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.
Only eight teams qualify for the 4A playoffs. The top two teams from each of the three conferences are guaranteed playoff spots. The final two wild card spots are decided by the WPIAL selection committee, rather than by a formula as was the case in prior cycles. Last year the Parkway finished with two three-way ties: Aliquippa, Montour, and West Allegheny at the top and New Castle, Blackhawk, and Ambridge at the bottom. Montour beat Aliquippa by 1 in the regular season but lost to West Allegheny in overtime in the season finale. In the playoffs, Aliquippa lost to eventual WPIAL Champions Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals, ending the Quips run of 16 straight Championship Games. 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: 6-2, Parkway Conference Co-Champions, lost in semifinals to Thomas Jefferson
All-Time: 791-331-42 (1st in wins, 4th in win%)
Championship Pedigree: 20 WPIAL Championships (1952, 1955, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023), 5 State Championships (1991, 2003, 2018, 2021, 2023)
The biggest news for Aliquippa this season is on the sideline, where Mike Warfield has returned to the head coaching role. The Quips shared the conference title with Montour and West Allegheny last season. Despite holding the tiebreaker on margin of victory points (their loss to Montour was just by 1 point), the WPIAL gave the Quips the 4-seed, setting up a semifinal with top seeded Thomas Jefferson. Aliquippa’s semifinal loss ended their incredible run of 16 straight appearances in the WPIAL finals. The Quips lost a few contributors to national recruiting powerhouses like IMG and St. Frances Academy, but have plenty of talent to be a top competitor once again this season. Quarterback Marques Council (1477 yards, 16 TDs) will be at the helm of the offense for his second straight season and has committed to Yale. Qa’Lil Goode is the top returning receiver (242 receiving yards, 123 rushing yards, 4 total TDs) and also has an offer from Yale along with other FCS schools. Junior RB Cameron Cannon (170 yards, 3 TDs) is the top returning rusher and should not be overlooked after averaging 8.5 yards per carry last season. In the trenches, Justus Starks is a powerful interior lineman with offers from Robert Morris and St. Francis. Watch out for game-wrecking pass rusher Tekoah Gilbert who was first team All-State last year. AS usual, the Quips are also blessed...
