Denied a wild card, South Fayette finds WPIAL snub ‘not an easy way to go’

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, October 26, 2025 | 1:40 AM

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South Fayette coach Marty Spieler gathered his players after a three-point loss to Moon on Friday, a narrow setback against a talented Allegheny Six foe.

He knew there was nothing more they could do now.

“I told the kids, ‘Guys, I hope that the committee gives you a chance to compete in the playoffs,’” said Spieler, knowing his team’s postseason hopes rested with the WPIAL football committee. “If they don’t, you should be proud of the effort you put together to play one of the toughest teams in the WPIAL.”

When the WPIAL released playoff pairings on Saturday, the Lions didn’t earn a spot in the Class 5A bracket, which surprised the second-year coach. He was hoping for one of the three wild cards that instead went to Bethel Park (6-4), Plum (5-5) and Armstrong (4-6).

Spieler said he felt confident South Fayette had a resume worthy of making the 12-team bracket. Yet the committee picked the fourth-place teams from all three conferences rather than South Fayette (5-5), who was fifth in the Allegheny Six.

“There’s no perfect playoff system,” said Spieler, remembering how Upper St. Clair missed the playoffs two years ago with an 8-2 record. “There’s always going to be one team, and unfortunately, it’s us. I feel terrible for our 22 seniors that it’s them. It’s not an easy way to go.”

But unlike in 2023 when Upper St. Clair missed the playoffs on mathematical formulas, wild card teams are chosen nowadays at the discretion of the committee. This was the second year for the new process, which left South Fayette’s coach with questions.

“It needs to be a little bit more transparent,” Spieler said, “on who’s making those decisions and why.”

There are 16 wild card spots in all.

Along with the three in Class 5A, the committee picked Aliquippa (6-3) and Chartiers Valley (7-3) in 4A; Beaver (5-5), Hopewell (6-4) and Burrell (4-6) in 3A; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (4-5), Waynesburg (5-5), Riverside (5-5) and Beaver Falls (4-6) in 2A; and Monessen (6-4), Frazier (6-4), Greensburg Central Catholic (5-5) and Avella (6-4) in A.

The WPIAL decided to add a human element to the wild card process after noticing that teams from weaker conferences maybe had an advantage in the previously used tiebreaker formulas.

“I know I’m being biased when I say this, but we really, truly have a great committee of guys who do a ton of homework,” said Norwin athletic director Mike Burrell, co-chairman of the football committee. “We realize the tasks that we’re given. We have important decisions. We’re deciding if a team is practicing on Monday or collecting equipment.”

Along with Burrell, the 10-person committee includes Brentwood principal Jason Olexa as co-chair, Armstrong principal Michael Cominos, Keystone Oaks athletic director Mark Elphinstone, Pine-Richland athletic director Joe Gironda, Chartiers Valley athletic director Zach Hayward, Franklin Regional athletic director Zachary Kessler, McKeesport athletic director Charley Kiss, Jefferson-Morgan assistant superintendent Brandon Robinson and Beaver Falls principal Douglass Rowe.

“All of us take our responsibilities really seriously,” Burrell said. “Besides 6A, there was a ton of debate for all of (the brackets).”

Once Plum pulled off a last-second win over Penn Hills, Burrell said the final wild card spot in Class 5A came down to Armstrong or South Fayette.

“We went back and forth on it a lot,” Burrell said. “South Fayette is in a tough conference, for sure.”

Armstrong finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Big East with Kiski Area and Gateway.

Tiebreaking formulas separated Kiski Area as the conference’s third seed, earning the Cavaliers an automatic bid. Armstrong was fourth, thanks to conference wins against Gateway (3-7), Latrobe (2-8) and Franklin Regional (1-9).

South Fayette had one Allegheny Six victory, over Baldwin (0-10), and finished the season with four losses in a row.

Still, Spieler was optimistic that a competitive conference schedule and nonconference wins over three playoff teams would earn South Fayette a wild card. The Lions defeated Class 4A qualifiers Elizabeth Forward and Chartiers Valley and Class 5A playoff team Shaler.

“At the end, the committee was unanimous for Armstrong over South Fayette,” Burrell said.

Knowing the team’s playoff hopes were at stake, South Fayette quarterback Drew Welhorsky had battled back from an ankle injury to pass for 123 yards and rush for a touchdown in Friday’s 24-21 loss to Moon. The Tigers drew the fifth seed in the 5A bracket.

“Did our kids put a record out there that we wanted to have at the beginning of the season? No,” Spieler said. “But I firmly believe they showed the committee that they should’ve been given an opportunity to play in the playoffs.”

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.

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