PA high school football 2024: Top 10 games you don’t want to miss in Butler County this season
The success that Butler County area football teams enjoyed on the gridiron last year sets up some intriguing meetings this go-round. Karns City, Knoch, Mars, North Catholic and Union/A-C Valley all reached the postseason.
As those five teams and the six others in the area gear up for the 2024 PIAA football season, fill up your car’s gas tank and bring some cash for concessions.
Here are the best games to attend each week this fall:
What a way to start the season, huh?
It won’t take much to fire up both sides for this one, as the schools aren’t far apart and the programs are well-acquainted. The Gremlins have won each of the past five installments in the rivalry series, which gives the Warriors a chance to get things underway on a high note by turning the tide.
From two schools that know each other well to another pair that hasn’t bumped into each other since 1997. Both programs finished second in their respective conferences last fall, bowing in pivotal games late in the schedule.
While this contest won’t count when it comes to deciding the playoff picture, it promises to be interesting.
An off-target Bulldogs field goal sealed a one-point, home-opening win for the Golden Tornado last season. The year before was a one-score game between these two, as well, with Meadville coming out on top.
Why not make it three straight close encounters?
The Lancers dashed any playoff hopes coach John Gaillot’s Yellowjackets had in the teams’ regular-season finale last October.
This time around, Freeport hits the road to open WPIAL Section 2-3A play against the Deer Lakes with a chance to wash the bad taste away.
The Planets have racked up 16 wins over a two-year stretch and the Spartans 17. If that sort of pace keeps up, these two sides will be major players in the WPIAL Class 4A postseason.
Expect a playoff-type atmosphere in this midseason showdown.
Behind its 56.8 points per game, the Wildcats reached the PIAA Class 2A semifinals last year. The Gremlins always figure to be a force in the conference, as well.
The clash of styles presents a game within the game, as Karns City’s ground-heavy approach will meet Central Clarion’s balanced attack.
Regimes have changed since these neighboring programs last gathered on the gridiron for a 14-13 Planets outcome in 2021. With the more modern offenses both run nowadays, the teams promise to fill the scoreboard more.
At this point in the campaign, a win for both sides will likely be big.
The Spartans are back in Class 6A after a two-year hiatus. The Raiders are tired of being the odd man out when it comes to the playoff picture.
When it comes to postseason positioning, it feels like this one will be key.
Who doesn’t like a rivalry matchup?
A short drive down Route 8 separates these two. They’ve crossed paths each season since 2008, with the Planets holding a 13-3 edge in the series in that time.
Continue the rivalry tour as the Raiders cross enemy lines — or at least the border between Butler and Allegheny counties — to take on the 2023 PIAA Class 6A runner-up.
A win for either side in this series just means more.
