WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast 2024 football playoff pairings

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 3:26 AM

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Outside of wild cards, the 2024 WPIAL playoff field is set.

In the new playoff format, wild card teams are no longer determined by Gardner Points or WPIAL tiebreaker points. So now, 16 additional teams will have to wait until Selection Saturday before the district football committee makes its decisions on which bubble teams are in and which are out.

Watch the WPIAL Football Playoff Pairings Show on TribLive HSSN at 3 p.m. Saturday to find out which teams qualified and how the brackets were seeded.

Until then, Chris Harlan and Don Rebel update their two cents with one final edition of high school football bracketology.

Class 6A

Four qualifiers

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 4 Seneca Valley at No. 1 Central Catholic

No. 3. Mt. Lebanon at No. 2 North Allegheny

Harlan says: Can Seneca Valley or Mt. Lebanon stand in the way of a third straight championship matchup between Central Catholic and North Allegheny?

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 4 Seneca Valley at No. 1 Central Catholic

No. 3 Mt. Lebanon at No. 2 North Allegheny

Rebel says: A strong finish by Mt. Lebanon and a competitive first game against North Allegheny makes that matchup intriguing in two weeks. Central Catholic crushed Seneca Valley by 54 last week.

Class 5A

12 qualifiers (three wild cards)

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 1 Upper St. Clair – bye

No. 9 Franklin Regional at No. 8 North Hills

No. 4 Woodland Hills – bye

No. 12 Gateway at No. 5 Bethel Park

No. 2 Pine-Richland – bye

No. 10 Moon at No. 7 Penn-Trafford

No. 3 Peters Township – bye

No. 11 South Fayette at No. 6 Penn Hills

Harlan says: Unlike in years past, more than one wild card can come from the same conference this time. That’ll likely happen here in 5A with Allegheny Six teams Moon and South Fayette both receiving wild cards. There might be a debate about the third wild card. Gateway, Kiski Area and Latrobe tied for fourth in the Big East. Tiebreaking formulas would give Gateway the edge, but the WPIAL committee isn’t obligated to use those for choosing wild cards this year. Another wrinkle, of course, is that Latrobe beat Gateway just two weeks ago.

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 1 Upper St. Clair – bye

No. 9 Franklin Regional at No. 8 North Hills

No. 4 Woodland Hills – bye

No. 12 Gateway at No. 5 Bethel Park

No. 2 Pine-Richland – bye

No. 10 Moon at No. 7 Penn-Trafford

No. 3 Peters Township – bye

No. 11 South Fayette at No. 6 Penn Hills

Rebel says: No changes here from my original post mid-week. A lot of deserved love for the Allegheny Six Conference, earning seeds 1, 3 and 5, plus capturing two of the three 5A wild card spots. Gateway’s victory over Plum earlier this year makes the third wild card debate an easy one for Gators.

Class 4A

Eight qualifiers (two wild cards)

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 8 Mars at No. 1 Thomas Jefferson

No. 5 Montour at No. 4 McKeesport

No. 7 Belle Vernon at No. 2 Aliquippa

No. 6 Trinity at No. 3 West Allegheny

Harlan says: The three teams in the running for two wild cards are Belle Vernon, Montour and West Mifflin. Montour is a lock to get in. There could be a debate between the other two. Both lost to Thomas Jefferson and McKeesport. Belle Vernon’s best win was over Central Valley, 23-17. West Mifflin defeated Elizabeth Forward, 17-16. Does the fact that Belle Vernon won consecutive 3A state titles the past two years make a difference to the football committee? It might.

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 8 Mars at No. 1 Thomas Jefferson

No. 5 Montour at No. 4 West Allegheny

No. 7 Belle Vernon at No. 2 Aliquippa

No. 6 Trinity at No. 3 McKeesport

Rebel says: Wow, West Allegheny knocking off Montour in overtime changed a lot. I definitely think Montour gets one of the wild cards, but where do the Spartans slot in? I schedule a rematch for next week between West A and Montour. Not a lot of difference between Trinity and Mars, but wild card Belle Vernon is seeded between them to avoid a BVA-TJ matchup from the same conference.

Class 3A

12 qualifiers (three wild cards)

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 1 Imani Christian – bye

No. 9 Mt. Pleasant at No. 8 Freeport

No. 4 Elizabeth Forward – bye

No. 12 Greensburg Salem at No. 5 Avonworth

No. 2 Central Valley – bye

No. 10 Highlands at No. 7 Southmoreland

No. 3 Beaver – bye

No. 11 North Catholic at No. 6 Deer Lakes

Harlan says: Undefeated Imani Christian (10-0) draws the No. 1 seed. Teams from the strong Western Hills get seeds two (Central Valley), three (Beaver) and five (Avonworth) — but they’re in a new order after Beaver knocked off Avonworth on Friday. Hopewell might end up on the outside looking in after losing Friday to North Catholic. A Greensburg Salem win Friday over Southmoreland likely hurts Hopewell’s chances.

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 1 Imani Christian – bye

No. 9 Mt. Pleasant at No. 8 Freeport

No. 4 Elizabeth Forward – bye

No. 12 Greensburg Salem at No. 5 Avonworth

No. 2 Central Valley – bye

No. 10 Highlands at No. 7 Southmoreland

No. 3 Beaver – bye

No. 11 North Catholic at No. 6 Deer Lakes

Rebel says: I give a lot of love in this bracket to the Western Hills Conference tri-champions Central Valley, Beaver and Avonworth with seeds 2, 3 and 5. Imani Christian’s convincing win over Freeport on Friday makes them the clear No. 1. Each of the fourth-place winners in the three conferences received a wild card.

Class 2A

13 qualifiers (four wild cards)

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 1 Seton LaSalle – bye

No. 9 Waynesburg at No. 8 Keystone Oaks

No. 13 Washington at No. 4 Steel Valley

No. 12 Carlynton at No. 5 Western Beaver

No. 2 Ellwood City – bye

No. 10 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at No. 7 Mohawk

No. 3 South Park – bye

No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 South Allegheny

Harlan says: Seton LaSalle and Ellwood City draw the top two seeds as undefeated conference champions. South Park is also a conference champ, so the Eagles get the third bye. Steel Valley bolstered its stock with a 45-7 victory over South Allegheny on Friday. Carlynton looks locked into a wild-card spot, meaning the Cougars are playoff-bound for the first time since 2001.

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 1 Seton LaSalle – bye

No. 9 Waynesburg Central at No. 8 South Allegheny

No. 13 Washington at No. 4 Steel Valley

No. 12 Carlynton at No. 5 Western Beaver

No. 2 Ellwood City – bye

No. 10 Riverside at No. 7 Keystone Oaks

No. 3 South Park – bye

No. 11 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at No. 6 Mohawk

Rebel says: This is the only bracket with no clear top seed with undefeated Seton LaSalle and Ellwood City. Give credit to coach Tim Storino with the Rebels and coach Dan Bradley with the Wolverines, who have done a great job turning around struggling programs into legit championship contenders in a short amount of time. These brackets are the same as I had earlier in the week. Each conference got a wild card with the Century Conference getting a bonus second at-large.

Class A

16 qualifiers (four wild cards)

Chris Harlan’s bracket

No. 16 Carmichaels at No. 1 Fort Cherry

No. 9 Leechburg at No. 8 Laurel

No. 13 Jeannette at No. 4 Neshannock

No. 12 South Side at No. 5 Cornell

No. 15 Bentworth at No. 2 Clairton

No. 10 California at No. 7 Greensburg Central Catholic

No. 14 Rochester at No. 3 Bishop Canevin

No. 11 Monessen at No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan

Harlan says: Week 9 wins by Neshannock, Jefferson-Morgan, Cornell, South Side and Greensburg Central Catholic cleared up this bracket nicely. Jefferson-Morgan is unbeaten and won the Tri-County South title, but I’ve got the Rockets seeded behind second-place teams Bishop Canevin and Cornell.

Don Rebel’s bracket

No. 16 Carmichaels at No. 1 Fort Cherry

No. 9 South Side at No. 8 Leechburg

No. 13 California at No. 4 Bishop Canevin

No. 12 Rochester at No. 5 Greensburg Central Catholic

No. 15 Bentworth at No. 2 Clairton

No. 10 Cornell at No. 7 Laurel

No. 14 Jeannette at No. 3 Neshannock

No. 11 Monessen at No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan

Rebel says: This is a deep Class A playoff field. Fort Cherry and Clairton are the teams to beat, but the group below them is good with little separation from No. 3 to No. 13. I changed from giving the Eastern Conference two wild cards to each conference getting one, partly because of a three-way tie for second place in Tri-County South — sorry, West Greene.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.