Second big night of section matches in WPIAL wrestling takes center stage

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | 12:05 AM

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the WPIAL, many creatures were stirring on a busy night of district mat action.

It is the second big night of section competition in WPIAL team wrestling featuring nine matches between 1-0 teams in their respective sub-sections.

One standout match in Class AA Section 3B is Elizabeth Forward at Derry. Both teams won their section openers last week and both were playoff teams a year ago that reached the district quarterfinals.

Two other matches for first place in AA are Avonworth at Keystone Oaks and Burgettstown hosting Fort Cherry.

AAA wrestling

There are two matches set for Wednesday in Class AAA that pit playoff teams from last year looking to go to 2-0 in the sub-section.

The first is Butler at Seneca Valley in Section 3A. The Raiders reached the district final a year ago, where they lost to Kiski Area.

The other is in Section 3B when Hampton hosts Indiana. Both teams are 1-0 this season after losing in the AAA preliminary round a year ago.

5A powers collide

In 2018, section rivals collided in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball championship game and produced one of the lowest-scoring title games in recent history.

Gateway defeated Oakland Catholic, 29-27, for the Gators first and only district crown.

The two are no longer section foes with Gateway in Section 2-5A and Oakland Catholic in Section 3-5A.

On Wednesday, the two meet in a nonsection contest at Oakland Catholic. Early on this season, the Gators are 2-0 in their section and 4-1 overall. The Eagles are 1-0 in section play and 2-2 overall.

Last year in a nonsection contest between the two, Oakland Catholic handed Gateway one of its three losses in the regular season with a 59-47 victory.

Tags: Avonworth, Burgettstown, Butler, Derry Area, Elizabeth Forward, Fort Cherry, Gateway, Hampton, Indiana, Keystone Oaks, Oakland Catholic, Seneca Valley