Steel City Blitz
The 2025 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the next few weeks we will be previewing all 17 conferences in preparation for kickoff on August 22. We are also thrilled to announce that the WPIAL Blitz Show will be back on the YouTube airwaves this season. Subscribe to the Sports Stream Premium channel and watch our live broadcasts on Monday nights or on replay any time.
Thirteen teams qualify for the 3A playoffs. The top three teams from each of the three conferences are guaranteed playoff spots. The final four wild card spots are decided by the WPIAL selection committee, rather than by a formula as was the case in prior cycles. Seton LaSalle dominated the conference last year and made a run to the WPIAL finals. The Century Conference also produced one of the best storylines in the WPIAL as Carlynton made the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Be sure to keep tabs on our WPIAL Standings Page throughout the season and follow our WPIAL Twitter account @WPIAL_Blitz. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.
2024 Result: 9-0, Century Conference Champions, lost to South Park in WPIAL Championship
All-Time: 384-286-13 (59th in wins, 33rd in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 5 WPIAL Championships (1979, 1980, 1990, 2002, 2004)
Seton LaSalle is one of the best turnaround stories in the WPIAL. Two years removed from a winless season, the Rebels went undefeated last year and made a run all the way to the WPIAL finals where their luck ran out against a gritty South Park squad. The Rebels have been at the center of an offseason controversy where transfer QB Anthony Smith (who starred as a freshman last year at Southmoreland) was ruled ineligible by the WPIAL and PIAA. The Rebels may turn to sophomore Kia Jones Jr who has D1 offers from Boston College, Memphis, and Toledo for his play at cornerback. Whoever settles into the quarterback role will have second-leading receiver Richard Littlejohn (490 yards, 8 TDs) and Monmouth-commit Aaron Loritts (185 yards, 3 TDs) returning on the outside. Littlejohn, only a junior, has offers from several MAC schools. Loritts and Duquesne-commit Will Martin are both defensive stars at linebacker. Martin played some tight end last season, racking up 149 yards. Sophomore LB Elijah Hickman has offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, and Akron, giving Seton the best linebacking corps in the classification. The top returning rusher is senior Deondre Hill (182 yards, 3 TDs) who averaged 7.6 yards per carry as a backup last year. Seton had the most explosive offense in 2A, averaging nearly 40 points per game. Once they get the quarterback position figured out, the Rebels have the talent to once again win the Century Conference and contend for a WPIAL title.
2024 Result: 5-5, lost to Steel Valley in first round
All-Time: 741-380-57 (4th in wins, 10th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 8 WPIAL Championships (1917, 1920, 1923, 1926, 1993, 2001, 2017), 2001 State Champions
The Prexies...
