Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

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The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al". As of 2006, the Executive Director is Tim O'Malley.

Contents

[edit] History

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) was founded in 1906 by a small group of educators who recognized the need to provide a set of eligibility rules and regulations in order to insure a level playing field for interscholastic athletic competition among the schools in Western Pennsylvania. Prior to WPIAL, schools would hire the best local players to play for their teams. In 1903, Allegheny Prep, Pittsburgh, Central High School and Shady Side Academy began working on developing the league. In 1906, E. W. Rynearson of Pittsburgh Fifth Avenue with Headmaster Jones of Allegheny Prep and W. R. Crabbe of Shady Side Academy wrote the first eligibility rules.

In the beginning, the league was poorly received by the public, and the league found it difficult to enforce the rules. However, the league slowly spread throughout the Pittsburgh area. The league controlled the growth to small numbers that they could handle. As such, the only organization absorbed as a whole was the old Allegheny Valley League. Following the local success of WPIAL, the idea was brought to the whole state in 1914 when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) was founded. Within PIAA, WPIAL has been designated as District VII, and since 1982, WPIAL/District VII.

Originally numbering three high schools, WPIAL had a high of 100 hundred fifty-six as late as the 1981-82 school year. Currently there are one hundred thirty-eight high schools and one hundred forty-seven junior high school members in the WPIAL.[1]

[edit] Member Schools

The league is made up of 136 public school districts and private schools located in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Exceptions include:

Alphabetical List of WPIAL Member Schools:

http://www.wpial.org/memberschools.asp

[edit] Sports

Note: While some sports are dominated by one sex, there is no rule that mandates sex segregation in PIAA sports, even if a school has teams for each sex.

Fall: Football, Golf, Tennis (girls), Cross Country, Volleyball (girls), Field Hockey, Soccer

Winter: Rifle, Gymnastics, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Basketball

Spring: Lacrosse (girls), Tennis (boys), Softball, Baseball, Volleyball (boys), Track & Field

[edit] Current champions

The following are champions for the 2007-2008 academic school year:

Football at Heinz Field
Class A - Serra defeated Springdale 10-6
Class AA - Jeanette defeated Beaver Falls 61-12
Class AAA - Thomas Jefferson defeated Montour 34-0
Class AAAA - Pittsburgh Central Catholic defeated Gateway 35-34 (OT)
Boys Soccer at Elizabeth Forward High School
Class A - Sewickley Academy defeated Seton LaSalle
Class AA - Steel Valley defeated Center
Class AAA - Bethel Park defeated Peters Township
Girls Soccer at Elizabeth Forward High School
Class AA - South Park defeated Springdale
Class AAA - Seneca Valley defeated Upper Saint Clair
Girls Volleyball at Chartiers Valley High School
Class A - Seton LaSalle defeated Greensburg Central Catholic
Class AA - Hopewell defeated South Fayette
Class AAA - Mt. Lebanon defeated Upper Saint Clair
Girls Field Hockey at Fox Chapel High School
Class AA - Shady Side Academy defeated Ellis
Class AAA - North Allegheny defeated Fox Chapel
Girls Team Tennis at Club for Life, Monroeville
Class AA - Quaker Valley defeated Beaver
Class AAA - Shady Side Academy defeated North Allegheny
Girls Individual Tennis at Shady Side Academy
Class AA - Cate Stewart (Quaker Valley)
Class AAA - Lauren Greco (Shady Side Academy)
Girls Doubles Tennis at Shady Side Academy
Class AA - Karly Timko and Tonya Timko (Chartiers-Houston)
Class AAA - Kelly Wheland and Jen Larimore (North Allegheny)
Boys Team Golf at Cedarbrook Gold Golf Course
Division 1 - Upper Saint Clair
Division 2 - Sewickley Academy
Boys Individual Golf at Latrobe Country Club
All Classes - Brock Pompeani (Hopewell)
Girls Team Golf at Cedarbrook Red Golf Course
All Classes - Mt. Lebanon
Girls Individual Golf at Allegheny Country Club
All Classes - Rachel Rohanna (Waynesburg)
Girls Team Cross Country at Coopers Lake
Class AA - Riverview
Class AAA - Mt Lebanon
Boys Team Cross Country at Coopers Lake
Class AA - Avonworth
Class AAA - North Allegheny
Boys Team Swimming at Trees Pool, University of Pittsburgh
Class AA - Shady Side Academy
Class AAA - North Allegheny
Girls Team Swimming at Trees Pool, University of Pittsburgh
Class AA - Oakland Catholic
Class AAA - Bethel Park
Team Wrestling at Chartiers Valley High School
Class AA - Burrell defeated Derry
Class AAA - Hempfield defeated Penn Trafford
Team Rifle
All Classes - Mt Lebanon
Girls Gymnastics at Moon Middle School
All Classes - Moon Area
Boys Basketball at A.J. Palumbo Center, Duquesne University
Class A - Serra Catholic defeated Wilkinsburg
Class AA - Jeanette defeated Beaver Falls
Class AAA - Blackhawk defeated Hopewell
Class AAAA - Pittsburgh Central Catholic defeated Moon Area
Girls Basketball at A.J. Palumbo Center, Duquesne University
Class A - Mt. Alvernia defeated Monessen
Class AA - South Park defeated Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic
Class AAA - Hampton defeated West Mifflin
Class AAAA - Upper Saint Clair defeated Peters Township
Boys Team Tennis
Class AA - Sewickley Academy defeated Indiana
Class AAA - Upper St. Clair defeated Shady Side Academy
Boys Baseball at CONSOL Energy Park
Class A - Springdale Defeated California
Class AA - North Catholic defeated Seton LaSalle
Class AAA - West Mifflin Area defeated Thomas Jefferson
Class AAAA - Peters Township defeated Plum Boro
Boys Volleyball at LaRoche College
Class AA - Montour defeated Latrobe
Class AAA - North Allegheny defeated Fox Chapel