Chris Harlan stories, Page 2
Grass fields a rarity in WPIAL playoffs nowadays — 5 things to watch in high school football
Bentworth’s football team has something that’s becoming rare in the WPIAL playoffs these days. That’s a grass field. Only a handful of first-round games — all in the small-school Class A and 2A brackets — won’t be played on artificial turf, with Laurel, South Side, Mohawk and Apollo-Ridge also hosting...
Expect ‘throwback game’ when Thomas Jefferson, Mars collide in playoff opener
Being a former lineman himself, Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak likes the look of a six-man offensive line, a run-game tactic the Jaguars have used lately. “I’ll put 10 linemen in there next,” Cherpak said with a laugh. The reigning WPIAL champions hope to defend their Class 4A title largely...
Denied a wild card, South Fayette finds WPIAL snub ‘not an easy way to go’
South Fayette coach Marty Spieler gathered his players after a three-point loss to Moon on Friday, a narrow setback against a talented Allegheny Six foe. He knew there was nothing more they could do now. “I told the kids, ‘Guys, I hope that the committee gives you a chance to...
Breaking down the 2025 WPIAL football playoffs
Class 6A Favorite: Defending champion Central Catholic has dominated Class 6A this year, outscoring conference opponents 265-35. The Vikings, under third-year coach Ryan Lehmeier, are favorites to win the program’s 10th WPIAL title. They’re trying to reach the finals for the 11th time in 12 years. The roster is loaded...
‘Shocking’ 4A pairings debated as WPIAL reveals brackets for 2025 football playoffs
Only eight teams qualified for the Class 4A football playoffs, but the WPIAL’s smallest bracket has surely raised the most eyebrows. McKeesport drew the No. 1 seed, as expected, but the rest of the 4A bracket proved unpredictable until the WPIAL revealed its pairings Saturday. Most notably, there was an...
WPIAL bracketology: Chris Harlan, Don Rebel forecast 2025 football playoff pairings
Other than the wild cards, the 2025 WPIAL playoff field is set. In the current playoff format, the 16 wild card teams aren’t determined by tiebreaker formulas, but instead chosen at the discretion of the WPIAL football steering committee. So, bubble teams must wait until Saturday afternoon to learn whether...
Sparked by big-play freshman, Montour locks up playoff berth with win over West Allegheny
Montour’s Archie Collins will be dressing up as a freshman football player on Halloween night, a look that can surely frighten quite a few of his opponents. Call him a pick-six poltergeist. The star freshman scored twice Friday night, including a 77-yard interception return just before halftime that carried No....
1st-place Parkway clash might also be WPIAL playoff qualifier — 5 things to watch in Week 9
“Go big or go home” surely isn’t the spot West Allegheny planned to be in. With a win Friday night, the Indians would qualify for the playoffs as the top seed from the always-tough Parkway Conference. But if they were to lose, they could miss the playoffs entirely. That’s life...
Return to 4 classes among options on the table for WPIAL football realignment
Ten years after high school football expanded to six classifications, the WPIAL might consider going back to four. That idea is among a handful of proposals submitted to the WPIAL office, varying plans for realigning conferences that the football steering committee will soon discuss. “There are four different possibilities, and...
Central Catholic lineman James Halter commits to Notre Dame
Central Catholic offensive lineman James Halter committed Wednesday to Notre Dame, making him the second member of his family to choose the Fighting Irish. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound tackle is rated as a four-star prospect and ranked as the 10th-best junior in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals. He had nearly two dozen...
Steelers will again televise 4 WPIAL football finals at Acrisure Stadium
Television plans for the upcoming WPIAL football finals remain the same as last year, said the WPIAL administrator who oversees league championships. The four games played at Acrisure Stadium will again be televised through a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the two games played elsewhere will not. The WPIAL...
WPIAL board accepts executive director Scott Seltzer’s resignation, appoints replacement
The WPIAL will soon have a new administrator at the top. The board on Tuesday accepted WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer’s resignation and voted to promote chief operating officer Vince Sortino to the top spot. The move is effective Dec. 20. “It’s just time to retire,” Seltzer said. “You know...
Traditionally tough WPIAL rivalry produces stunning final score — 5 things we learned in Week 8
There were close to a dozen lopsided shutouts this week, but one final score stood out from the rest. Pine-Richland 67, North Allegheny 0. Traditionally a tough WPIAL rivalry game between neighbors in the north, this one wasn’t close. Bolstered by the return of two injured seniors, the Rams scored...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 19, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 8-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-2, 2 3. Norwin, 6-3, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 4-5, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 2-7, NR Out: Seneca Valley (3-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 8-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 9-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 7-2, 3...
2nd-half surge leads Montour to pivotal Parkway victory over Aliquippa
Inconsistency is a trait Montour doesn’t usually like, but this time the Spartans were glad their second half looked different than their first. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Bennett tossed two touchdowns and rushed for another as Montour scored all 34 of its points after halftime to defeat host Aliquippa, 34-20, Friday...
College coaches make Friday night visits to WPIAL football stadiums — 5 things to watch in Week 8
Jon LeDonne can still recall the day a big-name college football coach visited his high school. “I remember in my playing days, Paterno coming to Aliquippa for Josh Lay,” said LeDonne, now Pine-Richland’s coach. “You look down the hallway and say, ‘That’s Joe Paterno. That’s awesome.’” Now is around the...
‘Playoffs started this week’ for Aliquippa, Montour with pivotal Parkway clash
The WPIAL calendar says the football playoffs don’t start until Halloween, but Aliquippa, Montour and the teams they’re tied with atop the Parkway Conference might disagree. “Our playoffs started this week,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “That’s how we’re looking at it. We knew at the beginning of the season...
PIAA notebook: New policy lets some private school students play sports at home public school district
Students attending a “faith-based” private school can play sports at their home public school district under a new PIAA policy. The policy — adopted to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a religious rights group — applies only when the students’ faith-based private school doesn’t offer a particular sport that...
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi to retire as state’s top high school sports administrator
High school sports have changed in many ways since Bob Lombardi joined the PIAA nearly four decades ago, including a few troubling trends he shared Wednesday while discussing his plans to retire as executive director. He was dismayed by a lack of sportsmanship, an unwillingness to adhere to rules and...
WPIAL’s biggest games produce some big blowouts — 5 things we learned in Week 7
A slate of big games in Week 7 led to more big blowouts than big battles. Seven games matched opponents with undefeated conference records, and only one was decided by fewer than three touchdowns. Southmoreland held off Mt. Pleasant, 14-0, on Friday to stay atop the Interstate Conference standings. Elsewhere,...
Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins latest WPIAL football recruit to decommit from Penn State
Add Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins to the growing list of Penn State football commits reconsidering their futures. Jenkins, a highly recruited defensive back, decommitted on Sunday, following similar decisions this week by Pine-Richland wideout Khalil Taylor and McKeesport running back Kemon Spell. All three are juniors. Jenkins’ decision came after...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 12, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 7-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Norwin, 5-3, 3 4. Canon-McMillan 4-4, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 3-5, NR Out: Hempfield (4-4, 4) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 7-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 8-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 6-2, 3 4....
Pine-Richland wide receiver Khalil Taylor no longer committed to Penn State
Pine-Richland junior Khalil Taylor, one of the top wide receiver recruits nationally, is no longer committed to Penn State. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout had committed to the Nittany Lions in March, but Taylor on Friday told recruiting website Rivals he had decommitted. Taylor on social media shared the Rivals story...
Westinghouse football team forfeits victory to Butler
City League football power Westinghouse has forfeited a win over Butler for using an ineligible player. Westinghouse athletic director Anthony Hall confirmed the team’s forfeit and said the Week 4 victory at Butler was the only contest affected. Westinghouse had won 40-14. The matchup was a non-league game with no...
Fort Cherry QB Matt Sieg nears another WPIAL record — 5 Things to Watch in Week 7
Airliners often fly at 35,000 feet, but that’s also just about the height senior Matt Sieg has lifted the Fort Cherry football program in his four years. Combined rushing and passing, Sieg has gained 11,528 yards of offense for the Rangers, leaving the quarterback on the doorstep of breaking another...
