PITTSBURGH - The Fox Chapel girls soccer team prevented South Fayette from three-peating as WPIAL Class 3A champions Wednesday night at Highmark Stadium. Lily McLaughlin scored off an assist from Emily McKee in double overtime to give the Foxes their first WPIAL championship since they won Class 4A in 2023.

​South Fayette knocked off Fox Chapel 4-0 in the final last season. The Foxes were unhappy with being tripped up by South Fayette last season and wanted to bounce back.

Deer Lakes holds off determined Bobcats
The sixth-seeded Lancers boys soccer team weren't exactly Cinderellas by the time they reached the WPIAL Class 2A final. Deer Lakes was playing a higher seeded team that was read hot. The Bobcats ripped apart Avonworth, beating them by six goals in the semifinals. Beaver started slow against Deer Lakes and never took a lead during a 3-2 decision Wednesday night at Highmark Stadium.

Zane Spencer scored the winning goal in the 68th minute for the Lancers. Anthony Furda and Caleb Kullen each scored for the Bobcats. 

HAMPTON TWP - Quaker Valley boys soccer coach Sean Ryan wasn't shocked with how the WPIAL Class 2A boys soccer field played out. He believed anything could happen.

Ryan, who led the Quakers to a Section 2-2A crown and the second seed, believed in the potential of every playoff team in their section. Three of those teams -- Quaker Valley, No. 4 Avonworth and No. 9 Beaver -- reached the semifinals.

 The Bobcats pounded the Antelopes 8-2 in the semifinals Monday at Hampton to reach the WPIAL Class 2A final at Highmark Stadium this week, while Deer Lakes used a pair of second half goals to topple Quaker Valley.

Beaver will have a rematch with Deer Lakes from their 2022 meeting, which the Lancers won to capture their second district crown.

Deer Lakes, which were the sixth seeded, knocked out No. 11 Central Valley and No. 3 North Catholic on its way to the final. Top-seeded South Park got knocked out in the quarterfinals by Beaver in a 2-1 decision.

The Quakers survived a 3-2 win over No. 10 Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals.

"I said at the beginning of the season that our section is one of the strongest in 2A if not all of the WPIAL," Ryan said. "I feel pretty confident that three of our four teams made it to a semifinal. I feel Shady Side Academy was above their seeding. They weren't as low quality as a typical 10 seed, they felt like a four or five-seed. This Deer Lakes team could be a No. 2 seed in any other year as well.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Nico Megaludis was supposed have a matchup with a Ukrainian opponent during the Real American Freestyle 02 card. Instead, the Franklin Regional graduate was tasked with taking on former Iowa standout Austin DeSanto in a bantamweight belt.

DeSanto, who once upset future Olympic silver medalist and Franklin Regional great Spencer Lee in the PIAA finals, took care of Megaludis, 10-0.  During their battle Saturday night at Bryce Jordan Center, neither DeSanto or Megaludis could get much going in the first period.

DeSanto recorded the only point on a shot-clock point with 45 seconds left in the first round. DeSanto quickly stretched his lead out in the second period by picking up five points. He picked up a pair of takedowns in the third period to win by technical fall.

Former Penn State wrestlers went 2-2 at the event.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

The Plum Mustangs aren't guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. But the Mustangs made a good case for their inclusion following their first win over Penn Hills since 2014. 

Mustangs kicker Austin Kolankowski recovered his own kick after Penn Hills blocked his 24-yard attempt in the waning seconds. Plum, which suffered a four-game losing streak in the middle of its schedule, bounced back with an impressive 20-14 win over the Indians. The Indians (3-7, 2-3) have had a difficult system weighted down by injuries and inconsistency.

Watch the entire broadcast on the Penn Hills Football Network's YouTube page.

Strangely, this is the second time in the past five years Penn Hills has lost on a kick they blocked at the end of a game. The Indians lost in similar fashion to Central Catholic in 2022.

The Plum and Mars girls' soccer teams have been battling in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs for the past six seasons. The Mustangs got their first win over the Planets in five meetings Thursday night at Plum. Allison Porter converted the winning kick for the Mustangs.

Read my story on the event in the Tribune Review. During regulation and overtime, there weren't too many solid scoring options for either side.

SPRINGDALE - The Springdale girls soccer won a wild match in the first round of the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs. The Dynamos scored a goal in the final minutes to grab a 2-1 win over Chartiers-Houston. Read my story about the match in the Tribune Review.

Pitt women's volleyball had designs on getting a win back. While the No. 6 Panthers' 3-2 win over fourth-ranked Louisville Sunday on the road won't make up for the loss in the NCAA Division I semifinals last season, it gave Pitt another gutty victory.

Olivia Babcock, the reigning volleyball player of the year, showed why the Panthers' offense can be so potent. Babcock recorded a program record 41 kills in the win. Pitt (15-3, 7-1) had to rally after dropping the second and third sets.

The Panthers were on their heels all weekend. During a 3-2 win over Notre Dame Friday night, the Panthers had to complete a reverse sweep to come away with the win.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Clairton should be in contention for the WPIAL Class 1A title. Can the Bears find a way to climb back on top? Clairton's defense is as dominant as ever.

Read about the Bears' win over Riverview Saturday in the Tribune Review.

North Hills took a devastating loss to Shaler last week that seemed to have the Indians on the outside looking in on the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. But North Hills didn't pack up its tents and head home.

Instead the Indians were able to trip up Penn Hills 17-6 to set up a chaotic final week for the Northeast Conference. The top three teams in the conference automatically qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, while any other playoff hopefuls would need to secure a wild card.

Pine-Richland (8-1, 4-0) has already qualified for the playoffs. The Rams, theoretically, could not win the conference title outright if it lost to the Titans next week, but that is highly unlikely. Shaler (3-6, 3-1) did its job by beating Fox Chapel 35-14 Friday night, but could risk falling into a three-way tie for third should Penn Hills (3-6, 2-2) beat Plum.

The Wild Card picture is murky for all of these teams, as the Northeast Conference is weaker than the other two 5A Conferences, the Allegheny Six and Big East. All of the teams will be eager to grab the third-place spot and avoid the Wild Card.

Trinity clinches first conference title since 1986
The Hillers built a 34-0 lead by halftime en route to a 48-0 win over Laurel Highlands. Trinity (5-4, 4-0) has flexed its muscles in Big Six Conference play. Owen Gardner opened up the scoring with a 49-yard touchdown run.

Jonah Williamson then threw two touchdown passes to stretch the lead to 21-0.

Moon trips up Upper St. Clair
The Panthers weren't able to maintain their spot in second place in the Allegheny Six Conference, losing 20-13 to Moon in double overtime. Andrew Cross gave the Tigers a lead by scoring on a 2-yard run in overtime.

Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.