PIAA soccer, volleyball semifinals set in Tuesday’s 3 things to watch in high school sports

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 12, 2018 | 4:45 PM

Upon first glance, the western finals of the PIAA boys soccer playoffs look like a WPIAL pitch party.

Seven of the eight teams playing for a spot in the state championships from the west side of the boys soccer bracket are from District 7, with Radnor from District 1 being the lone exception in the Class AAAA final four.

Radnor faces WPIAL champion Seneca Valley in a semifinal match at Chambersburg. The other three west semifinals are all head-to-head contests from the WPIAL.

In Class AAA, Franklin Regional faces West Allegheny in a rematch of the district championship. The Panthers beat the Indians, 1-0, in the WPIAL finals.

A district rematch is also on the menu in Class A where Avonworth battles Greensburg Central Catholic. The Antelopes captured gold by beating the Centurions, 3-2.

The Class AA semifinal between WPIAL champion Shady Side Academy and Deer Lakes is also a rematch, but not of the district finals. The Indians edged the Lancers, 1-0, in the WPIAL semifinals.

This is actually the fourth meeting between the two as they were Section 2-AA rivals. Deer Lakes beat Shady Side Academy, 3-1, on Sept. 25 after the two teams tied, 2-2, on Sept. 6.

District girls soccer teams looking for sweet results

Five WPIAL girls soccer teams are looking for wins Tuesday to clinch a spot in the PIAA soccer finals this weekend in Hershey.

Two of the five are from Class A, where WPIAL champion Freedom faces Shady Side Academy. The Bulldogs beat the Indians, 2-1, in a district semifinal.

WPIAL Class AAAA runner-up Peters Township faces Souderton at Chambersburg. The District 1 runner-up Indians knocked off WPIAL champion Seneca Valley, 2-1, in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

WPIAL Class AAA champion Oakland Catholic takes on Blue Mountain at Bald Eagle. The District 11 champion Eagles have pitched back-to-back shutouts in the state playoffs thus far with wins over Little Flower and Mars.

WPIAL Class AA champion South Park goes up against District 5 champion Bedford at Somerset. The Bisons have outscored Hopewell and Mercyhurst Prep, 6-3, in the first two rounds.

Defending PIAA champs alive and well

There are three teams remaining in the PIAA girls volleyball playoffs from the WPIAL, and the semifinals stage on Tuesday will not be big for any of them.

That’s because they have been there, done that.

North Allegheny in Class AAAA, Knoch in AAA and Freeport in AA are all defending state champions heading into their classification’s final four matches.

The Tigers face Garnet Valley at Big Spring in Class AAAA. The Jaguars are the District 1 runner-up but have not lost a game in state playoff wins over Emmaus and Cumberland Valley. Listen to the match Tuesday at TribHSSN.TribLive.com at 5 p.m.

In Class AAA, the Knights take on District 10 champion Warren at Clarion High School. The Dragons have already extinguished WPIAL foes Central Valley and Thomas Jefferson on their way to the semifinals match against Knoch.

Freeport did not even make it to the WPIAL Class AA title match earlier this month, but the Yellowjackets are one win away from playing for state gold. Freeport faces District 6 champion Bald Eagle at Clarion High School. The Eagles needed four games to beat Serra Catholic in Round 1 before sweeping past District 10 champion Corry in the quarterfinals.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Avonworth, Deer Lakes, Franklin Regional, Freedom, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., Knoch, North Allegheny, Oakland Catholic, Peters Township, Seneca Valley, Shady Side Academy, South Park, West Allegheny