Following plenty of speculation with various plans considered between league officials, the WPIAL released new conference alignments and schedules for the upcoming 2026 and 2027 high school football seasons Thursday.
While the number of teams in each class changed very little, there was plenty of shuffling up and down and from one conference to another.
The biggest change was in Class 3A, which went from 20 schools in the last two-year cycle to 26 teams, so the district added a conference.
Here are highlights of some of the changes:
• Class 6A stays the exact same with seven teams.
• Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference says goodbye to Baldwin (independent), Moon and South Fayette and welcomes Thomas Jefferson, Trinity and West Allegheny, all up from 4A.
• 5A Big East Conference sees Armstrong and Kiski Area exit. Entering are Fox Chapel from 5A Northeast and returning Connellsville, which played as an independent.
• 5A Northeast Conference has Fox Chapel and Shaler leaving and Armstrong and Moon coming in from the two other 5A conference.
• 4A Big Six Conference got a facelift with three new teams in South Fayette, Albert Gallatin and Uniontown replacing Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity.
• 4A Allegheny Conference has two new teams and shrinks from six to five teams with Kiski Area and Shaler moving in to replace Knoch, Mars and West Mifflin.
• 4A Parkway Conference says so long to Aliquippa, Ambridge and West Allegheny and welcomes in Central Valley and Mars as it drops from six to five teams.
• 3A Interstate Conference remains nearly the same, adding Belle Vernon from 4A and Waynesburg Central from 2A while Yough bumps to a new conference.
• 3A Allegheny Seven Conference can keep the same name as Knoch comes in from 4A and North Catholic moves over from the Western Hills as East Allegheny and Propel Schools/Imani Christian exit.
• 3A Western Hills Conference retains only Beaver and Hopewell while Avonworth and North Catholic move to other 3A conferences. Central Valley went up to 4A and Quaker Valley and McGuffey drop to 2A. Joining the Bobcats and Vikings are Aliquippa and Ambridge down from 4A and Ellwood City and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart up from 2A.
• 3A TBD has defending champion Avonworth, West Mifflin down from 4A, South Park and Shady Side Academy up from 2A and Yough and Propel Schools/Imani Christian moving from other conferences in 3A.
• 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference watches as Ellwood City moves up and Union moves down while Neshannock is new to the MAC, coming up from Class A.
• 2A Century Conference has four new teams with McGuffey and Quaker Valley moving down from 3A and Bishop Canevin and Chartiers-Houston coming up from A, replacing Charleroi, Sto-Rox, Washington and Waynesburg Central.
• 2A Allegheny Conference has three new teams with East Allegheny coming down from 3A, Charleroi bumping over from Century and Brownsville back in the WPIAL after an independent stint. They replace OLSH, Shady Side Academy and South Park.
• Class A Big 7 Conference adds Union and Cornell while Neshannock moves up to 2A.
• Class A Black Hills Conference undergoes a major facelift with four new teams in Bentworth, Brentwood, Sto-Rox and Washington. Exiting are Bishop Canevin, Chartiers-Houston, Cornell and Serra Catholic.
• Class A Eastern Conference loses Frazier and Brentwood while welcoming back in former Eastern staple Serra Catholic.
• A Tri-County South had one addition and one subtraction with Frazier replacing Bentworth.
Class 6A
Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Norwin, Seneca Valley
Class 5A
Section 1: Connellsville, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Woodland Hills
Section 2: Armstrong, Moon*, North Hills, Penn Hills*, Pine-Richland, Plum
Section 3: Bethel Park, Peters Township, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny
Class 4A
Section 1: Hampton, Indiana, Kiski Area, McKeesport, Shaler
Section 2: Blackhawk, Central Valley, Mars, Montour, New Castle
Section 3: Albert Gallatin, Chartiers Valley, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, South Fayette, Uniontown
Class 3A
Section 1: Belle Vernon, Derry, Elizabeth Forward, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Waynesburg Central
Section 2: Avonworth, Propel/Imani Christian*, Shady Side Academy*, South Park, West Mifflin, Yough
Section 3: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Valley
Section 4: Aliquippa, Ambridge, Beaver, Ellwood City, Hopewell, OLSH*
Class 2A
Section 1: Bishop Canevin, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Quaker Valley, Seton LaSalle
Section 2: Apollo-Ridge, Brownsville, Charleroi, East Allegheny, Ligonier Valley, South Allegheny, Steel Valley
Section 3: Beaver Falls, Freedom, Mohawk, Neshannock, New Brighton, Riverside, Western Beaver*
Class A
Section 1: Avella, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Frazier, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene
Section 2: Bentworth, Brentwood, Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Monessen, Sto-Rox, Washington
Section 3: Cornell*, Laurel, Northgate, Rochester, Shenango, South Side, Summit Academy, Union
Section 4: Clairton, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette*, Leechburg, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Springdale
*Co-operative agreement
For a look at the WPIAL schedule grid, visit wpial.org.