Allderdice teams, Shady Side girls wrap up spots for high school fencing league playoffs

By: Michael Love
Monday, February 13, 2023 | 5:40 PM

The Shady Side Academy and Allderdice girls and the Allderdice boys all clinched playoff spots as the Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing League hosted matches Friday at Allderdice High School.

In the first round Friday, the top-ranked Allderdice boys beat Fox Chapel, 5-4, with sophomore Jake Burgos earning the winning team point in the match.

The Dragons then topped Shady Side Academy, 5-4, to improve to 7-1 overall. Shady Side Academy fell into a tie for second with Peters Township at 5-2.

Fox Chapel now is 3-2.

Burgos was 6-0 over Allderdice’s two matches, and he is 21-0 for the season.

Also on Friday, the Pine-Richland boys (4-3) kept pace for a playoff spot with a 5-4 win over North Allegheny (2-5). It was the Rams’ fourth win in a row.

On the girls side, Allderdice topped Fox Chapel (2-2) in the first round, 7-2, with seniors Grace Walsh and Sacha Miller helping close out the Foxes.

The highlight match of the night for the girls came in round two as three-time defending champion Shady Side Academy, led by the two-fencer team of seniors Emily Michaelsen and Anya Hammer, improved to 6-0 with a 5-4 win over previously undefeated Allderdice (5-1).

The North Allegheny girls (1-4) picked up their first win of the season with a 5-4 victory over Pine-Richland (1-5).

Competition resumes Friday back at Allderdice with Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Aquinas Academy and Winchester Thurston in action with the host Dragons.

The playoffs, featuring the top four teams from the boys and girls divisions, will be at Allderdice on March 3.

Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association

Results

Friday, Feb. 10

Boys

Allderdice 5, Shady Side Academy 4

Allderdice 5, Fox Chapel 4

Pine-Richland 5, North Allegheny 4

Girls

Shady Side Academy 5, Allderdice 4

Allderdice 7, Fox Chapel 2

North Allegheny 5, Pine-Richland 4

Standings

Through Friday, Feb. 10

Girls

Shady Side Academy, 6-0

Allderdice, 5-1

Peters Township, 3-2

Fox Chapel, 2-2

Mt. Lebanon, 2-5

Aquinas Academy, 1-2

North Allegheny, 1-4

Pine-Richland, 1-5

Boys

Allderdice, 7-1

Shady Side Academy, 5-2

Peters Township, 5-2

Pine-Richland, 4-3

Mt. Lebanon, 4-5

Fox Chapel, 3-2

Winchester Thurston, 3-2

North Allegheny, 2-5

Aquinas Academy, 1-3

Seton LaSalle, 0-9

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Allderdice, Aquinas Academy, Fox Chapel, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Seton La Salle, Shady Side Academy, Winchester Thurston