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.

 Kemon Spell scored every way you could imagine last Saturday at the Wolvarena. The McKeesport star junior tailback piled up 292 yards on the ground and got into the end zone five times during a beatdown of Delaware Valley.

The Tigers, who figure to play a large role in the WPIAL Class 4A title picture, will welcome 5A contender Peters Township this Friday. The Indians also opened with a big win over Canon-McMillan. Nolan DiLucia led the Indians with three touchdown passes. Cole Neupaver ran for 109 yards for Peters Township.

Peters Township beat McKeesport 42-7 last season at home. The Tigers are a proud program and will want to put on a better showing than they did last season. This should be a good contest.

Vikings want to right their ship
Central Catholic couldn't have opened with a tougher opponent than it did last week at the Wolvarena. The Vikings took on La Salle College, who has Mizzou commit Gavin Sidwar under center. Central Catholic, despite its massive size on the offensive line, couldn't get the ball moving against the Explorers.

The Vikings only put up six points and will have another tough challenge against Pine-Richlands. The Rams are the defending Class 5A champions and are loaded with talent. Aaron "Oobi" Strader plays quarterback, while Florida State commit Jay Timmons and Penn State commit Khalil Taylor give him strong options in the passing game.

The Rams will have to figure out how to handle Central Catholic's line, which includes Jimmy Kalis, Jon Sassic, Cole Bayer and James Halter. All of those players weight 270 pounds or more.

Pine-Richland won the matchup, 22-17, last season.

Deer Lakes looks for measuring stick
The Lancers picked up what ended up being their most impressive win of the season during the meeting between the teams last season. Deer Lakes beat the eventual WPIAL Class 2A champions by 13 points on the road. The Lancers would start the season 6-0 for the first time in school history before finishing 8-3 and losing in the first round of the 3A playoffs.

Deer Lakes (1-0) opened the season by smothering Keystone Oaks 23-7. South Park (1-0) knocked off East Allegheny, 33-26.

Woodland Hills looks for second consecutive win over rival
The Woodland Hills and Penn Hills game didn't finish last season after a shooting down the street forced a stoppage in the game with 10 minutes remaining. The Wolverines were on their way to a win with a 26-6 lead over their rivals in the "King of the Hills" rivalry game. The matchup this season is a meaningful one for both sides, despite not being a conference game.

The Indians were shut out of for the first time in five seasons when they lost to New Castle, 12-0, in Week Zero. Woodland Hills gave North Allegheny all it could handle, but ended up losing to the Tigers 28-26 on a late touchdown. Scoop Smith and Ziggy Moore, who committed to Miami (Ohio) and N.C. State, respectively, both looked good in Week Zero.

The Indians are hoping to get their offense moving in the right direction, as highly-touted receiver Carter Bonner provides Penn Hills with a strong target in the passing game.

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.