Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Aug. 31)

Each week the Pittsburgh Union Progress will issue its high school football rankings throughout the season, with all rankings voted on by the PUP sports staff.

Class 6A

1. Central Catholic (1-1)

2. North Allegheny (2-0)

3. Hempfield (2-0)

4. Norwin (1-1)

5. Seneca Valley (1-1)

The skinny: Defending WPIAL champion Central Catholic got into the win column in emphatic fashion courtesy of a 34-20 win against Class 5A No. 1-ranked Pine-Richland. Roman Thompson ran for three touchdowns for the Vikings, who face Woodland Hills at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday in Canton, Ohio. … Norwin and Seneca Valley replace Mt. Lebanon and Canon-McMillan, each of which fell to 0-2. Norwin beat Kiski Area, 42-7, while Seneca Valley defeated North Hills, 38-10.

Class 5A

1. Pine-Richland (1-1)

2. Peters Township (2-0)

3. Upper St. Clair (2-0)

4. Woodland Hills (1-1)

5. Penn-Trafford (2-0)

The skinny: Despite the loss to Central Catholic, Pine-Richland continues to hold on to the top spot. It’s basically 1a and 1b, though, as Peters Township has been very impressive, its latest triumph coming against Kemon Spell-less McKeesport, 35-0. … Woodland Hills bounced back from a last-minute loss to North Allegheny by hammering Penn Hills, 41-7. … Both of Penn-Trafford’s wins have come against Class 6A teams (Norwin and Mt. Lebanon).

Class 4A

1. Thomas Jefferson (2-0)

2. Aliquippa (1-0)

3. McKeesport (1-1)

4. Mars (2-0)

5. Montour (1-1)

The skinny: After falling behind by 14 points, Thomas Jefferson flexed its muscles and rallied for a 37-14 win against Central Valley. Next up is a WPIAL championship rematch with McKeesport, which stays at No. 3 despite a lopsided defeat to Peters Township. Spell, by the way, is expected back this week after dealing with an injury. … Mars continues to impress. The Planets followed up a win against Beaver with a 17-13 win at Class 5A Bethel Park.

Class 3A

1. Avonworth (2-0)

2. Imani Christian (2-0)

3. North Catholic (2-0)

4. Elizabeth Forward (2-0)

5. Hopewell (2-0)

The skinny: Avonworth upped its record to 2-0 after a 37-7 win at West Mifflin, but a gauntlet of challenges awaits the defending WPIAL champs, who play ranked foes Aliquippa, Thomas Jefferson and Hopewell in the next three games. … North Catholic is averaging a WPIAL-best 58 points per game after scoring 47 and 69 its first two games. … Hopewell replaces Central Valley in the rankings. The Vikings can start 3-0 for the first time since 2016 in a showdown Friday against Ambridge (0-2).

Class 2A

1. Steel Valley (1-1)

2. South Allegheny (2-0)

3. Seton LaSalle (1-1)

4. South Park (2-0)

5. Western Beaver (2-0)

The skinny: Steel Valley won at then-No. 5 Washington, 21-6, to claim its first win. The Ironmen are joined by South Allegheny and South Park as Allegheny Conference teams ranked among the top four teams. … Seton LaSalle rebounded from a Week 0 loss with a 22-7 win against Bishop Canevin. … South Park and Western Beaver join the rankings for the first time. South Park is the defending WPIAL champ and has road wins against East Allegheny and Deer Lakes.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (2-0)

2. Clairton (1-1)

3. Laurel (2-0)

4. Neshannock (1-1)

5. Jefferson-Morgan (2-0)

The skinny: Top-ranked Fort Cherry thumped OLSH, 40-0, to improve to 36-3 in its past 39 games dating to the 2022 season. The Rangers have won 30 games in a row against WPIAL opponents. … Clairton pounded Serra Catholic, 78-0, for its first win. … Laurel joins the rankings after strong wins against Ellwood City and Mohawk. … Also new is Jefferson-Morgan, the reigning Tri-County Southern Conference champion which has scored 99 points in two wins.

City League

1. Westinghouse (2-0)

2. Allderdice (1-1)

3. University Prep (0-2)

The skinny: There’s no movement here this week. Westinghouse improved to 2-0 courtesy of a 32-7 win against Linsly School, W.Va. The three-time defending City League champions open up league play Thursday against Brashear. … Allderdice (at Hollidaysburg) and University Prep (Hickory) each lost games against out-of-area foes.