Things are about to start heating up regarding high school football across the North Hills region.
WPIAL playoff quarterfinals round of play will kick off this Friday, November 5th.
One thing is for certain, school districts and communities across the North Hills will be well represented in the tournament this year.
Following the conclusion of the regular season last Saturday, the league released seeding and playoffs brackets for all classifications.
Let’s discuss some first-round matchups for the teams across our area.
Starting off in 6A, the North Allegheny Tigers limped to the finish line as they lost to Seneca Valley this past weekend in their regular-season finale. The Tigers concluded their season with a 6-4 overall record which earned them the number four seed in the 6A bracket. They will host Canon-McMillian in the first round of the playoffs. The kick-off is set for 7 pm. in Wexford.
The Seneca Valley Raiders have displayed a strong showing in the state's biggest classification all season long, finishing with a 7-3 overall record. Their win against North Allegheny vaulted them into the number three seed in the 6A bracket. The Raiders will receive a first-round bye and then face off against the Central Catholic Vikings next weekend at Baldwin High School.
Mt. Lebanon received the number one overall seed in 6A.
Let's shift down to 5A, which many are considering the deepest conference in terms of the quality of teams and contenders.
The North Hills Indians finished their season with a 6-3 overall record along with a share of the 5A Northeastern Conference Title. That earned the Indians the number six seed in the 5A tournament bracket. They will host a home playoff game for the first time in over a decade when they welcome Peters Township this Friday. The Peters Township Indians are the number 11 seed in the tournament. The kick-off is set for 7 pm. at Martorelli Stadium in West View.
Despite being defeated by North Hills, Pine Richland received a higher ranking by the WPIAL committee and is the number three seed in the 5A bracket. The Rams will enjoy a first-round bye this weekend and then will play host to the winner of North Hills vs. Peters Township the following weekend in the semi-finals. Pine Richland finished their season with a 6-4 record and a share of the 5A Northeastern Title.
The Shaler Area Titans finished their season with a 2-8 overall record and did not qualify for the WPIAL playoffs. The Titans were defeated by North Hills last weekend by a score of 49-19.
The Moon Area Tigers are undefeated and received the top seed in 5A.
Finally, let's dive into 4A.
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the season, the Hampton High School Talbots capped of a perfect 10-0 season this past weekend. They are the only undefeated team across the North Hills. The achievement earned Hampton the number four overall seed in the 4A bracket. The Talbots will host Plum High School this Friday night in round one. The kick-off is set for 7 pm. in Hampton Township.
Belle Vernon Area earned the number one seed in 4A.
We shall see if the many teams across our region survive into the semi-finals as the journey for a WPIAL Championship at Heinz Field begins.
Official WPIAL brackets are listed below.
Full WPIAL Quarterfinal Matchups
Class 6A
Quarterfinals
Friday’s schedule
- Canon-McMillan (4-6) at North Allegheny (6-4), 7 p.m.
Semifinals
Friday, Nov. 12
- Canon-McMillan/North Allegheny winner at Mt. Lebanon (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Seneca Valley (7-3) vs. Central Catholic (8-2) at Baldwin, 7 p.m.
Class 5A
First-round
Friday’s schedule
- Woodland Hills (4-6) at Bethel Park (5-5), 7 p.m.
- Franklin Regional (3-7) at Penn Hills (6-3), 7 p.m.
- Fox Chapel (4-6) at Upper St. Clair (6-4), 7 p.m.
- Peters Township (6-4) at North Hills (7-3), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 12
- Woodland Hills/Bethel Park winner at Moon (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Franklin Regional/Penn Hills winner at Gateway (7-3), 7 p.m.
- Fox Chapel/Upper St. Clair winner at Penn-Trafford (8-2), 7 p.m.
- Peters Township/North Hills at Pine-Richland (6-4), 7 p.m.
Class 4A
First-round
Friday’s schedule
- New Castle (6-4) at Highlands (7-3), 7 p.m.
- Plum (3-7) at Hampton (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Indiana (5-5) at Thomas Jefferson (7-3), 7 p.m.
- Laurel Highlands (7-3) at Beaver (7-2), 7 p.m.
- Montour (4-6) at Armstrong (7-3), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 12
- New Castle/Highlands winner at Belle Vernon (8-0), 7 p.m.
- Plum/Hampton winner vs. Thomas Jefferson/Indiana winner
- Laurel Highlands/Beaver winner at Aliquippa (8-1)
- Montour/Armstrong at McKeesport (8-2), 7 p.m.
Class 3A
First-round
Friday’s games
- East Allegheny (4-5) at Southmoreland (7-3), 7 p.m.
- Ambridge (2-8) at Freeport (5-4), 7 p.m.
- South Allegheny (4-6) at Keystone Oaks (5-5), 7 p.m.
- Burrell (3-7) at Mt. Pleasant (5-4), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 12
- East Allegheny/Southmoreland winner at Central Valley (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Ambridge/Freeport winner at Elizabeth Forward (8-2), 7 p.m.
- South Allegheny/Keystone Oaks winner at North Catholic (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Burrell/Mt. Pleasant winner at Avonworth (8-2), 7 p.m.
Class 2A
First-round
Friday’s schedule
- Beth-Center (2-6) at Steel Valley (9-0), 7 p.m.
- Ligonier Valley (8-2) at South Side (6-3), 7 p.m.
- New Brighton (4-6) at Washington (9-0), 7 p.m.
- Western Beaver (7-2) vs. Beaver Falls (6-3) at Geneva College, 7 p.m.
- Shady Side Academy (4-5) vs. Sto-Rox (10-0) at Peters Township, 7 p.m.
- Mohawk (5-5) at Chartiers-Houston (7-1), 7 p.m.
- McGuffey (5-5) at Laurel (10-0), 7 p.m.
- Neshannock (7-3) vs. Serra Catholic (10-1) at Norwin, 7 p.m.
Class A
First-round
Friday’s schedule
- OLSH (6-3) vs. Greensburg Central Catholic at Hempfield, 7 p.m.
- Springdale (5-4) at West Greene (8-2), 7 p.m.
- Mapletown (6-4) vs. Rochester (7-2), 7 p.m.
- Monessen (4-6) vs. Cornell (7-2) at West Allegheny, 7 p.m.
- California (7-2) at Leechburg (8-2), 7 p.m.
- Burgettstown (5-4) vs. Bishop Canevin (9-1) at Canon-McMillan, 7 p.m.
- Shenango (3-6) at Carmichaels (8-2), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 12
- OLSH/Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Clairton, 7 p.m.
- Springdale/West Greene vs. Mapletown/Rochester
- Monessen/Cornell vs. California/Leechburg
- Burgettstown/Bishop Canevin vs. Shenango/Carmichaels
Ben Spriggs is senior communications and media student at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he also writes for the campus paper. Ben is a graduate of North Hills High School. He can be reached at
