.

Sixty teams will begin the WPIAL playoffs Friday night. Central Catholic and No. 2 Pine-Richland have a bye in Class 6A.

There are 16-team tournaments in Class 5A and Class 2A. There are 8-team brackets in Class 6A, 4A, 3A and A.

The quarterfinals for Class 5A and 2A and semifinals for the other four tournaments will be held Nov. 8.

Semifinals for Class 5A and 2A are scheduled for Nov. 15.

The WPIAL championships for Class 6A (8 p.m.), 4A (5 p.m.), 3A (2 p.m.) and A (11 a.m.) will be Nov. 16, at Heinz Field.

The Class 2A and 5A title games are at noon and 6 p.m. Nov. 23, at Norwin Knights Stadium.

Here are links to the brackets:

Class 6A

Class 5A

Class 4A

Class 3A

Class 2A

Class A

Check out the broadcast of the TribLive High School Sports Network WPIAL playoff pairings show here.

Here’s a look at Friday’s opening-round pairings in each class:

WPIAL Playoffs

Class 6A

Seneca Valley (4-6) at Mt. Lebanon (6-4), 7 p.m.; Canon-McMillan (3-7) at North Allegheny (9-1), 7 p.m.

Byes: Central Catholic (9-1), Pine-Richland (9-1)

Class 5A

Fox Chapel (4-6) at Penn-Trafford (9-1), 7 p.m.; Upper St. Clair (6-4) at North Hills (6-4), 7 p.m.; Franklin Regional (4-4) at Moon (8-2), 7 p.m.; Mars (6-4) at Peters Township (9-1), 7 p.m.; Shaler (4-6) at Gateway (8-2), 7 p.m.; Kiski Area (5-5) at Bethel Park (6-3), 7 p.m.; Latrobe (5-5) at Penn Hills (9-1), 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Montour (5-5) at Thomas Jefferson (10-0), 7 p.m.; Greensburg Salem (5-5) at Blackhawk (6-4), 7 p.m.; West Mifflin (5-5) at South Fayette (9-1), 7 p.m.; New Castle (6-4) at Belle Vernon (8-1), 7 p.m.

Class 3A

Mt. Pleasant (5-5) at Central Valley (9-1), 7 p.m.; Beaver Falls (8-2) at Derry (8-2), 7 p.m.; Elizabeth Forward (7-2) at Aliquippa (9-1), 7 p.m.; South Park (4-5) at North Catholic (8-1), 7 p.m.

Class 2A

Shady Side Academy (5-4) at Washington (10-0), 7 p.m.; Charleroi (7-2) at Freedom (7-3), 7 p.m.; Serra Catholic (6-4) at Neshannock (8-2), 7 p.m.; East Allegheny (7-3) at Brentwood (8-2), 7 p.m.; Southmoreland (5-5) at Avonworth (10-0), 7 p.m.; New Brighton (7-3) at Apollo-Ridge (7-3), 7 p.m.; Riverside (6-3) at Burgettstown (9-0), 7 p.m.; South Side (5-5) at McGuffey (8-2), 7 p.m.

Class A

OLSH (7-3) at Clairton (8-2), 7 p.m.; California (7-3) at Cornell (8-1), 7 p.m.; Greensburg Central Catholic (7-3) at West Greene (9-1), 7 p.m.; Jeannette (9-1) at Sto-Rox (9-1), 7 p.m.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic, Central Valley, Clairton, Penn-Trafford, Thomas Jefferson, Washington