Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Sept. 8)

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 (3-0)

2. Central Catholic (1-2)

3. Norwin (2-1)

4. Hempfield (1-2)

5. Seneca Valley (0-2)

The skinny: Welcome to the win column, Central Catholic! The Vikings thumped Woodland Hills, 54-14, and next draw Mt. Lebanon in the conference opener. North Allegheny won at Penn Hills, 18-14, in what was the Tigers’ second win by four or fewer points. Hempfield makes its rankings debut following a 31-29 triumph at Kiski Area.

Class 5A

1. Peters Township (3-0)

2. Pine-Richland (2-0)

3. Upper St. Clair (3-0)

4. Bethel Park (3-0)

5. Latrobe (3-0)

The skinny: Peters Township flexed its defensive muscles in a 28-0 win at Mt. Lebanon. The defending WPIAL Class 5A champs have given up only 24 points in three games. Bethel Park may “only” be No. 4, but the Black Hawks have certainly made a strong case to be higher than that. All of their wins have come on the road, and they are averaging 48.3 points per game, which ranks second in the WPIAL. Latrobe enters the rankings after its 42-28 win at Norwin.

Class 4A

1. Aliquippa (1-0)

2. Montour (2-0)

3. Thomas Jefferson (3-0)

4. Belle Vernon (1-0)

5. West Mifflin (2-1)

The skinny: It was a wild Week 2 in this class, with Aliquippa rallying from two touchdowns down to win at Avonworth, Montour slipping past Trinity by a touchdown, Thomas Jefferson storming back from a 21-point deficit before claiming a walk-off win in overtime against McKeesport, and Belle Vernon edging Central Valley by six points. Thomas Jefferson’s next three games are against ranked foes (Avonworth, West Mifflin and Belle Vernon). West Mifflin is new to the rankings but faces a huge challenge this week when it travels to Bethel Park.

Class 3A

1. Imani Christian (3-0)

2. Central Valley (0-3)

3. Beaver (2-1)

4. Avonworth (2-1)

5. Deer Lakes (3-0)

The skinny: We have a new No. 1, this after Imani Christian and its stable of playmakers took down Beaver, 42-28, in a battle of ranked foes. Central Valley is still winless, but it’s hard to drop the Warriors far in the rankings considering all of their losses were narrow defeats to ranked teams from larger classes (Montour, Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon). Avonworth’s loss to Aliquippa ended a 14-game home win streak. Deer Lakes is 3-0 for the first time since 2015.

Class 2A

1. Seton LaSalle (2-0)

2. Washington (2-1)

3. South Park (2-1)

4. South Allegheny (3-0)

5. Ellwood City (2-0)

The skinny: Seton LaSalle got three quarters in against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart before the game was suspended due to inclement weather. Washington bounced back from a loss to Steel Valley by beating Union. Speaking of Steel Valley, the preseason No. 1 fell out of the rankings after a 42-6 loss at Bishop Canevin. South Park gets Steel Valley this week before a pair of tough road games against South Allegheny and Washington. South Allegheny is 3-0 for the first time since 1977. Ellwood City is now ranked after winning at Neshannock, 28-21.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (3-0)

2. Clairton (3-0)

3. Bishop Canevin (1-1)

4. South Side (2-0)

5. Cornell (3-0)

The skinny: Fort Cherry and Clairton continued their dominance with shutout wins. Fort Cherry has outscored opponents, 121-14, while Clairton has topped foes, 123-7. Rankings newcomer Cornell has enjoyed similar success, outscoring its opposition, 123-12. Clairton plays its first “home” game this week when it tackles Greensburg Central Catholic. The Bears are playing their home games at Thomas Jefferson this season. Bishop Canevin rebounded from a season-opening loss to Seton LaSalle with the lopsided win against Steel Valley.

City League

1. Westinghouse (2-1)

2. Allderdice (2-1)

3. University Prep (0-2)

The skinny: Westinghouse blasted Brashear, 64-0, for its second consecutive shutout and is now 24-1 in its last 25 regular-season games. University Prep is still seeking its first win and now must travel to play Ohio power Steubenville. The Big Red reached the state semifinals a season ago and have raced to a 3-0 start this season.