WPIAL captures four state football championships, first time in history

 

Penn Trafford captures first state title

... Western Pa. dominates Philadelphia


The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (WPIAL) has been competing in the PIAA state football championships since their inception in 1988. 


Never, though, have they done as well as they did this year. Four teams captured titles: Mount Lebanon (6-A), Penn Trafford (5-A), Aliquippa (4-A), and Central Valley (3-A). It is noteworthy that the Quips are actually a single-A school in terms of enrollment, but were forced to play up by the PIAA.


While the headlines in recent years have focused on the success of the newbies in the PIAA, the Philadelphia schools that so often are private and charters, the WPIAL saw four public schools capture titles, which made life happy for so many in Western Pa. 


For instance, Penn Trafford captured its first state title in a stunning manner,


It might not equal the Miracle on Ice, but Penn-Trafford’s 17-14 stunner against Imhotep Charter will hold a prominent place in Westmoreland County sports history.

Nathan Schlessinger kicked a 24-yard field goal in overtime, and defensive end Conlan Greene’s sack on fourth down lifted Penn-Trafford to a thrilling victory in the PIAA Class 5A championship game at Hersheypark Stadium.


Paul Schofield, “Penn-Trafford stops Imhotep Charter to win 1st state title in

 OT thriller,” Tribune-Review, December 10, 2021


Not only did this demonstrate that the WPIAL is still alive and well, it shows that while the league may not have future NFL hall of famers like Dan Marino, it still has some outstanding players,


It was a good year for WPIAL football as four teams from the league won state championships. And nine teams from the WPIAL ended up in the final Post-Gazette state rankings.

The WPIAL teams that won PIAA championships were Mt. Lebanon (Class 6A), Penn-Trafford (5A), Aliquippa (4A) and Central Valley (3A). The WPIAL had never won four titles since the PIAA championships started in 1988. Six classifications started in 2016. All four champions from the WPIAL obviously finished ranked No. 1 in their respective classifications.

The other five WPIAL teams that made the final state rankings were Moon (5A), Belle Vernon (4A), Serra (2A), Sto-Rox (2A) and Bishop Canevin (1A).

Mike White, “WPIAL dominates final state high school football rankings,” Post-Gazette, December 12, 2021


That is better than a “good” season. It is an outstanding one. 


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