Pennsylvania high school football: Key dates for the 2024 season

With the start of the high school football season right around the corner, let's look at some key pieces of information to get you geared up and ready to go for the regular season.

Teams across the state have already begun unofficial summer workouts last week in the lead-up to fall camps starting at the beginning of August for the state of Pennsylvania.

Last season, six of the 12 teams that punched tickets to PIAA championship games came from the Pittsburgh area, five of which came from the WPIAL in District VII with Fort Cherry, Belle Vernon, Aliquippa, Peters Township and North Allegheny all qualifying in their respective classifications.

Out of those five teams, both Belle Vernon and Aliquippa were the lone schools to take home a state championship last season with the Leopards defeating District 11 champion Northwest Lehigh, 38-7, in the Class 3A championship game and Aliquippa defeating Dallas, 60-14, in the Class 4A championship game.

The other PIAA championship game matchups were:

• Steel-High defeated Fort Cherry, 42-8, in 1A
• Southern Columbia beat Westinghouse, 21-20, in 2A
• Imhotep Charter beat Peters Township, 38-13, in 5A
• St. Joseph's Prep beat North Allegheny, 45-23, in 6A

Now, let's look at some of the key dates for the Pennsylvania high school football season:

When is the first day of Pennsylvania high school football practice?

Heat acclimatization is Aug. 5. The first day of official practices is Aug. 12.

When are the first games for Pennsylvania high school football?

Aug. 23

When do the Pennsylvania high school football playoffs begin?

Nov. 1

When are the Pennsylvania high school football championships?

Dec. 5-7 at Cumberland Valley High School’s Chapman Field, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania