Nov 16, 2023 By Jonathan Guth 5 min read

Is this championship week for WPIAL football?

Well, it depends on which classification you’re talking about. In Classes 6A and 5A, the two largest in the WPIAL, it is championship week with both title games being played at Norwin High School.

In Class A through Class 3A, we are down to the final four with semifinal games being played. The championship games in those classifications will be played next Friday at Acrisure Stadium.

Tonight’s action features three local teams, Belle Vernon, Washington and Fort Cherry, while Peters Township seeks its first district championship in program history on Saturday in the Class 5A championship game.

Here are five things to watch for this weekend:

1. Third time’s the charm: Peters Township hopes the third time is indeed the charm for coach TJ Plack and his top-seeded and undefeated Indians, who play Pine-Richland (9-3) at Norwin High School for the WPIAL title at noon.

Peters Township (12-0) lost to Gateway, 21-20, in the 2019 Class 5A championship, which was also held at Norwin, before suffering a 35-0 setback to Pine-Richland a year later.

Pine-Richland (9-3) is the not only the defending WPIAL champ, but the PIAA champion in Class 5A. It was second in the Northeast Conference to Penn Hills, but rebounded for an improbable 16-9 victory in the rematch last week in the quarterfinals. The Rams trailed until two seconds remained, when freshman quarterback Aaron Strader scored on a four-yard run.

The Indians attempted a hook-and-ladder on the last play of the game, but fumbled and the Rams’ Evan Johnson picked up the loose ball and ran 25 yards for the touchdown. The game was much closer than the score indicates.

Peters Township’s closest margin of victory was a 13-point win over Class 6A Canon-McMillan on Oct. 20. The Indians’ defense has allowed 6.9 points per game while the offense scores an average of 40 points per contest.

Pine-Richland’s other two losses this year were to non-conference to Pickerington North (Ohio) in Week Zero and a setback to Class 6A North Allegheny, but the Rams handed Class 6A finalist Central Catholic its lone loss, 26-19.

The Indians’ defense must stop Pine-Richland running back Ethan Pillar, who carried a WPIAL-record 56 times in the win over Central Catholic. Penn Hills held him to 47 yards on 20 carries.

2. Take the over: If you are planning to watch the Fort Cherry and Bishop Canevin game, make sure to plan a trip to the concession stand before the game or at halftime, otherwise you might miss something, like multiple touchdowns.

The first meeting between the Class A Black Hills Conference foes ended in a 48-41 victory for Fort Cherry (12-0), who handed the Crusaders (10-1) their only loss this season.

The initial contest wasn’t an anomaly, as both squads piled up the points with the Rangers scoring an average of 46.6 points per game and Bishop Canevin coming in at 34.4 average points per contest.

The Crusaders have an edge in defense in allowing 8.6 ppg. Fort Cherry allows 10.4, but don’t expect a low-scoring affair tonight at South Fayette High School.

3. Prexies face surprising Beaver Falls: Washington has played its fair share of semifinal games in the WPIAL playoffs, and should be labeled as the favorite against a Beaver Falls team that lost five games, but the Prexies can’t afford to overlook the Tigers.

Beaver Falls (7-5), who is the 10th seed in the Class 2A tournament, went on the road and defeated Keystone Oaks, 20-7, in the first round before edging Neshannock, 14-13.

Washington’s lone loss this year was to Keystone Oaks, 21-14, on Oct. 20.

Don’t expect the Prexies to take the Tigers lightly, but this game should be a close contest between two very skilled teams.

4. Leopards rolling: Belle Vernon is the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion and is on course for a return trip to Acrisure Stadium with tonight’s semifinal matchup against East Allegheny at Norwin High School.

The only loss this season for the leopards (9-1) was to Class 4A Thomas Jefferson in a game they led until the final three minutes.

East Allegheny (9-2) lost to South Park in its first game of the season, but avenged that setback last week in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats’ other loss was to Elizabeth Forward (10-1), who is in the other semifinal game against Avonworth (11-0).

Belle Vernon defeated Elizabeth Forward, 49-28, in Week 9 to earn the Interstate Conference championship.

5. Bring your umbrellas: The weather forecast calls for rain throughout the evening tonight, but the temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-50s.

The rain shouldn’t affect the players too much, but a slippery football could cause fumbles. All of the games will be played on turf fields, so the conditions shouldn’t create much of an issue with players cutting and moving laterally.

If you are headed out to any games, make sure to bring rain gear.