WPIAL Class 5A preview: Pine-Richland looks to break back-to-back curse

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, August 17, 2025 | 7:01 AM

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Can reigning WPIAL champion Pine-Richland break the Class 5A curse?

No team has won back-to-back WPIAL titles in 5A since the classification was created nine years ago. Pine-Richland won in 2020, ’22 and ’24. Gateway was the champion in 2017 and ’19. Peters Township won in 2023, but its hopes to repeat were dashed in the finals last year.

So, the curse lives on.

Or for those less superstitious, maybe there’s a simple explanation for why nobody stays on top for more than a year.

“That’s just a testament to the quality of opponents in 5A,” Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne said. “When you get into the playoffs, there is no cupcake. You’ve got to be ready to play. There are good programs here.”

Regardless of recent history, don’t expect Pine-Richland to accept its fate and hand the title to someone else. The team brings back its leading passer, rusher and receiver from a championship offense that averaged 35 points.

The Rams want to make history.

“That puts a mark on our back for sure because it hasn’t been done since six classifications was implemented,” LeDonne said. “We’re excited with what we’re returning, but at the same time, we know we’ve got to be ready week in and week out.”

Pine-Richland begins the season ranked No. 1 in TribLive HSSN preseason rankings followed by No. 2 Peters Township, a WPIAL finalist four of the past six years. Woodland Hills is third with Penn Hills fourth and Upper St. Clair fifth.

But as recent history has shown, the list of contenders in Class 5A almost always runs deeper. Teams from nine different schools have reached the 5A finals since 2016, and six different schools won titles.

In that same nine-year span, only four different schools won the Class 6A title, and Class 4A had just three. Those classifications also have had multiple back-to-back champions since 2016, unlike 5A.

“It’s a war of attrition in 5A,” said Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko, whose Panthers reached the finals in 2022. “You’ve got to get into the playoffs healthy. And then you know when you get (to the semifinals), you can look at four teams that all have the ability to win the thing.”

Upper St. Clair was a semifinalist last year along with Pine-Richland, Peters Township and Bethel Park. The 12 teams that qualify for the Class 5A bracket can rightfully argue it’s the toughest tournament in the WPIAL.

“The four teams left at the end are going to be killers,” Junko said. “The seeding doesn’t matter as much in 5A because you’re going to play good football teams at the end.

“And it’s no different this year.”

Last year’s runner-up, Peters Township is led by senior quarterback/safety Nolan DiLucia, a Villanova recruit, who has passed for 5,656 yards and 55 touchdowns in two seasons. The Indians defense features two college-bound linebackers in seniors Reston Lehman (Pitt) and Lucas Shanafelt (Stanford).

Woodland Hills anticipates having two key seniors back after season-ending leg injuries last year: quarterback Cam Walter and running back/linebacker Ziggy Moore, an N.C. State recruit. Walter and wideout Scoop Smith, a Miami (Ohio) commit, form a dynamic tandem.

The Wolverines are trying to reach the WPIAL finals for the first time since 2013, prior to six classes.

Penn Hills has one of the WPIAL’s top receivers in junior Carter Bonner, and quarterback Devin Harris is a senior with Ivy League offers. The Indians won 5A in 2018.

“It’s highly competitive,” Peters Township coach T.J. Plack said. “You’ve got really good football players and really good coaches. Not that other divisions don’t, but it’s top-level football. It’s bigger schools. You’ve got lots of kids to choose from.”

The PIAA expanded football to six classes prior to the 2016 season with mixed results. The move left the WPIAL thin at Class 6A (seven teams) but created an extremely competitive 5A, which has 19 teams right now.

“I liken 5A to the old ‘AAAA’ world,” Junko said, “where you knew it was going to be a grinder from Week Zero to the WPIAL championship.”

Class 5A

Preseason rankings

1. Pine-Richland (11-1)

The Rams are defending WPIAL champions after winning their second title in three years under coach Jon LeDonne. They return much of their lineup, including 1,700-yard passer Aaron “Oobi” Strader and 1,300-yard rusher Maclane Miller.

2. Peters Township (11-2)

3. Woodland Hills (8-3)

4. Penn Hills (7-5)

5. Upper St. Clair (11-1)

*Records from 2024

The Stars

Carter Bonner

Penn Hills, Jr., WR/DB

Bonner (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) caught 26 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns last year. He lists Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia among his offers.

John Curran

Pine-Richland, Sr., OL/DL

Curran’s blocks helped the Rams’ offense average more than 300 yards from scrimmage last year. The 6-3, 295-pound tackle is a Pitt recruit.

Reston Lehman

Peters Township, Sr., TE/LB

A Pitt-bound linebacker, Lehman intercepted three passes, forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and made 13 tackles for a loss last season.

Scoop Smith

Woodland Hills, Sr., WR/DB

A Miami (Ohio) recruit, Smith caught 38 passes for 630 yards and scored 15 touchdowns last year. His longest TD was a 99-yard kick return.

Jay Timmons

Pine-Richland, Sr., WR/DB

Timmons had 755 yards on 40 catches and scored 12 times last season. A standout defensive back, Timmons is committed to Florida State, his father Lawrence’s alma mater.

Don’t miss

9.12 Penn-Trafford at Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills defeated Penn-Trafford, 35-21, in Week 3 last year, a key victory in winning the Big East title. The Wolverines’ win snapped a string of six straight losses to P-T over an eight-year span.

9.26 Upper St. Clair at Peters Township

USC won their Week 5 matchup last year and later took the Allegheny Six title. But Peters Township won their playoff rematch, 7-3, in the WPIAL semifinals thanks to a 97-yard kickoff return.

10.3 Pine-Richland at Penn Hills

The Northeast foes have split four head-to-head matchups over the past three seasons, and they all were competitive games. The average margin of victory was seven points.

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.

Tags: Gateway, Penn Hills, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills