It begins on Friday: Our WPIAL football playoff breakdown

Teams dreaming of winning WPIAL championships will no longer be traveling on the Highway to Heinz.

Should it now be dubbed the Avenue to Acrisure?

Whatever you want to call it, a total of eight teams from Classes 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A will square off for titles at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 25. The Class 6A and 5A finals will take place at Norwin High School on Nov. 19.

The opening round of the playoffs kicks off Friday for five of the six classes. Class 6A, which has just four teams in its bracket, won’t get started until next week.

Here’s a breakdown of each class, along with predicted champions from the PUP high school sports staff:

CLASS 6A

No. 1 seed: North Allegheny. While it’s been an up-and-down season for four of the five Class 6A teams, North Allegheny has navigated the murky waters nearly perfectly. The Tigers are 9-1 overall (their only loss was at Pine-Richland on Sept. 30), which includes a 4-0 mark in conference play. Now they take aim at a WPIAL title, a feat that has eluded them since going 16-0 and winning WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A titles in 2012. They have lost in the semifinals or final each of the past six seasons. The Tigers are led by do-it-all wide receiver Khiryn Boyd, who leads the team with 41 catches for 653 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He had a touchdown catch and also rushed for a score in last week’s 27-26 win against Seneca Valley.

Sleeper: Central Catholic. In a bracket that includes only four teams, it’s difficult to pick a sleeper. The pick here is an odd one, too, considering Central Catholic has advanced to the final three years in a row, winning titles in 2019 and 2020. But the Vikings have had their share of struggles this season and enter the playoffs 6-4. They come in on a roll, though, after ending the regular season with three consecutive quality wins (at Penn Hills, at Seneca Valley, Gateway). Quarterback Payton Wehner has had a strong season and has an excellent target in wide receiver Vernon Settles. The Vikings should be confident no matter which team they play. In the regular season, they lost to Mt. Lebanon (17-16) and North Allegheny (7-3), and beat Canon-McMillan (31-20).

Keep an eye on … Jake Kasper, Canon-McMillan. If the Big Macs are to pull off a stunner and win their first WPIAL championship, they will likely need some big performances from Kasper, a standout running back who leads the class in rushing by a wide margin (1,489 yards) and has scored 10 touchdowns. Kasper had 16 carries for 61 yards in a 35-21 loss to North Allegheny on Sept. 2. Adding to the importance of Kasper and the team’s rushing attack having lots of success is that starting quarterback Mike Evans did not play last week and his status this week is unclear. If he doesn’t play, Ben Urso will be the likely starter.

Upset special: Central Catholic over Mt. Lebanon. There are only two games in next Friday’s opening round, so it’s slim pickings when it comes to picking an upset. But the pick here is Central Catholic in a game that is a rematch of last year’s title game won by Mt. Lebanon, 47-7. Central Catholic is no doubt looking for some payback, not only for last year’s lopsided loss, but also for its crushing 17-16 setback to the Blue Devils on Sept. 16. In that game, Central Catholic took a 16-0 lead into the fourth quarter before Mt. Lebanon stormed back, ultimately winning the game courtesy of Ben McAuley’s 18-yard field goal in the final seconds.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: North Allegheny over Central Catholic.

Steve Rotstein: North Allegheny over Central Catholic.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: North Allegheny over Mt. Lebanon.

CLASS 5A

No. 1 seed: Bethel Park. Not many people would have predicted it before the season, but the Black Hawks have separated themselves from the pack since midseason as the clear and rightful No. 1 seed in Class 5A. At 9-1 overall, Bethel Park owns the best record in the classification along with several marquee wins vs. teams such as Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan, Upper St. Clair and Peters Township. The Black Hawks went undefeated vs. Class 5A competition during the regular season, with their only loss coming in a 31-22 defeat against Central Catholic Sept. 9. Sophomore Ryan Petras is a do-it-all threat who has an even 578 yards rushing and 578 yards receiving, and he leads the team with 44 receptions and 17 total touchdowns.

Sleeper: Upper St. Clair. It feels weird calling the Panthers a sleeper after they spent much of the season as a top contender to earn the No. 1 seed in Class 5A, but back-to-back losses to Bethel Park and Canon-McMillan in early October caused Upper St. Clair’s hype train to lose a bit of steam. Still, at 8-2 overall, the Panthers are one of only two teams in Class 5A with less than three losses, and they own a pair of quality wins against Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township. Having since rebounded with back-to-back blowout wins vs. Moon and South Fayette, Upper St. Clair regained some much-needed momentum heading into the playoffs. If the Panthers can get past Gateway in the first round, look out for a must-see rematch with Bethel Park in the semifinals.

Keep an eye on … Ayden Hudock, Franklin Regional. Who? That’s right, Ayden Hudock. If you haven’t heard of him by now, it’s time to get familiar with the Panthers’ junior wide receiver. Take a look at his stat lines from his previous five games:

9/30 vs. Plum – 5 catches, 136 yards, TD

10/7 vs. Norwin – 4 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs; 22-yard INT return TD

10/14 vs. Hempfield – 5 catches, 174 yards, 2 TDs; 8-yard TD run; 87-yard kick return TD

10/21 vs. North Hills – 5 catches, 107 yards, TD

10/28 vs. Penn-Trafford – 6 catches, 111 yards, TD

Hudock has been Mr. Consistency for Franklin Regional, and it’s no coincidence the Panthers have won four of their past five games entering the playoffs. For the season, this 6-foot-1 wideout has 35 receptions for 902 yards (25.8 yards per catch) with 15 total TDs, and Hudock will need to keep up his red-hot production to lead Franklin Regional past Woodland Hills and into the semifinals. Here’s hoping you have him on your fantasy team.

Upset special: Penn-Trafford over Pine-Richland. With only eight teams qualifying for the postseason in Class 5A, several worthy teams were left without an invitation — and all of the teams that made it are capable of making a run to the championship (well, maybe not North Hills). Seeing defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Penn-Trafford as the No. 7 seed had to make Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne and his players a bit uneasy as the No. 2 seed. The Rams are as hot as anybody in the area right now, but expect the Warriors to give them all they can handle in their first-round matchup.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: Bethel Park over Pine-Richland.

Steve Rotstein: Gateway over Pine-Richland.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: Pine-Richland over Gateway.

CLASS 4A

No. 1 seed: Aliquippa. The reigning WPIAL and PIAA champs came into the season with lots of hype, and up to this point have pretty much lived up to all of it. Aliquippa has been ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and PIAA the entire season and is coming off arguably the biggest win by any WPIAL team this season. The Quips rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to top Central Valley, 35-24, last week, ending the Warriors’ 36-game win streak. Coach Mike Warfield’s squad is huge on the lines and has some outstanding skill-position players. Sophomore running back Tiqwai Hayes has led the way with 1,382 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns. Hayes ran for 168 yards and two scores against Central Valley. The Quips hope to reach the title game for the 15th year in a row. They have won a record 18 titles.

Sleeper: McKeesport. This is an easy pick considering McKeesport, the No. 5 seed, has been dominant for most of the season and didn’t suffer its first loss until it fell to Thomas Jefferson, 20-10, a week ago. Over the years, the Tigers have been best known for a flexbone offense that has produced quite a few prolific runners. With running back Bobbie Boyd and quarterback Jahmil Perryman, the Tigers have some gamebreakers, but they also boast a stingy defense that has surrendered only seven points a game, the fewest of any team in the four largest classes. Boyd has rushed for 979 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Perryman has rushed for 965 yards and 15 touchdowns. If McKeesport advances to the semifinals, it could face Aliquippa, which handed the Tigers a 27-21 defeat in last year’s semifinals.

Keep an eye on … Cadin Olsen, Armstrong. One of the top passers in WPIAL history hopes to lead Armstrong to its first title in his final season. A Penn recruit, Olsen is a three-year starter who has thrown for 7,305 career yards, eighth most in WPIAL history. This season, Olsen leads the district in passing yards (2,696) and touchdowns (37). He has a trio of highly productive receivers in Isaiah Brown (40 receptions), his brother Ian Olsen (38 receptions) and Kyan Kline (32 receptions). The fourth-seeded Riverhawks have Blackhawk in the first round and could get McKeesport in the quarterfinals. The Tigers beat the River Hawks, 35-21, in the quarterfinals a season ago.

Upset special: Latrobe over Highlands. It has been 54 years (1968) since Latrobe last won a WPIAL playoff game. To say the Wildcats are long overdue for a win would be an understatement. The Wildcats are the No. 11 seed and must win on the road at Highlands, which won’t be an easy task. But this Latrobe team should feel good about its chances after finishing the regular season with a 6-4 record. One of the things that makes Latrobe a formidable foe is the presence of running back Robert Fulton, who has had a breakout season. Fulton ranks among the WPIAL leaders with 1,471 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: Aliquippa over Central Valley.

Steve Rotstein: Aliquippa over Central Valley.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: Aliquippa over Thomas Jefferson.

CLASS 3A

No. 1 seed: Belle Vernon. Perhaps the most prohibitive favorite of any team in any classification in this year’s WPIAL playoffs. The Leopards have not won a WPIAL title since 1995, and this looks to be their best chance yet to raise a second championship banner after dropping down from Class 4A to Class 3A. Belle Vernon went undefeated on its way to last year’s Class 4A title game before losing to eventual state champion Aliquippa, then the Leopards started out 1-2 in 2022 with back-to-back losses vs. McKeesport and Penn-Trafford. All they’ve done since is win six games in a row by a combined score of 273-35, none more impressive than a 48-14 win at Elizabeth Forward to clinch the Interstate Conference title in last Friday’s regular-season finale.

Sleeper: Beaver. No. 5 seed West Mifflin was also a consideration here, but the Titans had the unfortunate luck of winding up on the same side of the bracket as Belle Vernon. That leaves No. 6 seed Shady Side Academy and No. 7 Beaver as the next-best options on the opposite side, and it says here the Bobcats have a slightly better chance of upsetting No. 2 seed Avonworth than the Bulldogs do of beating No. 3 Elizabeth Forward. First, Beaver must get past No. 10 seed Deer Lakes in the first round, and the Bobcats should continue their surge into the quarterfinals on the legs of junior tailback Liam Gibson, who leads the team with 13 total TDs.

Keep an eye on … Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon. Perhaps the top all-around player in the area, Martin has been on an absolute tear during the Leopards’ current six-game winning streak, posting four 100-yard games and scoring 17 touchdowns during that span. A consensus five-star recruit who stars at running back and defensive back, Martin put his talent on full display in Belle Vernon’s 48-14 win at Elizabeth Forward last Friday, rushing for 195 yards and three touchdowns while adding a pair of receiving TDs. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior will look to carry the Leopards to their first WPIAL title in 27 years and only the second in school history.

Upset special: East Allegheny over Mount Pleasant. Sure, it’s only a No. 9 vs. No. 8 matchup, so it’s not that big of an upset. But the Wildcats have the talent and speed on the outside to give the Vikings fits — provided they can find a way to slow down star running back Robbie Labuda. Expect it to be a close game, but East Allegheny should find a way to get it done and advance to the quarterfinal round.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: Belle Vernon over Avonworth.

Steve Rotstein: Belle Vernon over Elizabeth Forward.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: Belle Vernon over Elizabeth Forward.

CLASS 2A

No. 1 seed: Steel Valley. There’s not much not to like about Steel Valley, the only unbeaten team in Class 2A. The Ironmen lead the class in scoring offense (46.2 ppg) and scoring defense (5.7 ppg), and feature Kent State recruit Cruce Brookins at quarterback. Brookins has been excellent, rushing for 1,048 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also passing for 604 yards and six scores. He ran for a career-high 308 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 carries in last week’s 28-0 triumph at Serra Catholic. Since giving up 24 points to Sto-Rox in the season opener, Steel Valley hasn’t allowed more than seven in any game and has pitched four shutouts. Keep an eye on senior wide receiver Makhai Valentine, a basketball star playing high school football for the first time. Valentine has scored six touchdowns on only 10 receptions, and has seven touchdowns overall.

Sleeper: Keystone Oaks. Few people are talking about Keystone Oaks, which could be a big mistake. Somewhat quietly, the Golden Eagles, guided by first-year coach Steve McCormick, come into the postseason with an 8-2 record after finishing second in the Century Conference behind only Sto-Rox. Their losses have come to Sto-Rox and Bishop Canevin, the top seed in Class 1A. The Golden Eagles have won five games in a row since their last defeat. They also give up only 15.8 points a game, a mark that ranks fourth in the class. Offensively, Keystone Oaks is led by quarterback Nick Buckley and running back Shawn Reick. The No. 6-seeded Golden Eagles will play No. 11 Apollo-Ridge in the first round. If they win that, they could get a rematch with Sto-Rox in the quarterfinals. Sto-Rox thumped Keystone Oaks, 52-0, on Sept 23.

Keep an eye on … Josh Jenkins, Sto-Rox. One of the WPIAL’s top quarterbacks, Jenkins will try to get No. 3 Sto-Rox over the hump in his final playoff run. The Vikings fell in the title game in 2019 and 2020 before tasting defeat in the 2021 semifinals. Jenkins is coming off one of the finest games of his career, completing 18 of 19 passes for 390 yards and six touchdowns in a 57-14 win at Seton LaSalle. On the season, Jenkins has passed for a Class 2A-leading 2,190 yards and 27 touchdowns. Speaking of talented quarterbacks, No. 2 Beaver Falls has one of those in Jaren Brickner. He ranks second in the class with 1,492 yards and 11 touchdowns. Beaver Falls won the title in 2019 before losing to Serra Catholic in last year’s final.

Upset special: Washington over Serra Catholic. It’s a little odd seeing Washington as the No. 12 seed. It’s the lowest the Little Prexies have been seeded since they were 14th in 2009. And while it has been an uneven season for Wash High, there’s little doubt it has the playmakers needed to make a long run. Among the central figures have been quarterback Davoun Fuse and wide receiver Ruben Gordon. The two are cousins and Fuse is a Rutgers recruit. Wash High will have to have a short memory after finishing the regular season with back-to-back losses. A week ago, the Little Prexies saw a 21-3 lead evaporate in a 43-24 loss to McGuffey. But Serra also closed the regular season on a low note after a pair of defeats.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: Sto-Rox over Steel Valley.

Steve Rotstein: Beaver Falls over Steel Valley.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: Steel Valley over Beaver Falls.

CLASS 1A

No. 1 seed: Bishop Canevin. If anyone is a bigger favorite to win it all than Belle Vernon in Class 3A, it’s the Crusaders in Class 1A. Canevin has looked every bit as strong in 2022 as it did a year ago, when the Crusaders finished 13-2 and reached the PIAA semifinals after winning their second WPIAL title. And why shouldn’t they? Canevin returned all 11 starters on offense from last year’s team and eight of 11 starters on defense. The Crusaders have won nine games in a row since a season-opening 21-14 defeat vs. District 3 powerhouse Steelton-Highspire, and they average 40.3 points per game on offense while allowing only 7.2 ppg on defense.

Sleeper: Fort Cherry. The No. 6 seed Rangers are peaking at the right time, winning their last four games of the regular season by 14-plus points while scoring at least 42 points in three of the four. Led by one of the most dynamic freshmen in the WPIAL in dual-threat quarterback Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry could have what it takes to go all the way to Acrisure Stadium for the WPIAL title game. Sieg joined the exclusive 1,000/1,000 club during the regular season when he passed for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 1,504 yards and 26 TDs.

Keep an eye on … Xavier Nelson, Bishop Canevin. There may not be a more electrifying player in Class 1A than Nelson, a senior wide receiver-defensive back who is a big play waiting to happen for the top-seeded Crusaders. Nelson finished the regular season with 1,001 yards — one of only two WPIAL receivers to surpass the 1,000-yard mark this season — and he did it on only 32 receptions while scoring 16 touchdowns. Nelson is known to raise his game on the big stage, too. Just check his performance in last year’s WPIAL title game for proof (three touchdowns of 35-plus yards).

Upset special: Leechburg over Mapletown. A No. 13 seed over a No. 4 seed in the first round? Don’t be surprised if it happens. The Blue Devils feature one of the top players in the area in Pitt recruit Braylan Lovelace, who rushed for 1,322 yards and scored 28 touchdowns in the regular season. Meanwhile, Mapletown pancaked its opponents with its powerful run game en route to an undefeated regular season, with star senior Landan Stevenson leading the WPIAL with 2,031 yards rushing and 40 TDs. Leechburg has the highest-scoring offense in the WPIAL at 47.7 points per game, while the Maples rank second (46.5 ppg). Expect fireworks from both Lovelace and Stevenson in a high-scoring affair that could come down to the final drive.

Who ya’ got?

Brad Everett: Bishop Canevin over Greensburg Central Catholic.

Steve Rotstein: Bishop Canevin over Greensburg Central Catholic.

Saul Berrios-Thomas: Bishop Canevin over Laurel.