The WPIAL has released the new football alignments for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years.

There are many things that cause more consternation than the realignments that add more travel. Part of the reason the WPIAL can't get out of its own way on the odd geography is because it wants to have sections that allow them to have playoffs by classification, which makes sense.

Here are a few things that stick out about the new alignment:

• Thomas Jefferson and West Allegheny are coming up to Class 5A. The Jaguars should be well-positioned to make the jump. Bill Cherpak has been the Jaguars' coach for a long time and they have been successful at any level they competed at. But this section will be brutal. Peters Township, Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park were all excellent last season. Bob Palko is back at West A, but it may take a few years to get back to where they used to be during his first stint.
• McKeesport should break through and win Class 4A. The Tigers have excellent offensive weapons in Kemon Spell and Javien Robinson. The Tigers also chose to retain coach Matt Miller, which should help with continuity. With Aliquippa and TJ gone, there will be real urgency for McKeesport to win its first title in more than 20 years. Central Valley and North Catholic should be challengers.
• How will the independent schedule plan work? Albert Gallatin, Connellsville and Uniontown will all return to the WPIAL this season. The Fayette County schools all played a non-WPIAL schedule for the past two seasons. Albert Gallatin picked up a number of wins last season thanks to its new schedule. How much will that translate to sustained success in a competitive league? We shall see. ​

There's a look at the alignment below.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

The meeting between Knoch and North Catholic's boys basketball team should be a compelling matchup of section rivals in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs Tuesday night in Plum. But having the teams meet for the fourth time this early in the state tournament provides a compelling argument for seeding the state tournament.

​It's not practical with such a large tournament.

Since Pennsylvania takes 32 teams in each classification, there are many more schools out east than in Western Pennsylvania in the larger classifications. That means when the brackets come out, there is no way to fairly set things up so east meets west in the final. Knoch (23-4) and North Catholic (20-6) each took care of business against District 10 competition in the first round of states, knocking out Girard and Sharon, respectively.

The Knights are on a historic run for the program, collecting their first-ever WPIAL title and have a 23-4 record. Knoch beat North Catholic by 24 points in the WPIAL semifinals. However, the two teams split in the regular season.

The Trojans are an excellent team that have consistently stacked their schedule under coach Jim Rocco with strong competition. North Catholic will be motivated to play better than during the third meeting.

It would be nice to see this as a quarterfinal matchup. The semifinals will be difficult to reach this season. District 10 champ Erie Cathedral Prep is averaging more than 90 points per game and has plenty of talent.

Knoch and North Catholic will be another solid entry in the history between the two sides. It's just a shame the way Pennsylvania does its state playoff bracket forced it to happen again so quickly.

A pair of WPIAL basketball player were recently honored by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference by winning their respective Freshman of the Year awards. Rowan Carmichael, an Avonworth graduate, plays at Edinboro. He led the Fightin' Scots in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game.

Carmichael also contributed 2.0 rebounds per game, 59 assists and 29 steals. Edinboro finished the season 13-15 overall and 9-11 in conference.

Iyanna Wade, a Clairton graduate, was also chosen on the women's side. She is the second Slippery Rock University player to earn the award in three seasons. Regan Atkins, a Laurel graduate, won the award for the 2023-24 season. Wade set a program record by playing 937 minutes and she started all 26 games. 

Wade averaged 14.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. SRU finished the season 7-19 overall and 5-15 in conference.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. All story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Penn-Trafford won its PIAA Class 5A first-round playoff against West York Saturday in Harrison City.

The Knoch boys basketball team was one example showing how tough the competition was in Section 1-4A in the WPIAL. Deer Lakes, North Catholic and the Knights all advanced to the second round of the PIAA Tournament.

Indiana 6-foot-8 junior Aaron Webb recently received an offer from Louisville. Webb, who scored a school record 49 points in a game this season, helped the Little Indians reached the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs this past season.

Indiana was upended in the first round of the district playoffs, losing 56-50 in overtime to Gateway. The Little Indians wrapped up the season with a 13-9 record, including a 7-5 mark in section.

​

PITTSBURGH - The Canon-McMillan girls basketball team was happy to make history by winning its first WPIAL Class 6A championship with a 60-38 win over Norwin. But the Big Macs had a unique start to a historic day.

Canon-McMillan had one of its players, Olivia Ross, sing the national anthem. It clearly energized her teammates. The Big Macs surged to a 13-7 first-quarter lead.  Canon-McMillan would lead by as many as 19 points in the third quarter. Norwin never led.

While the two teams split during the regular season, the Big Macs looked more comfortable throughout the game. Norwin rallied in the third quarter with the Big Macs ahead 34-15. Norwin ran off 15 straight to cut the deficit to four.

Madison Clair led Canon-McMillan with 15 points, while Sam Miller (12) and Lauren Borella (10) also finished in double figures.

Quips win again
Aliquippa was missing three starters, but still found a way to get by South Allegheny to win its record 15th WPIAL final.

They said it

"Everyone poops the bed sometimes. Even the coaches."

-Thomas Jefferson coach Dom DeCicco ​after the Jaguars' loss to Chartiers Valley

PITTSBURGH - Reaching the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game didn't bring Greensburg Central Catholic guard Erica Gribble any solace. The career 2,000-point scorer would have liked to added a third medal to her collection, but it didn't work out for the two-time defending champion Centurions. Section rival Shady Side Academy pulled away after halftime to grab a 57-40 win.

"I'm frustrated," Gribble said. "I wanted to win another one."

It was the Bulldogs' third win over GCC this season. Last season, the Centurions upended SSA, which went on to reach the PIAA final, in the championship game at Petersen Events Center. The Bulldogs were able to grab the championship thanks to an efficient offensive performance. Shady Side Academy shot 61.1 percent (22-of-36) from the field.

Karis Thomas scored 21 points for Shady Side Academy, while Cassie Sauer added 14. Gribble, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, scored nine points and had two rebounds. Avery Jones led GCC with 14 points.

Centurions coach Chris Skatell felt the Centurions played well.

"I thought we missed some opportunities in the first half where we could stretch things a little bit," Skatell said. "I thought we played well into the third quarter. Somewhere in the third quarter things got a little loose. The score isn't indicative of the game."

Bulldogs guard Karis Thomas said she felt what she saw from GCC was similar from the team's two matchups during the regular season.

"We didn't really see anything new," Thomas said. "They worked hard on defense. They tried everything."

Eagles fall short again
Serra Catholic took a tough loss where it lost to Neighborhood Academy in the 1A final for the second straight year. Read more about the game here. The Eagles didn't make a 3-pointer.

Brayden Graham, who scored 10 point for Serra Catholic, said the Eagles weren't discouraged with the defeat. They battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs closed the game on a 15-2 run to win the game.

"It feels good coming back here two times in a row," Graham said. "Losing both times is hard, but we're going to be back here next year."

Neighborhood Academy won despite shooting 38.8 percent from the floor. The Bulldogs were able to make five 3-pointers and 17 free throws to find an edge.

Knoch makes history
The Knights won their first WPIAL crown in school history. Read my story on it for the Tribune Review.

Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Penn Hills will be losing one of its top players for next season. Carter Bonner announced on X Wednesday afternoon that he will play next season at powerhouse Saint Frances (Md.) Academy for his senior season. Bonner was limited to four games last season due to an injury.

The Indians struggled to a 3-7 record last season and finished 2-3 in the Northeast Conference. Penn Hills missed out on the playoffs when Plum returned a kick the Indians blocked for a touchdown in the final week of the season. Bonner played his freshman season at Shady Side Academy.

Bonner moved to Penn Hills during his sophomore season.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Oakland Catholic and North Catholic have become a frequent dance partner in the WPIAL playoffs. For the second consecutive year, the Eagles knocked off the Trojanettes in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Oakland Catholic has won seven of the past nine meetings with North Catholic.

The Trojanettes only made 9 of their 41 field goal attempts. The Eagles will be seeking their second consecutive WPIAL championship win. Oakland Catholic also beat Blackhawk in the final last season.