Alle-Kiski Valley week ahead: Oct. 23-29

By: Doug Gulasy
Sunday, October 22, 2017 | 8:54 PM

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Monday

• Burrell and Charleroi's 2016 WPIAL Class AA first-round girls soccer playoff game came down to the wire, with Charleroi scoring the winning goal with less than two minutes left. The teams meet for a rematch in another first-round game at Plum.

• Section 1-A rivals Apollo-Ridge and Shady Side Academy square off for the third time this season in a WPIAL first-round game at Penn-Trafford. SSA swept the regular-season games, rallying for a 3-2 victory in the first and taking the second 7-0. Apollo-Ridge is seeking the first playoff win in school history. Shady Side is the defending WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up.

• Deer Lakes girls soccer makes its first WPIAL playoff appearance since 2011 with a Class AA first-round game against Brownsville. The youthful Lancers won nine of their past 12 games. Brownsville, which joined the WPIAL in girls soccer 2014, is making its playoff debut.

• Four other Alle-Kiski Valley girls soccer teams open the WPIAL playoffs: Fox Chapel, Kiski Area and Plum in Class AAAA and Springdale in Class AA. Freeport, the No. 2 seed in AA, has a first-round bye.

Tuesday

• The WPIAL volleyball playoffs begin with preliminary- and first-round matches. Six Alle-Kiski Valley teams qualified: Kiski Area and Plum in Class AAAA, Burrell, Deer Lakes and Freeport in AA and Leechburg in A. Brackets are released Monday.

• Coming off its first win of the season, Fox Chapel hockey looks to make it two in a row with a game against Westmont Hilltop. Michael Kilmer scored a pair of goals for the Foxes (1-2) in their 5-3 win over South Park.

Wednesday

• Coming off a first-round victory over a higher-seeded opponent, Riverview boys soccer seeks another as the Raiders (12-5-1) face No. 3 Seton LaSalle (16-2-1) in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal. The Raiders, who beat defending WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up Sewickley Academy, are seeking their first semifinal appearance.

• Springdale boys soccer lost a double-overtime game to Freedom in the opening round of the 2016 WPIAL Class A playoffs, and the Dynamos will get a chance for revenge when they face the No. 2 Bulldogs in a Class A quarterfinal. Springdale (13-4-1) beat Serra Catholic, 4-0, in the first round. Freedom (18-1) routed Trinity Christian, 8-2.

• Deer Lakes boys soccer posted a 5-0 win over Brownsville in its WPIAL Class AA playoff opener behind a pair of goals from Devin Murray and AJ Dorman. The Lancers seek a semifinal bid with a game against Beaver. The Bobcats (7-8-3) upset No. 5 Keystone Oaks, 5-1, in the first round.

• Fox Chapel field hockey begins the defense of its back-to-back WPIAL Class AAA titles with a semifinal game against North Allegheny.

Thursday

• Runners take center stage as the WPIAL cross country championships get underway at Cooper's Lake Campground in Slippery Rock.

• Freeport (15-2-1) begins its run in the WPIAL Class AA girls soccer playoffs after a first-round bye. The No. 2 Yellowjackets, who will face Quaker Valley or Beaver, advanced to the championship game last season.

Friday

• Springdale football gets a second chance to clinch a WPIAL Class A playoff spot as it hosts Greensburg Central Catholic. The Dynamos (4-5, 3-3) can finish in fourth place with a win. A loss would drop them into a battle for Class A's lone wild-card slot.

• Valley is coming off its second consecutive victory after beating Apollo-Ridge, 20-6, and the Vikings (3-5, 3-3) can close the season strong with an upset of Freeport (6-2, 5-1) in their Allegheny Conference finale. The No. 5 Yellowjackets clinched a playoff berth last week.

Saturday

• A pair of local football teams finish their regular seasons as Riverview (2-6) hosts Bentworth (3-6) in a nonsection game, and Leechburg (0-9, 0-6) visits No. 3 Imani Christian (6-2, 5-1) in an Eastern Conference game.

Week in review

• He's a Komaniak: Riverview senior Mike Komaniak came up with the biggest goal of the weekend, scoring with just more than 90 seconds left for a 2-1 victory over Sewickley Academy in a WPIAL Class A first-round game. The Raiders knocked off the defending WPIAL champs and avenged a 2013 WPIAL playoff loss to Sewickley.

• Hot on the ice: Kiski Area senior Austin LaPiana scored 30 goals last season, but he's increased his output so far with seven goals and five assists for the Cavaliers (2-0). He leads PIHL Class A in scoring. Deer Lakes' Ryan Murdock and Fox Chapel's Shane Krhovsky are tied for third with eight points apiece.

— Doug Gulasy

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Doug at 412-388-5830, dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter .