Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Oct. 27)

Below are the final Pittsburgh Union Progress high school football rankings for the 2024 regular season, with all rankings voted on by the PUP sports staff.

Class 6A

1. Central Catholic (8-2)

2. North Allegheny (9-1)

3. Mt. Lebanon (3-7)

4. Seneca Valley (3-6)

5. Hempfield (3-7)

The skinny: Central Catholic and North Allegheny were penciled into the playoffs before the season started, but the question has long been which teams would earn the other two bids? The answer: Mt. Lebanon and Seneca Valley. Mt. Lebanon, which began the season 0-5, clinched a berth via a 42-20 win at Norwin. Seneca Valley dropped games to Central Catholic and North Allegheny the last two weeks, but wins against Canon-McMillan and Hempfield right before then got the Raiders a spot at the postseason table.

Class 5A

1. Upper St. Clair (10-0)

2. Pine-Richland (8-1)

3. Peters Township (9-1)

4. Bethel Park (8-2)

5. Woodland Hills (8-2)

The skinny: Despite the WPIAL playoff committee awarding the No. 1 seed to Pine-Richland, Upper St. Clair has been at the top of the PUP rankings since its win against Peters Township in Week 5. The Panthers finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2013. Peters Township has won four straight since its lone loss, the latest triumph being a 31-28 win against Bethel Park. Outside of Upper St. Clair, no Class 5A team has been hotter than Woodland Hills, which has now won seven in a row.

Class 4A

1. Thomas Jefferson (10-0)

2. Montour (8-1)

3. Aliquippa (6-2)

4. West Allegheny (4-3)

5. McKeesport (6-4)

The skinny: For the second week in a row, we have a new No. 1 team. A week after Montour upset No. 1 Aliquippa, it was West Allegheny which knocked off the No. 1-ranked Spartans, throwing the playoff picture into a tizzy. Montour, Aliquippa and West Allegheny all finished atop the Parkway Conference with 4-1 records, and when the dust settled, Montour was seeded second, Aliquippa fourth and West Allegheny eighth. McKeesport is the No. 3 seed. The Tigers started the season 1-4, but have since won five straight.

Class 3A

1. Imani Christian (10-0)

2. Beaver (8-2)

3. Avonworth (7-3)

4. Central Valley (5-5)

5. Elizabeth Forward (7-3)

The skinny: Avonworth was a win away from finishing conference play unbeaten for the third year in a row, but Beaver said “not so fast” in handing the Antelopes a 34-14 defeat. That meant that Beaver, Avonworth and Central Valley finished tied atop the Western Hills Conference. All three were awarded top-five seeds. No. 2 Central Valley and No. 4 Beaver both get first-round byes, while No. 5 Avonworth must play in the first round. Keep an eye on Elizabeth Forward, the No. 3 seed which has won six straight.

Class 2A

1. Seton LaSalle (9-0)

2. South Park (9-1)

3. Ellwood City (9-0)

4. Steel Valley (7-3)

5. South Allegheny (8-2)

The skinny: Little movement here, with the only change being Steel Valley and South Allegheny flip-flopping the last two spots, this after the Ironmen throttled the Gladiators, 45-7. Steel Valley’s 1-3 start now seems like a lifetime ago as the Ironmen have reeled off six consecutive wins. Seton LaSalle, which two seasons ago went 0-10, finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2011, while Ellwood City did it for the first time since 1944.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (10-0)

2. Clairton (10-0)

3. Bishop Canevin (7-2)

4. Neshannock (9-1)

5. Cornell (8-2)

The skinny: Fort Cherry and Clairton have been 1-2 since the beginning of the season and still don’t have a blemish on their records. Fort Cherry, the defending WPIAL champion, has won all but one of its games by at least 21 points (the other was a 15-point margin), while Clairton proved to be the most dominant team in the WPIAL in the regular season by outscoring opponents, 540-21. Cornell moved into the fifth spot following a 41-6 win against then-No. 5 Monessen. Cornell is seeded ninth in the playoffs.

City League

1. Westinghouse (8-1)

2. Allderdice (5-5)

3. University Prep (3-5)

The skinny: Fresh off of winning its third consecutive City League title, Westinghouse joins Fort Cherry as the only teams that have been ranked No. 1 since the preseason. Both Westinghouse and Allderdice will now begin play in the PIAA playoffs — Westinghouse in Class 1A and Allderdice in Class 5A. Westinghouse was the PIAA Class 2A runner-up the previous two seasons.