Joe Sager
Times Sports Correspondent
Due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the school district, the Quaker Valley School District closed its middle and high schools and shifted to online learning for a two-week span, starting Monday. That put its athletics and extracurricular activities on hold, which meant the Quakers are not able to participate in the WPIAL tournament, which starts Saturday, even though both Quaker Valley’s boys and girls programs qualified for the playoffs.
On the boys side, the Quakers advanced to the past four WPIAL championships and went 2-2. Last year, they beat Deer Lakes for the WPIAL title, 4-3, and New Hope-Solebury, 2-1, for the state championship. Quaker Valley finished 11-1-1, just behind North Catholic (12-1-1) in the Section 4 race and was a contender to get back to the championship match.
The Quakers’ girls finished 3-7-2 overall and fourth in Section 2-2A. Quaker Valley dropped a 2-1 decision to Deer Lakes in last year’s first round. Hopewell’s boys and Beaver’s girls, who finished fifth in their respective sections, took Quaker Valley’s spots in the tournament.
In The Times’ coverage area, the West Allegheny and OLSH boys and Freedom girls claimed section titles. West Allegheny’s lone loss came Sept. 19 against Montour. Since then, the team has won 11 in a row. The Indians (13-1-0) have only allowed seven goals all season. They are looking to reach their fourth WPIAL title match in a row. They dropped the last two to Franklin Regional and fell to Montour in 2017. OLSH (10-0-1) wrapped up the program’s first unbeaten regular season. The Chargers fell to Avonworth, 4-3, in last year’s first round.
Freedom (11-2-0) won the 2018 WPIAL title and reached last year’s semifinals, but fell to Greensburg Central Catholic, 4-3. The Bulldogs rebounded to reach the PIAA quarterfinals, but suffered a 1-0 loss to GCC.
The WPIAL playoffs begin with Saturday’s first round. The quarterfinals start Oct. 28, with the semifinals and finals taking place the first week of November.
FIRST ROUND
BOYS
CLASS 3A
Gateway at West Allegheny — Saturday, noon
Thomas Jefferson at Moon — Saturday, 1 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Hopewell at Shady Side Academy — Monday, 6:30 p.m.
Keystone Oaks at Ambridge — Monday, 6:30 p.m.
Freedom at Elizabeth Forward — Monday, 6:30 p.m.
CLASS A
Chartiers-Houston vs. Sewickley Academy at Montour Junction — Tuesday, 4 p.m.
Beaver County Christian vs. Seton LaSalle at Peters Twp. — Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Riverside vs. Winchester Thurston at Graham Field-Chatham — Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
OLSH vs. Carlynton at Peters Township — Tuesday, 8 p.m.
GIRLS
CLASS 4A
Pine-Richland at Moon — Monday, 6:30 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Trinity at West Allegheny — Monday, 6:30 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Beaver at South Park — Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Ambridge at Southmoreland — Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
CLASS A
Sewickley Academy vs. South Side Beaver at Montour Junction — Saturday, 1 p.m.
Seton LaSalle vs. OLSH at Freedom — Saturday, 1 p.m.
Eden Christian Academy at Freedom — Saturday, 3 p.m.
Riverside vs. Greensburg Central Catholic at Norwin — Saturday, 3 p.m.