Aliquippa only WPIAL team ranked No. 1

More than half the teams that ended up as PIAA champions a year ago are No. 1 at the start of this season.

The Post-Gazette preseason state rankings are out and four of the six No. 1 teams are defending state champions. They are St. Joseph’s Prep, Archbishop Wood, Erie Cathedral Prep and Bishop Guilfoyle.

The only WPIAL team ranked No. 1 at the start of this season is Aliquippa in Class 3A. The Quips have a number of returning starters and will be trying to make it to a WPIAL title game for the 10th consecutive season. Besides Aliquippa, the only other No. 1 team that is not a defending state champ is Southern Columbia in 2A. The Tigers lost to Steel Valley in the PIAA 2A final. Steel Valley enters this season ranked No. 2.

The other state champion from last year is Beaver Falls in 3A. The Tigers are not ranked in the top five in the state, but they are No. 5 in 3A of the WPIAL.

Here is a look at some of the top teams outside the WPIAL:

Class 6A

St. Joseph’s Prep is No. 1 after beating Central Catholic, 42-7, in the PIAA championship. Seven defensive starters return for St. Joe’s, although the Hawks must rebuild their offensive line and star running back D’Andre Swift is now at the University of Georgia. La Salle figures to be competitive with St. Joe’s in the Philadelphia Catholic League, but St. Joe’s has made it to a PIAA final three of the past four years.

WPIAL teams Pine-Richland and Central Catholic are ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively. No. 5 Coatesville features junior running back Aaron Young, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore and has Division I college scholarship offers. His older brother, Avery, a defensive back, has committed to Rutgers. Coatesville and North Penn look like the top teams from District 1.

Parkland, ranked fourth, always seems to have a strong team, but watch out for Emmaus to challenge Parkland in District 11.

Class 5A

It’s not exactly going out on a limb to pick Archbishop Wood No. 1. Wood has been in a PIAA final five of the past six years and look for the team to be strong again.

At Harrisburg, Micah Parsons created a controversy when he transferred in the middle of last season from Central Dauphin to Harrisburg, was ruled eligible and helped Harrisburg reach the PIAA title game before losing to Wood. Parsons is back for his senior year and Rivals.com ranks him the No. 5 player overall in the country. Parsons is projected to play defensive end in college, but also is a force at running back for Harrisburg.

Harrisburg also has fourstar receiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts, a Penn State recruit, and talented quarterback Yahmire Wilkerson.

Class 4A

Erie Cathedral Prep won the PIAA title last year and the Ramblers are loaded for a repeat. Check out this Fab 5 for coach Mike Mischler: Linebacker Matt Bauer has committed to Notre Dame, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs to Penn State, defensive back Terry Roberts to Iowa, receiver Anthony Bolden to Army and quarterback Joe Mischler (son of the coach) to Ohio.

One of the top games on the first weekend of the season has Cathedral Prep playing host to Central Catholic.

Cathedral Prep beat Imhotep Charter in the PIAA championship last year and the same two teams could end up in Hershey again this season. Berks Catholic lost to Cathedral Prep, 28-14, in last year’s semifinals and Berks figures to be strong again.

Don’t sleep on perennial power Bethlehem Catholic, which made the PIAA semifinals a year ago.

Class 3A

The top two teams in the rankings are from the WPIAL — Aliquippa and Central Valley. No. 3 Scranton Prep set a school record for wins last year with 12 and could be the top 3A team in the East. Scranton Prep features a big offensive line.

Notre Dame-Green Pond made it to the PIAA semifinals a year ago and features quarterback Cole DeFranco, who threw for more than 3,000 yards in 2016.

Middletown lost to Beaver Falls in the PIAA title game a year ago. Middletown was hit hard by graduation, but is still a team to watch.

Class 2A

Steel Valley won every game by the mercy rule last season. With the graduation of some key players, the consensus is it’s impossible for the Ironmen to be as strong. So Steel Valley starts the season at No. 2 while Southern Columbia is No. 1.

Southern Columbia is a regular participant in PIAA title games and this team is loaded with young skill players. Junior quarterback Stone Hollenbach threw for 2,156 yards last season as a sophomore. Gaige Garcia ran for 1,938 yards as a freshman in 2016. Also, receiver Julian Fleming is only a sophomore, but already has offers from Pitt, Penn State and Michigan, among others.

Class 1A

Bishop Guilfoyle lost a number of players from last year’s team, but it’s hard not to put a team No. 1 that has won three consecutive PIAA titles and has a 47-game winning streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the country.

Guilfoyle beat Clairton in two of the past three championship games and Clairton comes into this season ranked No. 2 again.

No. 3 Farrell made it to the PIAA semifinals a year ago and the title game in 2015. Kyi Wright is a junior linebacker who has an offer from Pitt.