WPIAL football playoffs start this week

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (PIAA District 7) football pairings were announced Monday night and Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Class AAAA), Montour (Class AAA), Aliquippa (Class AA) and Clairton (Class A) have secured top seeds.

Each classification will have a 16-team bracket with all four championship games set for Nov. 27 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

A look at each classification follows. Complete brackets can be found by clicking here.

CLASS AAAA
Top four seeds: 1. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) 2. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) 3. North Hills (Pittsburgh) 4. McKeesport.

Defending champion: Woodland Hills (Pittsburgh) (7th seed; hosts Norwin in 1st round).

Team outside Top 4 that could win it all: No. 5 North Allegheny (Wexford) – The Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the state this week by MaxPreps.com, the highest of any WPIAL team – Pittsburgh Central Catholic is right behind at No. 4 – and NA has one of the top running backs in the WPIAL in Alex Papson. A 21-16 loss last week to North Hills cost the Tigers a shot at one of the top two seeds.

Players to Watch: Alex Papson – RB, North Allegheny (1,743 yards rushing, 24 TDs); Dakota Conwell – QB, Upper St. Clair (6th seed; 801 yards rushing, 15 TDs: 51 of 93 passing, 4 TDs); Luke Hagy – RB, Mt. Lebanon (Over 1,500 yards rushing, 23 TDs); Perry Hills – QB, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (62 of 109 passing, 1,197 yards, 9 TDs); Sam Gooden – RB, McKeesport (1,153 yards rushing, 19 TDs).

Winner will be: Mt. Lebanon – The Blue Devils have quietly gone about their business all season and have one of the top backs in the WPIAL in Hagy. A second-round matchup with defending champion Woodland Hills looks to be the biggest hurdle in the way of a run to at least the championship game.

CLASS AAA
Top for seeds: 1. Montour (McKees Rocks) 2. Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Hills) 3. Ringgold (Monongahela) 4. Mars.

Defending champion: West Allegheny (Imperial) (5th seed; hosts Trinty).

Team outside Top 4 who could win it all: No. 10 Hopewell (Aliquippa) – The Vikings have been basically playing playoff games since the middle of the season after a 1-4 start but have won five straight against very good competition, including a win last Thursday against defending champion West Allegheny. Add to the mix the best running back probably in Pennsylvania in junior Rushel Shell, and the Vikings, who finished second last season, could find themselves raising the trophy at Heinz Field. In WPIAL history, a running back has run for more than 2,000 yards in a season five times. Shell has done so twice.

Players to Watch: Rushel Shell – RB, Hopewell (2,102 yards rushing, 22 TDs; he has 6,237 career yards and 71 TDs); Julian Durden – RB, Montour (1,549 yards rushing, 21 TDs); Dillon Buechel – QB, Montour (105 of 177 passing, 1,536 yards, 18 TDs, 3 Ints); Chad Barton – QB, Hollidaysburg (13th seed; 96 of 196 passing, 1,931 yards, 20 TDs, 5 Ints); Dane Brown – RB, Franklin Regional (1,281 yards rushing, 17 TDs); T.J. Keefer – WR, Hollidaysburg (47 catches, 1,105 yards, 13 TDs).

Winner will be: Montour – The Spartans have an explosive offense with one of the top running backs in the WPIAL in Durden, one of the top QBs in Buechel and two really good receivers in Devin Wilson (38 catches, 595 yards, 10 TDs) and Darren Massey (34 catches, 525 yards, 6 TDs). Add that to the fact Montour won one of the most competitive WPIAL conferences in the Parkway, which included not only defending champion West Allegheny but 2009 runner-up Hopewell. The Spartans' defense has gotten better as the year has gone on, allowing 12.3 points per game in the final seven contests, and a championship seems to be in the making.

CLASS AA
Top 4 seeds: 1. Aliquippa 2. Greensburg Central Catholic 3. South Fayette (McDonald) 4. Ford City.

Defending champion: Greensburg Central Catholic (hosts Keystone Oaks).

Team outside Top 4 who could win it all: Seton LaSalle (Pittsburgh) – The Rebels' lone loss was to third-seeded South Fayette in a shootout and they possess a balanced offense that can beat you in a number of ways. Add that to the fact that the bracket may not get super challenging until the semifinals, and Seton LaSalle could have a chance to surprise some people.

Players to Watch: Mikal Hall – QB, Aliquippa (61 of 93 passing, 1,127 yards, 14 TDs); Christian Brumbaugh – QB, South Fayette (139 of 207 passing, 2,034 yards, 27 TDs); Jeff Davis – RB, South Fayette (938 yards rushing, more than 350 yards receiving; 15 total TDs); David O'Brien – QB, Seton LaSalle (93 of 153 passing, 1,652 yards, 22 TDs); Kevin Hart – RB, Seton-LaSalle (1,354 yards rushing, 26 TDs); Delrece Williams – RB, Steel Valley (Munhall) (10th seed; 2,149 yards rushing, 31 TDs. One of five backs in WPIAL history to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season).

Winner will be: South Fayette – South Fayette is quietly becoming a WPIAL sports powerhouse and winning can be contagious – the Lions won the PIAA Class AA basketball title last winter. A high-powered offensive attack led by one if not the best quarterbacks in the WPIAL in Brumbaugh will be tough for any team to contain. The only question left to answer is how the Lions defense will respond if the offense is contained. Is there enough defense to win the title? It may not matter with the South Fayette offense.

CLASS A
Top 4 seeds: 1. Clairton 2. Rochester 3. Avonworth (Pittsburgh) 4. Monessen.

Defending Champion: Clairton (also defending PIAA champion; Hosts Carmichaels)

Team outside the Top 4 seeds who could win it all: Sto-Rox (McKees Rocks) – No rhyme nor reason here actually, just a gut feeling. It's been a controversial year for the Vikings thanks to a school board decision on eligibility that was eventually overturned. Sometimes controversy, though, can bring a team together and maybe, just maybe that is what has happened at the tradition-rich McKees Rocks school that is playing in Class A after being Class AA last season.

Players to Watch: Desmion Green – QB, Clairton (50 of 79 passing, 1,148 yards, 19 TDs); Josh Page – WR, Clairton (31 catches, 672 yards, 13 TDs); De'Andre Moon – RB, Rochester (16 TDs); Ricky Lawniczak – RB, Avonworth (901 yards, 11 TDs); T.D. Conway – QB, California (Coal Center) (15th seed; 108 of 218 passing, 1,785 yards, 24 TDs); Dakota Conway – WR, California (47 catches, 772 yards, 14 TDs); Brady Kunsa – QB, Monessen (51 of 72 passing, 1,047 yards, 13 TDs); Lenny Williams – QB, Sto-Rox (85 of 171 passing, 1,217 yards, 9 TDs).

Winner will be: Clairton – The Bears are on a 24-game win streak, they have allowed 19 – yes 19 – points all season and have six shutouts on defense including six in the last seven games. Add all that to the fact that Clairton has won two straight WPIAL titles and has appeared in the last two PIAA Class A title games while going a combined 39-2 over the last three years and a third straight WPIAL title seems like a forgone conclusion. And this year, don't expect the game to be as close as the last two when Clairton beat Rochester 14-13 last year and Monaca 12-6 in 2008. Clairton, by the way, has won three of the last four WPIAL titles and is a combined 63-4 since the start of the 2006 season. The Bears have allowed 80 total points (3.2 per game) in the last two seasons combined and 141 in the past three (3.4 per game).