A-K Valley high school notebook: Teams on the move in WPIAL football realignment
Mar. 23—Kiski Area and Knoch dropped, Fox Chapel moved and the Allegheny 7 Conference in Class 3A retained that dominant local flair. Those are some of the highlights of the WPIAL's football realignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The Cavaliers, under the direction of former Highlands and Westminster standout Brayden Thimons in his first season, made the Class 5A playoffs last fall. But they will look for a postseason return in Class 4A against Hampton, Indiana, McKeesport and Shaler in a section of just five teams. Class 4A's 16 teams have been divided into three sections.
Knoch, hoping for a fresh start after going winless in 2025, shifts down to Class 3A and will join the Allegheny 7 Conference with familiar foes Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands and Valley. Imani, now Propel Braddock Hills, made a lateral move to another conference in Class 3A, and North Catholic joins the Allegheny 7, down from Class 4A. Fox Chapel stays in Class 5A with Plum, but the Foxes will face a new lineup of conference teams in Connellsville, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford and Woodland Hills in the Big East.
FR and Fox Chapel played a nonconference game last year with the Panthers prevailing 21-10. Plum, which made the WPIAL playoffs with the "Mustang Miracle" victory over rival Penn Hills in the regular-season finale, will still face the Indians in conference and also take on Armstrong, Moon, North Hills and Pine-Richland. Apollo-Ridge hopes to build on last fall's turnaround playoff season within a Class 2A conference that again will have it making some long trips.
The Vikings will face Brownsville, Charleroi, East Allegheny, Ligonier Valley, South Allegheny and Steel Valley. Leechburg made its fifth straight Class A playoff appearance in 2025, and the Blue Devils hope to keep the streak rolling this fall in the Eastern Conference against Riverview and Springdale, as well as defending WPIAL and state champion Clairton, Jeannette, Greensburg Central Catholic and former Eastern staple Serra Catholic. Week Zero opponents revealed In the wake of the WPIAL announcing its realignment for the next two seasons, the 13 A-K Valley football teams were charged with finding their opponents for the Week Zero games Aug.
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