WPIAL rifle teams, individuals set for section competition

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | 1:44 PM

The new year for WPIAL rifle begins with section play and the quest for a number of teams to qualify for the team playoffs early next month.

Butler, who will face Hempfield, Indiana, Penn-Trafford and Plum in Section 3 competition over the next five weeks, finished their December matches 4-0 and tallied one of the five 800 team scores during the month.

Also shooting 800s were Trinity, Woodland Hills, Hempfield and Bethel Park.

Bethel Park, Trinity and Woodland Hills will battle it out for the Section 2 title. Fellow Section 2 member Mt. Lebanon won three of its four nonsection matches in December.

The WPIAL team championship series will be on Feb. 6, and the top two teams from each of the three sections will participate.

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 playoff, then a playoff will be set up between the teams to determine which squad enters championship play.

Also fielding WPIAL teams for the 2017-18 season are Avella, McGuffey, Washington, West Greene, Waynesburg, and Upper St. Clair.

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

It should be another strong competition as several of the top shooters at last year's event, including the top 15 who qualified for states, were underclassmen. That includes current Hempfield senior and defending WPIAL champion Jordan Miller.

WPIAL member schools that do not sponsor the sport as a team may be represented by one shooter. Last year, Seton LaSalle, Franklin Regional, Derry and Hopewell were represented at WPIALs.

Tags: Bethel Park, Butler, Trinity, Woodland Hills