Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Sept. 1)

Each week the Pittsburgh Union Progress will issue its high school football rankings throughout the season, with all rankings voted on by the PUP sports staff.

Class 6A

1. North Allegheny (2-0)

2. Central Catholic (0-2)

3. Norwin (2-0)

4. Canon-McMillan (0-2)

5. Seneca Valley (0-2)

The skinny: After coughing up a double-digit halftime lead in a 22-17 defeat at Pine-Richland, Central Catholic loses its grip on the top spot to make way for North Allegheny at No. 1. The two-time defending champion Tigers blew out Gateway, 42-7, while Norwin also improved to 2-0 with a 33-21 win at Kiski Area. Nobody else seems to want to make a case for the top three, with the other four remaining teams in the classification all sitting at 0-2.

Class 5A

1. Peters Township (2-0)

2. Pine-Richland (2-0)

3. Upper St. Clair (2-0)

4. Bethel Park (2-0)

5. Moon (1-0)

The skinny: No changes here this week. Few teams in the area have been as impressive as Peters Township thus far, with the Indians blowing the doors off McKeesport, 42-7, to follow up a season-opening rout against Canon-McMillan. Pine-Richland also picked up a pivotal victory against Central Catholic, while Upper St. Clair crushed Canon-McMillan, 41-6. Bethel Park bulldozed Mars in the PUP Game of the Week, 49-13, and Moon had its contest against Montour canceled due to inclement weather after falling behind, 13-0.

Class 4A

1. Aliquippa (0-0)

2. Montour (1-0)

3. Thomas Jefferson (2-0)

4. Belle Vernon (0-0)

5. McKeesport (0-2)

The skinny: Like Class 5A, Class 4A remains unchanged this week. Aliquippa jumped out to a 12-0 lead over Belle Vernon before the game was called off due to inclement weather, bringing an unceremonious end to the ultra-rare clash of reigning state champions. Montour also had a marquee matchup against Moon called off early after building a 13-0 lead, while Thomas Jefferson took down Central Valley, 27-13. McKeesport retains the No. 5 spot for now despite a blowout loss at Peters Township.

Class 3A

1. Central Valley (0-2)

2. Beaver (2-0)

3. Avonworth (2-0)

4. Imani Christian (2-0)

5. Deer Lakes (2-0)

The skinny: Yes, Central Valley is 0-2, but the Warriors played two competitive games against two of the top three teams in Class 4A. Still, they’ll need to turn things around quick to maintain their grasp on the No. 1 spot. Beaver boatraced Blackhawk, 56-28, while Avonworth held off a late rally by West Mifflin for a 28-22 win. Imani Christian cruised past Beaver Falls, 34-0, to set up a big-time matchup against Beaver in Week 2, and Deer Lakes scored an eye-opening 35-22 win at South Park.

Class 2A

1. Seton LaSalle (2-0)

2. Steel Valley (1-1)

3. Washington (1-1)

4. South Park (1-1)

5. South Allegheny (2-0)

The skinny: Class 2A has been arguably the most chaotic classification of all, with now a third No. 1 team in the first three weeks of the season. Seton LaSalle takes over the top spot after back-to-back wins against North Catholic and Bishop Canevin, while preseason No. 1 Steel Valley rises back to No. 2 after knocking off last week’s top-ranked team in a 28-8 win against Washington. South Park dropped a tough matchup at home against Deer Lakes, and South Allegheny joins the rankings after a 50-7 beatdown at Brentwood.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (2-0)

2. Clairton (2-0)

3. Neshannock (2-0)

4. Bishop Canevin (0-1)

5. South Side (1-0)

The skinny: Fort Cherry and Clairton remain neck-and-neck in the top two spots after the Rangers beat Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 41-14, while the Bears shut out Serra Catholic, 43-0. Neshannock dominated Union, 48-20, while Bishop Canevin came up just short in a 21-14 loss at Seton LaSalle to open its season. South Side had its matchup against Western Beaver canceled due to inclement weather after trailing, 7-0, at the time of the stoppage.

City League

1. Westinghouse (1-1)

2. University Prep (0-2)

3. Allderdice (1-1)

The skinny: The top three in the City League remains unchanged for the third consecutive week, as Westinghouse rebounded in a big way from its season-opening defeat against Beaver with a 52-0 demolition of Linsly, W.Va., on Thursday. University Prep lost at Hickory, 40-14, while Allderdice fell to 1-1 after a 42-0 loss against Hollidaysburg.