The South Allegheny Gladiators have won their first four games of the season, and are undefeated for the first time since 1977. 

“I would’ve been in fourth grade in 1977,” WPIAL Executive Director, Scott Seltzer said.

The 6A, 5A and 4A classifications all did not exist yet in 1977.

“At that time (1977), there were three classifications,” Seltzer said.

South Allegheny’s season started with a win over Ringgold, 28-14 on August 23. The following week, the Gladiators defeated Brentwood, 50-7. On Sept. 6, they won 37-13 over Carlynton, and this past Friday, they won 23-7 over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 

“It’s been an all-around team effort, from my o-line to the talented skill players executing at a high level,” South Allegheny senior quarterback Ryan Cortes said. “Our defensive play has been outstanding as well.” 

Through four games, Cortes is eighth in the WPIAL in passing yards (819) and fourth in passing touchdowns (4), according to TRIBLIVE.com. 

Cortes credits his team’s success to the coaching staff. 

“The coaches have really challenged my teammates and I this offseason to set us up for success,” Cortes said. 

A few other teams off to a hot start are Leechburg, Jefferson-Morgan and Deer Lakes. The last time Leechburg started a season 4-0 was 1981, while Jefferson-Morgan’s last 4-0 start to a season was in 1989. Deer Lakes is 4-0 for the second time in their school’s history.

Seltzer talked about what it means to see surprising teams get off to good starts. 

“It’s always good to see teams that struggled for a while come out and start on a strong note,” Seltzer said. “It gives a boost to those communities.” 

South Allegheny will face off against the 3-1 South Park Eagles  Friday, Sept. 20. 

Leechburg will play Jeannette in what will be a battle of undefeated teams. Jefferson-Morgan travels to Carmichaels, while Deer Lakes travels to East Allegheny. 

All of those games start at 7 p.m. in what should be another action-packed Friday for WPIAL football.