FREEPORT - The math for making the WPIAL playoffs got more difficult when the PIAA chose to expand to six classes. Due to the variety in the amount of schools in classification, the WPIAL has to have different formats for each grouping to choose who will go to the state playoffs. Hopewell is caught in the meat grinder of a section that is the Western Hills Conference.

The Vikings, who are in Class 3A, can qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2012 by finishing in the top three of their section or earning one of the three at-large wild cards. The possibility of needing a wild card to get in was reflected in Hopewell's effort last week against Freeport, which was 6-1 entering the contest.

The Vikings' offense exploded during a 48-20 win over the Yellowjackets, who dropped their second consecutive contest. Hopewell snapped a string of eight consecutive seasons under .500 now wants to make sure it reaches the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2012.

"We drove an hour and a half and took care of business," Hopewell Mottes said. "Our playoffs started last week. We had two tough losses in a row to Beaver and Avonworth. Every game is the playoffs from here on out."

The 6-2 Vikings have two losses, a 51-50 nail biter to Beaver and a big loss at the hands of defending WPIAL champion Avonworth. Hopewell fell to fifth in the conference after those two defeats. The Vikings are tied with the Bobcats, but don't have the tiebreaker.

Things won't get easier for the Vikings this Friday, as they host defending WPIAL runner-up Central Valley. The Warriors (4-4, 3-1) overall record doesn't look pretty, but they played a difficult non-conference schedule. Central Valley has a balanced offense, led by Ethan Shearer, who has 669 rushing yards.

Quarterback Braddock Ambrose has thrown for 1,018 yards. Hopewell has a talented passers of its own in James Armstrong. Armstrong has passed for 1,721 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Running back Nasir Wade ran for 180 yards against Freeport last week and has 901 for the season. Wade also showed his defensive prowess by running an interception for a touchdown last week. If the Vikings can't get past Central Valley, it will wrap up conference play with another difficult game against North Catholic.

The Vikings should be one of the top candidates for a wild card, considering their strong wins against New Castle and Freeport.

Westinghouse has something prove
The Bulldogs (5-3) have had a strange two weeks. Westinghouse had to forfeit a win on the field, 40-14 against Butler on Sept. 19, due to using an ineligible player.

The Bulldogs also took a narrow loss, 28-24, to Karns City on the road and was upended by University Prep last Friday. The loss to the Eagles snapped a 21-game winning streak in City League play.  The Bulldogs will now have to grapple with Allderdice (4-4) in the City League semifinals.

The Dragons, who beat up on Fox Chapel to open the year, looked lifeless last week during a 35-8 loss to Butler. 

Centurions battling back​
Greensburg Central Catholic took a pair of difficult losses to Riverview and Jeannette back-to-back. Now, the Centurions are hoping to find their way back into the playoff picture in a crowded Eastern Conference race. Riverview taking back-to-back losses to Frazier and Brentwood helped opened up some avenues.

The Centurions took care of business last week against Springdale. Greensburg Central Catholic (4-4, 2-3) faces a surprising Frazier team this week in a game that will clear up much of the playoff picture.

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.

Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone Jr. said his mom hosted the team for pasta and meatballs on Thursday night before the Jayhawks took on rivals Greensburg Central Catholic. Both teams could use a pick-me-up. The Jayhawks and Centurions are in a four-way tie for forth place in the Eastern Conference.

GCC (3-3, 1-2) lost a brutal game with Riverview last week, being beaten up on the ground in a 26-7 win for the Raiders. The Centurions' offense wasn't quite the same without Samir Crosby last week. Crosby is questionable to play this week, according to Bill Beckner of the Tribune Review.

The Jayhawks (3-3, 1-2) will return wide receiver/defensive back Jayce Powell. Jeannette has taken consecutive losses to Clairton and Leechburg. The Bears and Blue Devils are the top two teams in the conference. Jeanette and GCC met in the playoffs last season and both have designs on getting back there this year.

The two sides will play Friday night at McKee Stadium in Jeannette.

Plum and North Hills have much grander ambitions than their current spots in the Northeast Conference standings would indicate. The Mustangs have dropped three straight games and have yet to pick up a win in conference.

Plum's struggles have come despite quarterback John Nonnenberg showing flashes of ability to put up big numbers. Nonnenberg has passed for 1,002 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. However, Plum's offense took a nosedive in the face of strong competition the past two weeks.

Nonnenberg, who has topped 200 yards passing three times this season, was limited to 37 passing yards in a 56-14 loss to defending WPIAL 5A champion Pine-Richland two weeks ago. He also had a hard time against Penn-Trafford, being limited to 73 passing yards in a 33-14 defeat.

The Indians (1-5, 1-1) put itself in the playoff race with a 56-7 win over Fox Chapel. North Hills is led by quarterback Kelly McCarthy, who has thrown for 660 yards and nine touchdowns. Johnell Edison leads the Indians in rushing, piling up 297 yards on 48 carries.

Can Central Valley scare North Catholic?
The Warriors have had their share of issues going into a Western Hills Conference battle with North Catholic Friday at Stone Field. Central Valley (2-4, 2-1) has taken on its fair share of difficult opponents. The Warriors lost a rematch of the Class 3A WPIAL title game to Avonworth, 34-6.

Central Valley has also taken losses against Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon. North Catholic has been beating up all of its opponents so far season. Before losing 36-16 to Imani Christian last week, the Trojans had scored 47 points or more in every game this season.

The Warriors (2-4) have a balanced offensive attack. Central Valley is led by dynamic back Ethan Shearer on the ground. He has 455 yards on 55 carries this season. Warriors quarterback Braddock Ambrose has struggled with interceptions, but has thrown for 737 yards and six touchdowns.

North Catholic quarterback Joey Felitsky has thrown for 1,329 yards and 22 touchdowns. Logan Schade has been his top target, catching 45 passes for 657 yards.

Westmoreland County rivals seek good health
Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette could both use a shot in the arm. The Centurions played without their top offensive weapon, Samir Crosby, and were outmuscled in a 26-7 Eastern Conference loss to Riverview. Jeannette is struggling with health issues and took its second consecutive loss against Clairton.

The Jayhawks are seeking to avoid a three-game skid that plagued them in playoff seeding last season. However, things worked out for Jeannette, as the Jayhawks made a run to the WPIAL Class 1A semifinals. Jeannette and GCC are both 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference. The teams are in a four-way tie for fourth place with Frazier and Brentwood. A win does a long way toward solidifying a spot in the postseason.

Can Franklin Regional collect first win?
The Panthers hung tough with Kiski last week. But Franklin Regional (0-6) fell short, 14-7, in Big East Conference action. The Panthers will welcome a team that had a tough weekend in the press.

Fox Chapel has two wins this season, but the Foxes' request to have their game with Pine-Richland be played with shortened quarters drew a mixed reaction. The Foxes received a lot of criticism for the request from a vocal segment of the local sports community. Some of the players agreed with the decision.

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.

Riverview beat Greensburg Central Catholic 26-7 Saturday at Riverside Park.

​Check out all of my coverage in the Tribune Review.

When the PIAA chose to go to six classes in football for the 2016 season, there was always a feeling that the competition in the largest classification was going to be sparse in Western Pennsylvania. There aren't enough large districts to have a large league.

North Allegheny and Central Catholic have met in the WPIAL Class 6A final in the previous three seasons, with the Tigers winning two of the three matchups. Central Catholic also won a meeting between the teams in the 2020 championship game.

The Tigers (5-0, 2-0) will enter this weekend's home matchup as the underdogs. North Allegheny opened the season with a narrow win over Woodland Hills. The Tigers narrowly beat a strong Norwin team 20-17 last week.

The Vikings (4-1, 2-0) opened the season by losing to a potential opponent in the PIAA final, La Salle College. Central Catholic had a tightly contested win over Pine-Richland in Week 1, shutting out the Rams in the second half of a 34-20 win.

Central Catholic cruised since. The Vikings laid waste to Woodland Hills (58-20), Mt. Lebanon (57-0) and Hempfield (59-7) to stretch their winning streak to four. The Vikings have a balanced offense, led by quarterback Owen Herrick, who has 858 passing yards. Running back Roman Thompson has piled up 411 yards on the ground.

Luke Rohan leads North Allegheny with 426 rushing yards. Brady Brinkley leads the Tigers with 708 passing yards. The question for North Allegheny in this matchup is if the Tigers can handle Central Catholic's large offensive line?

Riverview, Greensburg Central Catholic seek separation
Clairton and Leechburg have established themselves as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. But the rest of the teams vying for spots in the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs still have hopes they can force their way into the playoff picture.

Riverview (3-2, 1-1) blasted Springdale 64-14 last weekend to halt a two-game slide. The Raiders have struggled with consistency on offense this season. Riverview hasn't scored fewer than 18 points in a game this season, but has struggled with turnovers and penalties in key spots.

The Centurions (3-2, 1-1) lost a nailbiter to Shady Side Academy in Week Zero and were blasted by a state-title contender, Clairton, two weeks ago. Samir Crosby has scored nine touchdowns for GCC this season.

Crosby leads the team with 251 rushing and 225 receiving yards.

New Castle will get a true test

The Red Hurricane have flexed their defensive muscles all season. New Castle is off to a 4-1 start and has recorded four shutout victories. But the Red Hurricane will get the ultimate test this weekend during their Parkway Conference opener.  New Castle will have to try and find a way to beat Aliquippa.

The Quips rallied from a double-digit deficit to stun Penn Hills last Friday at Heinz Field. Marques Council passed for 309 yards last week, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Williams as time expired. Council threw all three of his touchdown passes during the fourth quarter of Aliquippa's 21-16 win.

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 Shady Side Academy girls basketball team appeared to be headed toward the state playoffs with an opportunity to finish the year unbeaten. But section rival Greensburg Central Catholic made sure the Bulldogs would feel some adversity before the PIAA Class 3A playoffs started. The Centurions leaned on 31 points from Erica Gribble to steal a 56-51 win on Thursday night at Petersen Events Center.

GCC, which was the No. 2 seed, lost both of its regular-season meetings with the Bulldogs (24-1). Shady Side Academy won the first meeting between the two teams this season by 29 points. During the WPIAL championship game, Gribble, who is committed to Richmond, controlled the game down the stretch.

Gribble scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs were playing without 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer. Karis Thomas led the Bulldogs with 5 points. The Bulldogs only played six players. Cameron Capel, the daughter of Pitt men's basketball coach Jeff Capel, also finished with 12 points for the 

Belle Vernon wins first WPIAL championship since 1978
The top-seeded Leopards played an excellent first half and were able to ride that 13-point lead at the break to a 54-49 win over North Catholic in the 4A title game. Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino, 73, collected his seventh WPIAL title of his coaching career. Salvino led Monessen to six titles, the last of which game in 2017.

This was the second time Salvino guided Belle Vernon (21-4) to the WPIAL championship game. The Leopards lost to Highlands in the 2020 championship game. Tommy Davis led Highlands with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win against the Trojans. Trevor Kovatch and Zion Moore also scored 12 points for the Leopards.

Jason Fredericks led North Catholic (19-6) with 20 points. The Trojans struggled from the field, only making 38.1 percent (16-of-42) of their field goal attempts.

All in the Neighborhood
Neighborhood Academy has only been a part of the WPIAL in boys basketball since 2020. The Bulldogs brought home their first championship in the Class A game by beating Serra Catholic, 67-44. This was Neighborhood Academy's second straight year in the title game.

The Bulldogs lost to Imani Christian in the final last year. Courtney Wallace led Neighborhood Academy with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Serra, which lost to the Bulldogs twice in the regular season, only trailed by a point after the opening quarter.  Mark Johnson and Owen Dumbrowski tied for a team-high 14 points for the Eagles (21-4).

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.