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PaPreps Fine 15 | PaPreps.com | last sorted on 12/17/2012

North Allegheny didn't run the table as the top team, as Central Dauphin was the pick to be a repeat champion. But the Tigers quickly emerged as one of the dominant teams in the state, and for the better part of the last couple of months, North Allegheny has been in place as the No. 1 team in Pennsylvania.

Saturday night, North Allegheny proved it deserved that ranking, and its 63-28 win over Coatesville also opened the door for national pundits to start discussing a Keystone State squad as one of the elite in the nation. North Allegheny not only finishes atop the PaPreps Fine 15, but they're in the Top 15 in the RivalsHigh 100.

District 7 came away with only one other title - a Class A win for Clairton - but the WPIAL finishes well-represented in the Fine 15, because they were the only representatives capable of slowing down North Allegheny or Cathedral Prep. Because of that, PaPreps chose to recognize Woodland Hills and Gateway for their close losses to North Allegheny, and West Allegheny for its close loss in the PIAA quarterfinals to Cathedral Prep.

The PCL is also well-represented, even though La Salle and St. Joseph's Prep didn't join Archbishop Wood in Hershey. In fact, because of heavy dominance in a couple districts, only five districts in the state have representations in the Fine 15: District 1, District 3, District 7, District 10, and District 12.

As is now customary, PaPreps also took the time to recognize the Class AA champs and Class A champs for their achievements in the bottom portion of the rankings.

Team City Record Pvs.
1 North Allegheny Wexford 16-0 1
The best team in the state captured its second state title in three years and broke a WPIAL record with its third consecutive WPIAL championship. In the picture as one of the best teams in the nation
2 Cathedral Prep School Erie 15-0 3
Behind a prolific offense and a surprisingly stout defense, Prep took home a championship for the first time in over a decade. Utterly dominant performance all year.
3 Coatesville Area Senior Coatesville 13-3 NR
An outstanding season finished with a thud, but after the pain wears off, Coatesville will celebrate the program's marquee year. Should have been on the radar sooner with their close loss to Downingtown East earlier in the year
4 Woodland Hills Pittsburgh 10-3 14
One of the only teams to keep North Allegheny close, Woodland Hills finishes high because of its 21-14 loss in the WPIAL final. Only playoff team to finish within striking distance.
5 La Salle Wyndmoor 12-2 4
Upset by Coatesville, La Salle had to handle a lot of injuries late in the year, keeping door open for how a healthy squad would have performed. Still, another PCL title is nothing to turn your nose up at.
6 Archbishop Wood Catholic Warminster 11-3 7
Wood proved it didn't need a bevy of Division I prospects to get to the championship game. Though the Vikings lose a lot of strength on the line, the cupboards won't be bare for years to come.
7 St. Joseph's Philadelphia 10-1 NR
A testament to their strong season, Prep reappears in the Top 10 after their only loss came to La Salle, which lost in a close game to Coatesville. A promising future for Prep.
8 Wilson West Lawn 13-2 6
Wilson won what turned out to be a wild District 3 playoff before running into the North Allegheny buzzsaw. For a team with few headliners, Wilson epitomized what a good program can achieve.
9 Harrisburg Harrisburg 11-3 12
Everyone thought Harrisburg would be improved this year, perhaps considerably. But a district title appearance was unexpected. The Cougars went from nearly having no program to being a city's pride.
10 Bishop McDevitt Harrisburg 14-1 2
Speaking of buzzsaws, that's what McDevitt ran into against Cathedral Prep. Another District 3 title will have to serve as a consolation prize for the Crusaders.
11 West Allegheny Imperial 12-2 10
Somewhat unexpected WPIAL champions, West Allegheny was the only team to give Cathedral Prep a close game, falling late in the fourth quarter in the PIAA quarterfinal.
12 Spring Ford Royersford 12-3 11
One of the few offenses capable of trying to keep pace with Coatesville in the east, Spring-Ford turned in a solid performance with wins over Ridley, Garnet Valley, and Pennridge
13 Gateway Monroeville 9-3 NR
The only other team to slow North Allegheny down besides Woodland Hills. Gateway lost 14-3 in the regular season, and then fell to Woodland Hills
14 Wyomissing Area Wyomissing 16-0 NR
Class AA champs make it into the final as recognition for being the first team from Berks County to ever win a state title. An entire county will remember this team
15 Clairton Clairton 16-0 NR
Clairton won its fourth straight state title, joining a select group that only includes Berwick and Southern Columbia. They also stretched their win streak to 63 straight.
Dropped out: No. 5 Pennridge, No. 8 Central Dauphin, No. 9 Parkland, No. 13 Delaware Valley, No. 15 West York