PIAA reveals brackets for 2024-25 football playoffs, likely altering WPIAL schedule at Acrisure Stadium

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, March 21, 2024 | 5:53 PM

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The four WPIAL football finals played at Acrisure Stadium likely will change this fall.

Class 5A could be in, while 4A is out.

Updated PIAA brackets released Thursday have the WPIAL champions in Class 5A, 3A, 2A and A joining the state playoffs in the semifinal round. That makes it likely those four WPIAL finals are played together at the North Shore stadium Nov. 22 or 23.

The new PIAA brackets are for the 2024 and ’25 seasons.

WPIAL champions in Class 6A and 4A will enter the state playoffs a week earlier, in the quarterfinals, and, therefore, those WPIAL finals likely will be held elsewhere Nov. 15 or 16.

The PIAA revamps its state playoff brackets every two years in conjunction with the realignment of teams in classifications.

The state brackets are based on the number of teams in each PIAA district. For example, the number of WPIAL teams in Class 4A has dropped from 22 to 17, ande the number in 5A increased from 18 to 20.

Districts with more teams are rewarded with later entry into the state bracket.

According to the new PIAA brackets:

• The WPIAL Class A champion plays either the District 9 or District 10 champion in the PIAA semifinals.

• The WPIAL Class 2A champion plays the District 6, 9, 10 or City League champion in the semifinals.

• The WPIAL Class 3A champion plays the District 5, 6, 9, 10 or City League champion in the semifinals.

• The WPIAL Class 4A champion plays the District 9, 10 or City League champion in the quarterfinals. The winner plays the District 3 champion in the semifinals.

• The WPIAL Class 5A champion plays the District 3 champion in the semifinals.

• The WPIAL Class 6A champion plays the District 2, 4, 6 or 10 champion in the quarterfinals. The winner plays the District 3 champion in the semifinals.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.