PIAA tournament proves tough for WPIAL teams
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Fox Chapel probably didn’t feel too lucky when it lost to Pine-Richland in overtime in the WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse championship game.
One game into the PIAA tournament, though, and it’s the Foxes that are still alive to play another day.
On Tuesday, Fox Chapel needed overtime to slide past District 6 champion State College, 10-9, to advance to the state quarterfinals. That same night, the Rams were dealt a quick exit by District 3 runner-up Manheim Township in a 145 loss at Hempfield.
“It’s hands-down tough competition,” Fox Chapel coach Katie Lundberg said. “There’s definitely teams that we face in the WPIAL that have as much speed and athleticism as [State College] and that was helpful for us. But the level of play, it’s a different level and one that we’re not used to seeing every single day.”
Though it might have appeared to be a benefit for Pine-Richland to get a second-place team from a district, lacrosse is much more competitive in the Harrisburg and Philadelphia areas. Since the PIAA first recognized lacrosse as a full sport and began sponsoring state championships in 2009, a team from District 1 has finished first and second every year.
The past four years, the WPIAL has made some inroads with a team qualifying for the semifinals each time. But because all of those teams were WPIAL champions, Fox Chapel, which is playing in the state tournament for the first time, will have to make some history if it hopes to continue that streak when it takes on District 3 champion Wilson Saturday.
“We just have to go by our mantra all year that we are Fox Chapel and, if we play our best lacrosse and we do what we are capable of doing, then we will win the games that we are supposed to win,” Lundberg said. “If I feel that we are the better team, then I want us to come out and win and, at the end of the day, if we get beat by a team that is better than us, I’m OK with that.”
Class 2A girls
Getting beaten up by a team from District 3 was not reserved only for Class 3A. Both WPIAL Class 2A champion Hampton and thirdplace finisher Quaker Valley were rolled out in the first roundof the state playoffs.
Quaker Valley went into the WPIAL semifinals undefeated before losing to a surprise Oakland Catholic squad and having to settle for third place. But despite rebounding with a lopsided victory against Franklin Regional in a consolation match, the Quakers were drilled, 16-7, by District 3 champion Susquehannock despite hat tricks from Rachel Bould and Katherine Blaugrund.
Hampton, too, felt the sting of a District 3 school as fourth-place Hershey ousted theTalbots in a 14-5 romp.
Only Oakland Catholic, behind five goals and two assists from Megan Cyterski and Natalie Cyterski’s four goals and seven helpers, was able to move on in the state playoffs with a 16-4 win against District 10 champion Fairview. The Eagles, though, will now get a taste of District 3 lacrosse when they take on runner-up Kennard Dale, which obliterated District 4 champion Danville, 24-3, in their first-round matchup.
Class 3A boys
Though District 3 may have run the table on the WPIAL on the girls side, the Mt. Lebanon boys had a pretty good idea of what to expect after losing to Manheim Central in the quarterfinals last year.
This time, in their second consecutive showing as the District 7 runner-up, they pulled out a 7-6 win against District 3 champion Wilson and set up a quarterfinals showdown with District 6 champion State College Saturday.
Mt. Lebanon was the previous WPIAL team to qualify for the state semifinals and did so in 2014. No team outside of District 1 has played for a championship.
Class 2A boys
Mars has been one of the better programs in the WPIAL for several years, but because the PIAA only authorized state championships in the highest classification, the Planets were shut out from showing what they coulddo an a bigger stage. Until now. In its first PIAA Class 2A playoff game, Mars dominated District 10 champion Cathedral Prep, 18-8. The Planets are the only WPIAL school left in the draw and will get a huge test Saturday when they take on District 3 runner-up Hershey, a 16-6 running-clock winner against Quaker Valley.