What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Oct. 23, 204: Chartiers Valley looks for another upset in soccer 2nd round

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | 10:01 PM

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Wednesday marks the first dip into the second round of the 2024 district soccer playoffs.

Class 3A and Class A boys hit the pitch for quarterfinals action.

All of the remaining seeds in the 3A elite eight are single-digit seeds with one exception.

No. 14 Chartiers Valley (9-8) has stampeded its way to the quarters by upsetting No. 3 Indiana in the opening round, 4-1.

The Colts showed a strong kick on the road as John Krug scored twice in the stunning victory.

CV hits the road again as it visits No. 6 Mars (14-1-4) at 6:30 p.m.

The Fightin’ Planets advanced to Round 2 with a 4-1 victory over Penn-Trafford.

Here are the other three 3A quarterfinals matches:

• Top seed Moon (18-0) will host No. 9 Hampton (12-3-3) at 8 p.m. The Tigers blanked Belle Vernon in the opening round, 6-0, while the Talbots needed overtime to eliminate West Allegheny, 2-1.

• No. 5 Bethel Park (12-5) visits No. 4 Latrobe (13-4-1) in a battle of section champions at 6:30 p.m. The Black Hawks squeezed by Montour in the first round, 3-2, while the Wildcats shut out Ringgold, 2-0.

• No. 2 Thomas Jefferson (13-1-3) will be home to No. 7 Franklin Regional (12-3-1) at 6:30 p.m. In Round 1, the Jaguars cruised past Armstrong, 8-0, while the Panthers also pitched a shutout, beating Trinity, 3-0.

Private party

In the Class A boys soccer playoffs, the quarterfinals have turned into a private party.

Six of the remaining eight teams are private schools.

Since the formation of Class A boys soccer in 2000, 21 of the 24 WPIAL champions have been private schools.

One of the three public schools to claim gold was Bentworth last season.

The top-seeded Bearcats began their title defense with a crushing defeat of California in the opening round, 11-0.

Bentworth (16-0) will now face No. 9 Trinity Christian (11-4-1) at Peters Township Stadium at 8 p.m.

The Falcons flew into the second round with a shutout win over Beth-Center, 3-0.

The other public school still in the bracket is No. 6 Springdale (14-4). The Dynamos will square off with No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (13-2) at Moon at 6 p.m.

The Dynamos edged Sewickley Academy in the first round, 2-1, while the Chargers jolted Freedom in overtime, 1-0.

Here are the other two Class A boys soccer quarterfinals matches Wednesday:

• No. 4 Beaver County Christian (14-3) will take on No. 12 Greensburg Central Catholic (7-7-1) at Peters Township Stadium at 6 p.m. In round 1, the Eagles blanked Riverview, 2-0, and the Centurions upset No. 5 Aquinas Academy in double overtime, 2-1.

• No. 2 Winchester Thurston (13-2-1) will battle Eden Christian Academy (9-6-2) at Penn Hills at 6:30 p.m. The Bears crushed Serra Catholic in the first round, 9-0, while the Warriors won in overtime over Carlynton, 2-1.

3A girls volleyball rematch

The opening round of the WPIAL Class 3A girls volleyball playoffs begins with a full slate of eight matches, including a postseason rematch from a year ago.

In the 2023 playoffs, No. 4 Thomas Jefferson defeated Kiski Area and No. 5 South Fayette eliminated Mars in the first round, setting up a showdown in the quarterfinals.

The Jaguars swept past the Lions, 3-0, to advance to the 3A semifinals where TJ lost to eventual champion Hampton, 3-0.

Now they are set to meet again, this time in Round 1, as No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (13-3) hosts No. 12 South Fayette (9-7) at 7 p.m.

Here are the other seven 3A girls volleyball opening round matches, all set for a 7 p.m. start:

• Top seed Beaver (15-3) hosts No. 16 Gateway (9-5). The Gators beat Central Valley in the preliminary round.

• No. 9 Blackhawk (11-3) visits No. 8 Oakland Catholic (9-7). The Eagles were a semifinalist last year.

• No. 4 Hampton (11-5) is home to No. 13 Greensburg Salem (15-3). The Talbots won all four matches in the district playoffs last fall without losing a game.

• No. 2 Mars (14-4) welcomes No. 15 Albert Gallatin (9-8). The Colonials won at Derry on Monday in a preliminary match, 3-2.

• No. 10 Montour (11-4) travels to No. 7 Indiana (14-2). The Spartans finished second in Section 1 this season while the Little Indians were Section 4 champs.

• No. 3 Chartiers Valley (15-2) hosts No. 14 Laurel Highlands (12-5). The Colts finished in last place in their section and ended up 4-11 overall in 2023, but won their section this season.

• No. 11 Ringgold (13-4) hits the road for a trip to No. 6 Freeport (10-3). The Yellowjackets have won six district tiles in the last 11 years.

Pigtails to openers

The biggest bracket this fall in any sport was the girls volleyball Class 2A tournament with 22 total teams.

Six of those teams have already been eliminated with six preliminary round matches played Monday.

Now those winners make the quick turnaround to go from pigtail round to first round.

The only two opening-round matches that were set when the brackets came out Friday were No. 8 Ellwood City (13-4) hosting No. 9 Charleroi (14-7) and No. 10 Burrell (12-4) visiting No. 7 South Allegheny (16-4). Both matches are set for 7 p.m.

Here are the other 2A opening-round matches involving teams that already began postseason play. All matches begin at 7 p.m.:

• Top seed Quaker Valley (14-2) is home to No. 16 Keystone Oaks (10-8). The Golden Eagles beat Shenango in the prelims, 3-0.

• No. 4 South Park (13-5) welcomes No. 13 Yough (13-8). The Cougars defeated Ligonier Valley on Monday by a score of 3-2.

• No. 5 Southmoreland (14-3) entertains No. 12 Seton LaSalle (14-7). The Rebels swept Brownsville in the preliminary round, 3-0.

• No. 15 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (11-6) visits No. 2 Neshannock (13-1). The Chargers got by Laurel in the prelims, 3-0.

• No. 14 McGuffey (12-5) travels to No. 3 Hopewell (14-2). The Highlanders beat Bentworth on Monday, 3-0.

• No. 6 Waynesburg (17-0) hosts No. 11 Avonworth (10-9). The Antelopes defeated Mohawk in the preliminary round, 3-0.

Final putts at Penn State

With the individual state championships in the books, the focus Wednesday will be crowning four new PIAA team golf champions.

Four WPIAL teams will be among the field of teams looking to win a state championship at the Penn State Golf Courses in State College.

North Allegheny will take part in the boys 3A playoffs, North Catholic in boys 2A, Peters Township in girls 3A and Shady Side Academy in the girls 2A championships.

Last year, Peters Township swept the Class 3A championships, winning both the boys and girls PIAA crowns.

Field hockey playoffs begin

The 2024 WPIAL field hockey playoffs begin Wednesday with a pair of Class A semifinals and a Class 2A matchup.

Twenty-time WPIAL champion Shady Side Academy is the top seed as it hosts No. 4 Winchester Thurston at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs are the defending champions and have won five of the eight Class A titles.

In the other final four contest, No. 2 Aquinas Academy battles No. 3 Oakland Catholic. That match is at Shady Side Academy and is set for 7:30 p.m.

In Class 2A, eight-time defending champion Penn-Trafford, the third seed, visits second-seeded Fox Chapel at 7 p.m.