Fifteen years ago, Yough won its only WPIAL softball championship with a victory over Ambridge to claim Class 3A gold in 2011.
Since then, Avonworth has captured three district titles, all coming in a five-year period from 2019-2023.
These traditionally strong programs collide on the final day of the opening round of the softball playoffs in Class 3A, 2A and A.
No. 9 Yough takes on No. 8 Avonworth at 5 p.m. Thursday at Gateway.
Both teams finished in third place in their sections this spring with the Cougars in Section 1-3A and the Antelopes in Section 2-3A.
Yough is 13-7 and won two of its last three games.
Avonworth is 11-8 and has been in win-one, lose-one mode over the final eight games of the regular season.
The winner advances to the quarterfinals next week to face top seed South Park.
There are three other first-round Class 3A games Thursday:
• No. 12 Hopewell collides with No. 5 McGuffey at Montour at 3 p.m. The Vikings finished under .500 at 6-8 this year but won three of their last four games. The Highlanders tied Keystone Oaks for second place in Section 3-3A with a 9-6 record. The winner advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 4 Ellwood City.
• No. 7 Keystone Oaks goes up against No. 10 Deer Lakes at Plum at 5 p.m. The Golden Eagles won 15 of their 19 games in the regular season and ride a nine-game winning streak into the postseason while the Lancers are 7-12 this year, including a 13-0 loss at home to KO last month. The winner takes on defending champion Mohawk in the second round.
• No. 6 Burrell takes on No. 11 Charleroi at Plum at 3 p.m. The Buccaneers were runners-up in Section 1-3A with a record of 10-8 and losses in three of their final four games. The Cougars are the fourth-place team from Section 3-3A with a 5-12 mark and losses in three straight games. The winner moves on the play No. 3 Mt. Pleasant in the quarters Monday.
Big red machine still clicking
While Neshannock has not been the dominant force it has been this decade and especially the past four seasons, it is still a team with championship aspirations.
The Lancers finished tied for second place, one game out of first place in a strong section.
No. 5 Neshannock takes the first step toward what it hopes is a district record-tying fifth straight WPIAL softball crown when it plays No. 12 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at North Allegheny at 4 p.m.
Sto-Rox (2000-2004), West Greene (2016-2021) and Hempfield (2015-2019) are the only teams to win five straight WPIAL softball titles.
The Lancers are 14-5 and finished tied with Shenango, one game behind section winner Laurel, in a tight race in Section 1-2A.
The Chargers ended up in fourth place in Section 3-2A with a record of 8-8.
OLSH won its final two regular season games after losing three straight.
There are seven other 2A first-round games Thursday:
• Top-seeded Laurel plays No. 16 Shady Side Academy at North Allegheny at 6 p.m. The Spartans are 13-5 after winning the outright Section 1-2A title while the Bulldogs are 4-8 and finished in fourth place in Section 2-2A.
• No. 8 Seton LaSalle battles No. 9 Frazier at West Mifflin at 3 p.m. The Rebels were runners-up to Chartiers-Houston in Section 3-2A with a record of 11-4 and the Commodores are 11-9 as they finished tied for second place in Section 4-2A.
• No. 4 South Allegheny goes up against No. 13 Brownsville at Norwin at 5 p.m. The Gladiators are 12-6 and winners of the Section 2-2A crown this season. The Falcons tied for second place in Section 4-2A with a record of 12-7.
• No. 2 Chartiers-Houston is challenged by No. 15 Washington at Trinity Middle School at 6 p.m. The Buccaneers won their first 14 games this season and finished 16-2 as Section 3-2A champs while the Little Prexies are 10-7 overall as the fourth-place team in Section 4-2A.
• No. 7 Riverside takes on No. 10 Brentwood at West Mifflin at 5 p.m. The Panthers finished in fourth place in Section 1-2A with a record of 8-5 while the Spartans also ended up with an 8-5 record and tied for second place in Section 2-2A.
• No. 3 Bentworth is set to face No. 14 Burgettstown at Trinity Middle School at 4 p.m. The Section 4-2A champion Bearcats are 17-2 after winning their first 16 games of the season. The Blue Devils were the third-place team in Section 3-2A with a 7-7 mark.
• No. 6 Shenango plays No. 11 Apollo-Ridge at Seneca Valley at 6:30 p.m. The Wildcats finished tied for second place in Section 1-2A with s 14-5 record and the Vikings are 8-6 after ending up tied for second place in Section 2-2A.
Round 1 rematch
In the 2025 WPIAL Class A softball playoffs, No. 4 Sewickley Academy made quick work of Monessen in a first-round game with a four-inning win, 15-0.
The Greyhounds hope history doesn’t repeat itself Thursday.
No. 7 Sewickley Academy meets No. 10 Monessen for the second straight year in the opening round, this time at Montour at 5 p.m.
The Panthers are 9-3 this year and ended up in a tie for second place with South Side in Section 1-A.
The Greyhounds were the third-place team in Section 3-A and won seven of their 17 games.
Sewickley Academy has won four straight while Monessen has been winner in five of its last eight contests.
The winner advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 2 Carmichaels on Monday.
There are three other first-round Class A games Thursday:
• No. 8 Jeannette goes up against No. 9 Bishop Canevin at Plum at 3 p.m. The Jayhawks were runner-up behind Serra Catholic in Section 3-A with a mark of 10-3 and the Crusaders are 5-10 after a fourth-place finish in Section 1-A. The winner plays top-seeded Union in the quarterfinals next week.
• No. 12 Leechburg collides with No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan at Gateway at 3 p.m. The Blue Devils won only two of their 11 games this year, but they extended their playoff record streak to 39 years in a row. The Rockets are 14-6 and finished third in Section 2-A. The winner moves on to face No. 4 Serra Catholic on Monday.
• No. 6 South Side takes on No. 11 Beth-Center in a game moved to Waynesburg University at 5 p.m. The Rams are 9-8 and finished tied for second place in Section 1-A. The Bulldogs are 5-8 after a fourth-place finish in Section 2-A. No. 3 West Greene awaits the winner in the second round Monday.
Volleyball action
Six teams received first-round byes in the WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs.
Those schools now play their first postseason match on Quarterfinals Thursday in both the Class 3A and 2A playoffs.
The six also get the benefit of hosting those quarterfinals matches, which are set for 7 p.m.
• In Class 3A, top seed North Allegheny hosts Peters Township. The Indians edged Norwin in the first round, 3-2.
• No. 4 Baldwin is home to No. 5 Mt. Lebanon. The Highlanders swept Gateway in the opening round and the Blue Devils knocked off North Hills, 3-1.
• No. 7 Upper St. Clair visits No. 2 Butler. The Panthers swept Hempfield in Round 1.
• No. 2 Seneca Valley is coming off a bye as it hosts No. 6 Penn-Trafford. The Warriors were winners in four games over Fox Chapel on Tuesday.
• In 2A, No. 1 Shaler is home to No. 8 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Chargers advanced with a sweep of South Park in the first round.
• No. 5 Thomas Jefferson travels to face No. 4 Deer Lakes. The Jaguars swept Beaver County Christian and the Lancers were winners in three games over Steel Valley in the postseason opener.
• No. 2 Seton LaSalle is home to No. 7 Montour. The Spartans advanced with a 3-0 win over North Catholic on Tuesday.
• Finally, No. 3 South Fayette welcomes No. 6 Derry. The Trojans blanked Trinity in the opening round.
Pitching quarters in lacrosse
The quarterfinals of the WPIAL lacrosse playoffs conclude Thursday with matches in girls 3A and boys 2A.
In girls 3A, the four teams with first-round byes will host second-round matches.
• Top-seeded Mt. Lebanon is home to No. 8 Shaler. The Titans beat Norwin in the first round, 10-5.
• No. 5 Penn-Trafford visits No. 4 Fox Chapel. The Warriors were 14-3 winners Tuesday over Shady Side Academy.
• No. 2 Pine-Richland welcomes No. 7 Bethel Park. The Black Hawks eliminated North Hills, 16-5.
• No. 3 Upper St. Clair hosts No. 6 Moon. The Tigers advanced with a win over Peters Township, 19-10.
In boys 2A, the quarterfinal home teams all enjoyed a first-round bye.
• No. 1 Peters Township is home to No. 9 Indiana. The Little Indians beat Shaler in the first round, 12-5.
• Surprise No. 12 seed Chartiers Valley will visit No. 4 South Fayette. The Colts stunned No. 5 Sewickley Academy in the opening round, 10-5.
• No. 2 Hampton hosts No. 10 Quaker Valley. The Quaker needed overtime to eliminate Penn-Trafford, 7-6.
• No. 3 Mars welcomes No. 6 Bethel Park. The Black Hawks beat Latrobe in the first round, 12-5.
Run, jump, throw for gold
Good things come to those who wait, including lots and lots of gold.
While Mother Nature forced some of the best district athletes to wait 24 hours, they are set ot compete Thursday rather than Wednesday.
The 2026 WPIAL track and field championships are set a day later than planned for Slippery Rock University.
District gold will be had in nine track and seven field events.
The 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 1,600-meter run, 3,200-meter run, the 110-meter high hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, the 400-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay and the 3.200-meter relay.
Champions will also be crowned in the high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, discus and javelin.
The WPIAL also crowned a champion in the 100-meter wheelchair and shot put wheelchair division a year ago.
The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Weekend in Hershey
Four WPIAL boys tennis teams qualified for the quarterfinals and are in Hershey for the finale of the PIAA boys team tennis playoffs.
The quarterfinals, semifinals and state title matches are all at the Hershey Racquet Club this weekend.
In Class 3A, WPIAL champion North Allegheny will face District 1 runner-up Conestoga on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
District 7 runner-up Upper St. Clair takes on District 2 winner Abington Heights at 9:30 a.m.
In Class 2A, WPIAL winner Quaker Valley battles District 4 champ Jersey Shore at 5:30 p.m. and district runner-up North Catholic goes up against District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan at 2:30 p.m.
The state semifinals and finals will be Saturday.
Thursday on Trib HSSN
There are nine broadcasts and one podcast you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 14th day of May.
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast with the WPIAL Baseball Player of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys and Girls Individual Track and Field ChampionshipsVideo Stream at 11 a.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Frazier vs. Seton LaSalle at 3 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Brentwood vs. Riverside at 5 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 3A First Round: Hopewell vs. McGuffey at 3 p.m. on WJPA at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 2A First Round: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart vs. Neshannock at 4 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com with audio on the OLSH Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Burgettstown vs. Bentworth at 5 p.m. on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 2A First Round: Shady Side Academy vs. Laurel at 6 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Shenango vs. Apollo-Ridge at 6:30 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Washington vs. Chartiers-Houston at 7 p.m. on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class A First Round: Beth-Center vs. South Side at 5 p.m. on WJPA at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Volleyball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 3A Quarterfinals: Peters Township at North Allegheny at 7 p.m. on the North Allegheny Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com