The year 2025 in WPIAL sports saw a lot of history and unusual happenings that kept all three sports seasons exciting.
Whether it’s a game, a season or multiple seasons, this is a perfect way to wrap up the countdown with historic performances aplenty, plus a shot clock for down the road and new leadership in both the district and state in 2026.
In our year-end tradition, Trib HSSN winds down the year with a daily countdown and a look back at the top 25 WPIAL stories from 2025.
Here is a look at district stories No. 5 through No. 1.
No. 5 – Shot clock arriving … soon
There has been talk for years of adding a shot clock for high school basketball in Pennsylvania.
Following several stops and starts, the PIAA finally approved the use of a 35-second shot clock for basketball.
However, to help in the implication of this huge change, which includes training folks to work said clock and the cost of installing shot clocks at all gyms, the new rule won’t kick in until the start of the 2028-2029 season.
No. 4 – The perfect season
There have been district football teams that ended up winning both WPIAL and PIAL championships without losing a game.
But few were as impressive as this one and only perfect season in 2025.
Duke Johncour led Avonworth to victory against a tough nonconference slate, the best overall conference in Class 4A, the district and state playoffs with little challenge.
The Antelopes pranced to the only perfect season among state playoff teams this past fall.
No. 3 – The perfect season … again
The accomplishments of the Neshannock softball team these last four years may never be duplicated.
The Lancers have won four consecutive WPIAL Class 2A softball championships.
Neshannock became the first district softball team to repeat as PIAA champions and has won three state crowns in the last four years with the only year it didn’t win double gold coming after a state semifinal loss in 2023.
They broke their own district-record winning streak of 48 with wins in their last 52 games and counting.
The Lancers finished undefeated for the second straight season and the third time in four years.
Over the last four years, Neshannock softball has a combined record of 100-1.
No. 2 – The perfect game
As we saw earlier in the countdown, a pitcher throwing a no-hitter in the WPIAL baseball championships is becoming commonplace, with Serra Catholic right-hander Tyler Skaggs throwing one in the Class 2A game, marking the fourth straight year a no-no has been pitched in the district finals.
However, none of those gems were as shiny as the perfect game tossed by Zach Hare in the 2025 WPIAL Class 3A championship game.
He became the first pitcher in district championship history to retire every batter he faced in the title game win over Quaker Valley.
That perfect game was part of a mind-numbing district and state hitless streak that stretched over six playoff games.
No. 1 – Changing of the guards
Stability has been a big part of the success in both the offices of the WPIAL and the PIAA.
However, in a span of about a month, announcements were made that leadership changes at the top of both District 7 and the state will take place at the start of 2026.
Both executive directors, Scott Seltzer of the WPIAL and Bob Lombardi of the PIAA, announced they were retiring at the end of 2025.
The announcements came just over a week from each other in October.
The rest of the countdown:
No. 6 – Sweet 16 for King
No. 7 – Atkins wins quadruple-double
No. 8 – Comeback for the ages
No. 9 – Boss Skaggs
No. 10 – Changes to PIAA policy draws ire
No. 11 – Marathon tribesmen
No. 12 – Lackovich fired
No. 13 – Exiting on top
No. 14 – Wade-ing up to No. 2
No. 15 – NA continues golden splash
No. 16 – Titanic spring sweep
No. 17 – Bearcats rare trifecta
No. 18 – A return to state gold
No. 19 – Making space in the trophy case
No. 20 – Again and again and again and again
No. 21 – Eight was enough
No. 22 – Fight nights
No. 23 – Lions roar ends one for the thumb
No. 24 – Rebels end two decade old title drought
No. 25 – WPIAL owns the 2 1 5