WPIAL postpones team rifle championships

By: Michael Love
Monday, February 15, 2021 | 3:08 PM

The WPIAL, citing weather concerns, has postponed the team rifle championships from Tuesday to Wednesday.

“We have people coming from five counties, we have no idea what the conditions will be, and we don’t want to put anyone in an unsafe position,” said Matt Rodrigues, Woodland Hills coach and the chairman of the WPIAL rifle committee.

The team championship remains at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club with an estimated start time of 10:30 a.m.

The top two teams and ties from each of the four sections will compete for the title.

Representing Section 1 is champion McGuffey and runner-up Waynesburg Central.

Bethel Park captured the Section 2 championship with Trinity finishing second.

Section 3 saw Hempfield claim the title. Mt. Lebanon and Penn-Trafford finished in an unbreakable tie for second, and both teams will compete at the championship.

Butler will represent Section 4 as its champion, and Armstrong, a program in only its second year as a full WPIAL member, will make its first appearance at the WPIAL finals.

Butler is the defending WPIAL champion, and Hempfield hopes to return to the top after winning the title in both 2018 and 2019.

Trinity leads the current WPIAL grouping with 18 championships since 1973. Its most recent title came in 2017.

The WPIAL individual rifle championships remains set for Thursday morning at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Armstrong, Bethel Park, Butler, Hempfield, McGuffey, Mt. lebanon, Penn-Trafford, Trinity, Waynesburg