Kids on the Pitch (Scholastic and Youth Soccer in Western PA)

With the 2026 WPIAL soccer playoff brackets officially unlocked, we’re breaking down every twist, turn, and top seed on a massive two-part Kids on the Pitch Podcast special.

In Part 2 (Boys), Pine-Richland’s Jordan Wiegand and Shady Side Academy’s Ed Ellsworth stop by to react to their pairings, examine the depth of their fields, and share how their squads are prepping for opening weekend. Plus, we bring back our fan-favorite rapid-fire game to put our coaches on the hot seat!

Check out and stay locked to Pittsburgh Soccer Now for complete postseason coverage.

With the 2026 WPIAL soccer playoff brackets officially unlocked, we’re breaking down every twist, turn, and top seed on a massive two-part Kids on the Pitch Podcast special.

In Part 1 (Girls), we are joined by Norwin head coach Ashley Devito and Shaler head coach Carlo Prati to discuss their bracket draws, navigating the district gauntlet, and the road to F.N.B. Stadium.

We are in the middle of a silent epidemic in female sports: non-contact ACL tears are sidelining high school, college, and professional soccer players at unprecedented rates. 

In this episode, host John Krysinsky dives deep into the ACL crisis affecting young athletes across Western Pennsylvania and nationwide. 

Joining the show is Kayla Parker, MS, LAT, ATC—Market Director of Sports Medicine for CommonSpirit Health, Official Medical Partner Liaison for Denver Summit FC (NWSL), and Athletic Trainer for the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders.

Kayla breaks down why static stretching may actually increase injury risk, how modern lifestyle habits create weak posterior muscle chains, the strict 3:1 training ratio used by NWSL pros, and how young athletes can protect their knees. Plus, we address the often-overlooked mental and emotional toll of year-long injury recoveries on student-athletes away from home.

Key Topics Covered:

• The local and national scale of the ACL epidemic in female soccer players
• Anatomical, biomechanical, and modern lifestyle root causes (and why sitting in class hurts performance)
• The Static Stretching Flaw: Why old-school pre-match warmups do more harm than good
• Pro protocols made simple: Implementing the 3:1 training ratio and daily active recovery
• Navigating the psychological impact, isolation, and fear of re-injury during ACL rehab
• Practical, low-cost steps youth coaches and parents can take today to safeguard athletes

Guest Info:

Kayla Parker, MS, LAT, ATC is the Market Director of Sports Medicine for CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region and the Official Medical Partner Liaison for Denver Summit FC. With over a decade of elite sports medicine experience, she bridges professional sports and community advocacy to give youth leagues direct access to elite athletic care.

Subscribe & Share:

If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe, rate, leave a review, and share it with parents, coaches, and athletes in your local soccer community!

Podcast Show Notes: 

Episode Title: Title Town, Western PA: How Bentworth Swept WPIAL Soccer

Co-Hosts/Guests: John Krysinsky with Bentworth High School Head Coaches Nick Malarbi (Boys) and Tyler Hamstra (Girls)

High school SEASON is back and so is Kids on the Pitch Podcast. 

Key Discussion Topics

• The Dual WPIAL Championships: Reflecting on the historic achievement of both the boys and girls programs bringing WPIAL Gold back to Bentleyville in the same season.
• Building a Unified Culture: How the boys and girls programs treat operations as "one club," aligning youth development, playing styles, and community support.
• Small-Town Advantage & Roster Management: Navigating the unique challenge of running deep Class A programs without a dedicated JV schedule, relying on community partnerships and youth club continuity.
• Coaching Dynamics & Mutual Support: Nick and Tyler detail their coaching origins, bouncing tactical ideas off one another, and their shared vision for Bentworth soccer.
• The "Mon Valley" Identity: What defines a Mon Valley / Washington County soccer player—grit, accountability, tenacity, and pride.

Key Timestamps / Segment Outline

• 00:00 - 02:15 – Introduction: Bentworth’s Historic Dual Sweep & Community Impact
• 02:15 - 05:30 – Creating One Club: Aligning the Boys, Girls, and Youth Programs
• 05:30 - 09:45 – Grassroots Development & Navigating Small-School Roster Dynamics
• 09:45 - 12:50 – Coaching Synergies: Nick and Tyler’s Shared History & Collaboration
• 12:50 - 16:15 – The Mon Valley Soccer Identity: Toughness, Heritage, and Pride
• 16:15 - End – Looking Ahead: Sustaining Success in Bentleyville

In this episode of Kids on the Pitch, host John Krysinsky is joined by Pine-Richland Boys Soccer Head Coach Jordan Wiegand to preview the upcoming WPIAL Class 4A season.

• Single-Team Focus: Coach Wiegand discusses stepping away from dual-coaching to dedicate 100% of his attention to the boys' program, enabling deeper video analysis, individualized player development, and higher training intensity.
• JRK Memorial Classic: An inside look at the annual kickoff tournament honoring former player Jim Kennedy. Wiegand highlights how the event has expanded across the main stadium and Ram Cage to host top programs from the WPIAL, District 10, and out-of-region teams like Archbishop Ryan and The Kiski School.
• Roster & Outlook: A breakdown of the Rams' competitive Class 4A section and key returning seniors aiming to build on late-season momentum.
• Buy or Sell: John poses a Buy or Sell questions about the upcoming season and his approach to coaching different situations

Two WPIAL girls soccer programs have reached the PIAA (State) Championship game for the first time ever in their respective classifications, as Burrell advanced in the Class 2A bracket where they'll take on Archbishop Wood (Friday evening, 7 p.m. kickoff) and South Fayette are headed to the Class 3A final where they'll face Radnor (Saturday afternoon, 1 p.m. kickoff).

Both matches will be played at Northeastern High School in Manchester.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky caught up with captains from both squads on Thursday for a special edition of Kids on the Pitch Podcast.

Joining John from South Fayette included Caitlyn Thompson, Mia Deramo and Quinn Miller; and from Burrell, captains included Mikayla Coury, McKenna Miller, Parker Moore

We've reached Championship week, the PIAA Boys and Girls Soccer tournament has a handful of teams who have made it deep into the tournament.

Instead of the field from Western PA including all WPIAL (PIAA's District 7) schools, there's Pittsburgh City School program, designated in PIAA's District 8, Allderdice boys, have crashed the Class 3A party.

On Saturday night, Allderdice faced off against a WPIAL champion, West Allegheny.

For the second straight year, the Dragons took the WPIAL's top team to extra time in the PIAA Quarterfinal Round, but this time around, the City League school advanced, beating West Allegheny in a match that was decided in a penalty kick shootout right around the same time the Pittsburgh Riverhounds were doing the same thing.

On the newest episode of Kids on the Pitch Podcast, PSN's John Krysinsky is joined by Allderdice Head Coach, David Thyberg to talk about the City League program, which has built a strong tradition of success, but has never come this far in the State tournament.

John will also set the stage for PIAA Championship Week and talk about some upcoming Pittsburgh Soccer Now high school soccer coverage and features.

The WPIAL boys and girls soccer playoffs are halfway complete and will come to a mad dash finish this week with the semifinal round and then quickly turn to the WPIAL Finals at Highmark Stadium.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Westmoreland Sports Network soccer analyst Mike Powers to take a look a quick look back at some of the highlights of the first two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs, including both Quarterfinal Round matches featuring Norwin, which Mike was on the call when Plum eliminted Norwin in Boys Class 4A tournament in a penalty kick shootout and Norwin girls edged Mt. Lebanon in Girls Class 4A tournament.   

John and Mike discuss those matches and much, much more! 

The 2025 WPIAL Boys and Girls Soccer Playoff brackets are out!

In the newest episodes of the Kids on the Pitch Podcast, Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Fox Chapel's Carlo Prati (Girls 3A) to get reaction and insights on the seedings, the postseason, match-ups, who may be the sleepers in their respective classifications and much more!

In the coming days, look for more interviews with more coaches as they look forward to the District Tournament, which will kickoff on Saturday and culminate with the District Finals at Highmark Stadium, October 30-November 1.

The 2025 WPIAL Boys and Girls Soccer Playoff brackets are out!  

In the newest episode of the Kids on the Pitch Podcast, Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky is joined by Pine-Richland's Jordan Wiegand his reaction and insights on the seedings, the postseason, match-ups, who may be the sleepers in their respective classifications and much more!