Alle-Kiski high school notebook: Fox Chapel boys golf readies for WPIAL semis

By: Alec Italiano
Sunday, October 8, 2017 | 7:30 PM

Fox Chapel came close to a WPIAL championship in boys golf each of the past two seasons — agonizingly so last year. The Foxes will find out this week if the third time's the charm.

The team golf semifinals tee off Tuesday in boys Class AA and Class AAA. The top three teams from each of two semifinal sites in both classifications advance to Thursday's finals at Cedarbrook Golf Course.

Fox Chapel, competing in the Class AAA semifinal at Linden Hall Golf Course in Dawson — the other Class AAA semifinal is at Ponderosa Country Club in Hookstown — finished as runner-up to Peters Township in 2015 and Central Catholic, by one stroke, last fall. The Foxes have four WPIAL titles, with the last coming in 2006.

Freeport and St. Joseph are competing in the boys Class AA semifinal at River Forest Country Club in Freeport. The Yellowjackets are in their sixth consecutive postseason and advanced to the finals every year from 2012-15, finishing as high as third in 2013. St. Joseph, which split the Section 1-AA championship with Freeport, is making its second WPIAL playoff appearance in three years. The Spartans last made it to the team finals in 2010.

Fox Chapel's girls team is competing in the Class AAA semifinal Monday at Lone Pine Country Club in Washington, with the top four teams advancing to Thursday's finals at Cedarbrook Red Golf Course. The Foxes, who won a WPIAL title in 2010, are returning to the postseason after not qualifying last season.

Finishing kicks

Entering the final week of section play, several Alle-Kiski Valley teams already punched their tickets to the WPIAL soccer playoffs, with a handful remaining in contention.

Plum (9-4, 9-2) and Fox Chapel (8-6, 7-4) qualified for the Class AAAA boys playoffs; Deer Lakes (9-2-2, 7-2-1) and Freeport (11-4, 7-3) made it in Class AA; and Springdale (10-3-1, 9-2-1) and Riverview (9-4-1, 7-3-1) in Class A. Highlands (6-8-1, 4-6) remains in contention in Class AAA.

On the girls side, Fox Chapel (10-3-1, 8-0), Plum (10-3, 6-2) and Kiski Area (8-4, 5-3) made it in Class AAAA; Freeport (12-2, 9-0) and Burrell (9-3-1, 7-3) in Class AA; and Apollo-Ridge (9-2, 8-2) in Class A. Springdale (7-5, 5-5) and Deer Lakes (8-5-1, 4-4-1) still are competing for a Class AA playoff spot, and Riverview (3-9, 3-6) is still alive in Class A.

The Freeport girls clinched at least a share of the Section 2-AA championship, giving the Yellowjackets the first back-to-back titles in school history. Fox Chapel can secure the Section 3-AAAA girls title with a win over Woodland Hills on Monday, and Apollo-Ridge can win Section 1-A with victories over Shady Side Academy on Monday and Greensburg Central Catholic on Wednesday.

Miked up

Mike Mahon will continue his wrestling career in college.

Waynesburg announced Mahon, a 2017 Fox Chapel graduate, as part of its incoming freshman class last week.

Mahon compiled a 117-47 record at Fox Chapel and won an individual Section 3-AAAA championship as a senior. He competed at the WPIAL Class AAA individual championships all four seasons and twice qualified for the PIAA tournament.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, St. Joseph