What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Sept. 22, 2022: City League football championship rematch

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 | 11:48 PM

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Week 4 of the high school football season begins with a possible preview of the District 8 championship game later this fall.

Undefeated powerhouse Westinghouse will battle defending champion Allderdice at Cupples Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Bulldogs appear to be the class of the City League this season. They are already 2-0 in district play, 4-0 overall, and remain ranked No. 3 in the latest Trib HSSN Class 2A state rankings.

Westinghouse has outscored its four opponents 193-44 and has won its last two games against City League foes Perry and University Prep by a combined score of 114-18.

Allderdice finally got on the winning track last week after losing its first three nonconference games, beating Perry in the Dragons’ City League opener, 40-6.

Last year, Westinghouse rolled past Allderdice in the regular season, 41-12, only to have the Dragons stun the Bulldogs in the City League title game, 14-0.

These programs have met in the City League championship game two straight years, with the Dragons winning last fall and the Bulldogs raising gold in 2020.

Allderdice and Westinghouse have also combined to win the last five City League football crowns.

Girls singles finals set

The stage is set for the first WPIAL gold to be handed out Thursday at Bethel Park with the girls singles tennis championships set.

In Class 3A, top seed Mia Williams cruised to victory in both of her matches Wednesday and will face the No. 2 seed, Maggie Stief of Upper St. Clair, at 1 p.m.

Williams, a Penn-Trafford freshman, defeated Adelaide Kreutel of Oakland Catholic in the quarterfinals, 10-0, and then knocked off Nichole Poltinnokov of Shady Side Academy in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-0.

Stief, a senior, won three matches Wednesday, defeating Ellie Kim of North Hills, 10-6, eliminating Lily Sierka of Bethel Park in the quarterfinals, 10-3, then advancing with a win over Sara Fernandez of North Allegheny in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-3.

Williams and Stief have secured a spot in the PIAA singles tennis tournament while the winner of the consolation match between Poltinnikov and Fernandez will also qualify.

In Class 2A, defending champion and top seed Ashley Close of Sewickley Academy will try to repeat after earning a spot in the finals against No. 3 seed Nicole Kempton.

Close, a junior, had a first-round bye, rolled past Sasha Hoffman of of Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals, 10-0, and then won in straight sets over Cecilia Gurgel of Winchester Thurston, 6-0, 6-3.

Kempton, a senior, defeated Joyce Olawaiye of Quaker Valley in the first round, 10-2, knocked off Chloe DeSanzo of Beaver in the quarterfinals, 10-1, and also advanced in straight sets over the No. 2 seed, Emily Greb of Knoch in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-3.

Close and Kempton have qualified for the PIAA singles tennis tournament and will be joined by the winner of the 2A consolation match Thursday between Gurgel and Greb.

Boys soccer showdowns

It’s another busy night on the pitch for WPIAL boys soccer, with first place up for grabs in one Class 4A section.

Peters Township visits Canon-McMillan on Thursday in a battle for the top spot in Section 2-4A.

Both the Indians and Big Macs are 6-1 in the section. PT is 7-1 overall while C-M checks in with a 7-2 record.

The lone Peters Township loss this season came at home to Canon-McMillan on Aug. 30, 1-0. Since then, then Indians have won six straight and have registered three straight shutouts.

Canon-McMillan followed up that big win over Peters Township with its lone section loss to Mt. Lebanon. Since then, the Big Macs have also won six straight with four shutouts in a row.

Other matches with first-place implications Thursday include Quaker Valley (6-0) at Beaver (5-1) in Section 4-2A and Sewickley Academy (6-0) visiting Eden Christian Academy (4-1) in Section 1-A.