The PIAA Championships: A Retrospective Look (Kehler On Hoops)
Written by: Andy Herr on April 7, 2026
Article by David Kehler
The PIAA basketball championships are one of the top sports events in Pennsylvania each year. Held in Hershey in recent seasons, the contests between top flight high school teams are always fun to watch, and they are usually packed with skill, drama, and some surprises. The title games are the crystallization of so much hard work by the players and coaches, making the three-day championship weekend exhilarating. Everyone who reads the articles on this website should go to the PIAA state championships; no matter what teams are in the title contests, it’s a terrific experience to be there.
In the feature game of the weekend, for the class 6A title, Central Dauphin defeated national level power Imhotep Charter 52-49 on a three point play with 13 seconds left by senior Jelani Easter. The play was set up by Central Dauphin working the ball on the perimeter for over a minute setting up a final shot. Throughout the game, Central Dauphin varied their offensive tempo, while Imhotep was clearly unprepared for the quality of their opponent. In 70 years of the school’s existence, Central Dauphin had never before played in a boys state championship basketball game; the best prior result was a trip to the final four in 1967. Imhotep, on the other hand, has won 10 PIAA state championships in various classifications, with their first title coming in 2009. Imhotep had a major height advantage against CD; Imhotep’s longtime coach, Andre Noble, is one of the most outstanding high school coaches in the country; and Imhotep is not a “boundary” school, drawing kids from all over Philadelphia. Yet, before the game, the Central Dauphin squad was relaxed and confident, and they played like they expected to win.
Central Dauphin basketball has been on the rise in recent seasons, scrimmaging and playing top teams from the Philadelphia Catholic League, playing a number of non-league games in the Philadelphia area vs. excellent competition, and adopting innovative training methods, all pointing to challenging for a state title. Going back a few years, current Green Bay Packer Micah Parsons was a CD basketball player before transferring to another school. A bit later, current Villanova starter Malachi Palmer played at CD before transferring to a prep school. In three of the past four seasons, a Central Dauphin player has earned All-State honors. So, CD has had talent.
CD-Imhotep was a great game, with eight ties and 10 lead changes. It’s a shame that the attendance for this tense, surprising, high level contest was only 4,666.
The Class 5A title game was close for the first half. West York Area went toe-to-toe with Philadelphia Catholic League power Bonner-Prendergast for the opening 16 minutes and led by a point at halftime. But Bonner’s ferocious defense was too much for the York County squad. For the game, West York committed 20 turnovers to three for Bonner. West York made only four field goals in the second half, and Bonner cruised to a 62-35 victory for the school’s first PIAA state title.
Devon Prep successfully defended their Class 4A state championship, which was an amazing achievement considering that all five guys who started for their 2024-25 title winning team had graduated. A member of the Philadelphia Catholic League, Devon Prep played a killer schedule, and it took some time for their five new starters to find their competitive footing. Coming into the PIAA title game vs. Obama Academy, of Pittsburgh, Devon Prep had a losing record, but that record was deceptive, considering that some of the losses were to such powers as Bonner-Prendergast, Father Judge, Roman Catholic, and Archbishop Wood. Devon Prep had a 13 point scoring run early in the first quarter of the championship game, and Obama Academy never recovered. Devon Prep won 58 to 41, paced by 21 points by junior Jaden Craft.
In a close game, Trinity dethroned defending Class 3A state champion West Catholic, 52-49. The game was a contrast in styles, with West Catholic attempting 21 3-pointers, while Trinity attacked the hoop. Trinty got to the free throw line 27 times to 13 for West Catholic, and that was really the difference in the game. Trinity slasher Andre Steele was high scorer with 18 points.
The Sewickley Academy-Old Forge game for the Class 2A title provoked the most controversy of the weekend’s contests, with the controversy continuing as of this writing. Sewickley was defeated in the Class 2A state championship game last year by Linville Hill Christian in as good a high school basketball game as could possibly be played. Sewickley returned to Hershey this season unbeaten vs. Pennsylvania competition and augmented by a couple of talented international players. Sewickley had an 11 point scoring run in the 1st quarter against Old Forge, and, from there, the outcome was never in doubt. Sewickley won 52 to 36. Some Old Forge fans brought signs to the arena that called into question the fairness of the matchup, and there were some chants of “USA” from time to time during the game. In the days following the game, representatives of Old Forge wrote to PIAA officials questioning the organization’s classification policy, and some northeastern Pennsylvania legislators have joined the debate. The view from here, having seen every top western Pennsylvania team at least once this season, is that Sewickley was the best squad in the western part of the state, irrespective of PIAA classification.
The Class 1A championship game was a rematch of last season’s title contest. In 2025, Neighborhood Academy, of Pittsburgh, defeated Philadelphia Public League squad Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter for the Class 1A crown. This time, Sankofa came out on top, 55 to 52, in a game that was close all of the way, with seven ties and seven lead changes. The major factors: Neighborhood committed 16 turnovers to just four by Sankofa, and Sankofa made 23 free throws to eight by Neighborhood. Sankofa slasher Nafis Dubose got to the stripe 15 times and made 12 of the attempts.
The six champions, by league: the Philadelphia Catholic League won two, the Mid Penn Conference won two, the WPIAL had a winner in Sewickley, and the Philadelphia Public League had a champion in Sankofa.
Devon Prep was the only 2025 championship team to repeat. Devon Prep should be recognized as one of the top programs in the state, having won the Class 3A state championship in 2022 and 2024 and, after being promoted, the Class 4A title in 2025 and 2026.
Most of the 12 teams that contested the state titles this season will return key players next year, particularly including Central Dauphin, Imhotep Charter, Bonner-Prendergast, West York Area, Devon Prep, West Catholic, Trinity, Sewickley Academy, and Neighborhood Academy.
The obvious question in considering the PIAA basketball championships is whether the current format will continue or be altered by legislative action. After the Philadelphia Catholic League joined the PIAA in the 2008-09 school year, almost every Pennsylvania high school came under the organization’s umbrella. At present, the only non-PIAA teams are from the couple of dozen or so private schools, largely members of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association, and mostly located in the Philadelphia area. It’s taken decades for the PIAA to add virtually every high school in the state to its ranks. In it’s current iteration, the PIAA tournament provides a comprehensive state championship format. While “non-boundary” schools have had notable success in winning basketball titles in recent years, there have been “boundary” champions, too: Reading in 2021 and 2023; Loyalsock in 2021; Central York and Aliquippa in 2024; and, of course, Central Dauphin defeating one of America’s premier charter school basketball programs this season. The view from here is that PIAA champions are unequivocally Pennsylvania state champions. Perhaps it will continue to be that way.
On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler
LLhoops.com contributor David Kehler chairs the Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ selection of the boys All-State basketball teams.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
