What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Sept. 30, 2021: Golf gold up for grabs

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 | 7:33 PM

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To highlight the final day of September, the district is set to distribute golf gold on Thursday as the WPIAL Class 2A boys individual golf championships tee off at the Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley.

Seventy-three district golfers hit the links with the hopes of winning a WPIAL championship. The top 18 finishers will qualify for the 2021 PIAA championships, provided their scores do not exceed 100.

A new champion will be crowned after Sewickley Academy senior Tim Fitzgerald graduated. Fitzgerald shot an even-par 70 last year to win the title by five strokes on his home course.

He became the second straight Panthers golfer to defend his home turf after Sewickley Academy’s J.F. Aber won the crown in 2019.

Four Sewickley Academy golfer are in the finals field, including senior Will Duggan, juniors Joey Mucci and Nick Straka and freshman Severin Harmon.

Harmon is one of three ninth graders to qualify for the 2A championships, joining Griffin Hanberry of Chartiers-Houston and Ethan Dai of Quaker Valley.

Week 5 kickoff

We hit the midway point of the regular season with Week 5 of high school football. Another busy weekend begins Thursday at George Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh with a clash of City League teams.

Two-time defending champion Westinghouse will battle University Prep at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs are the lone District 8 team that has yet to lose as they sit in first place with a 2-0 City League record, 4-0 overall.

The Panthers trail by one game with a 1-1 district record, 2-3 overall.

Last season, Westinghouse shut out University Prep, 30-0.

The Bulldogs have won the last two games in the series, including a 12-2 victory in the 2019 City League championship game.

Grade A soccer

There is a pair of WPIAL girls soccer matches in Class A on Thursday with first place in their respective sections up for grabs.

In Section 1A, Springdale visits Greensburg Central Catholic.

The Dynamos are in first place with a 5-0 section record, one game ahead of the 4-1 Centurions. GCC’s only loss of the season was a 5-1 defeat at Springdale earlier this month.

In Section 4A, the winner of the Winchester Thurston at Bishop Canevin match takes over first place.

The Crusaders have the edge in section wins over the Bears, 5-3; however, neither team has lost and they each have a tie.

That tie took place in the first meeting between the two teams, a 2-2 deadlock 19 days ago.

Another battle for first in district girls soccer Thursday has Latrobe (4-0-1) visiting Norwin (4-1) for first place in Section 3-4A.