Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2025 Week Zero

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, August 21, 2025 | 5:35 PM

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Welcome to the kickoff of the 2025 WPIAL football regular season.

Ten years ago, the PIAA initiated the idea of Week Zero, giving schools throughout the state the option to have a traditional second scrimmage or schedule a 10th game for an early taste of Friday night lights.

While there was hesitation by many teams in the WPIAL to break tradition and kick off their season in Week Zero, all but eight district schools will be in full game mode this weekend.

The season begins for six teams wearing the mantle of defending champions: Central Catholic in 6A, Pine-Richland in 5A, Thomas Jefferson in 4A, Avonworth in 3A, South Park in 2A and two-time defending champ Fort Cherry in A.

Join us every Friday as we take a look at six of the top matchups around the WPIAL.

Here is a look at some of those high school football matchups for Friday and Saturday in Week Zero.

Final 2024 records are in parentheses.

Class 6A vs. 5A Nonconference

Class 6A No. 2 North Allegheny (10-2) at Class 5A No. 3 Woodland Hills (8-3)

5 p.m. Friday, The Wolvarena in Turtle Creek

Coaches: Art Walker, North Allegheny; Brian Tarrant, Woodland Hills

On air: Audio stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last game: Central Catholic 45, North Allegheny 14 in WPIAL 6A championship game; Bethel Park 49, Woodland Hills 22 in 5A quarterfinals

Players to watch: Lincoln Hoke, North Allegheny (Sr., 6-2, 260, OL/DL); Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills (Sr., 5-7, 150, WR/DB)

Team notes

North Allegheny: The 2024 season was a successful but not golden campaign for the Tigers, who were trying to three-peat in the WPIAL’s highest classification for the second time in a dozen years. NA once again reached the district championship game, but this time fell to Central Catholic. Lincoln Hoke returns to lead the team on the line on both sides of the ball this fall while junior quarterback Brady Brinkley is back after throwing for 1,210 yards a year ago.

Woodland Hills: Following losses in two of their first three games in 2024, the Wolverines enjoyed a breakout season with seven straight wins to close out the regular season and finish perfect in the 5A Big East Conference. However, the postseason ended quickly with a 27-point loss to Bethel Park in the 5A quarterfinals. Optimism is running high at Woodland Hills for this upcoming season thanks to the big-play skill of senior Scoop Smith, who accounted for 982 yards from scrimmage with 15 TDs in 2024.

Historic factoids

• This is the 16th all-time meeting between these football powers with North Allegheny having won eight games and Woodland Hills picking up seven victories. Of the 16 contests, including this game, eight have been in the regular season and eight have been in the WPIAL postseason.

• The Tigers won the first two meetings, including a 17-6 victory in the first clash between the two in 1987. NA has also won the last five times they met, including the most recent meeting in the 2012 WPIAL 4A championship game, 21-14. In that contest, North Allegheny quarterback Mack Leftwich was 13 of 23 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. The teams met for district gold two years earlier with the Tigers beating the Wolverines by the same score, 21-14, to win the 2010 title. Michael Buchert threw for two touchdowns and Alex Papson scored on a 43-yard run for NA.

• From 1996-2006, the teams met eight times with the Wolverines winning seven of the eight. The first Woody High victory in this series came in the 1996 regular season, 25-20. Woodland Hills and North Allegheny met again in the 1996 WPIAL 4A title game with the Wolverines winning again, 22-15, to capture the first of five WPIAL championships for former Woodland Hills coach George Novak.

Class 5A vs. 6A Nonconference

Class 5A No. 5 Upper St. Clair (11-1) at Class 6A No. 3 Mt. Lebanon (3-8)

7 p.m. Friday, Mt. Lebanon Stadium

Coaches: Mike Junko, Upper St. Clair; Greg Perry, Mt. Lebanon

On air: Video stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last game: Peters Township 7, Upper St. Clair 3 in 5A WPIAL semifinals; North Allegheny 48, Mt. Lebanon 14 in 6A WPIAL semifinals

Players to watch: Ethen Hellman, Upper St. Clair (Sr., 5-11, 160, QB/S); Patrick Smith, Mt. Lebanon (Sr., 6-3, 220, QB/LB)

Team notes

Upper St. Clair: The Panthers enjoyed a perfect regular season last fall in winning the 5A Allegheny Six Conference crown, but the No. 2 seed in the 5A playoffs fell one game short of playing for a district title. Following a first-round bye and a quarterfinal win over Penn Hills, USC lost to rival Peters Township in the WPIAL semifinals, 7-3. Quarterback Ethen Hellman returns for Upper St. Clair after throwing for nearly 1,000 yards last season in a run-heavy offense.

Mt. Lebanon: Playing for a third head coach in three years, the Greg Perry era started slowly for the Blue Devils, who lost their first five games and began 0-2 in Class 6A. However, a 3-2 finish to the regular season allowed Mt. Lebanon to once again qualify for the Class 6A playoffs. One shining star last fall who returns to lead Lebo this season is senior quarterback Patrick Smith. In 2024, he connected on 132 of 227 passes for 1,610 yards and 12 TDs, plus he led the team with 1,091 yards rushing and 15 scores.

Historic factoids

• This is the 50th all-time meeting between these South Hills neighbors with Upper St. Clair holding the edge, 30-19.

• USC has knocked off Mt. Lebanon three straight times, winning in Week Zero last season, 42-22. Julian Dahlem rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and threw a scoring pass as well, while Dante Coury ran for 86 yards and two scores.

• The Panthers and Blue Devils first met in 1970 with Mt. Lebanon winning big, 34-2. The first and only postseason clash between the two came in a 1988 WPIAL 4A semifinals game at Baldwin when Upper St. Clair blanked Lebo, 14-0. The Panthers would go on to win the 1988 title, the school’s third football crown and the first under legendary coach Jim Render.

Class 5A vs. 4A Nonconference

Moon (5-5) at Trinity (5-6)

7 p.m. Friday, Trinity Stadium at Trinity MS

Coaches: Ryan Linn, Moon; Dan Knause, Trinity

On air: Video stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last game: Penn Hills 30, Moon 27 in 5A first round; Aliquippa 34, Trinity 14 in 4A quarterfinals

Players to watch: Andrew Cross, Moon (Sr., 6-0, 190, QB); Jonah Williamson, Trinity (Sr., 6-2, 212, QB/DB)

Team notes

Moon: The Tigers were even-steven a year ago, finishing 2-3 and in fourth place in the 5A Allegheny Six Conference after outscoring their five conference foes, 140-136. Moon finished 5-5 overall for the second year in a row, averaged nearly 27 points per game, but allowed an average of nearly 22 points per game in 2024. They made the 5A playoff as a selected wild card team. This fall, they return senior quarterback Andrew Cross, who threw for 940 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.

Trinity: The 2024 campaign was a tale of two seasons for the Hillers. They began the season losing four of their first five games, then finished with four wins in final five regular season contests. Strong play in the 4A Big Six Conference allowed Trinity to finish in second place behind eventual champion Thomas Jefferson. Senior quarterback Jonah Williamson is back. The Harvard commit threw for 1,059 yards last fall and was second on the team in rushing with 814 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Historic factoids

• This is only the second meeting between the Hillers and Tigers in four decades. Trinity defeated Moon in the fall of 1985, 34-7.

• Moon leads the all-time series between the teams 5-2 with six of the seven matchups coming from 1980-1985. Last year in Week Zero, The Tigers blanked the Hillers, 21-0. Andrew Cross tossed a pair of touchdowns in the home win for the Tigers.

• None of the meetings between the two have been decided by less than two touchdowns. In the five Tigers wins, Moon scored a combined 98 points while Trinity scored only 17 total points. However in the two Hillers victories, they outscored Moon, 61-13.

Class 2A vs. Class 3A nonconference

Class 2A No. 3 Seton LaSalle (11-1) at North Catholic (5-7)

7 p.m. Friday, J.C. Stone Field in North Park

Coaches: Tim Storino, Seton LaSalle; Chris Rizzo, North Catholic

On air: Video stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last game: South Park 21, Seton LaSalle 14 in 2A WPIAL championship game; Elizabeth Forward 45, North Catholic 42 in 3A quarterfinals

Players to watch: Aaron Loritts, Seton LaSalle (Sr., 6-6, 220, TE/DE); Joey Felitsky, North Catholic (Sr., 6-1, 180, QB)

Team notes

Seton LaSalle: Following a breakout 2024 in which the Rebels swept through the regular season and stayed undefeated until reaching the WPIAL 2A title game where they suffered their only loss, the offseason has been one storyline after another in a rough game of musical chairs. It seemed every time the music stopped, another player was either leaving or being ruled ineligible. There is still talent coming back though for Seton LaSalle led by Monmouth commit Aaron Loritts, a force on both sides of the ball.

North Catholic: The Trojans were very streaky last fall, losing their first two games of the season, picking up wins in their next three contests, then dropping four straight before a season-ending shootout win over Hopewell gave North Catholic a good enough resume to earn a wild card spot. The Trojans stunned Deer Lakes before falling in a quarterfinal heartbreaker to EF by three. Senior quarterback Joey Felitsky tries to follow up on an outstanding season in which he led the WPIAL in passing with 2,982 yards.

Historic factoids

• This is the 26th all-time meeting between North Catholic and Seton LaSalle, formerly known as South Hills Catholic. The Trojans have the slight edge in the series against the Rebels with 12 wins, 11 losses and two ties.

• This is the second straight year these two former rivals are meeting in Week Zero. Seton LaSalle defeated North Catholic last fall, 23-12. Logan King rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the winning Rebels while Joey Felitsky threw for 242 yards and two scores for the Trojans. That game marked the first time the programs had played each other since 2001.

• The first matchup between the schools took place 66 years ago. North Catholic blanked Seton LaSalle, 14-0, in an old Catholic League contest back the 1959 season. The only playoff game in this series was a thriller as the Trojans upset the top-seeded Rebels in a 2000 WPIAL Class 2A first-round overtime classic, 31-28.

Class A vs 2A Nonconference

Class A No. 4 Neshannock (9-2) at Mohawk (7-4)

7 p.m. Friday, Warriors Stadium at Mohawk

Coaches: Mike Bongivengo, Neshannock; Tim McCutcheon, Mohawk

On air: Video stream on TribHSSN.TribLive.com

Last game: Jeannette 23, Neshannock 7 in Class A first round; South Park 19, Mohawk 9 in 2A quarterfinals

Players to watch: Jino Mozzocio, Neshannock (Sr., 5-11, 180, QB/ATH/CB); Bobby Fadden, Mohawk (Sr., 6-1, 155, QB/DB)

Team notes

Neshannock: You will forgive the Lancers if they feel like they are living through the classic Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day.” Both the 2023 and 2024 seasons have been eerily familiar in that they dominated the regular season, won their conference title, then went out and were upset in their first playoff game at home. Both seasons ended with 9-2 records. Another successful season may be looming with 2024 leading passer Jino Mozzocio and leading rusher Anthony Eakin back for Neshannock.

Mohawk: The Warriors did a god job last year putting points on the scoreboard. Mohawk had the fifth highest-scoring offense in Class 2A with an average of more than 30 points per game. They needed those points because they allowed 25 points per contest in 2024. The Warriors finished third in the Class 2A MAC and earned a playoff spot thanks to a pair of three-game winning streaks. Senior Bobby Fadden is back after leading the team in passing a year ago and was second in rushing for a combined 2,300 yards.

Historic factoids

• This is the 45th meeting overall and the 10th straight year these Lawrence County rivals have met with Neshannock winning eight of the nine games since 2016. Mohawk’s lone victory in that span was in 2021, 15-7. The Lancers broke the tie in the overall series with a win last year and lead the Warriors, 21-20-3.

• In Week Zero a year ago, Neshannock outscored Mohawk, 42-37, a far cry from their 2023 meeting won by the Lancers, 13-7. Last year, Jino Mozzocio threw for 147 yards and Anthony Eakin ran for 127 yards for Neshannock while Bobby Fadden threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns for Mohawk.

• Mohawk won the first meeting between the schools in 1958, 7-0. Fifty years ago, these rivals played to their third and final tie of the series. The Warriors and Lancers ended their 1975 meeting deadlocked 20-20.

Class 2A vs. A Nonconference

Westinghouse (9-2) vs. Class 2A No. 1 Steel Valley (9-4)

3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek

Coaches: Donta Green, Westinghouse; Ray Braszo, Steel Valley

Last game: Bishop Guilfoyle 56, Westinghouse 15 in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals; Seton LaSalle 27, Steel Valley 13 in the 2A semifinals

Players to watch: Zahir Ismaeli, Westinghouse (Soph., 5-10, 150, QB); Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley (Sr., 5-11, 175, QB/DB)

Team notes

Westinghouse: The Bulldogs have been the class of the City League this decade, winning three straight District 8 championships and reaching the PIAA championship game only to lose to Southern Columbia in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Westinghouse is not as loaded as those teams were, but they are still the team to beat in the City League. The ‘House will turn to sophomore quarterback Zahir Ismaeli to lead the way on offense. As a freshman at West Mifflin last fall, he threw for 619 yards and 4 TDs.

Steel Valley: Following a 1-3 start last fall, the Ironmen found their stride and ripped off eight consecutive wins, six in the regular season and postseason triumphs over Washington and Western Beaver, before falling in the semifinals to Seton LaSalle. The Barksdale era will continue for one more year at Steel Valley despite the graduation of Donald Barksdale, now a freshman at Youngstown State. Pitt commit Da’Ron Barksdale will man the quarterback position after leading the Ironmen in receiving and being second in rushing in 2024.

Historic factoids

• Last year in Week Zero, both Steel Valley and Westinghouse opened their seasons with losses at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek. The Ironmen lost to Clairton, 30-7, and the Bulldogs fell to Beaver, 28-26.

• This is the second meeting between Westinghouse and Steel Valley. The two battled in a much-anticipated 2022 PIAA Class 2A semifinal battle of the unbeatens between the City League winners from Homewood and the WPIAL champions from Homestead. Khalil Taylor rushed for 128 yards and scored a touchdown as the Bulldogs eliminated the Ironmen, 26-7.

• These programs have been golden in the last 10 years. Steel Valley has won three WPIAL championships (2016, 2018 and 2022) since 2015 while Westinghouse has claimed City League titles in 2019, 2000, 2022, 2023 and 2024.