WPIAL rifle regular season concludes this week ahead of team and individual championships

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 29, 2018 | 6:21 PM

Only two more match dates remain in the WPIAL rifle regular season, and teams still are in battles for a spot in the team playoffs, set for Feb. 6.

The top two teams in each section qualify for the championships.

In Section 1, Waynesburg is in the driver's seat at 6-0 with matches left against McGuffey on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday.

West Greene (4-2), McGuffey (3-2) and Avella (2-4) still are alive for a spot in the playoffs.

West Greene and Avella will square off Tuesday. The slate in the section concludes Thursday with West Greene against McGuffey.

Avella and McGuffey also have a match to make up from Jan. 2.

There are things to be decided in Section 2 where Woodland Hills (4-1), Bethel Park (4-2), Mt. Lebanon (4-2) and Trinity (2-3) will settle the battle for the playoffs this week.

Mt. Lebanon will face Upper St. Clair (0-6) and Woodland Hills will take on Bethel Park on Tuesday, while Thursday's matches feature Woodland Hills against Mt. Lebanon and Trinity against Upper St. Clair.

Postponed matches between Woodland Hills and Trinity and Bethel Park and Trinity are to be contested this week, as well.

Section 3's WPIAL playoff qualifiers — Butler (6-1) and Hempfield (5-1) — have been determined, and the section champion will be decided with this week's matches.

On Tuesday, Butler will face Plum (2-4), and Hempfield will take on Penn-Trafford (2-4).

Hempfield will shoot against Plum on Thursday.

If two teams are tied for second place in any section, and a head-to-head competition can't be used to determine the team that advances to the playoffs, then a playoff will be set up between the teams to determine which squad enters championship play.

The WPIAL individual championship will be held Feb. 8. Each WPIAL team is permitted to enter up to five shooters for the competition.

WPIAL member schools that do not sponsor the sport as a team may be represented by one shooter.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Avella, Bethel Park, Butler, Hempfield Area, McGuffey, Mt. lebanon, Penn-Trafford, Plum, Trinity, Upper St. Clair, Waynesburg, Waynesburg Central, Woodland Hills