Threes are wild as fall sports begin
Welcome back to the scholastic sports season.
The stadium lights are turning on again in the area as the local high school football teams kick off their seasons Friday night. Soccer gets underway as well as volleyball, field hockey and cross county.
Girls tennis is just beginning and golf is in full swing.
Plenty of points will be put on the local scoreboards, but the first number to focus on is three.
That’s because there’s four local teams vying for three-peats this fall.
Three of those, Fort Cherry football, South Fayette girls soccer and Bentworth boys soccer, are seeking three straight WPIAL championships.
The Peters Township girls golf team is vying for a third consecutive state title. They’ve won four consecutive WPIAL titles.
Fort Cherry returns do-it-all quarterback and Penn State recruit Matt Sieg as well as plenty of other skill players. The Rangers will look to make history as the first local team to win three WPIAL football titles in a row and will do so on a newly installed turf field at Jim Garry Stadium.
South Fayette girls soccer has four All-WPIAL players returning. Sophomore forward Gabby Beinecke, senior midfielder Mia Deramo, junior defender Abbey Spalla and senior goalkeeper Caitlyn Thompson provide a sturdy backbone for a Lions team that looks very strong.
The Lions beat Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Highmark Stadium last season.
Ryan Moessner finishes the final chapter of a historic career with Bentworth boys soccer. He has 88 career goals and will likely eclipse the century mark at some point this season.
Moessner led the Bearcats to the Class A state title game last year, as well as another WPIAL title. Bentworth won, 1-0, over OLSH after claiming sudden death penalty kicks, 5-4.
Senior defender Andrew Vipperman is another key returner, as well as Moessner’s younger brother, Adam, a sophomore, also returns.
Peters Township girls golf has been on an outstanding run, but graduated three of its top five players.
The good news is Ellie Benson, the defending WPIAL Class 3A individual champ returns for her senior year as well as sophomore Betty Glyptis.
Peters Township girls soccer is another defending WPIAL champion and has the makings of a team that could repeat.
All-WPIAL goalie Molly Kubistek, a Cincinnati recruit, leads an experienced group. Taylor McCullough, a sophomore forward, and junior midfielder Marina Hajnosz were also named All-WPIAL last year. Other key returners include senior forward Julia Spergel, junior defender Callin Martin and Ava Hajnosz, Marina’s twin sister.
Belle Vernon senior Gabby Dusi is the defending WPIAL Class 2A girls tennis singles champion. She was originally a St. Francis recruit, but after St. Francis announced it’ll be dropping down from NCAA Division I to Division III she switched her commitment and is now headed to Duquesne.
Keep an eye on
Peters Township made it to Acrisure Stadium for the WPIAL 5A championship last year, but lost to Pine-Richland. They return three Division I recruits in quarterback Nolan Dilucia (Villanova) and defensive stalwarts Reston Lehman (Pitt) and Lucas Shanafelt (Stanford).
Wash High football seems primed for a bounce back season led by quarterback and Miami (Ohio) recruit Tristan Reed.
Canon-McMillan volleyball was one set away from playing for a WPIAL championship. The Big Macs lost 3-2 to North Catholic in the Class 4A semifinals. Standout Abby Tucker graduated and is now at West Virginia, but Canon-McMillan has another Division I player in Natalie Carr, who’s committed to Youngstown State.
Peters Township boys golf is always a threat to win a WPIAL title, but WPIAL 3A champ Colton Lusk graduated.
South Fayette’s Sam Bishop is a returning state qualifier in boys golf. He recently won the Jerry Roman Memorial Chairman’s Cup.