The Numbers Behind the Change
When the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) embraced six football classifications in 2016, the move was framed as a way to give more schools a realistic shot at a championship. The shift expanded the postseason from four to six tiers, but it also meant that the largest division, Class 6A, saw its membership shrink from fourteen programs to just seven.
In the first ten years of the new structure, twenty‑eight WPIAL teams have lifted a trophy, a modest increase over the twenty‑six titles awarded under the four‑class system. Schools such as Central Catholic, Pine‑Richland, Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson have each captured five championships, illustrating how the re‑classification has allowed certain programs to dominate smaller divisions.
The expansion has not been without controversy. Former WPIAL executive director Vince Sortino, who initially opposed the change, now oversees its implementation, while longtime critics Tim O’Malley and Brian Geyer warned that the realignment would fracture historic rivalries and limit opportunities for smaller schools. Their concerns were echoed by former coach Ron Butschle, who argued that the six‑class model robbed lower‑division teams of regular‑season matchups that once defined local traditions.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association approved the realignment with a 26‑4 vote, despite dissent from WPIAL representatives. Since then, the league has stuck to the six‑class format, with no official plan to revert to the earlier four‑class system. While Class 5A, 3A and 2A have produced more balanced competition, the fragmentation in Class 6A continues to draw criticism for reducing depth and competitive parity at the top level.
As the decade‑long experiment settles into its second half, the debate remains centered on whether the added championship pathways justify the trade‑offs. The WPIAL’s structure endures, but the conversation about fairness, rivalry preservation, and the future of high school football in Pennsylvania shows no sign of quieting.