Heading into the final weekend of the WPIAL football regular season, about 20% of the playoff spots are still open.
A total of 73 teams will make this year’s WPIAL postseason in six classifications. Fifty-seven spots have already been clinched, leaving 16 open.
Only conference records are used to decide playoff spots. Two-way ties for a playoff spot will be broken by head-to-head competition. If head-to-head doesn’t break a three-way tie, the Gardner Points system will be used. If that doesn’t break the deadlock, the WPIAL tiebreaker points will be then be applied, where points are earned based on scores of conference games. Up to 10 points can be earned in a win and up to 10 lost in a defeat. For example, a team that wins a game by a 27-20 score, gets plus-7 points. A 35-10 loss gets a maximum minus-10 points.
If a tie still exists after tiebreaker points, a coin flip will determine the playoff participants.
The WPIAL will announce playoff pairings and seedings Saturday night and the playoffs start Nov. 5. This year, the higher-seeded team plays at home through the quarterfinals of the playoffs. In Class 6A, the higher-seeded team plays at home through the semifinals.
The Class 6A championship will be played at a yet-to-be-determined high school stadium Nov. 20. The Class 1A and 2A title games will be played at Heinz Field on Nov. 26, while the 3A, 4A and 5A games will be at Heinz Field on Nov. 27.
Here is a breakdown of the playoff picture for each classification (conference records are in parentheses).
CLASS 6A
Qualifiers: 5. This classification has only one conference, and the top five teams qualify. The fourth-place team will play the fifth-place team in the first round while the top three teams get a bye. The conference champ plays in the semifinals at home against the 4-5 winner, while the second-place team plays the third-place team.
Quad County Conference: Mt. Lebanon (6-0) is first and Central Catholic (4-1) second. The winner of North Allegheny (4-2) at Seneca Valley (4-2) is third and the loser fourth. Canon-McMillan (2-4) is fifth with a win against Central Catholic, or a Baldwin (2-3) loss to Mt. Lebanon. Baldwin is still alive but must win.
CLASS 5A
Qualifiers: 12. The top four teams from each conference make the playoffs.
Allegheny Six: Moon (4-0) is first. The winner of Upper St. Clair (3-1) at Bethel Park (3-1) is second and the loser is third. If Peters Township (1-3) beats South Fayette (0-4), then Peters Township is fourth. If Peters Township loses, and Moon beats West Allegheny (1-3), then South Fayette, West Allegheny and Peters Township will tie for fourth and tiebreaker points will break the deadlock. Peters Township has minus-13 tiebreaker points, West Allegheny minus-20 and South Fayette minus-33.
Big East: Penn-Trafford (4-0) is first and the winner of Gateway (3-1) at Franklin Regional (2-2) is second. If Franklin Regional wins, Gateway is third and Woodland Hills (2-2) fourth. If Gateway wins, Woodland Hills is third and Franklin Regional fourth.
Northeast: North Hills (3-1), Penn Hills (3-1), Pine-Richland (3-1) and Fox Chapel (2-2) have all clinched spots. If North Hills beats Shaler, Penn Hills beats Kiski Area and Pine-Richland beats Fox Chapel, a three-way tie for first will be broken by tiebreaker points. Penn Hills is plus-19, Pine-Richland plus-17 and North Hills plus-11. There is a possibility of a four-way tie if Fox Chapel would win.
CLASS 4A
Qualifiers: 13. The top four teams in the Big Eight and Parkway make the playoffs, and five from the Greater Allegheny qualify.
Big Eight: Belle Vernon (5-0), McKeesport (5-0), Thomas Jefferson (5-2) and Laurel Highlands (3-3) have all clinched. McKessport plays at Belle Vernon for first place and the loser is second. Thomas Jefferson is third and Laurel Highlands fourth.
Greater Allegheny: Hampton (6-0) is first. Armstrong (4-2), Highlands (3-3) and Indiana (3-3) also have clinched. Greensburg Salem (3-3), Plum (2-4) and Mars (2-4) are all alive. Plum was hurt by having to forfeit a win against Mars for the use of an ineligible player. Numerous scenarios could happen, depending on Friday’s games.
Parkway: Aliquippa (4-0), Beaver (3-1) and New Castle (3-1) have all clinched. If Aliquippa beats New Castle on Friday, Aliquippa is first, Beaver second and New Castle third. The winner of Montour (1-3) at Chartiers Valley (1-3) gets the fourth and final spot.
CLASS 3A
Qualifiers: 12. The top four teams in each of the four conferences make the postseason.
Allegheny Seven: North Catholic (5-0) is first while Freeport (3-1) and East Allegheny (3-3) have also clinched spots. The winner of Freeport (3-1) at Deer Lakes (3-2) is second. If Deer Lakes wins, Freeport is automatically third. If Freeport wins and Burrell beats Valley, then East Allegheny, Deer Lakes and Burrell would end in a three-way tie and also tie in Gardner Points. East Allegheny has plus-7 tiebreaker points, Deer Lakes plus-4 and Burrell minus-15. East Allegheny can’t be caught and would finish third. The system then reverts back to head-to-head. Burrell would then finish fourth for beating Deer Lakes.
Interstate: Elizabeth Forward (5-0) is first and Mount Pleasant (3-1) also has clinched. Mount Pleasant can finish second by beating South Allegheny (3-2). If Mount Pleasant wins and Southmoreland (3-2) beats South Park (2-3), then Southmoreland is third and South Allegheny fourth. If Mount Pleasant and South Park win, then Southmoreland, South Park and South Allegheny would all tie for third and fourth. Gardner Points would be even. The tiebreaker points are Southmoreland plus-10, South Allegheny plus-10 and South Park minus-10. After third place is settled by tiebreaker points, the system reverts back to head-to-head to decide fourth place.
Northwestern Six: Central Valley (4-0) is first and Avonworth (3-1) second. The winner of Ambridge (2-2) at Keystone Oaks (2-2) is third and the loser fourth.
CLASS 2A
Qualifiers: 16. The top five teams in the Midwestern, the top four in the Century and the top three in the Allegheny and Three Rivers make the postseason. The fourth-place team from either the Allegheny or Three Rivers will be the final playoff participant.
Allegheny: Serra (4-0) and Steel Valley (4-0) have clinched and play Friday at Steel Valley for first and second place. If Ligonier Valley beats Apollo-Ridge, Ligonier Valley is third and Shady Side Academy gets fourth and stays alive for a playoff spot. If Apollo-Ridge and Shady Side win, there will be a three-way for third that will be broken by tiebreaker points. Ligonier Valley has minus-9, Shady Side Academy minus-11 and Apollo-Ridge minus-20. Shady Side would most likely get third.
Midwestern: Laurel (6-0) is first and Beaver Falls (5-1) second. Neshannock (4-2) and Mohawk (3-3) have also clinched spots. The winner of Freedom (3-3) at New Brighton (2-4) gets a spot. If Laurel beats Neshannock, Freedom beats New Brighton and Mohawk beats Ellwood City, there will be a three-way tie for third with Neshannock, Freedom and Mohawk. Neshannock would get third with more tiebreaker points. Freedom would be fourth for beating Mohawk, and Mohawk would be fifth.
Century: Washington (5-0), Chartiers-Houston (5-1) and McGuffey (4-1) have clinched. If Washington beats McGuffey, Washington is first, Chartiers-Houston second and McGuffey third. If Beth-Center (1-3) beats Waynesburg (1-4), then Beth-Center is fourth. Waynesburg (1-4) is still alive.
Three Rivers: Sto-Rox (4-0) is first. The winner of South Side Beaver (3-1) at Western Beaver (3-1) is second and the loser third. Seton LaSalle (1-3) and Carlynton (1-3) are both still alive for fourth place and a wild card spot.
CLASS 1A
Qualifiers: 15. The top five teams in the three conferences make the playoffs.
Eastern: Clairton (6-0) is first and Bishop Canevin (5-1) second. The winner of Leechburg (4-2) at Greensburg Central Catholic (4-2) is third and the loser fourth. Springdale (2-4) finishes fifth with a win against Riverview (1-5). Jeannette (1-5) and Riverview are still alive.
Big Seven: Cornell (6-0) is first and Rochester (4-2) second. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (3-3), Fort Cherry (3-3), Shenango (3-3), Burgettstown (2-4) and Northgate (2-4) are all still alive and there are numerous scenarios concerning their fates.
Tri-County South: West Greene (6-0) is first and Carmichaels (5-1) second. California (4-2) and Mapletown (4-2) have qualified. If California beats Bentworth, then California is third and Mapletown fourth. If Monessen (2-4) beats Avella (1-5), then Monessen is fifth. Avella and Jefferson-Morgan (1-5) are still alive.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: October 25, 2021, 8:42 p.m.
