What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 5, 2022: Favorites emerge on mats

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 | 12:32 AM

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Wednesday is another busy night of dual meets in WPIAL team wrestling with over 30 sub-section matches scheduled.

With only a couple of weeks left in the team regular season, positioning in the sub-sections becomes more important.

There are four matches that will affect the top of these sub-sections:

• Gateway visits Franklin Regional in 3A-1A. Both teams are 2-0 in their sub-section and the winner takes a huge step toward clinching first place.

• Latrobe is at Hempfield in 3A-2B. The host Spartans are 2-0 while the Wildcats won their only sub-section match thus far.

• Burgettstown hosts Washington in 2A-1A. Last year’s district runner-up Blue Devils are 2-0 while the Little Prexies check in with a 1-0 record.

• Carlynton travels to Quaker Valley in 2A-2B. Both the Cougars and Quakers are 2-0 and this match likely will decide the sub-section champion.

Declawed cats

Three years ago, the Latrobe boys basketball team finished the regular season with a record of 18-2 before being upset in the Class 6A quarterfinals by Canon-McMillan.

Last year, the Wildcats finished over .500 with an 8-7 record. After upsetting Thomas Jefferson in the 5A first round, Latrobe lost to eventual champion New Castle in the quarterfinals.

It has been a rough start for the ‘Cats this season, losing their first six games and entering 2022 with a 1-6 record.

They search for their first Section 3-5A win Wednesday when they host Connellsville. This is the section opener for the Falcons, who have won only two of their first nine games.

You can watch the game at 7:30 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

Greene with envy

It has been over two decades since both the Mapletown and Jefferson-Morgan boys basketball teams finished the season with a record of .500 and better.

Don’t look now, but both the Maples and Rockets are off to good starts this year with a combined record of 8-3.

The two Greene County rivals meet in a non-section game on Wednesday at Jefferson-Morgan.

Class A Mapletown is 4-2 overall while 2A Jefferson-Morgan has won four of their five games this season.

The last time both teams had non-losing overall records in a season was when they finished first and section in Section 2-A in the 1999-2000 season. The Rockets were 23-5 while the Maples finished 12-12.

Tags: Burgettstown, Carlynton, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Hempfield, Jefferson-Morgan, Latrobe, Mapletown, Quaker Valley, Washington