Mar 20, 2026 By Rob Burchianti 4 min read

Whenever the WPIAL releases its new alignments for each sport every two years there are always a few schools that get caught on the wrong side of the enrollment numbers.

For the 2026 football season that team is Waynesburg Central.

The Raiders played in the Class 2A Century Conference in 2025 but one extra student has sent them into Class 3A for the next two seasons.

The football realignment had a varying impact on the smaller area teams from Class A to Class 3A.

While Waynesburg was in Class 2A last year, Belle Vernon played in Class 4A, but the two will both be in the Class 3A Interstate Conference now, along with defending champion Elizabeth Forward, playoff teams Southmoreland and Derry, and Mount Pleasant and Greensburg Salem.

Raiders coach Joe Kuhns felt the situation could’ve turned out even worse.

“Being that we were only one boy over the limit to getting bumped up to 3A we really had no idea what to expect,” Kuhns said. “Our feeling was as long as we didn’t have to drive all the way to Beaver County for conference games, we would be happy. The Interstate is a good conference for us because there are some schools there that our other sports have experienced competing with.”

The Raiders are ready to accept the challenge of moving up in class after qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs in Class 2A in 2025, according to Kuhns.

“We have a group that just really loves the game and will have a great time whoever they put on the other sidelines,” Kuhns said. “We are going to focus on us, what we do well, being in great condition, respect 1.32 acres of the football field and hopefully compete for one of those playoff positions.”

Brownsville re-entered the WPIAL after spending the past four seasons as an independent and was placed in Class 2A in what the WPIAL lists as Section 2. The closest school to the Falcons in the conference is Charleroi. Other teams are Apollo-Ridge, East Allegheny, Ligonier Valley, South Allegheny and Steel Valley.

The Falcons begin the season with non-conference games against local teams Uniontown and West Greene.

Brownsville second-year coach Cody Caster was OK with his team’s slate.

“I was very excited to see our schedule last week,” Castor said. “It was good to see local teams and for us to be back in the WPIAL. The players were also excited and talking about the local teams we would be playing.”

There was little change to the Class A Tri-County South, with it staying them same except for Frazier replacing Bentworth. The Commodores have played in the TCS in the past.

The rest of the conference — California, Beth-Center, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene and Avella — remained in tact.

California, the defending conference champion, seemingly faces the toughest schedule of the group.

Trojans coach Ed Woods said his team is preparing for the challenge.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to coach this year,” Woods said. “Our first three games — Mohawk, Fort Cherry and Washington — are all playoff-caliber teams. Out of the gate our team will have to play at a high level to win.

“Also our conference added Frazier, who was another playoff team, from the Eastern Conference. And Beth-Center is a team who has shown that they are ready to take their game to another level.”

Woods already has his team gearing up for the 2026 season.

“California needs to win now in the weight room and on the practice field in order to have success,” Woods said. “I feel that the WPIAL has given us a compliment by aligning us with so many great football programs. We will be ready for the grind.”

Mapletown and Avella again have opted to play a Week Zero non-conference before meeting each other in a TCS game later in the season.

“We’ve played each other twice a year for a while now and it actually works out great,” Maples coach George Messich said.

The Maples then play non-conference road games at Class 2A East Allegheny, which was in Class 3A last year, and Serra Catholic.

Messich believes the TCS will be very competitive.

“I really think our conference will have a lot of close games on Friday nights,” Messich said. “I realize that scheduling the crossover games is a hard job to do but if two schools want to play and it would be a very competitive game they should get to play each other.”

Messich sees the TCS as a tight-knit group of teams.

“Our conference for years has been a very close group of coaches and we always have a fun time when we get together,” Messich said.

“Except on one Friday night a year.”