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WPIAL football realignment set: Here’s where Knoch, Freeport, Mars and rest of local teams will play the next 2 seasons

Mars quarterback Nate Walker (14) looks for an open receiver to pass to against Knoch in a football game Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle

The WPIAL announced its football realignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons on Thursday. Here are the changes that impact Butler County programs.

Class 4A

Mars is relocating from the Class 4A Allegheny Conference to join the Parkway Conference, where it will face off with Blackhawk, Central Valley, Montour and New Castle as league foes.

Class 3A

Knoch is dropping down from Class 4A, joining fellow Butler County teams Freeport and North Catholic in the Allegheny Seven Conference. North Catholic moves over from the Western Hills Conference in the same classification.

The other teams in the Allegheny Seven grouping are Burrell, Deer Lakes, Highlands and Valley.

Class 6A

Seneca Valley remains in the Class 6A Quad County Conference, which remains identical with Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny and Norwin as its other teams.

Class 1A

Summit Academy’s Big 7 Conference drops Neshannock and adds Cornell from the Black Hills Conference and Union from Class 2A. The Knights’ other league foes will be Northgate, Rochester, Shenango and South Side.

Related Article: A ‘drastic’ decision to leave the WPIAL turned around Butler football’s prospects. There’s still work to be done Related Article: Butler supports Fox Chapel’s proposal for WPIAL football realignment as way to rejoin league

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