Helena Frye
There have been several realignments in the WPIAL basketball classifications over the past few years, affecting both boys' and girls' teams. In 2022, the WPIAL Class 6A basketball teams saw a decline in numbers, with only 11 boys' teams and 12 girls' teams, down from 17 and 15, respectively, the previous winter. This was due to a change in the way the PIAA counts enrollment, with a steady decline over a six-year period. In 2024, notable changes included Lincoln Park moving up from Class 4A to 5A, Deer Lakes from 3A to 4A, and Aliquippa from 2A to 3A, among others. For the 2024-25 season, the WPIAL girls' basketball classifications also underwent changes, with Greensburg Central Catholic moving up to Class 3A and various teams switching sections to balance the number of teams. The WPIAL boys' basketball alignment for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons also saw adjustments, with teams such as Beaver County Christian and Environmental Charter playing in Class A, and Propel Montour and Hillel Academy not included in the WPIAL sections. These realignments occur periodically to ensure competitive balance and accommodate changes in enrollment numbers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Teams moving up a class | Lincoln Park (4A to 5A), Deer Lakes (3A to 4A), Aliquippa (2A to 3A), Imani Christian (A to 6A), Greensburg Central Catholic (2A to 3A), Highlands (4A to 5A), Latrobe (5A to 6A), Penn-Trafford (5A to 6A), North Hills, Woodland Hills, Connellsville (6A), Burrell, Mt. Pleasant, South Park, Yough (4A) |
| Teams dropping a class | Chartiers Valley, Baldwin, Bethel Park, Peters Township (6A), Oakland Catholic, Hampton, Lincoln Park (4A), New Brighton, Sto-Rox, Quaker Valley, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, Shady Side Academy (3A), Laurel, Neshannock, Apollo-Ridge (2A) |
| Teams with no change in class | South Fayette (5A), North Catholic (4A), Union (A), Norwin (6A), Shady Side Academy (3A) |
| Teams not placed in WPIAL sections | Propel Montour, Hillel Academy |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class A | Beaver County Christian, Environmental Charter, Western Beaver |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class 2A | Cornell, Laurel, Neshannock, Apollo-Ridge, Jefferson-Morgan, Jeannette, Riverview |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class 3A | Greensburg Central Catholic, New Brighton, Sto-Rox, Quaker Valley, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, Shady Side Academy, Greensburg Central Catholic, Steel Valley, Washington |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class 4A | Burrell, Mt. Pleasant, South Park, Yough, Oakland Catholic, Hampton, Lincoln Park |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class 5A | North Catholic, South Fayette |
| Teams playing in WPIAL Class 6A | Norwin, Shady Side Academy, North Hills, Woodland Hills, Connellsville, Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, West Mifflin, Hempfield, Indiana, Kiski Area, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford |
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What You'll Learn
Changes to WPIAL boys basketball alignment for 2024-25 and 2025-26
The WPIAL boys basketball alignment will see some changes for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The most notable changes involve four of the defending district champions. Lincoln Park has moved up from Class 4A to 5A due to the PIAA competitive-balance rule, while Deer Lakes has moved from 3A to 4A, Aliquippa from 2A to 3A, and Imani Christian has voluntarily jumped from Class A to 6A. To accommodate these changes and maintain competitive balance, the WPIAL has made adjustments to the sections within each class.
In Class 6A, the highest classification, the number of teams has expanded from 12 to 16. This includes the addition of Fox Chapel, North Hills, Connellsville, Woodland Hills, and Imani Christian. As a result, the basketball committee has decided to divide the 16 boys teams in Class 6A into two eight-team sections. Central Catholic has moved from Section 1 to Section 2. This shift in alignment will provide a more balanced competition within the sections.
Additionally, there have been changes in the lower classifications. In Class 5A, teams such as North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Mt. Lebanon, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Norwin, Pine-Richland, and Baldwin will continue to have a strong presence. Central Catholic, which previously competed in Class 6A, will now be part of Class 5A boys basketball. This movement across classifications ensures a more diverse range of opponents and a dynamic playing field for the upcoming seasons.
Looking at Class 4A and below, there may be further adjustments to sections and team placements. While there might not be as much movement or changes in these lower classifications, the WPIAL continuously evaluates competitive balance and makes decisions based on enrollment numbers and geographical considerations. These factors play a crucial role in determining the alignment and ensuring fairness among the teams.
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PIAA competitive-balance rule changes
The PIAA competitive-balance rule, which was first implemented in 2018, initially targeted football and basketball. However, in 2023, the PIAA board voted to expand the rule to include additional team sports and some individual ones. The newly included sports will be affected starting with the 2024-25 school year.
The rule addresses competitive balance by forcing teams that have postseason success and add too many transfers into a higher classification, where they compete against opponents with larger enrollments. This formula aims to address the limitations of solely relying on enrollment numbers for school classification, as enrolment numbers may not always indicate equal competition factors.
The PIAA recognises two general types of schools: traditional schools, where students attend based on their geographic residence, and schools of choice, where attendance is based on factors like educational needs, religion, gender, legacy, or technology. The expansion of school choice beyond traditional neighbourhood schools has led to changes in the types of schools students attend, impacting the competitive balance between schools in sports.
The inclusion of wrestling and tennis, which are individual sports, adds a layer of complexity to the rule. For example, a Class 2A wrestling team targeted for promotion would compete in the 3A team tournament for the following two years, and the wrestlers on that team would also compete at the 3A level in individual tournaments.
The PIAA competitive-balance rule has had a direct impact on WPIAL boys' basketball alignment for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. Notably, Lincoln Park moved up from Class 4A to 5A due to this rule, while Deer Lakes, Aliquippa, and Imani Christian also moved up in classification, with Imani Christian voluntarily jumping from Class A to 6A.
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Changes to WPIAL girls basketball alignment for 2024-25 and 2025-26
The WPIAL has released its basketball schedules for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, which include changes to the girls' basketball alignment. Here are the key details:
Class 3A
Greensburg Central Catholic has been moved up to Class 3A by the PIAA competitive-balance rule after advancing to the state semifinals for the past two years. They join Section 2-3A alongside recent WPIAL champions Shady Side Academy (2024) and Avonworth (2023). To balance the number of teams, Frazier has switched from Section 3 to Section 4.
Class 6A
Class 6A has decreased from 13 to 12 teams. This change was due to North Hills, Woodland Hills (Section 1), and Connellsville (Section 2) moving up a class, while Chartiers Valley, Baldwin, Bethel Park, and Peters Township have dropped. Section 2 will now include Hempfield and Norwin, who have moved over from Section 1.
Class 4A
There was no intersection movement in Class 4A, which will now include 23 teams, up from 20 in the last cycle. Burrell (Section 1), Mt. Pleasant, South Park, and Yough (Section 3) have moved up, while Oakland Catholic (Section 1) and Hampton and Lincoln Park (Section 2) have dropped a class.
Class 3A Adjustments
Class 3A will transition from four sections to three, with 23 teams, a decrease from the previous 24. New Brighton and Sto-Rox (Section 1), Greensburg Central Catholic and Steel Valley (Section 2), and Washington (Section 3) have moved up. Quaker Valley has dropped and will now compete in Section 1, alongside OLSH, which shifted from Section 2. Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, and Shady Side Academy have moved from Section 3 to Section 2, and a new Section 3 has been established.
Class 2A Additions
Laurel and Neshannock (Section 1) and Apollo-Ridge (Section 4) have dropped a class and are now part of Class 2A. Jefferson-Morgan (Section 3) and Jeannette and Riverview (Section 4) have moved up from Class A.
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Decline in WPIAL Class 6A schools
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1907 by a group of educators from four Pittsburgh schools who sought increased regulation and governance of student athletic eligibility and interscholastic athletic competition. The league has expanded since its inception, but the number of schools in WPIAL Class 6A football has been declining in recent years.
In 2021, Baldwin, Hempfield, and Norwin dropped from Class 6A football, leaving only five schools in the classification: North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Mt. Lebanon, Canon-McMillan, and Central Catholic. The decline in the number of schools in Class 6A is partly due to changes in the way enrollment numbers are calculated, including the exclusion of vo-tech students.
The decline in the number of schools in WPIAL Class 6A has had an impact on the league's largest classification, which has been shrinking. WPIAL Class 6A football had already been decreasing in size before the changes, and the recent drops have further reduced the number of teams. The future of the classification is uncertain, and it is possible that another WPIAL team could voluntarily join 6A.
While the number of schools in WPIAL Class 6A football has declined, there have been some changes in the WPIAL boys' basketball alignment for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The highest classification expanded from 12 to 16 teams, with the addition of Fox Chapel, North Hills, Connellsville, Woodland Hills, and Imani Christian. However, it is unclear if this expansion will continue in the future, especially given the decline in the number of schools in Class 6A football.
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Changes to WPIAL boys basketball sections for 2020-21
For the 2020-21 season, the WPIAL limited sections to eight teams or fewer. This proved challenging for Class 6A boys, which had only 17 teams, forcing the WPIAL to create small sections of five, six and six. The WPIAL decided to shift Central Catholic east to better balance the sections competitively. Central Catholic joined Fox Chapel, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Norwin, and Penn-Trafford after sharing a section with Butler, Pine-Richland, North Allegheny, North Hills, and Seneca Valley.
In boys' basketball, Classes 5A and 2A increased from three sections to four due to the increase in the number of teams in those classifications. Latrobe moved from Class 5A to 6A, and Penn-Trafford moved up from Class 5A to 6A. Highlands also moved up from Class 4A to 5A.
The WPIAL's largest classification was expected to shrink in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, with only 11 boys' basketball teams in Class 6A. This decline was attributed to a change in how the PIAA counts enrollment, counting only 10% of homeschooled students, those attending a charter school, or vo-tech students.
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Frequently asked questions
The most notable changes involved four of the defending district champions. Lincoln Park moved up from Class 4A to 5A, Deer Lakes from 3A to 4A, Aliquippa from 2A to 3A, and Imani Christian voluntarily jumped from Class A to 6A.
The first practice date is November 15, with scrimmaging starting on November 23 and the regular season tipping off on November 29. The WPIAL playoffs begin on February 13, with the league finals taking place from February 27 to March 1. The state championship games are scheduled for March 27-29.
Greensburg Central Catholic was moved up to Class 3A by the PIAA competitive-balance rule. The only other change was Frazier switching sections in 2A to balance the number of teams after GCC's departure.
There has been a decline in the number of WPIAL Class 6A schools over a six-year period. In 2016, there were 22 boys basketball teams and 18 girls teams. By 2022, the numbers had decreased further, with only 11 boys basketball teams and 12 girls teams expected for the upcoming season.
