Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Sept. 22)

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 (5-0)

2. Central Catholic (3-2)

3. Canon-McMillan (2-3)

4. Seneca Valley (1-3)

5. Norwin (2-3)

The skinny: North Allegheny rebounded from a 14-8 second-quarter deficit to beat Norwin, 36-14. While the Tigers have started slow the past three games, they have outscored foes, 45-0, in the second half of those contests. The latest triumph sets up a big 1 vs. 2 matchup against Central Catholic this Friday at Baldwin. Canon-McMillan jumped into the rankings following its second win in a row, which was also its first conference triumph.

Class 5A

1. Peters Township (5-0)

2. Pine-Richland (4-0)

3. Upper St. Clair (5-0)

4. Bethel Park (5-0)

5. South Fayette (5-0)

The skinny: Of the WPIAL’s 18 unbeaten teams, four (Peters Township, Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park and South Fayette) reside in the Allegheny Six Conference. Moon is also 3-1, so take out 0-5 Baldwin and the conference has gone 23-1. Bethel Park owns the No. 1 scoring offense in the WPIAL (51.2 points per game), while Peters Township boasts the No. 2 scoring defense (6 ppg). Someone’s “0” has got to go this week as Upper St. Clair hosts Peters Township.

Class 4A

1. Aliquippa (2-1)

2. Montour (4-0)

3. Thomas Jefferson (5-0)

4. New Castle (4-0)

5. McKeesport (1-4)

The skinny: Aliquippa and New Castle meet Friday with one of the teams being unbeaten, but the surprising thing is it’s New Castle and not Aliquippa. On the same night that Aliquippa had its 16-game win streak snapped in a 21-13 loss at Class 5A Penn Hills, New Castle rallied late to beat Knoch, 42-32, to claim its first 4-0 start in 22 years. Why is 1-4 McKeesport still ranked? Well, there’s not exactly a slam dunk pick for the fifth spot, and the belief here is that the Tigers are still a very good team. Two of their losses have come in overtime and three to ranked foes.

Class 3A

1. Imani Christian (5-0)

2. Central Valley (2-3)

3. Deer Lakes (5-0)

4. Beaver (3-2)

5. Highlands (2-2)

The skinny: Same schools, just a different order after Central Valley defeated Beaver, 51-37, and Imani Christian clipped Highlands, 12-10, in matchups of ranked teams. Imani Christian has held four of its five opponents to 10 or fewer points and now owns the top scoring defense in the class (8.8 ppg). Fear the Deer! Deer Lakes is 5-0 for the first time ever. The Lancers have a challenging stretch ahead of them with games against Highlands, Beaver and Imani Christian.

Class 2A

1. Seton LaSalle (4-0)

2. South Park (4-1)

3. Ellwood City (4-0)

4. South Allegheny (4-1)

5. Steel Valley (2-3)

The skinny: South Park captured one of the most impressive wins of any WPIAL team last week by hitting the road and handing South Allegheny its first loss, 48-38. The Eagles also own a win against No. 5 Steel Valley, and their lone loss was a 35-22 setback to Class 3A No. 3 Deer Lakes. Speaking of Steel Valley, the Ironmen, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, re-enter the rankings following a 40-6 win at then-No. 5 Waynesburg. Ellwood City is 4-0 for the first time since 1997. The Wolverines have not started 5-0 since 1986.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (5-0)

2. Clairton (5-0)

3. Bishop Canevin (3-1)

4. South Side (4-0)

5. Leechburg (5-0)

The skinny: Fort Cherry trailed by a touchdown late in the third quarter against previously unbeaten Monessen before pulling away for a 35-14 win. Clairton continued its defensive dominance in a 60-0 triumph at Frazier. The Bears have shut out four consecutive opponents, and their defense has yet to give up any points this season. Bishop Canevin picked up a hard-fought 29-22 win at then-No. 5 Cornell, while Leechburg jumps into the rankings after dealing Jeannette its first loss, 35-13. The Blue Devils are 5-0 for the first time since 1981.

City League

1. Westinghouse (4-1)

2. Allderdice (4-1)

3. University Prep (1-3)

The skinny: Thursday night football, anyone? The top two teams in the city will square off Thursday at Cupples Stadium. Westinghouse, the two-time defending City League champion, beat Allderdice in the regular season and playoffs each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs have won 26 of their last 27 regular-season games. Welcome to the win column, University Prep! The Panthers grabbed their first win by thumping Perry, 52-6.