A-K Valley notebook: Rivalry games for Deer Lakes, Springdale boys soccer

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 10:57 PM

The WPIAL boys soccer semifinals will have the feel of a section game for a pair of Alle-Kiski Valley teams.

Class AA No. 2 Deer Lakes and Class A No. 5 Springdale will square off with section opponents in Monday’s semifinal round, with the Lancers (17-0-1) taking on Section 2-AA rival Shady Side Academy and the Dynamos (15-2-1) facing Section 3-A opponent Avonworth.

Deer Lakes and Springdale also can earn a measure of revenge with a victory in the semifinals.

Not only is Deer Lakes seeking its first trip to the WPIAL championship game, but No. 11 Shady Side Academy (10-6-1) is the reigning WPIAL champion and the lone team to force Deer Lakes into something other than a victory this season. The Indians rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with Deer Lakes in their first meeting this season, but the Lancers rebounded for a 3-1 victory in the rematch.

“It’s a big rivalry game,” Deer Lakes sophomore Ryan Rodgers said. “Obviously, we tied and beat them, but they’re the reigning WPIAL champs, and we’ve got to come back and beat them.”

Springdale can get back to the WPIAL championship game for the second consecutive season, but the Dynamos will have to do what no other team has done yet: beat Avonworth. The No. 1 Antelopes (18-0-1) beat out Springdale for the Section 3-A title, playing the Dynamos to a scoreless draw in the first game and beating them, 1-0, in the second.

Football pairings meeting

The mystery about Alle-Kiski Valley football teams’ playoff fates will get revealed Monday night, when the WPIAL reveals its postseason brackets at the annual pairings meeting in Green Tree.

After qualifying for the Class 3A playoffs as the fourth-place team from the Allegheny Conference, Freeport looks to be headed for the No. 7 or 8 seed in the eight-team bracket. That likely would make for a first-round matchup against Aliquippa, the Tri-County West champion, Beaver Falls, the second-place team from the Tri-County West, or one of the three tri-champions from the Big East (Derry, Elizabeth Forward or North Catholic) who beat Freeport earlier this season.

Kiski Area enters the Class 5A playoffs as the wild-card team, potentially headed for the No. 16 seed. That would mean a first-round game against one of Class 5A’s first-place teams: undefeated Gateway or Penn Hills or Peters Township (8-2).

Holding serve

A quartet of Alle-Kiski Valley teams remain alive in the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs, with quarterfinal matches taking place Tuesday.

In Class AAA, defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Knoch will take on eighth-seeded Kiski Area in a matchup of A-K Valley teams at North Allegheny. Kiski Area’s first-round win over West Allegheny was their its postseason victory since 2010.

In Class AA, No. 12 Deer Lakes earned its second consecutive quarterfinal appearance by toppling No. 5 OLSH, 3-2, Thursday. The Lancers can earn a semifinal appearance with a win over Frazier on Tuesday at Moon.

No. 1 Freeport, meanwhile, reached the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals for the 10th consecutive season and can advance to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive season if the defending PIAA champion Yellowjackets defeat Seton LaSalle in a quarterfinal matchup at North Catholic.

Another offer for Kuhn

Kiski Area senior football player Troy Kuhn received his second Division I scholarship offer Wednesday in less than a week, this one from Robert Morris.

Kuhn, a 6-foot-4 tight end/linebacker whose first offer came from Duquesne, had 26 receptions for 538 yards and three touchdowns on offense and 49 tackles and four sacks on defense entering Week 9.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport, Kiski School, Springdale