What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 11, 2023: Wrestlers to battle for section top spots

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, January 11, 2023 | 12:19 AM

Threes are wild on Wednesday when two of the three teams tied for first place in Section 3-3A go head-to-head on another busy night of WPIAL team wrestling.

Both Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional are tied with Norwin for first place in the section.

The visiting Warriors are 4-7 overall but have won both of their section matches. The Panthers are a perfect 5-0 this season, also with two section victories.

A Norwin (2-0, 12-1) win will keep the Knights tied for the top spot in the section with upcoming matches against Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford. On Wednesday, they host Ringgold (0-2, 3-8).

There are two other Class 3A matches with first place up for grabs.

In Section 4-3A, defending champion Connellsville (6-2) will host Latrobe (5-1) for first place at the midway point of section action. The visiting Wildcats are 2-0 in the section, a half-game ahead of the Falcons.

Connellsville beat Latrobe in the 2022 Class 3A semifinals, 37-27, on their way to the district crown.

In Section 2-3A, both North Allegheny (8-3) and Butler (8-0) are tied for first place with 2-0 section records. The Tigers visit the Golden Tornado on Wednesday.

Tri-Meet for first place

One match separates the top five teams in Section 4-2A WPIAL wrestling.

Central Valley (3-0) and Hopewell (2-0) are both 2-0 in section play while Beaver (2-1), Blackhawk (3-6) and Freedom (1-8) are all 1-1 in the section.

On Wednesday, three of those teams do battle in a section tri-meet at Beaver.

At 6 p.m., the host Bobcats battle the Vikings. At 7 p.m., the Vikings take on the Warriors with first place at stake, and at 8 p.m., the Warriors face the Bobcats.

The other four teams in that section — Blackhawk, Freedom, South Side (0-2, 1-2) and Ambridge (0-2, 0-7) — will take part in a quad-meet at South Side.

Light on the hoops

While most District 7 teams take the night off from game action, two of the top girls teams in Lawrence County square off in a nonsection contest.

Class 3A top-ranked Laurel (10-1) will visit Shenango (9-3).

The Spartans are in first place in Section 1-3A while the Wildcats trail only Freedom for first place in Section 1-2A.

Other girls basketball games featuring WPIAL teams on Wednesday are:

• Springdale (2-8) at Northgate (1-9)

• New Castle (3-8) at District 10 Farrell (0-7)

• Ligonier Valley (2-8) at District 5 North Star (5-7)

The lone boys hoops game on Wednesday is a WPIAL vs. City League non-section matchup as Highlands takes on Obama Academy.