The WPIAL football regular season ends Saturday. Late in the afternoon, the WPIAL Football Playoff brackets will be released, six tournaments including a total of 65 teams. Most of those will have claimed automatic bids by finishing section play in a qualifying position. 16 others will have received Wild Card invitations. Following is look at the playoff picture for the 19 teams in Washington & Greene Counties, each with one game left (conference record).
The Class 6A field will include the top four teams. Canon-McMillan (2-3) is just a couple plays away from being in SECOND place. The Big Macs are also teetering on not qualifying. Canon-Mac needs to either beat Central Catholic (5-0), the conference champion, or see Norwin (3-2) knock off resurgent Mt. Lebanon (2-3). The Big Macs are in with either of the scenarios but out otherwise.
5A Peters Township: The Indians (4-0) has clinched at least a share of the Allegheny Six championship heading into Friday’s final game at Bethel Park (2-2). A win should lock up at least the #2 seed in the tournament and a first-round bye. The top three teams in each conference qualify along with three wild card selections, making up a 12-team bracket.
4A Trinity (4-0) has locked up the Big Six Conference top spot but needs a win at Belle Vernon (2-2) to keep from sharing the title and going into the 4A bracket with just a .500 record. The Hillers have rattled off four straight wins after one of the most-difficult non-conference schedules in Class 4A—including 5A Peters Township, Moon and Bethel, plus Montour. The top two teams in each conference qualify for the 8-team bracket, supplemented by two wild cards teams. Ringgold’s back-to-back losses the past two weeks have knocked the Rams out of playoff contention.
3A McGuffey: The Highlanders (0-5) cannot qualify for the 12-team bracket made up of the top three conference finishers and three wild card choices.
2A Wash High, Waynesburg, Charleroi: The Little Prexies (5-0) locked up their playoff spot in the 13-team bracket, comprised of the top three finishers in each conference plus four wild card teams. Wash High heads to Dormont Friday to take on Seton-La Salle (5-0) with the winner taking the Century Conference championship and, likely, the #2 seed in the bracket. Waynesburg (2-3) closes with Sto-Rox (1-4), needing to win to finish at .500 and get into the wild card discussion. Charleroi, at 1-8 overall, cannot qualify.
The Class 1A playoff field will include 16 teams, the top three finishers in each of the four conferences, then four wild card selections. The Black Hills Conference will almost certainly get one wild card slot and possibly two. The Tri-County South did not fare well a year ago in the at-large selection process, though a 7-win fourth-place team should be in good shape for an at-large selection this season.
Black Hills Conference: Fort Cherry (5-0) has clinched their third straight conference title. The two-time defending WPIAL champion hosts Serra Catholic (1-4) to close the regular season. Chartiers-Houston (4-2) clinched an automatic berth with a walk-off win at Cornell last week. Bugettstown (0-5) cannot qualify.
Tri-County South: California (6-0), Bentworth (5-1) and Jeff-Morgan (5-1) have clinched the three automatic berths. has clinched one of the three automatic bids. The Trojans win the conference title with a win at Jeff-Morgan Friday. Bentworth is the top team with a win against Avella and a Jeff-Morgan win. Avella (3-3) is in the wild card discussion, but the Tri-County South didn’t fare well in those conversations a year ago. Carmichaels (2-4) and Beth-Center (2-4) technically, could be in consideration as well, but sub-.500 overall records will likely keep the Mikes and Bulldogs on the playoff sideline. West Greene (1-5) and Mapletown (0-6) cannot qualify.