Alle-Kiski Valley high school look ahead: Week of Sept. 25, 2017

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 24, 2017 | 9:27 PM

Monday

• First place in Section 3-4A girls soccer will be up for grabs when Plum (6-1, 4-0) visits Fox Chapel (6-3, 4-0). The local rivals split the section crown last season and look to be on a similar path this season. The Mustangs are outscoring teams 29-4, and the Foxes' margin is 41-8.

• Speaking of local rivalries, Burrell and Valley girls soccer will renew theirs when the Vikings host the Bucs for a Section 2-AA game. Both games last season were decided by one-goal margins as the teams both made the playoffs. Burrell (4-2-1, 3-2) is on a three-game section winning streak, and Valley (0-6, 0-5) is looking to build momentum heading into the second half of the season.

Tuesday

• Deer Lakes hopes to dethrone Freeport as Section 5-AA girls volleyball champion, and the Lancers will get their first shot at the Yellowjackets this season. The teams enter the match undefeated in section play. Freeport, the two-time defending WPIAL champion, is ranked No. 2 in the state.

• Five Fox Chapel golfers will look to advance to the WPIAL Class AAA championships when they compete at the individual semifinals at the Links at Spring Church. Gregor Meyer, Grant Thiele, Aidan Oehrle, Andrew Friend and Amani Dombrosio will compete for the Foxes.

Wednesday

• Deer Lakes visits Springdale for a Section 2-AA girls soccer game between playoff hopefuls. The Dynamos (5-2, 3-2) blanked the Lancers, 2-0, in their first meeting this season, but Deer Lakes (5-3-1, 2-2-1) won both its section games last week to move into fourth place and a potential postseason spot.

• Burrell girls soccer hopes to pull off the upset as it visits No. 2 Freeport for a Section 2-AA match. The Yellowjackets (8-2, 5-0), last season's section champion and WPIAL runner-up, have allowed 11 goals this season, including just six in their past nine games.

Thursday

• Burrell junior Tiger Hubbard and St. Joseph senior Derek Petrishen will compete for the second consecutive season at the WPIAL Class AA golf championship, which takes place at Allegheny Country Club. Hubbard finished eighth last season, five shots back of winner Skyler Fox of Riverside. Petrishen took 27th.

• Two of the top teams in Section 3-4A boys soccer square off when Fox Chapel (6-4, 5-2) hosts Plum (6-3, 6-1). The first meeting went to overtime, and host Plum defeated the Foxes, 3-2.

• Springdale is looking up at Avonworth in the Section 3-A boys soccer standings, but the Dynamos can change that when they host the Antelopes in a rematch of a 2-1 Springdale victory from earlier this season.

Friday

• Eyes will be on Owens Field as Apollo-Ridge (4-1, 2-1) hosts unbeaten Seton LaSalle in a Class 2A Allegheny Conference game. The Rebels (4-0, 3-0) are led by star running back Lionel Deanes, also known as “Train.” Playing without starting quarterback Kyle Fitzroy, Apollo-Ridge rallied for a win over Burrell in Week 4. Will Fitzroy be back?

• Riverview will play its annual night football game at Riverside Park, and what better opponent than rival Springdale? The Raiders (1-3, 1-3) are looking for an important Eastern Conference win and will recognize their 1997 WPIAL championship team. Springdale (2-3, 1-1) is coming off a blowout victory over Leechburg and looks to jump into the conference playoff race.

• Fox Chapel and Moon have a penchant for playing entertaining games, and they'll see if they can produce another when the Foxes (1-4, 1-3) visit the Tigers (3-2, 2-1). Fox Chapel is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Upper St. Clair, and Moon outlasted North Hills.

Week in review

• Golden goalies: Two of the best goalkeeping performances last week in Alle-Kiski Valley soccer came in losing efforts. Apollo-Ridge's Maddy Galinac made 25 saves in the Vikings' 1-0 Section 1-A loss to Greensburg Central Catholic on Wednesday, holding the No. 1 Centurions (5-1, 5-0) to a tie for their lowest goal output of the season. Then Springdale junior Mike Zolnierczyk made 23 saves as the Dynamos fell to Class A No. 3 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, 1-0, in overtime Saturday.

• More than up to par: Freeport golfer Morgan Penn set a school record when he carded his third consecutive match under par this week. Penn shot 1-under against St. Joseph on Tuesday, 2-under 34 against Jeannette on Wednesday and 1-under 35 against Valley on Thursday. All three matches were at Buffalo Golf Course, and all three were Freeport victories. Before this week, Morgan hadn't shot below par in a match.

• Heating up: It was a good week for the Burrell and Deer Lakes girls soccer teams, who went a combined 5-0 and moved into third and fourth place, respectively, in Section 2-AA. Burrell (4-2-1, 3-2) beat East Allegheny, 4-0, and followed it with a 7-1 nonsection triumph over Penn Hills on Saturday as Cara Fiore scored a hat trick. The Bucs have won four games in a row. Deer Lakes (5-3-1, 2-2-1) beat East Allegheny, Valley and Keystone Oaks by a combined 12-1 tally. Lily Litrun scored seven goals.