Alle-Kiski Valley high school look-ahead: Week of Oct. 9, 2017

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 8, 2017 | 5:21 PM

MONDAY

• Apollo-Ridge girls soccer led Shady Side Academy by two goals in their first meeting, only to see the Indians rally for a 3-2 victory. The Vikings (9-2, 8-2) have a chance at some revenge as they travel to face the Indians (7-3, 7-2) in a rematch that could help determine the Section 1-A championship. Those two teams and Greensburg Central Catholic (8-3, 8-2) are battling for the title.

• The WPIAL Class AAA girls golf team semifinals take place at Lone Pine Country Club in Washington. Fox Chapel will compete against eight other teams, with the top four advancing to the championships Thursday at Cedarbrook Red Golf Course.

• A pair of Alle-Kiski Valley hockey teams square off as Deer Lakes visits Fox Chapel (0-1) in a PIHL Class A game. The Lancers (1-0) are coming off a 7-1 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic in their season opener, their first varsity game in two seasons. Fox Chapel lost 7-6 to Norwin in its opener.

Tuesday

• The WPIAL boys golf team semifinals tee off, with three local squads competing. Freeport and St. Joseph, who split the Section 1-AA championship, will play at the Class AA semifinal at River Forest Country Club. Fox Chapel will compete at the Class AAA semifinal at Linden Hall Golf Course. The top three teams from the two semifinal sites in Class AA and AAA advance to the WPIAL team final Thursday at Cedarbrook Gold.

• With a playoff spot already clinched, the Riverview boys soccer team hopes to move up in the Section 3-A standings with a home victory over Avonworth (11-3, 9-3). The Raiders (9-4-1, 7-3-1) lost the earlier matchup 3-0.

Wednesday

• Another chance for a signature victory awaits the Apollo-Ridge girls soccer team as the Vikings host Greensburg Central Catholic. The Vikings dropped the earlier matchup 1-0.

• One of the top girls soccer rivalries in the Alle-Kiski Valley re-commences as Highlands visits Freeport. The Yellowjackets (12-2, 9-0) are looking to wrap up their second consecutive Section 2-AA championship, which would be the first back-to-back titles in school history. Highlands (1-10-2, 1-6-2), which replaced much of its roster from last season's WPIAL semifinal team, nearly pulled an upset in the teams' first meeting before losing by one goal.

Thursday

• The WPIAL boys and girls golf championships tee off. The girls Class AA and AAA finals will be contested at Cedarbrook Red Golf Course, with the boys at Cedarbrook Gold.

• Deer Lakes' boys soccer team posted a last-second victory over Freeport in their first meeting of the season. The Lancers (9-2-2, 7-2-1) host the Yellowjackets (11-4, 7-3) with Section 2-AA and playoff positioning on the line.

• Riverview and Springdale boys soccer played to a draw in their first matchup. The rivals meet again at Springdale. The Dynamos (10-3-1, 9-2-1) and Raiders (9-4-1, 7-3-1) already clinched postseason berths, so this is for bragging rights and playoff seeding.

Friday

• It's the game of the year so far in the Allegheny Conference as Freeport (5-1, 4-0) visits Seton LaSalle (6-0, 5-0) in a battle for first place. Call it the unstoppable force against the immovable object. The Yellowjackets feature the No. 1 defense in the conference, and the Rebels lean on RB Lionel Deanes, the WPIAL's second-leading rusher.

• Fox Chapel climbed into playoff positioning with back-to-back wins over Moon and Hampton, and the Foxes (3-4, 3-3) could secure some breathing room if they can beat last-place Baldwin (1-5, 0-5) in an Allegheny Nine Conference game.

• It might not carry the same luster as previous years, given where they sit in the Allegheny Conference standings, but Burrell (1-6, 0-5) and Valley (1-5, 1-3) will renew their “Battle of the Bypass” rivalry at Memorial Stadium. Valley holds a 23-14 record in the all-time series, winning the past four.

Saturday

• Riverview will try to halt its five-game losing streak as the Raiders (1-5) host Avella (0-7) in a nonconference game at Riverside Park.

• In a game that could go a long way in determining its playoff fate, Springdale visits Bishop Canevin in Eastern Conference play. The Dynamos (3-4, 2-2) are tied for third place in the conference, a half-game ahead of Bishop Canevin (2-4, 2-3). The top five teams qualify for the postseason.

Week in review

• Hats off: In Deer Lakes' first varsity hockey game in two seasons, Ryan Murdock tallied a hat trick to lead the Lancers to a 7-1 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic.

• High five: Freeport sophomore Sidney Shemanski became the latest Alle-Kiski Valley player to score five goals in a game this season, doing it in the Yellowjackets' 8-0 win over Valley this week.