Team playoffs already here
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Baseball and softball have barely started section openers and track just had its first big meet of the season last weekend with the TriState Track Coaches’ Association Invitational.
And boys tennis has already finished the regular season.
It sounds a bit strange, but it’s true. Aside from any weather-delayed makeup matches that might be lingering in the periphery, the regular season team tennis portion of the schedule has ended and the WPIAL playoffs are slated to begin Wednesday with play-in and, potentially, first-round matches with the finals tentatively scheduled for April 28.
In previous years, this wouldn’t be the case. But prior to this school year, the WPIAL opted to join schools in the eastern part of the state and move the team tournaments up and be played before the individual singles and doubles championships. The girls had to deal with it in the fall to mixed reviews and the boys will get to see how it works out for them.
“They put more stress on the individual play and my theory is that the team game in the east isn’t as big as ours and I think we have a lot more depth than Philadelphia,” Upper St. Clair coach Ron Mercer said. “The leagues are just not that good and our league always has like 10 good teams, with five really good ones and five pretty good ones.”
In the past 14 PIAA Class 3A team championships, there was a WPIAL representative in the finals 13 times including 2005 and 2010 when two District 7 teams played against each other. The WPIAL has won six titles in that time, but Lower Merion has won the past two, with wins against Upper St. Clair and Fox Chapel, respectively.
It has been more disparate in Class 2A where Quaker Valley won its only finals appearance in 2003, while Sewickley Academy, with its 13 consecutive WPIAL team titles, is 2 for 6 in the state championships. Sewickley Academy is, however, the defending state champion and is favored to repeat again this season.
“I have a feeling they’re going to switch it back next year,” Mercer said. “It’s OK for the girls because they barely have any rainouts, but the playoffs are supersoon and we really hadn’t played anybody.”
Class 3A
While the team championships have been moved up, the Class 3A playoff picture began taking shape last year and hasn’t really changed.
Fox Chapel, the defending WPIAL champion and state runner-up, has been mowing through the competition and will likely have the No. 1 overall seed for the second consecutive year. The biggest difference for the Foxes won’t be at the top of the lineup where sophomore Robby Shymansky still rules the roost, but on sideline.
Coach Alex Slezak was forced to step aside this season after having back surgery and was replaced by his predecessor, longtime coach Dave Prevost. Slezak still helps out with the team but is unable to fulfil the active role he took a year ago.
Prevost coached at Fox Chapel for more than 30 years and, if he wins, it will be his first WPIAL title for the Foxes. Slezak brought the school its first team title last year.
Class 2A
Sewickley Academy got a good warmup for the WPIAL Class 2A tournament on Monday when it knocked off Class 3A stalwart Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, in a non-section match.
When the pairings are announced, there is no doubt the Panthers will be atop the bracket and they will stay there until somebody knocks them off.
It just probably won’t be this year.
Sewickley Academy has the best 1-2-3 singles combination in the WPIAL in defending state singles champion Luke Ross, senior Sam Sauter and senior Ryan Gex. The Panthers are also scheduled to prepare for the WPIAL tournament with matches Monday at Shady Side Academy and at home Tuesday against Fox Chapel.