What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 26, 2022: Section titles to be decided on mats

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | 12:49 AM

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The stage will be set for the upcoming district team wrestling playoffs with WPIAL team sectionals Wednesday.

Seven sites will host four teams each with two semifinals matches at 6 p.m. followed by the sectional title match and the battle for third place.

These results will help the WPIAL steering committee set the brackets for the team tournaments next week.

Here is the semifinals line-up for each sectional on Wednesday:

Section 1-3A at Franklin Regional: Armstrong vs. Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford vs. Kiski Area

Section 2-3A at Latrobe: Thomas Jefferson vs. Latrobe and Norwin vs. Connellsville

Section 3-3A at North Allegheny: West Allegheny vs. North Allegheny and Pine-Richland vs. Butler

Section 4-3A at Peters Township: Canon-McMillan vs. Peters Township and Bethel Park vs. Waynesburg Central

Section 1-2A at Beth-Center: Fort Cherry vs. Beth-Center and Jefferson-Morgan vs. Burgettstown

Section 2-2A at Quaker Valley: Freedom vs. Quaker Valley and Montour vs. Laurel

Section 3-2A at Mt. Pleasant: Knoch vs. Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland vs. Burrell

You can listen to the action from Section 2-3A, Section 3-3A, Section 4-3A and Section 1-2A on Trib HSSN.

City showdown

After being postponed Tuesday, the two top boys basketball teams in the City League will square off Wednesday.

Allderdice is a perfect 4-0 in district play while Obama Academy is 5-1 and in second place in the six-team district.

The Dragons handed the Eagles their only City League loss two weeks ago with a 73-49 victory.

Allderdice hasn’t played a game in 11 days, but it has won seven straight.

Obama Academy had a three-game winning streak end Saturday when it lost to Upper St. Clair.

Mid-week eastern showdown

Wednesday WPIAL basketball is usually made up of a few nonsection games here or there.

However, this week, a key battle in Section 3-5A boys basketball is brewing with first-place ramifications when Gateway faces Woodland Hills.

The Gators are on top of a crowded top of the section with a 4-1 record. They are a half-game ahead of Penn Hills at 4-2 and a game ahead of 4-3 Woodland Hills after Tuesday’s action.

This is the first meeting of the season between the Gators and Wolverines. They will play each other again at Gateway next Tuesday.

Gateway has won five straight while Woodland Hills has lost five of their last six games.