AK Valley high school look-ahead: Week of Sept. 17, 2018

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 16, 2018 | 9:33 PM

Monday

Girls soccer

• Apollo-Ridge already took down last season’s Section 2-AA champion, Freeport. Now the Vikings will attempt to do the same to Burrell, a WPIAL quarterfinalist last season. The Bucs suffered an overtime loss to Deer Lakes last week but feature top scorer Skylar Dale.

• Springdale and Riverview spent two seasons apart as the Dynamos played up in Class AA in 2016 and 2017, but the Dynamos and Raiders will renew their Section 1-A rivalry for the first time this season at Riverside Park.

Boys golf

The individual season takes center stage as individual sectional qualifiers for the WPIAL championships are held. Golfers will aim for a specific target score in order to qualify for the WPIAL tournament.

Tuesday

Boys soccer

• The top two teams in Section 2-AA meet as Deer Lakes hosts Mt. Pleasant. The teams finished first and second in the section last season , with Mt. Pleasant taking the title with an unbeaten record and dealing Deer Lakes its only two section setbacks .

• Highlands visits Kiski Area in a Section 1-AAA game between a pair of playoff hopefuls. Kiski Area saw its decade-long postseason streak end last season, while Highlands is aiming for a playoff berth for the first time in 15 years.

Girls volleyball

• Burrell qualified for the WPIAL Class AA playoffs last season and won a preliminary-round match, but the Bucs will face a challenge as they visit Freeport in a Section 5-AA match. The Yellowjackets hold a long section winning streak and won a PIAA title last season.

• Fox Chapel took down No. 2 Seneca Valley earlier this season. Now the Foxes will try their hand at toppling No. 1 North Allegheny, the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A champs.

Wednesday

Girls soccer

• Apollo-Ridge visits Deer Lakes in another high-caliber Section 2-AA game. The host Lancers , a WPIAL playoff qualifier last season, began the week unbeaten in section play while playing a lineup of mainly freshmen and sophomores .

• In a matchup of the top two teams in Section 1-AAA, Kiski Area hosts Mars. The Cavaliers were WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinalists last season before dropping to Class AAA before this season. Mars dominated section play last season, not yielding a goal.

Girls golf

• Individual girls golfers get their chance to earn a spot in the WPIAL championships as they compete in sectional qualifiers.

Thursday

Girls tennis

• The WPIAL individual tennis championships begin at North Allegheny (Class AAA) and Shady Side Academy (AA). Knoch sophomores Laura Greb — the defending WPIAL champion and state runner-up — and Brooke Bauer will compete in Class AA after taking the top two spots in the Section 3-AA tournament, while Fox Chapel’s Kristen Friday will compete in Class AAA after placing fourth in Section 3-AAA.

Boys soccer

• One of the area’s top boys soccer rivalries gets renewed as Springdale visits Riverside Park to take on Riverview in Section 3-A. Springdale, last season’s WPIAL Class A runner-up, didn’t allow a goal in its first five games of the season. Riverview is looking to find its footing after graduating nearly its entire starting lineup from last season’s WPIAL quarterfinal appearance.

• Another strong local soccer rivaly has its first meeting of the season as Freeport hosts Deer Lakes. Freeport won the Section 2-AA title in 2016, but Deer Lakes helped dethrone the Yellowjackets last season by sweeping their meetings.

Friday

Football

• Riverview and Leechburg will meet for their annual Eastern Conference matchup at Veterans Memorial Field. The visiting Raiders won the last four meetings , including a 16-0 victory last season, but Leechburg hopes it can turn the tables after returning much of its starting lineup this season .

• Apollo-Ridge is seeking to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence, injuries short-circuiting a strong start last season. The Vikings will try to pick up a key Class 2A Allegheny Conference victory as Avonworth and star quarterback Derek Johncour visit Owens Field.

• Kiski Area will look to continue its strong start as it visits Penn Hills , which has one of the WPIAL’s top passers in senior Hollis Mathis, for a Class 5A Northern Conference game.

Saturday

Football

• Plum visits McKeesport for a Class 5A Big East Conference game. The Tigers made it to the WPIAL semifinals last season before losing a thriller to eventual champion Gateway, and their flexbone triple-option always provides a challenge for opposing defenses.

Girls soccer

• Springdale visits Greensburg Central Catholic in the makeup of a previously postponed game. The No. 5 Dynamos and No. 3 Centurions are longtime Section 1-A rivals , but Springdale played up the last two seasons in Class AA. GCC won the WPIAL championship last season, the program’s fifth since 2010 .

Boys soccer

• The second half of section play begins for many teams across the WPIAL, and the races for the postseason will hit another gear. Fox Chapel, which dropped a one-goal decision to Pine-Richland earlier this season, will host the Rams for a rematch ; P-R began the week unbeaten in Section 1-4A play, while the Foxes were among the teams battling for a playoff spot .

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski School, Knoch, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley