Best in Show: PUP high school football rankings (Sept. 14)

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 (3-1)

2. North Allegheny (4-0)

3. Norwin (3-1)

4. Hempfield (3-1)

5. Canon-McMillan (2-2)

The skinny: Central Catholic and North Allegheny opened conference play with lopsided wins. Central Catholic has flexed its muscles offensively the past two weeks, scoring 58 and 57 points, while North Allegheny had little trouble beating then-No. 3 Hempfield, 56-13. … Norwin replaces Hempfield at No. 3 following its third win in a row, a 56-13 triumph at Seneca Valley. Norwin’s lone loss came at Penn-Trafford by three points in the season opener. … Canon-McMillan jumps into the rankings following its second consecutive win, 31-21, against Armstrong.

Class 5A

1. Pine-Richland (3-1)

2. Peters Township (4-0)

3. Upper St. Clair (4-0)

4. Woodland Hills (2-2)

5. Penn-Trafford (3-1)

The skinny: The top three teams remain the same this week. Of those three, Upper St. Clair has been especially dominant, outscoring opponents, 159-9, the past three games. The Panthers will host Peters Township in a major Allegheny Six Conference showdown on Sept. 26. … Woodland Hills and Penn-Trafford flip spots after Scoop Smith and the Wolverines topped the Warriors, 49-21. The Wolverines’ two losses were to the top two teams in Class 6A. 

Class 4A

1. Thomas Jefferson (3-1)

2. Aliquippa (2-1)

3. McKeesport (2-2)

4. Mars (3-1)

5. Montour (3-1)

The skinny: Thomas Jefferson stays atop the rankings despite a 41-14 loss at Class 3A No. 1 Avonworth. It was the worst regular season loss for the Jaguars against a WPIAL opponent in Bill Cherpak’s 31 seasons as coach. … Aliquippa and McKeesport both move up a spot following wins. The Quips rallied for a thrilling 19-6 win against Mars. Speaking of Mars, the Planets drop from No. 2 to No. 4 and this week travel to No. 5 Montour in non-conference play.

Class 3A

1. Avonworth (4-0)

2. Imani Christian 4-0)

3. North Catholic (4-0)

4. Elizabeth Forward (3-1)

5. Hopewell (3-1)

The skinny: How about those Avonworth Antelopes? Beating Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson in consecutive weeks is a major accomplishment. It doesn’t get any easier for the ’Lopes, who get No. 5 Hopewell next. The Vikings remain ranked despite a wild 51-50 loss against Beaver. The teams combined for 1,351 yards of offense. … Imani Christian and North Catholic ran to mercy rule wins, while Elizabeth Forward fell to Class 5A South Fayette, 27-24.

Class 2A

1. South Allegheny (4-0)

2. Seton LaSalle (3-1)

3. Western Beaver (4-0)

4. Steel Valley (2-2)

5. Washington (3-1)

The skinny: Was there a stranger result in Week 3 than Steel Valley thumping then-No. 3 South Park, 56-7? South Park was 3-0 and had beaten Steel Valley, 7-0, last season, while the Ironmen had scored a total of 39 points across their first three games. … Western Beaver moves up a spot after improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2020. … Meanwhile, Washington rejoins the rankings following a 35-14 win at Waynesburg.

Class 1A

1. Fort Cherry (4-0)

2. Clairton (3-1)

3. Bishop Canevin (2-2)

4. Neshannock (2-1)

5. Jefferson-Morgan (4-0)

The skinny: How good has Fort Cherry been the past few seasons? Well, its 44-14 triumph at Chartiers-Houston gave the Rangers their 32nd consecutive win against WPIAL opponents. … Bishop Canevin is a big riser, going from unranked to No. 3 after topping then-No. 3 Laurel, 46-28. The Crusaders seem to have found their footing after starting the season 0-2. … Neshannock had its game against Rochester postponed.

City League

1. Westinghouse (4-0)

2. Allderdice (3-1)

3. University Prep (1-2)

The skinny: No changes here after Westinghouse hammered Perry, 76-0, and Allderdice rolled over Uniontown, 40-0. The Bulldogs and Dragons will square off at Cupples Stadium on Sept. 25. University Prep gets back into action Friday after being idle last week.