High school roundup: Butler spirit team wins 8th straight WPIAL co-ed title, makes PIAA championship
Butler’s co-ed competitive spirit team won its eighth straight WPIAL championship Saturday and finished 11th overall in Class 3A.
The Golden Tornado qualified for the PIAA championships, set for Jan. 30-31 at Santander Arena in Reading. Butler has won the state championship four times.
Joining Butler in states will be Mars and Seneca Valley in 3A, as well as 10 other schools and five more in 2A.
The overall WPIAL champions were South Fayette (3A) and Ambridge (2A).
Behind Brady Wehner’s 22 points, North Catholic cruised past Highlands 73-42 Monday night. The Trojanettes led by 20 after just one quarter and limited the Golden Rams to under 10 points in the first and final frames.
Moon 51, Mars 43 — Cecilia Christy bucketed 13 points, and Vita Vargo inched closer to the 1,000-point mark for her career by adding another seven.
Clarion Area 63, Union/A-C Valley 42 — Marley Kline and Sophie Babington scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, for the victors.
Maddy Dehart recorded a double-double for the Falcon Knights with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kya Wetzel led the team with 17 points.
Trent Fleming’s 18 points weren’t enough for Union as the Knights lost 46-45 on a Brockway buzzer-beater. Gage Jordan added 10 in the loss.
Mars thumped Butler 8-4 at Baierl Ice Complex on Monday, the teams' second meeting in their last three games.
Xavier Bossola had a hat trick by the second period and finished with four goals. Ethan Da Silva scored two third-period goals to put the game on ice, and Grant Weaver dished out three assists. Mars (12-3-0-0) goalie Adam Goul stopped 18 of 22 shots.
Butler (1-8-1-2) was led by Seamus Griffith's two second-period goals, and Brayden Hardsock contributed two assists.
Hampton 3, Freeport 2 (OT) — Joey Stephenson potted the game-winning goal in overtime, his second of the game.
Bantam Semanko scored two third-period goals, both on assists from Landen Kozma, to force overtime for Freeport (3-11-0-1). Yellowjackets goalie Luke Laboda stopped 28 of 31 shots.
A handful of games were postponed to later dates due to winter weather Monday.
Karns City boys basketball’s away game at DuBois is postponed, date to be determined, as was Moniteau’s road tilt with Keystone.
Freeport girls’ home game against Burrell is rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Knoch’s road game at Derry will now be played Jan. 14. Slippery Rock’s home game against Franklin was pushed back a day, with tip-off still at 7:30.
Slippery Rock’s road swimming and boys wrestling matches are postponed to dates TBD.
