Football
2016 MSA SPORTS ELITE ELEVEN
December 16, 2016
The Elite 11 was into breaking records. A number of players on this year’s Elite 11 broke records, whether they were WPIAL marks or school records. The team is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL and is picked by the MSA Sports staff. This year’s team is made up of 10 seniors and one junior. Four of the players were quarterbacks and another played quarterback a little. The team includes three of the top six WPIAL rushers of all time and two of the top three touchdown makers of all time. Other players accomplished things never seen before in the WPIAL. A number of the players have already made their college choices and this year’s team is “Zane-y.” Two of the players are named Zane. Here is a look at the MSA Sports Elite 11 and the Player of the Year:Scholastic Notebook – 12/12/2016
December 12, 2016
No one knew much about Najhier West before the PIAA Class 2A championship Saturday morning. But only hours after the game, West was being talked about on national television and his running ability put him right up there with some well-known athletes on a college and pro level. West is a junior running back at Steel Valley, the backup halfback to DeWayne Murray. But Murray wasn’t at full strength and didn’t play all that much in the title game against Southern Columbia at Hersheypark Stadium. It might have been a big deal because West is the sixth-leading rusher in WPIAL history. But Steel Valley simply went West.
WPIAL Coaches Corner – Bob Palko
December 11, 2016
‘Tis the season for getting to know some of the hometown coaches here in western Pennsylvania. In this brand new feature titled “Coach’s Corner”, I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts. First up this week is the West Allegheny Indians football Coach Bob Palko. Coach Palko led the Indians to another WPIAL title this year, his record 8th title as a head coach. He also recorded his 200th win in the state playoffs this year, another amazing milestone. Let’s take a look inside Coach Palko’s corner:
2016 PIAA Football Playoffs – The Road to Hershey RESULTS
Six strong WPIAL champions participated in the PIAA playoffs, four of them advanced to the finals in Hershey and two of them came home as state champions. Both Beaver Falls in 3-A and Steel Valley in 2-A won state crowns for the first time in school history while both Pittsburgh Central Catholic in 6-A and Clairton in 1-A fell short of adding to the PIAA titles count and settled for silver in a chilled Chocolate Town. Here are ALL of the final results from the first ever expanded 2016 PIAA Football Playoffs. Games marked with (MSA) are games broadcast live and archived on the MSA Sports Network. 2016 PIAA CLASS 6-A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Bishop Guilfoyle Blanks Clairton for 3rd Straight PIAA 1-A Title
December 9, 2016
For the Clairton seniors like Lamont Wade and Noah Hamlin, a PIAA championship was the final piece in their incredible careers. The Bears left Hershey unfulfilled, though, as the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders decisively prevailed, 17-0, in the Class 1A title game at Hersheypark Stadium. Bishop Guilfoyle (15-0) captured its third straight crown, and extended its win streak to 47 games, denying the Bears (14-1) a chance for redemption after the Marauders won 19-18 in the 2014 meeting. In the process, the Bears suffered their first shutout in more than 13 years.Big Game Hunting for State Finals
December 7, 2016
And then there were four. Four WPIAL teams still alive as we head to the final weekend of the 2016 high school football season in the state of Pennsylvania. That final week takes place here in 2016 in week 15, as opposed to week 16 in years past. Doesn’t feel any different to me, the weather is still going to be frigid, and despite the number of teams in Hershey, I am willing to bet attendance won’t be very different with games being played on school or work days and school or work nights. The teams that are in Hershey are very familiar as well. So one year in, the staff at Big Game Hunting, after a secret ballot, has officially declared its hatred for six classifications.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Quad Law
December 5, 2016
While the football season is still ongoing for four WPIAL teams, the majority of high school and college teams have concluded their seasons. For many seniors at both levels, it's the final time they will play in a competitive game. Former Ringgold star Quad Law recently concluded his college career at Gannon University, but he made quite an impact in his many years on the gridiron.Scholastic Notebook – 12/05/2016
Clairton’s Lamont Wade and Steel Valley’s DeWayne Murray have run their way into the WPIAL record book. They are two of only seven runners in WPIAL history to rush for 6,000 yards in a career. While the yards are impressive, maybe the thing that is most impressive about the two is how many yards they gain every time they touch the ball. The yards-per-carry average of both Wade and Murray is among the best in WPIAL history. Wade is now the third-leading rusher in WPIAL history with 7,005 yards while Murray is sixth with 6,418 yards. But what’s incredible is that both are averaging 11 yards a carry for their career. Wade has carried 604 times for an 11.6-yard average, while Murray has carried 576 times for an average of 11.1.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/05/2016
We officially conclude the fall high school sports season while opening up full throttle on the winter high school sports season on the first full week of December this week on the MSA Sports Network. We have coverage of four PIAA Championship Football Games featuring Clairton, Steel Valley, Beaver Falls and Pittsburgh Central Catholic and their quest for a state title from Hershey. We also tip off the 2016-2017 high school basketball season with plenty of tip-off tournament roundball action as well as PIHL high school hockey and women's college basketball featuring Carlow University, plus it's the season debuts of Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle on Mondays and The PIHL Power Play Show on Wednesdays ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 5th:Friday HighLights AND Saturdays Scholastic Starz – 12/05/2016
Five WPIAL champions entered the State Semifinals with hopes of collecting more gridiron gold, and four keep that championship dream alive with victories to earn a trip to Chocolate Town. While Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Beaver Falls, Steel Valley and Clairton advanced to Hershey with wins on Friday or Saturday, only WPIAL 5-A champ West Allegheny saw their season come to an end two wins shy of a state crown. Here are the district standouts who helped lead their team to the PIAA Finals or refused to go quietly into the cold goodnight. J.J. Younger - Pittsburgh Central CatholicPIAA Football Semifinals Recaps 2016
December 2, 2016
The WPIAL has never won more than three state football championships in a single season under the old four classification format. Now in the first year of the expanded six classes postseason, the district has four teams headed to the finals. In the Final Four of the 2016 PIAA Playoffs, the WPIAL was a four for five as Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Beaver Falls, Steel Valley and Clairton all won their Semifinals contests to advance to the state championships next weekend in Chocolate Town. The lone WPIAL champ that saw their season end was West Allegheny in 5-A on Saturday. Here are recaps from the five games, all of which were broadcast here on the MSA Sports Network.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Jawan Turner
December 1, 2016
When George Novak retired as the football coach at Woodland Hills earlier this month, he left a legacy of helping hundreds of players continue their careers at the college level. One of Novak's success stories is Jawan Turner, a standout defensive lineman at California University of Pennsylvania. Turner, who has been instrumental in the Vulcans undefeated season, is the focus of this week's WPIAL Alum Q&A.Big Game Hunting for Week Fourteen
November 30, 2016
Before we start this week’s Big Game Hunting, we would like to extend our sympathy to the family of DiMantae Bronaugh, the Aliquippa community and the WPIAL community as well, DiMantae’s battle with leukemia could not have been fought more fiercely or with more class. I pray it continues to bring us all closer together and, that he will be remembered forever. To the PIAA semi-finals we send five WPIAL Champions, for the first time ever. All five semi-finals featuring WPIAL teams will be right here on the MSA Sports Network for those of you who cannot make the sometimes considerable drive to follow your clubs. No choices to make means no complaints to the boss, which makes these next two weeks my favorite two weeks of the season to go Big Game Hunting!Friday HighLights AND Saturdays Scholastic Starz – 11/28/2016
November 28, 2016
Pittsburgh Central Catholic, West Allegheny and Thomas Jefferson won their gold on 11/18 at Heinz Field and began their quest for more gold this past weekend in the PIAA Quarterfinals while Beaver Falls got a rare weekend off. Steel Valley and Clairton claimed their WPIAL titles this past Saturday at Robert Morris University. Here are the five players who stood above the rest in four district wins and one season ending loss. J.J. Younger - Pittsburgh Central CatholicScholastic Notebook – 11/28/2016
If they made a TV show on this Steel Valley offense, they might call it the 700 Club. Steel Valley is having an offensive season like few have in WPIAL history. Or even state history. Steel Valley beat Neshannock, 49-14, in the WPIAL Class 2A title game Saturday night and Steel Valley now has scored 708 points in 13 games (54.5 average). Steel Valley becomes only the 12th team in WPIAL history to score 700 points in a season and the 20th in state history. But Steel Valley could climb near the top of the WPIAL list if the Ironmen go on to the PIAA championship game.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/28/2016
With the district football playoffs completely behind us now, our attention turns to The Road to Hershey and the state football playoffs as November turns to December this week on the MSA Sports Network. We have six PIAA Semifinals high school football state playoff games as well as PIHL high school hockey and the start of college basketball featuring Carlow University, plus it's the season finale of This Week in the WPIAL ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, November 28th: PIHL High School Hockey - Live Video Stream: Beaver vs Montour at 7:15pm on MSAsports.net Tuesday, November 29th: No Broadcasts2016 WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Final Results
November 27, 2016
The very first WPIAL six classification football postseason is now history. While the playoff path was split between The Highway to Heinz and The Road to RMU, six worthy district champions were crowned. Once the dust settled, five top-seeds and a #2-seed claimed gold and three of the winners successfully defending their titles. Here are ALL the results from the 2016 WPIAL Football Playoffs. ALL games can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network. 2016 WPIAL CLASS 6-A FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 42 - Seneca Valley Raiders 7 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS 6-A Semifinals:
Clairton Wins 3rd Straight, 8th WPIAL 1-A Title in 9 Years
November 26, 2016
For the ninth time in the last eleven years and the 13th time overall, the Clairton Bears have captured WPIAL gold by defeating the Jeannette Jayhawks 26-6 at Joe Walton Stadium at Robert Morris University. Without their starting quarterback, Noah Hamlin, for the second straight game, the Bears relied heavily on running back Lamont Wade to lead the way for the victory. Wade rushed for 100 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns and salted away the victory with an 82-yard interception return for a third touchdown. The interception return was the dagger in what was Jeannette’s fifth loss to Clairton in the last two years.PIAA Football Quarterfinals Recaps 2016
November 25, 2016
While the WPIAL Class 2-A and Class 1-A championship football games were played Saturday at Robert Morris University and 3-A champion Steel Valley enjoyed the weekend off, WPIAL champions Pittsburgh Central Catholic, West Allegheny and Thomas Jefferson hit the field for Second Round state playoff action. While Pittsburgh Central Catholic and West Allegheyn weere winners to move on to the State Final Four, Thomas Jefferson saw their season end again at the nads of Erie Cathedral Prep. Here are recaps from those three state games heard here on The Network. A special thanks to Donny Chedrick, Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah for their help on these recaps. PIAA CLASS 6-A Quarterfinals:Chicks Picks for Week Thirteen
November 23, 2016
Welcome to Week 13 of the high school football season. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Chick’s Picks took some time to reflect on all that she is thankful for this holiday season. Chick’s Picks is thankful for her trusty crystal ball. Without it, she would surely not be half the talented prognosticator that she is today. Chick’s Picks is thankful for The Fumbler and H.S. Picks. These rival prognosticators keep Chick’s Picks’ competitive spirit alive every season. Chick’s Picks is thankful for the WPIAL and its coaches and players. After all, these are the folks that keep her and her crystal ball in business.
