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.

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.

Sometimes the assignments that don't seem to have much promise more than live up to the billing. Deer Lakes boys basketball team pushed North Catholic to the limit Friday night. The Trojans came from 13 points down to trip up the Lancers.

North Catholic is one of the favorites to be the top seed in Class 4A. The WPIAL will release the playoff brackets on Monday.

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.

The Oakland Catholic girls basketball team put together one of its best performances of the season to beat section rival North Catholic 57-29 in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals Monday night at Fox Chapel High School. London Creach, who didn't play in either of the regular season meetings between the two teams, returned to score 15 points for the Eagles.

The Eagles are returning to the WPIAL final for the first time since 2023. Oakland Catholic lost that matchup to South Fayette.