Feb 19, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

Several significant changes were revealed Monday afternoon when the WPIAL announced its fall sports alignments for the next two seasons.

The biggest head-scratcher for area teams was in Class A girls volleyball, as Jefferson-Morgan will not face its normal Greene County rivals. The Rockets are in Section 4 with Frazier, Geibel Catholic, Greensburg Central Catholic, Serra Catholic and Trinity Christian.

Avella, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Mapletown and West Greene makeup Section 3 in Class A, which makes more sense geographically.

Two-time WPIAL and PIAA football champion Belle Vernon will move up to Class 4A after playing the last two seasons in Class 3A.

The Leopards are in Section 3 with Chartiers Valley, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity.

McGuffey moves up to Class 3A to compete in Section 1 with Avonworth, Beaver, Central Valley, Hopewell, North Catholic and Quaker Valley.

Avella moves into Section 2 in Class A and will play in what resembles the Tri-County South, with the exception of Monessen, who moved to Section 3. The Greyhounds weren’t done any favors, as they will play Bishop Canevin, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Cornell, defending WPIAL and state runner-up Fort Cherry and Serra Catholic.

The talk throughout the state has been Aliquippa moving to Class 5A. The Quips are in Section 1 with Fox Chapel, North Hills, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Plum and Shaler.

In boys soccer, state runner-up Charleroi will move up to Class 2A. The Cougars, Brownsville, Derry, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Waynesburg and Yough will battle it out in Section 4.

Defending Class A WPIAL champion Bentworth remains in Class A. The Bearcats are in Section 2 with familiar foes Beth-Center, California, Chartiers-Houston, Geibel Catholic and Greensburg Central Catholic.

Belle Vernon is up to Class 3A in boys soccer. The Leopards will play in Section 3 with Allderdice, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Uniontown, Washington and West Mifflin. The Prexies were in Class 2A last season.

South Fayette remains in Class 3A. The defending WPIAL champions are in Section 2, and faces a number of new teams in Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity.

Belle Vernon girls soccer has moved down to Class 2A. The Leopards are in Section 1 with Charleroi, who moves up from Class A, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Ringgold, who is moving down from Class 3A, South Park and Steel Valley.

Defending WPIAL Class 3A champion South Fayette will stay in Class 3A, but the Lions face new blood in Albert Gallatin, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, Oakland Catholic, Thomas Jefferson and Uniontown.

The tentative release dates for section schedules are:

Feb. 27-Boys and girls soccer

Feb. 29-Girls tennis, boys and girls cross country

March 5-Girls volleyball

March 7-Boys and girls golf

March 12-Field hockey

March 14-Football