Tim O'Malley, the WPIAL executive director, said the league's football committee had a difficult time determining the top seed in the Class AA bracket.

Two teams finished the season undefeated, and surprised most high school football observers by doing so.

South Fayette (9-0) and Mount Pleasant (9-0) were both qualified to receive the No. 1 seed.

Class AAA also had two teams finish the season undefeated: Thomas Jefferson and Hopewell. Thomas Jefferson got the nod, no doubt partly because it has won the WPIAL title the past three years and four of the past five.

But in Class AA, neither team is a proven powerhouse. The Lions and the Vikings did not make the playoffs last season. In fact, both teams had losing records.

South Fayette earned the No. 1 seed, primarily, O'Malley said, because it prevents potential second-round games that would have pitted conference foes against one another. Had Mount Pleasant been seeded No. 1, the Vikings might have met No. 8-seeded McGuffey, an Interstate Conference foe. And had South Fayette been seeded No. 2, it might have faced Century Conference rival Keystone Oaks, the No. 7 seed, in the second round.

Besides, O'Malley said, there is little difference in opponent difficulty between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. After all, if the bracket goes as planned, the two will duke it out for the WPIAL championship in just a few weeks.

In the weekly rankings, the Post-Gazette put South Fayette No. 1 and Mount Pleasant No. 2.

If the first round goes according to seeding in Class AAAA, there are some potential blockbuster matchups in the second round.

If Central Catholic (7-2, 4-1) beats Seneca Valley (5-4, 3-2) this week, the Vikings could get a rematch against Big East Conference rival Woodland Hills. The Wolverines thumped the Vikings, 27-3, last month, and play host to Baldwin (2-7, 2-3) tomorrow night.

Great Southern Conference champion Bethel Park (8-1, 5-0) and Northern Six runner-up Shaler Area (8-1, 4-1) would meet next week if the Black Hawks dispose of Penn-Trafford (3-6, 3-3) and the Titans top Mt. Lebanon (5-4, 3-2) tomorrow night.

Two of the Post-Gazette's top-five teams -- No. 4 McKeesport and No. 5 North Allegheny -- would meet in the second round if McKeesport beats North Hills (4-5, 2-3) and North Allegheny beats Latrobe (4-5, 3-3).

Makes one wonder how a college football playoff would shake out.

Greensburg Central Catholic running back David Miller ran with purpose in a must-win game for the Centurions last week.

Against perennial rival Jeannette, Miller and the Centurions needed a win to secure a playoff berth.

A senior, Miller ran for a career high 344 yards and five touchdowns, leading Greensburg Central Catholic (7-2) to a 49-18 rout of the Jayhawks (5-4).

Miller now has 1,301 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns this season.

A loss last week could have put the Centurions' six-year playoff streak in jeopardy.

Greensburg Central Catholic will face sixth-seeded Freeport (8-1) at Freeport tomorrow night.

The Jeannette loss means that for the first time since 1993, the Jayhawks will not play in the playoffs. Two years ago, Jeannette won the PIAA Class AA title, led by some guy named Terrelle Pryor.

Only three times has Jeannette not qualified for the playoffs in the past 20 years.

Leechburg's 22-0 win over Wilkinsburg on Saturday did more than just deny the Tigers their 500th win in school history -- it ended a long, unwanted streak for the Blue Devils.

Leechburg had not won a game since Oct. 5, 2007 -- also against Wilkinsburg. A loss Saturday would have solidified the second consecutive winless season for the Blue Devils.

The win was Leechburg's fifth since 2005.

Meanwhile, Wilkinsburg is 0-9 since winning its 499th game in school history last year against Leechburg, and since winning game No. 498 -- an 8-0 victory over Leechburg on Oct. 7, 2006 -- Wilkinsburg is 1-29.

Two former Hempfield coaches are getting it done elsewhere.

Bo Ruffner and Casey Cavanaugh are playoff bound.

Ruffner coached Mount Pleasant (9-0) to an undefeated record, an Interstate Conference title and a No. 2 seed in the Class AA WPIAL playoff brackets.

Cavanaugh coached Greensburg Salem (8-1, 6-0) to a Class AAA Keystone Conference title and a No. 5 seed.

Hempfield (3-6, 2-4) did not make the playoffs.

Ruffner and Cavanaugh are still teachers at Hempfield.

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