The Fox Chapel girls wrestling team earned a 33-29 victory over Kiski Area on Jan. 22.
Elaine Huang scored a pin in 3:59 at 155 pounds, and Lily McLaughlin (130) earned a 5-0 decision.
Atia DiGioia (106), Emma Srodes (112), Kayla Nguyen (118) and Vie Filar (235) earned forfeit wins.
The Foxes improved to 5-3 overall this season. Their other wins came against Peters Township, North Allegheny, Shaler and Redbank Valley.
They lost to Pine-Richland, Sharpsville and Valley.
Several wrestlers have seven or more wins this season so far, including Yugi Zhou (12-6), Srodes (9-6), DiGioia (9-3), Filar (8-2), Huang (8-5), Lilah Rivera (7-7), Evelyn Owens (7-9) and Lily McLaughlin (7-7).
SSA girls hoops tops Avonworth
Karis Thomas scored 25 points and Cassie Sauer added 13 to lead Shady Side Academy to a 61-39 Section 2-3A win over Avonworth on Jan. 21.
The win helped the top-ranked Bulldogs remain unbeaten at 15-0 overall and 8-0 in section play.
Shady Side Academy was the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A in the latest Trib HSSN state rankings, ahead of Loyalsock Township (13-1), River Valley (16-0), Dunmore (13-2) and Hughesville (15-1).
SSA boys fall to South Park
Luke Scarf drained four 3-pointers and finished with 29 points while Cooper Hochendoner added 13 as South Park (11-4, 4-1) defeated Shady Side Academy, 55-52, in overtime in a Section 3-3A game Jan. 22.
Seamus Riordan dropped 25 points to lead Shady Side Academy (4-11, 2-3).
FC hockey on a roll
Fox Chapel’s hockey team scored a fourth straight victory on Jan. 20, defeating Cathedral Prep, 3-1, at Alpha Ice Complex.
Tucker Cullen scored in the first period, and Hayden Ferra and Dominic Casile added power play goals in the second period. Trip Goehring and Liam Wiseman each had two assists, and Cavan Patrick added a helper.
Miles Carey made 16 saves in victory.
The Foxes (11-2) were in third place in Class 2A behind Penn-Trafford (12-2-1-1) and Latrobe (13-2).
WPIAL HOF class announced
Southmoreland grad and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Russ Grimm was part of a 2025 WPIAL Hall of Fame class announced Jan. 15 at the Sen. John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. He wasn’t the only inductee who already has a bust in Canton.
Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ty Law of Aliquippa was chosen this year as well, headlining a 15-person class that also features 2024 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Spencer Lee of Franklin Regional.
The class includes fellow athletes Charel Allen of Monessen (girls basketball), Ron Semkiw of Baldwin (track and field), Brooke Stewart of East Allegheny (girls basketball) and Rodney Wilson of West Greene (football, wrestling and track); coaches Dori Oldaker of Blackhawk and Mt. Lebanon girls basketball and Rick Saccani of Upper St. Clair boys tennis; heritage honoree Trilby Busch of Munhall (rifle); official Rick Locaitis; and WPIAL contributor Terry Kushner, a retired football coach and school administrator.
Teams selected for induction this year were 2012 North Allegheny football and 1983-84 Seton LaSalle girls basketball.
Receiving the Courage Award is Hampton’s Aiden Hanna, who created a cancer-related foundation while battling osteosarcoma.
The WPIAL will induct the group at a banquet June 6 at the DoubleTree in Green Tree. This is the 18th class inducted into the hall.
Thrower Award finalists
The WPIAL’s leading passer, two district champions and a quarterback with more than 6,000 career yards were among the finalists revealed Jan. 21 for the Willie Thrower Award.
The annual award honors the top high school quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This year’s finalists are Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia, North Catholic’s Joey Felitsky, Bethel Park’s Tanner Pfeuffer, Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg and Central Catholic’s Jy’Aire Walls.
The five will be honored at a luncheon March 29 at the Knead Café ballroom in New Kensington where the winner will be announced. The finalists were chosen by a panel of coaches and media members.
The award is named after New Kensington native Willie Thrower, a two-time WPIAL champion (1946-47) who became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in an NFL game. The award winner receives a 29-pound replica of the Willie Thrower statue standing inside Valley’s football stadium.
Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner won the Thrower Award last year.
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This is the fifth year for the award. The previous winners were Armstrong’s Caden Olsen (2022, ’21) and Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer (2020).
No place like home
Higher-seeded teams will continue to have home-court advantage in the first round of the WPIAL basketball playoffs. Chief operating officer Vince Sortino, who oversees WPIAL postseason tournaments, said the league intends to keep the same format as last year.