Breaking down the WPIAL football playoffs: Favorites, challengers, predictions

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 28, 2023 | 8:47 PM

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Favorite: Central Catholic reached the WPIAL finals in nine of the past 10 seasons, winning five titles in that span. This year’s team outscored conference opponents 190-35, led by senior QB Payton Wehner (2,300 yards, 31 TDs). WR Peter Gonzalez (Penn State), LB/TE Cole Sullivan (Wisconsin) and LB Anthony Speca (Penn State) are all Big Ten recruits. First-year coach Ryan Lehmeier won WPIAL titles as a Pine-Richland assistant.

Challengers: North Allegheny is the defending WPIAL champion after defeating Central Catholic in last year’s final. QB Logan Kushner (12 TDs), RB/LB Tyree Alualu (15) and WR/DB Khiryn Boyd (10) all have double-digit TD totals. The Tigers’ only loss this fall was against Central Catholic, 50-22, in Week 4. NA coach Art Walker has won six WPIAL titles. … Mt. Lebanon started the season 3-0, but injuries have become a hindrance. Air Force LB recruit Beckham Dee was lost to injury, and Navy DL commit Connor Young was sidelined late in the season. QB Michael Malone and RB Fred LaSota led Mt. Lebanon to the playoffs under first-year coach Mike Collodi. … Canon-McMillan won four of its first five games but ran into trouble in early October. The Big Macs are led by 1,200-yard rusher Zach Welsh (10 TDs).

Don’t overlook: It’s hard to pick a “dark horse” in a four-team bracket.

Prediction: Central Catholic over North Allegheny

Class 5A

Favorite: Peters Township twice was the WPIAL runner-up, finishing second in 2019 and ’20, but a ferocious defense has the Indians poised to maybe win their first title. Led by LBs Mickey Vaccarello and Reston Lehman, they’ve shut out four opponents and held four more to a touchdown. Sophomore QB Nolan DiLucia leads an offense that averages 40 points per game. Coach T.J. Plack is 64-25 in eight seasons.

Challengers: Penn Hills missed the playoffs on tiebreakers a year ago but qualified now as the Northeast Conference champion. The Indians are led by 1,300-yard passer Julian Dugger, a Pitt recruit who also has rushed for 700 yards. They’re trying to reach the finals for the first time since winning WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2018. … Pine-Richland is the reigning WPIAL and PIAA champion. The Rams have found success with a wildcat offense led by senior Ethan Pillar, a 1,200-yard rusher, and five senior linemen. Guard Ryan Cory is a Wisconsin recruit. Pine-Richland lost to Penn Hills, 26-20, in Week 2. … Gateway won WPIAL titles in 2017 and ’19, but hasn’t been back to the finals since. Gators QB Brad Birch has more than 8,000 career passing yards and ranks fifth on the WPIAL’s all-time list. Gateway WRs Steven Jenkins and Kenny Lewis are both D1 talents and have around 80 catches combined.

Don’t overlook: Moon proved it could play with the Class 5A contenders by defeating Penn Hills, 14-13, in Week 3.

Prediction: Peters Township over Pine-Richland

Class 4A

Favorite: Aliquippa is a two-time defending WPIAL champion and has reached the finals 15 years in a row. The Quips are favored to get there again, despite having a Class A enrollment. They’ve got a pair of explosive RBs in Penn State-bound junior Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes and senior John Tracy. They’re paired with senior QB Quentin Goode, who owns the school’s career passing record. The Quips’ aggressive defense is led by senior LB Cameron Lindsay, a Pitt recruit, and CB Brandon Banks, a Yale commit. The Quips have 19 WPIAL titles, the most in league history.

Challengers: McKeesport has a ground attack built on misdirection that’s unmatched in the WPIAL. Senior RB Anthony Boyd is a 1,200-yard rusher, with brothers Keith and Kemon Spell adding power and speed options. The Tigers’ most-recent WPIAL title win came in 2005. … Montour QB Jake Wolfe ranks among the WPIAL’s leading passers with 2,100 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Spartans average 39.2 ppg, which ranks second only to Aliquippa (41.1) in 4A. … Mars RB Evan Wright leads all WPIAL scorers with 29 TDs and ranks second with 1,543 rushing yards. The Planets hope to make a playoff run under second-year coach Eric Kasperowicz, who won titles at Pine-Richland. … Central Valley, the WPIAL 4A runner-up a year ago, won three consecutive 3A titles from 2019-21. … Thomas Jefferson has one of the WPIAL’s top WRs in Sean Sullivan (43 catches, 802 yards). The Jaguars won four titles in five years from 2016-20.

Don’t overlook: West Allegheny finished fourth in the Parkway but played tough in losses to Aliquippa (29-22) and Central Valley (29-20).

Prediction: Aliquippa over McKeesport

Class 3A

Favorite: Belle Vernon, the defending WPIAL and state champion, entered this season as a heavy favorite to repeat. The Leopards also were WPIAL 4A runners-up in 2019 and ’21 under coach Matt Humbert. The Leopards are led by senior RB Quinton Martin, a Penn State commit with 16 TDs. Martin is the team’s leading rusher and receiver, teaming with QB/DE Braden Laux, an Eastern Michigan recruit. The team averages 40.4 points per game on offense, and its defense allows only 10.3 ppg.

Challengers: Avonworth was the WPIAL runner-up a year ago, losing to Belle Vernon in the finals. The Antelopes were the WPIAL 2A champions in 2019. They went undefeated this fall behind QB Carson Bellinger (1,328 yards, 28 TDs), WR Andrew Kuban (14 TDs) and RB Dimintri Valisaris (10 TDs). … Elizabeth Forward changed coaches since last season and has continued to win under John DeMarco. RB Charlie Nigut has 19 touchdowns, and EF’s defense has held opponents to 16 ppg. … East Allegheny, under coach Dom Pecora, won its first conference title since 2001. EA edged out Knoch with a 14-13 overtime win. … West Mifflin owns a tough rushing attack with senior DelRon White and freshman Armond Hill, who received a Penn State offer.

Don’t overlook: Beaver has an abundance of big-play talent, which gave the Bobcats the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL 4A at 40.9 ppg.

Prediction: Belle Vernon over Avonworth

Class 2A

Favorite: Steel Valley won the WPIAL title a year ago, the first for veteran coach Ray Braszo. Now, they’re poised to win it again, led by junior RB Donald Barksdale, a 1,200-yard rusher with 22 TDs. The offense averages 37 ppg, but the Ironmen’s defense is just as formidable. They’re allowing just 9.7 ppg, and only two opponents scored more than 14 points against them. Steel Valley has won three WPIAL titles since 2016 and has five overall.

Challengers: Neshannock won the Midwestern title behind sophomore Jino Mozzocio, a dual-threat QB. The Lancers are trying to win their first WPIAL title after finishing as runners-up in 2016 in their first championship game appearance. … Washington won the Century title behind RB Eddie Lewis (14 TDs) and WR Ruben Gordon (nine TDs). Wash High has the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL 2A at 37.8 ppg with a season-high of 67. … Imani Christian has a few coveted college recruits, including LB Dayshaun Burnett (10 TDs), who’s versatile on offense. The Saints were WPIAL runners-up in 2017. … Mohawk has one of the WPIAL’s top passers in QB Jay Wrona (1,805 yards, 29 TDs).

Don’t overlook: Keystone Oaks is getting healthy with the return of QB/WR/DB Clinton Robinson, a Syracuse recruit who helped upset Washington in Week 8.

Prediction: Steel Valley over Neshannock

Class A

Favorite: South Side won the Big 7 title in dominant fashion, outscoring foes 290-54. The Rams’ average margin of victory was nearly 37 points. The offense is run-heavy with double-digit rushing TDs scored by QB Brody Almashy (15) and RBs Ryan Navarra (20) and A.C. Corfield (13). The three combined for more than 2,500 rushing yards. The Rams, who were the WPIAL runners-up in 2018, seek their first title since 1999.

Challengers: Fort Cherry won the Black Hills title and emerged as a title contender behind sophomore QB Matt Sieg, who has college offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and others. Sieg topped 1,000 yards rushing and passing for the second year in a row. He rushed for 27 TDs. The Rangers last reached the finals in 2001, and are still searching for a WPIAL title. … Bishop Canevin was WPIAL champion in 2021 and runner-up last year. WR/DB Jason Cross, a WVU recruit, leads the Crusaders with seven TDs. … Clairton has gone three years without reaching the WPIAL finals, an eternity for the Bears, who have 14 titles. RB Drahcir Jones (1,250 yards, 12 TDs) could get them back. … Union is the defending WPIAL champion. QB Braylon Thomas, a 1,600-yard passer with 14 rushing TDs, could lead another run.

Don’t overlook: California is a conference champion, but the Tri-County South doesn’t get much respect. The Trojans will try to fix that with an offense that averages 46.7 ppg.

Prediction: Fort Cherry over South Side

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.