Best in Show: PUP high school football 2024 preseason rankings

The dog days of summer are winding down, and the PUP is chomping at the bit for the high school football season to get underway.

When teams all across Western Pennsylvania take the field Friday night for a marquee slate of Week 0 action, the WPIAL and City League football landscape will begin to take shape. But first, the PUP sports staff has gathered to assemble its preseason rankings for each classification in advance of the opening week of the 2024 season.

There have been plenty of changes all across the area since we last convened, and the absence of several longtime coaches will be felt throughout Western Pa. on Friday nights this fall. Teams have shifted up and down into new conferences and classifications for the upcoming two-year cycle, and the balance of power will surely be shaken up in the weeks and months to come. But while last season’s results had little bearing on this year’s hierarchy, it would be foolish to ignore past results entirely — and when it comes to high school football around these parts, history seems to have a way of repeating itself.

With all of that in mind, we now present the 2024 WPIAL and City League preseason “Best in Show”:

Class 6A

1. Central Catholic

2. North Allegheny

3. Canon-McMillan

4. Seneca Valley

5. Mt. Lebanon

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The skinny: North Allegheny is the two-time defending champion, but Central Catholic gets the slight edge to start the season over the Tigers, who won a memorable 44-41 shootout against the Vikings in last year’s WPIAL final. Both teams graduated a boatload of top-tier talent from last season, but Central returns Duke recruit Bradley Gompers at linebacker and Penn State recruit Xxavier Thomas in the secondary to spearhead what should be a formidable defensive unit. North Allegheny must find a way to replace the production of dual-threat quarterback Logan Kushner, not to mention punishing linebacker Tyree Alualu and explosive receiver Khiryn Boyd. Canon-McMillan brings back two all-conference players in tight end T.J. Sabatucci and defensive tackle Matt McMahon, while Seneca Valley is led by all-conference defensive back Jayden Price, a Toledo recruit. Meanwhile, Mt. Lebanon enters a transition year under new coach Greg Perry, but the Blue Devils maintain the No. 5 spot over newcomers Hempfield and Norwin — for now.

Class 5A

1. Peters Township

2. Penn-Trafford

3. Pine-Richland

4. Upper St. Clair

5. Woodland Hills

The skinny: As always, Class 5A remains the deepest classification in the WPIAL, with an abundance of perennial playoff contenders and championship hopefuls. One could make an argument for a dozen teams deserving of a spot in the preseason rankings, but defending champion Peters Township stands alone as the clear No. 1. Indians quarterback Nolan DiLucia is coming off a stellar sophomore season (3,131 yards passing, 30 passing touchdowns), and tight end-linebacker Mickey Vaccarello is a Stanford recruit who makes a major impact on both sides of the ball. Penn-Trafford is powered by a pair of top-notch tailbacks in Tasso Whipple and Ben Grabowski, who combined to rush for more than 2,000 yards a year ago. Pine-Richland hopes heralded sophomore Aaron “Oobi” Strader can take the next step and become one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the area, while Upper St. Clair is hungry for a taste of the postseason after the Panthers narrowly missed out despite an 8-2 record in 2023. And don’t sleep on Woodland Hills with electrifying junior receiver Scoop Smith, who might be the fastest player in the WPIAL.

Class 4A

1. Aliquippa

2. McKeesport

3. Thomas Jefferson

4. Belle Vernon

5. Montour

The skinny: After winning another lengthy legal battle with the PIAA over its competitive balance formula, three-time defending WPIAL champion and reigning PIAA champion Aliquippa is staying in Class 4A for the upcoming two-year cycle. Gone are players like record-setting quarterback Quentin “Cheese” Goode and 2023 PUP Player of the Year Cam Lindsey, and so is revered coach Mike Warfield, who stepped down just weeks before the season was set to begin. That being said, the Quips are still the top dogs with star running back Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes as their centerpiece. Led by sensational sophomore Kemon Spell, McKeesport hopes for another crack at Aliquippa after a 35-21 defeat in last year’s title game. Pitt recruit Shep Turk is a WPIAL heavyweight wrestling champion who will be a monster in the middle for Thomas Jefferson, while two-time defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion Belle Vernon moves back up to Class 4A with a young but talented team. A handful of teams are worthy of the No. 5 spot, but Montour gets the nod to start the year despite the graduation of PUP All-Star quarterback Jake Wolfe.

Class 3A

1. Central Valley

2. Elizabeth Forward

3. Avonworth

4. Beaver

5. North Catholic

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The skinny: After spending the past two seasons in Class 4A, Central Valley returns to the classification it dominated for much of the previous decade, including three consecutive WPIAL titles from 2019-21 and back-to-back PIAA crowns in 2020-21. Sophomore running back Jance Henry rushed for 1,008 yards with 13 touchdowns in a breakout freshman campaign for the Warriors, and he looks poised to blow past those numbers this fall. Elizabeth Forward gets the edge over Avonworth at No. 2, but the Warriors will need a big year from junior quarterback Ryan Messina in order to get back to the championship game. The Antelopes are also counting on junior quarterback Carson Bellinger to take the next step after a solid sophomore campaign, while Beaver is loaded with a handful of returning playmakers and appears to be a legitimate title contender. As for North Catholic, the Trojans will be a tough out for anybody after dropping back down from Class 4A with Penn State recruit Brady O’Hara leading the way.

Class 2A

1. Steel Valley

2. Washington

3. Beaver Falls

4. South Park

5. Seton LaSalle

The skinny: Steel Valley came up just short in its bid for back-to-back WPIAL titles last season, losing a 14-12 nail-biter after coughing up a late fourth-quarter lead against No. 10 seed Beaver Falls. But with highly touted junior Da’Ron Barksdale back in the fold alongside his older brother Donald (2,061 yards rushing, 37 total TDs in 2023), the Ironmen still enter the 2024 season as the team to beat in Class 2A. Senior running back Eddie Lewis is primed for a big year for Washington after rushing for 1,049 yards with 16 TDs a year ago, while defending champ Beaver Falls is going for a fifth consecutive trip to the WPIAL title game after graduating several key seniors. South Park senior Eric Doerue (1,517 yards rushing, 18 total TDs) is another elite tailback aiming for some lofty numbers this season, and Seton LaSalle sophomore Khalil Taylor is generating major buzz as a top-100 national recruit after racking up 35 receptions for 501 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry

2. Clairton

3. Bishop Canevin

4. Neshannock

5. South Side

The skinny: Fort Cherry is the defending champion coming off a 15-win season and a trip to the state title game, and there’s no reason not to like the Rangers’ chances of playing in December again this year. Junior quarterback Matt Sieg is one of the top 200 prospects in the nation in the 2026 class and one of the top all-purpose weapons in recent WPIAL history, fresh off a spectacular sophomore season with more than 4,000 total yards and 63 total TDs. Clairton hasn’t won a WPIAL title since 2019, but the Bears could be Fort Cherry’s biggest threat with a whopping 11 all-conference selections returning from last season. Bishop Canevin is always dangerous, especially with gunslinger Kole Olszewski (2,180 yards passing, 36 TDs in 2023) under center. Neshannock lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, but the Lancers should still be a major threat after dropping down from Class 2A. South Side also has plenty of holes to fill after reaching last year’s WPIAL title game.

City League

1. Westinghouse

2. University Prep

3. Allderdice

The skinny: Coming off back-to-back City League titles and PIAA championship appearances, Westinghouse is the overwhelming favorite to three-peat in the city — not to mention a popular pick to capture its first state title after dropping down from Class 2A to Class 1A. The Bulldogs have senior quarterback Khalil Green back for his second year as a starter, plus the addition of senior running back Lenny Wicks, who transferred in from Harvest Prep in Columbus, Ohio. On the other side of the ball, junior Josiah Collins and seniors Nyxai Robinson and Byron Lewis will headline a ferocious defensive line for Westinghouse. After losing electric receiver Daniel “Boy Boy” Cain, University Prep is aiming for a return trip to the City League title game with Buffalo recruit Xair Stevenson leading the way, while Allderdice will be led by junior tight end-linebacker Lukas Stead as the Dragons play with heavy hearts in a season dedicated to late coach Jerry Haslett.

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Editor Rick Davis
Reporters Brad Everett, Steve Rotstein, John Santa, Rob Joesbury
Photographer Emily Matthews
Art designer Jennifer Kundrach
Web designer Tyler Pecyna

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