Trib HSSN releases statewide football rankings for Week Zero

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 19, 2018 | 3:36 PM

Whether you are a fan of a local district team or like to know what’s going on in high school football around Pennsylvania, the TribLive High School Sports Network has you covered this fall.

We rank the top WPIAL teams in each class every Sunday and follow up with our PIAA rankings every Monday during the high school football season.

Here is the debut PIAA Top 5 in each of the six classifications prior to Week Zero, with last year’s record in parenthesis.

Class 6A

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (13-1): The Hawks won the District 12 championship in 2017 but lost to Pine-Richland, 41-21, in the PIAA 6A championship game.

2. Pine-Richland (16-0): The defending PIAA champion Rams open the 2018 season at home Friday against nationally-ranked IMG Academy (Fla.) in a game to be broadcast on Trib HSSN.

3. Coatesville (13-2): The Red Raiders open the 2018 season on the road Saturday against Harrisburg.

4. State College (10-3): The Little Lions open the 2018 season at home Friday against Mifflin County.

5. Parkland (13-1): The Trojans open the 2018 season at home on Friday against Northampton.

Class 5A

1. Archbishop Wood (12-2): The defending PIAA champion Vikings open the 2018 season on the road Friday against McDonogh in Maryland at William Tennant.

2. Manheim Central (13-1): The Barons open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Susquehanna Township.

3. Gateway (14-2): The Gators open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Mt. Lebanon.

4. Springfield-Delco (13-1): The Cougars open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Glen Mills.

5. Penn Hills (8-4): The Indians open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Steubenville in Ohio.

Class 4A

1. Erie Cathedral Prep (14-0): The defending PIAA champion Ramblers open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Central Catholic at the Wolvarena, in a game to be broadcast on Trib HSSN.

2. Imhotep Charter (12-2): The Panthers open the 2018 season on the road Friday against LaSalle College at Upper Dublin.

3. Berks Catholic (13-1): The Saints open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Exeter Township.

4. Bethlehem Catholic (12-3): The Hawks open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Louis E. Dieruff.

5. Thomas Jefferson (11-2): The Jaguars won the WPIAL championship in 2017 but lost to Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA 4A quarterfinals 42-17.

Class 3A

1. Aliquippa (12-1): The Quips open the 2018 season on the road Saturday against McKinley Tech in Washington D.C. at the Wolvarena, in a game to be video streamed on the Trib HSSN.

2. Middletown (14-1): The Blue Raiders open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Lower Dauphin.

3. Sharon (10-4): The Tigers open the 2018 season at home Friday against Wilmington.

4. Scranton Prep (13-1): The Cavaliers open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Dunmore.

5. Conwell-Egan Catholic (7-7): The Eagles open the 2018 season on the road Saturday against Roman Catholic at Harry S. Truman.

Class 2A

1. Southern Columbia (16-0): The defending PIAA champion Tigers open the 2018 season at home Friday against Bloomsburg.

2. Wilmington (14-1): The Greyhounds open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Sharon.

3. Washington (13-1): The Little Prexies open the 2018 season at home on Friday against Laurel Highlands.

4. Dunmore (14-1): The Bucks open the 2018 season at home on Friday against Scranton Prep.

5. West Catholic (8-4): The Burrs open the 2018 season on the road Friday against Pottsgrove.

Class A

1 . Farrell (11-3): The Steelers open the 2018 season on the road Friday against University Prep.

2. Jeannette (15-1): The defending PIAA champion Jayhawks open the 2018 season at home Friday against East Allegheny.

3. Old Forge (11-2): The Devils open the 2018 season at home against Carbondale.

4. Williams Valley (13-1): The Vikings open the 2018 season at home against Minersville.

5. Bishop Guilfoyle (12-1): The Marauders open the 2018 season on the road Saturday against Somerset.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: Aliquippa, Gateway, Jeannette, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Thomas Jefferson, Washington