After 10 weeks, the WPIAL football playoffs have finally arrived. While Norwin and Penn-Trafford will begin their postseason next week, seven other Westmoreland County teams commence their postseason this Friday in pursuit of a trip to Acrisure Stadium. Here’s a closer look at all of the playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams.

WPIAL Class 3A First Round: No. 11 Derry Area (6-4, 3-2) at No. 6 Highlands (7-3, 5-1) – 7 p.m.

Pregame at 6:30 p.m. on WSN VIDEO

WSN Crew: John Flickinger and Bob Lasinski; Tom Esposito; Hayden Flickinger

About the Trojans: Derry Area snagged three interceptions en route to a 47-20 home win against Yough in the Class 3A Interstate Conference last Friday. The Trojans were led offensively by Max Doherty, who rushed six times for 142 yards and a score, and Anthony Sacco, who completed 6-of-9 throws for 58 yards and two TDs. Justin Papuga, Ricky Daniels, Max Doperak, Kaden Weiers, Parker Petrosky, and lineman Dylan Pitzer all found the end zone for Derry Area, which claimed the third spot from the Interstate. On the year, Doherty has posted 191 carries for 1,221 yards, scoring 17 times, while Sacco has hit on 52-of-117 passing attempts for 891 yards, with nine TDs and eight interceptions. Derry Area has been outscored by a margin of 272-251 on the year.

About the Golden Rams: Highlands cruised to a 45-0 win against Valley in the Class 3A Allegheny Seven Conference contest last Friday. Tevin Owen-Cratsenberg posted 130 yards rushing and three TDs for the Golden Rams. Additionally, quarterback Jamarkus Prager completed 11-of-18 throws for 185 yards, with one TD, while Jahmar Wright caught four passes for 104 yards. For the campaign, Owen-Cratsenberg has registered 169 carries for 1,434 yards, with 24 touchdowns. Prager, meanwhile, has hit on 68-of-132 passes for 1,110 yards, with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The Golden Rams boast a scoring advantage of 282-197 in 2025. Matt Bonislawski is at the helm of Highlands.

About the Matchup: The winner advances to face No. 3 seed Central Valley, which earned a first-round bye. The Golden Rams will be facing a third Westmoreland County team in the past four playoffs – Greater Latrobe in 2022, and Southmoreland in 2024.

WPIAL Class 5A First Round: No. 9 Kiski Area (4-6, 3-3) at No. 8 Shaler Area (3-7, 3-2) – 7 p.m.

About the Cavaliers: Kiski Area’s offense was silenced, while the defense could not corral Scoop Smith, as the Cavaliers fell 28-0 to Woodland Hills in a Class 5A Big East Conference game one week ago. Landyn Artman went 15-of-22 through the air for 108 yards, while Lucas Vacanti hauled in five receptions for 59 yards. Despite the loss, the Cavaliers secured a playoff berth as the third-place team from the conference. On the season, Artman has connected on 96-of-170 attempts for 1,333 yards, with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. Aven Shirley has caught 26 passes for 471 yards and rushed 37 times for 269 yards, scoring seven total touchdowns, while he’s completed 13-of-28 passes for 145 yards and two scores, along with three interceptions. Teegan Shirley and Andrew Finney have added 26 and 25 receptions, respectively. The Cavs have been outscored on the year by a margin of 263-156.

About the Titans: Shaler Area was overmatched by Pine-Richland in a 49-17 home loss in Class 5A Northeast Conference action last week. In the defeat, Adam White went 3-of-6 passing for 47 yards and a score, a 33-yard touchdown to Muhammed Perez. Troy Cignetti added a 90-yard kickoff return TD. On the year, quarterback Aaron Aversa has completed 83-of-158 attempts for 947 yards, with nine touchdowns and nine picks, while he leads the Titans with 108 attempts for 770 yards, scoring five times on the ground. Avery Kinter has rushed 103 times for 431 yards, while Zach London paces Shaler with 19 catches for 269 yards. The Titans, who have a pair of three-game skids this year, have been outpaced 335-194. Coach Jim Ryan patrols the sidelines for Shaler Area.

About the Matchup: The victorious team will face top-seeded Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals, as the Rams garnered a bye.

WPIAL Class 3A First Round: No. 10 Hopewell (6-4, 2-4) at No. 7 Southmoreland (9-1, 4-1) – 7 p.m.

About the Vikings: Hopewell lost a shootout to North Catholic 44-36 last Friday in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference last Friday. Quarterback James Armstrong went 10-of-25 passing for 130 yards, and he rushed 18 times for 61 yards and a TD. Brody Rock was the top receiver, snagging two receptions for 65 yards. On the season, Armstrong has completed 108-of-183 throws for 2,015 yards, with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions, and he’s added 102 carries for 672 yards and 14 scores on the ground. Nasir Wade paces the Vikings with 108 rushing attempts for 1,152 yards, also scoring 14 times, and he leads Hopewell with 23 catches for 361 yards. Tre Cameron leads the balanced receiving corps with 522 yards, while Avery Bokor has 413 yards receiving and Logan Triscila has added 364 yards receiving. Hopewell has averaged 39.4 points per game. Matt Mottes serves as the head coach of the Vikings.

About the Scotties: Stanley Chapman was a force on special teams, and the Southmoreland defense was suffocating in a 38-0 triumph against Greensburg Salem in a Class 3A Interstate Conference clash last week. Chapman blocked three punts for the Scotties, while Averyon Darnell scored two rushing TDs. Cam Lee added an 81-yard kickoff return score for the Scotties. On the season, signalcaller Dawson Wolfe has hit on 77-of-146 attempts for 1,068 yards, tossing 11 touchdowns with five interceptions, and he's rushed for 318 yards and eight scores. Averyon Darnell has compiled 506 yards rushing, while Jackson Mickens has added 445 yards rushing and scored a team-leading 11 total TDs. Makel Darnell leads the Scotties with 27 catches for 329 yards. The Scotties boast a scoring advantage of 311-91 on the campaign.

About the Matchup: The winner advances to play second-seeded Imani Christian Academy, which garnered a bye to the quarterfinals. Southmoreland has never won a WPIAL playoff game.

WPIAL Class 3A First Round: No. 12 Burrell (4-6, 3-3) at No. 5 North Catholic (7-3, 4-2) – 7 p.m. at JC Stone Field

About the Buccaneers: Burrell QB Antonio Perkins had a night for the ages, as he propelled the Buccaneers to a 48-41 win against Deer Lakes in the Class 3A Allegheny Seven Conference last Friday. Perkins rushed for a school-record 360 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, returned both a punt and a kickoff for a TD, and intercepted a pass on defense for the Buccaneers. Thus, Burrell gained a wild card berth in Class 3A. In 2025, Perkins has amassed 208 carries for 1,652 yards, scoring 25 touchdowns, while he’s also passed for 736 yards on 72-of-138 attempts. Trey Coury has added 161 carries for 683 yards, with five touchdowns, while Zack Coudriet has snagged 30 receptions for 326 yards. Burrell has been outscored by a margin of 344-221 this year.

About the Trojans: North Catholic prevailed 44-36 at Hopewell last Friday in the Western Hills Conference. Trojans QB Joey Felitsky connected on 20-of-23 passes for 312 yards and three scores, while Tom Arth caught six passes for 147 yards and a TD. Jackson Schade posted 10 carries for 107 yards, reaching the end zone. For the year, Felitsky hit on 140-of-295 throws for 2,437 yards and 33 touchdowns, both of which lead the WPIAL, along with eight picks. Four receivers – Will Waskiewicz, Preston Simko, Ryker Kennedy, and Tom Arth – have all recorded 23 or more receptions. The Trojans average 44.0 points per game. Chris Rizzo serves at the helm of North Catholic.

About the Matchup: The winner faces No. 4 Elizabeth Forward, which received a bye to the quarterfinals.

WPIAL Class 1A First Round: No. 10 Jeannette (7-3, 5-2) at No. 7 Bentworth (8-2, 6-1) – 7 p.m.

About the Jayhawks: Jeannette’s defense pitched a shutout, while Kymon’e Brown provided the big plays on offense in leading the Jayhawks to a 36-0 win against Riverview in the Class 1A Eastern Conference last Friday. Brown notched a 46-yard interception score and a 50-yard TD run for the homestanding Jayhawks, who had already clinched a playoff spot as the third-place finisher from the conference. McAllister Steele added three field goals for Jeannette. In 2025, Brown has completed 80-of-166 throws for 1,494 yards, with 15 TDs and six interceptions, while he’s also posted 97 carries for 878 yards and 15 TDs. Jayce Powell has amassed 38 receptions for 796 yards, finding paydirt on 11 occasions. Steele has made seven field goals and converted 33 extra points. Jeannette has a scoring advantage of 323-211 on the year.

About the Bearcats: Bentworth blanked Avella 35-0 last week in the Class 1A Tri-County South Conference. Ben Hays registered 22 carries for 111 yards and a TD. Ty Watson completed 4-of-10 throws for 104 yards, while Kaden Ayers contributed two catches for 75 yards and a pair of scores. On the season, Hays has accumulated 159 carries for 1,757 yards, scoring a WPIAL-best 35 touchdowns. Defensively, the Bearcats have posted four shutouts, including two in a row. The Bearcats have outscored their adversaries by a margin of 350-60 in 2025. Coach David Pordash patrols the sidelines for Bentworth.

About the Matchup: The team that advances will square off against either No. 2 Clairton or No. 15 Monessen in the quarterfinals.

WPIAL Class 1A First Round: No. 14 Greensburg Central Catholic (5-5, 3-4) at No. 3 Bishop Canevin – 7 p.m. at Dormont Stadium

About the Centurions: Samir Crosby factored into every touchdown, as Greensburg Central Catholic upset Leechburg 36-7 in a Class 1A Eastern Conference tilt one week ago. Playing QB, Crosby went 7-of-12 passing for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while he rushed for 150 yards and two more scores on the ground. Colin Snively was on the receiving end of all three TD passes, catching five balls spanning 117 yards for GCC. To this point of the season, Crosby has 92 carries for 876 yards, caught 19 passes spanning 267 yards, and scored 18 total touchdowns, while he’s also completed 22-of-45 passes for 430 yards and six TDs. Bobby Smithnosky has gone 57-of-98 through the air for 763 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Jerry Davis has caught 11 passes for 203 yards, rushed 22 times for 111 yards, scored five touchdowns, and kicked four field goals and 23 PATs. GCC holds a scoring advantage of 285-219 for the year.

About the Crusaders: Bishop Canevin outclassed Burgettstown 43-10 last Saturday in the Class 1A Black Hills Conference. In the win, Thomas Coates hauled in a pair of touchdown passes, while Myontae Mott posted a pair of long TD runs. Through 10 games, Mott has 95 rushing attempts for 695 yards, scoring a team-leading 15 touchdowns. QB Brady Wagner has thrown for 868 yards and 13 touchdowns, but he’s ineligible for the playoffs after transferring from Mount Lebanon in the offseason. Justin Marvin is the top pass catcher, hauling in 22 receptions for 414 yards, while Damar Olds has 19 receptions for 402 yards, scoring nine times. The Crusaders have outpaced their foes by a total of 338-185. Longtime head coach Rod Steele serves as the helm of Bishop Canevin.

About the Matchup: The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, and will play either sixth-seeded California Area or No. 11 Frazier. The teams last met in 2023, as Bishop Canevin claimed a 26-6 victory.

WPIAL Class 1A First Round: No. 15 Monessen (6-4, 3-3) at No. 2 Clairton (8-1, 7-0) – 7 p.m.

About the Greyhounds: Tavian Taylor scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, leading Monessen to a 30-28 win against Cornell in the Class 1A Black Hills Conference. On the season, Taylor has 100 carries for 892 yards, and he’s caught a dozen passes for 194 yards, scoring a team-leading 13 TDs. Quarterback Kaier Payne has hit on 33-of-76 throws for 604 yards, with six touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The Greyhounds have been narrowly outscored on the season, 233-219.

About the Bears: Clairton destroyed homestanding Brentwood 53-0 in the Class 1A Eastern Conference last Friday. In the victory, QB Jeff Thompson went 9-of-10 for 164 yards and four TDs, while Donte Wright caught three passes for 72 yards and a score. Deon Lovelace-Pompey led the rushing attack, notching four carries for 83 yards and a TD. For the season, Thompson has connected on 101-of-126 throws for 1,876 yards, with 32 touchdowns and one interception. Wright paces the Bears with 15 scores. After allowing 19 points in Week Zero, Clairton has posted shutouts in every subsequent game. The Bears boast a scoring margin of 482-19. Wayne Wade is the decorated head coach of Clairton.