TribLive High School Sports Network Top Ten – Football Playoff Seeding

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 29, 2017 | 8:14 PM

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In this mad, mad world where social media rules and everybody’s opinion is law, we keep a long standing tradition going of throwing our two cents to the WPIAL football steering committee as they prepare to unveil the 2017 district gridiron brackets on Monday. You can hear the WPIAL Football Playoff Pairings Show Monday at 7:00pm here on The Network!

Some rules of thumb. Seeding are rankings. The goal of the committee should be to get the best two teams to the finals. There no longer is an unwritten rule about playing a team from your conference in your first playoff game. Home teams earn top four seeds in Class 6-A, 5-A, 4-A and 3-A. Hosts top eight seeds in 2-A and 1-A. Foremat for four highest classes: 8 vs 1, 7 vs 2, 6 vs 3, 5 vs 4. For two lowest classes: 16 vs 1, 15 vs 2, 14 vs 3, 13 vs 4, 12 vs 5, 11 vs 6, 10 vs 7, 9 vs 8.

WPIAL CLASS 6-A:

1 – PINE-RICHLAND RAMS  (10-0)

2 – PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS  (8-2)

3 – BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS  (8-1)

4 – MOUNT LEBANON BLUE DEVILS  (6-4)

5 – NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS  (7-3)

6 – PENN HILLS INDIANS  (7-3)

7 – PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS  (7-3)

8 – NORWIN KNIGHTS  (5-5)

Why? This all falls into place nicely. Only big debate could be who is #2 between Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Bethel Park. They are both in the bottom of the bracket, so not a major debate.

WPIAL CLASS 5-A:

1 – PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS  (9-1)

2 – GATEWAY GATORS  (9-1)

3 – WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS  (7-2)

4 – UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHER  (7-3)

5 – FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS  (6-3)

6 – McKEESPORT TIGERS  (7-2)

7 – WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES  (6-4)

8 – FOX CHAPEL FOXES  (6-4)

Why? Before everybody starts screaming about how can West A be seeded in front of USC when Panthers won Allegheny 9 and Indians finished second. Its called creative bracketing. The feeling here is that McKeesport should be #3, Upper St. Clair #4, Franklin Regional #5 and West Allegheny #6, but because the Tigers are on the road, they will settle in to the #6 seed, which faces #3 in the Quarterfinals.

WPIAL CLASS 4-A:

1 – SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS  (10-0)

2 – BELLE VERNON LEOPARDS  (9-0)

3 – THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS  (8-1)

4 – MONTOUR SPARTANS  (7-2)

5 – NEW CASTLE RED HURRICANE  (7-3)

6 – TRINITY HILLERS  (6-3)

7 – MARS FIGHTIN’ PLANETS  (6-4)

8 – WEST MIFFLIN TITANS  (5-4)

Why? This is one of the biggest questions coming into Monday night. Who should be #1 in 4-A, SF or BVA? Flip a coin there, but the feeling here is that South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson should be on opposite sides of the bracket.

WPIAL CLASS 3-A:

1 – ALIQUIPPA QUIPS  (10-0)

2 – QUAKER VALLEY QUAKERS  (9-1)

3 – ELIZABETH FORWARD WARRIORS  (7-2)

4 – SETON-LaSALLE REBELS  (8-1)

5 – DERRY TROJANS  (9-1)

6 – BEAVER BOCATS  (8-2)

7 – SOUTH PARK EAGLES  (6-3)

8 – FREEPORT YELLOW JACKETS  (7-2)

Why? Aliquippa is a HEAVY favorite in this class, but Quaker Valley at #2 is quite deserved with the great season they have had, plus the late slip ups by Elizabeth Forward and Seton-LaSalle.

WPIAL CLASS 2-A:

1 – STEEL VALLEY IRONMEN  (8-0)

2 – WASHINGTON LITTLE PREXIES  (9-0)

3 – CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS  (8-2)

4 – CHARLEROI COUGARS  (9-1)

5 – RIVERSIDE PANTHERS  (7-2)

6 – SERRA CATHOLIC EAGLES  (6-4)

7 – EAST ALLEGHENY WILDCATS  (6-3)

8 – NESHANNOCK LANCERS  (6-4)

9 – BURGETTSTOWN BLUE DEVILS  (6-3)

10 – MOHAWK WARRIORS  (5-3)

11 – BETH-CENTER BULLDOGS  (7-3)

12 – AVONWORTH ANTELOPES  (3-5)

13 – BRENTWOOD SPARTANS  (5-4)

14 – FRAZIER COMMODORES  (3-7)

15 – FREEDOM BULLDOGS  (5-5)

16 – LAUREL SPARTANS  (3-7)

Why? Serra Catholic beating East Allegheny in Week 9 shook things up behind the three conference champs as the Wildcats could have been as high as #4. Two teams in the lower half heading in opposite directions. Frazier won three of last four and competed against some top tier teams while Freedom lost last three games and four of five in the midst of a coaching change.

WPIAL CLASS 1-A:

1 – CALIFORNIA TROJANS  (10-0)

2 – CLAIRTON BEARS  (7-2)

3 – JEANNETTE JAYHAWKS  (9-1)

4 – IMANI CHRISTIAN SAINTS  (8-2)

5 – OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CHARGERS  (8-2)

6 – ROCHESTER RAMS  (7-2)

7 – CARMICHAELS MIGHTY MIKES  (7-2)

8 – FORT CHERRY RANGERS  (7-2)

9 – UNION SCOTTIES  (7-3)

10 – WEST GREENE PIONEERS  (7-3)

11 – WESTERN BEAVER GOLDEN BEAVERS  (6-4)

12 – SPRINGDALE DYNAMOS  (5-5)

13 – STO-ROX VIKINGS  (3-7)

14 – SUMMIT ACADEMY KNIGHTS  (4-5)

15 – MONESSEN GREYHOUNDS  (3-7)

16 – BISHOP CANEVIN CRUSADERS  (3-6)

Why? This would have really been interesting seeding the top teams if Imani Christian would have beat Leechburg by ten or more points on Saturday. We have West Greene playing Carmichaels and Western Beaver playing Rochester. Dropping WG behind WB to avoid conference teams playing each other ignores the Pioneers beat the Golden Beavers. Summit Academy has competed all year, even against some of the top teams in Big 7 and should not be put at #16 just because they are a wild card.