Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) high school football begins its season with coverage from local sports writer Mike Drakulich. This year, the Aliquippa Quips will not participate in Week Zero and are set to open their season next week against Belle Vernon.
The report highlights that Aliquippa did not appear at the WPIAL Championship Game last season after losing to Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals. The team, led by head coach Mike Warfield who returns following a leave of absence, aims to start a new run for the championship title with a motivated group of players.
In addition to focusing on Aliquippa’s season, Drakulich provides picks for the opening week’s matchups across various schools in Western Pennsylvania, including predictions for Friday and Saturday games such as North Allegheny over Woodland Hills and Steel Valley over Westinghouse.
Week Zero rankings by class are also included, listing Central Catholic as top-ranked in Class 6A, Pine-Richland leading 5A, Thomas Jefferson heading 4A, Avonworth topping 3A, Steel Valley at No. 1 for 2A, and Fort Cherry ranked first in Class 1A.
The report is intended as a resource for readers interested in WPIAL football news, featuring regular content from Drakulich on NGSC Sports. Notably, Drakulich mentions several renowned former players from Western Pennsylvania who later became Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees: George Blanda, Mike Ditka, Aaron Donald, Tony Dorsett, Bill Fralic, Ty Law, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Joe Namath and Darrell Revis.
