H.S. Sports Central

Norwin sophomore Molly Peddicord has three options for what she could be doing this weekend, and two of them aren't bad: She could be trying to win a WPIAL soccer title, or she could be watching her older brother Cody try to win a boys title.

Or, she could be sitting home.

She'll make her plans tonight.

The siblings have at least one more road trip together today when the Norwin boys and girls play a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal doubleheader at North Allegheny. Molly Peddicord and her teammates will play Peters Township at 6 p.m. Cody Peddicord and his teammates will play Mt. Lebanon at 7:45 p.m.

The winners advance to Saturday's championship games at Elizabeth Forward.

"For us to be in the semifinals together is really cool," Molly Peddicord said. "We've always been really close and for us to experience this together is really awesome. I've always wanted to experience the championship atmosphere. I'm hoping one of us gets there."

The Peddicords' perfect scenario would allow for both Norwin programs to win WPIAL titles in the same season, something that has been accomplished by only a few schools. The most recent was South Park in 2006. Springdale, which also has both programs still alive in the playoffs, could join them.

But if only one Norwin team wins, both Peddicords still will be there.

"It definitely makes things more exciting," said Cody Peddicord, a senior forward and one of the team's leading scorers. "The boys and girls teams always support each other."

Both teams needed dramatic quarterfinal victories to get here.

Dana DelleFemine's header with 14 minutes left to play broke a scoreless tie and gave the Norwin girls (16-3-1) a 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten Moon, which had allowed only one goal all season. DelleFemine, a senior, had only recently returned from an ankle injury.

"I think Dana played her best game against Moon," said Danielle Baginski, Norwin's first-year coach who led Erie McDowell to three District 10 titles during her four years coaching there. "She did everything right and finally put one in the net when we really needed it."

The boys had to wait even longer for their game-winning quarterfinal goal.

The Knights (15-4-1) played through two scoreless halves and two overtimes before sophomore Charlie Vindek scored in the eighth round of a shootout to give Norwin a 1-0 victory over Pine-Richland. The shootout had been tied, 4-4, after five rounds and, 5-5, after seven.

"Charlie has some speed, he's fearless and he plays hard," said Kevin Chitester, a 1992 Mt. Lebanon graduate who is now in his sixth year as Norwin's head coach. "We've been practicing penalty kicks, and he's always confident when he steps up."

The victory moved the boys closer to the program's first WPIAL title and a playoff round Norwin hasn't reached very often. The Knights lost an overtime match to Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, in last year's WPIAL quarterfinals. Their last trip to the championship game, Chitester said, was more than a decade ago.

"I told the guys, 'This is a pretty big step to make it this far,'" Chitester said.

The girls program is more familiar with the WPIAL playoffs, having won consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997. The Knights lost to Mt. Lebanon, 2-1, in last year's WPIAL semifinals. They're hoping for redemption, and they're hoping for company.

"We're hoping that we can both get there," Molly Peddicord said.

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