Every two years, the WPIAL realigns its sections in all sports following the release of new PIAA enrollment cutoffs. The realignment for fall sports was released Monday by the League. Here are some notes for teams from Washington/Greene Counties and the new sections in football, boys/girls soccer and girls volleyball. Click Here for complete re-alignment listings for fall sports.
Football: 6A Canon-McMillan is listed in an eight-team section including Butler who had indicated that they would play an independent schedule. 5A defending champion Peters Township is in a six-team section with Baldwin, Bethel Park, Moon, South Fayette and Upper St. Clair. Aliquippa, thought to be heading for that section, was instead placed in a Northern section with Fox Chapel, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Penn Hills, Plum and Shaler.
Trinity and Ringgold are together in a six-team 4A section along with two-time defending state champion Belle Vernon, Chartiers Valley, Laurel Highland and Thomas Jefferson. McGuffey will have the most frequent flyer miles in the regular season, placed in a 3A section with Avonworth, Beaver, Central Valley, Hopewell, North Catholic and Quaker Valley.
Charleroi, Wash High and Waynesburg are all part of a 2A section with Carlynton, Keystone Oaks, Seton-La Salle and Sto-Rox. 1A teams from the two-county area are split with eight of them in the Tri-County South (Avella, Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Jeff-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene. The others, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston and defending WPIAL champion Fort Cherry, are part of the Black Hills Conference with Bishop Canevin, Cornell, Monessen and Serra Catholic.
Boys Soccer: Canon-McMillan and Peters Township are in the same 4A section along with Connellsville, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills. 3A has Ringgold and Trinity in with traditional opponents Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson. Wash High, part of a co-op with Burgettstown and Fort Cherry, is in another 3A section with Allderdice, Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Uniontown and West Mifflin. McGuffey is in one 2A section comprised mostly on Mon Valley/South Hills teams while Charleroi and Waynesburg are together with mostly Westmoreland County squads. Bemtworth, Beth-Centeer, California and Chartiers-Houston are in a 1A section along with Geibel and Greensburg Central Catholic.
Girls Soccer: Canon-McMillan and Peters Township are together in a 4A section of similar makeup to the boys section, though adding Baldwin and eliminating Woodland Hills. Trinity girls are matched up in a 3A West Hills/South Hills grouping against Bethel Park, Blackhawk, Chartiers Valley, Montour, Moon and West Allegheny. Charleroi, McGuffey and Ringgold are grouped with Belle Vernon, Keystone Oaks, South Park and Steel Valley in a 2A section. All five 1A teams are together, Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Chartiers-Houston and Waynesburg along with Brownsville.
Girls Volleyball: Traditional South Hills grouping in 4A with Canon-McMillan and Peters Township, joined by Baldwin, Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair. Trinity is in a 3A mostly West Hills section with Oakland Catholic added in. Ringgold is in another 3A section with neighbors in the Mon Valley and Uniontown areas. All of the area’s 2A teams are together with Bentworth, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Wash High and Waynesburg joined by Brownsville. 1A has an odd alignment that is being questioned as Jeff-Morgan is in a section with Frazier, Geibel, Greensburg Central Catholic, Serra Catholic and Trinity Christian. The Rockets Greene County neighbors, Carmichaels and Mapletown, along with West Greene, Beth-Center, California and Avella are in another section. Fort Cherry is in yet another 1A section along with Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, Eden Christian,. Hillcrest Christian and Propel Montour.