Football
Scholastic Notebook – 11/06/2015
November 6, 2015
The WPIAL football playoffs start Friday night. Does that mean the Tri-County South Conference turns into the Tri-County Sour bunch once again? The Tri-County South in Class A hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season. Since then, Tri-County South teams are 0-16 in the postseason. But maybe there is hope to end the postseason drought this year. Frazier finished the regular season with a 9-0 record and the Commodores were given the No. 4 seed. Frazier led the entire WPIAL in fewest points allowed this season and it plays host to South Side in a first-round game.WPIAL Friday Football Scores – 11/06/2015
There are no more second chances. There are no more 'we'll get them next week'. There are no tomorrows...unless of course you were victorious. It is win and advance time as the large field of 64 was sliced in half to 32 by the end of opening night. Cruel and unfair? Perhaps. but those are the road rules for the chosen who make the yearly trip on the Highway to Heinz. Here are the First Round scores of all 32 games, ALL of which were heard exclusively on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA First Round: Woodland Hills Wolverines 41 - Hempfield Spartans 7 (F) Bethel Park Black Hawks 34 - Kiski Area Cavaliers 26 (F) North Allegheny Tigers 56 - Norwin Knights 17 (F)Chicks Picks – Week 10 – 2015
November 5, 2015
Welcome to Week 10 of the high school football season. As a veteran prognosticator, Chick’s Picks has received countless commendations over the years. None of these honors, however, were quite as prestigious as the one earned this week. Chick’s Picks received an anonymous phone call early Sunday morning. The caller, a woman, told Chick’s Picks that her presence was requested by The Committee on Monday afternoon. Confused, Chick’s Picks inquired further as to which committee the woman was referring. The woman simply said, “Report to the Double Tree Hotel in Greentree at noon tomorrow. Bring your crystal ball. All of your questions will be answered there.”WPIAL Big Game Hunting – First Round
The Highway to Heinz begins this week, a very exciting time in southwestern Pennsylvania and at the MSA Sports Network. We have been stretched to the max by the fall championship season but with one final tug we found a way to carry every single WPIAL football playoff game yet again. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Most years I fall in love with 8 v 9 games, but this year was different for me. Looking through the brackets I found myself most fascinated by three of the 7 v 10 games. Hey at this point they’re all big games, so easy pickins as we go post season Big Game Hunting. Class AAAA:MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football Seeding Predictions
November 1, 2015
We do it every year in an effort to help the cause. Sometimes our logic is considered by the powers that be, then again, sometimes our two cents is ignored. Everybody has an opinion in how the WPIAL Football Steering Committee should set up the brackets for the upcoming ride on the Highway to Heinz.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/01/2015
We are done with the WPIAL football regular season and ready to ride on the Highway to Heinz starting this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have ALL 32 First Round WPIAL Football Playoff games Friday night starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show. We also have six District 6 and District 9 high school football games along with the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships of the WPIAL Girls Volleyball Playoffs and the Semifinals and Championships of the WPIAL Boys and Girls Soccer Playoffs. We also have the debut of men's college basketball, plus The WPIAL Football Playoff Pairings Show. This Week in the WPIAL and the season finale of the Indiana County Coaches Show ALL here at MSAsports.netWPIAL Saturday’s Scholastic Starz – Week Nine
While we prepare to tip our cap on Saturday Starz for the final time this season (except for the four title games at Heinz Field, this year on a Saturday), we remember an old school house of thrills that will likely be no more following Saturday's game. We likely say goodbye to Historic Graham Field in Wilkinsburg as the Tigers prepare to merge with City League Westinghouse. The old grandstand has many thrilling tales to tell, including being the home to the WPIAL football finals way back in the day. it was a proper send off to a field that has hosted many a one-sided blowouts in recent years was the home to a competitive dandy on its final Saturday afternoon of varsity high school football action. Thanks for the memories old pal.FINAL 2015 WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Football Standings
Here are the FINAL WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through the end of the 2015 high school football regular season...including the FINAL WPIAL Playoff clinchings and eliminations. Once again this year, we have added points for, point against and the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 123 teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Standings can be also seen on each teams football webpage here on the MSA Sports Network. (Top 5 teams from AAAA and AAA conferences qualify for playoffs plus a sixth place wild card team) (Top 4 teams from AA and A conferences qualify for the playoffs)WPIAL Saturday Football Scores – 10/31/2015
October 31, 2015
Instead of using a bunch of Halloween cliches, I'll use the final day of the regular season to jump on my soap box. Very few teams that don't make the playoffs play a Week Ten game anymore. We are over ten years now since the WPIAL went from a 10 week to 9 week regular season schedule, giving non-playoff teams the option as to weather they want to play another game. Sadly, most don't. Why not? Some extra practices and one extra game couldn't hurt the underclassman. Just saying. Anyway, back to the regular season which ended today with these two final results. WPIAL CLASS A Eastern Conference: Serra Catholic Eagles 23 - Wilkinsburg Tigers 20 WPIAL CLASS A Black Hills Conference:WPIAL Football Tiebreaker Explanations
Nowadays, any Tom, Dick or Harry can find out from other what is going on and then tweet it out like they are Tom Brokaw breaking a new flash. If you listened to Friday nights WPIAL Scoreboard Show, you found out who was in and some of the why. Here is a more insightful look into how the tiebreakers worked to figure out the 2015 WPIAL football playoff field. First, an explanation the Gardner Point system: A team earns ten points for all the wins earned by every conference team they beat. What? Here is a simple way to explain. If you beat Team A who had a 6-2 conference record, you earn 60 Gardner Points for their 6 wins. If you beat Team B and they were 2-6 in conference, you earn another 20 points for their 2 wins.WPIAL Friday Night HighLights – Week Nine 2015
WOW! There was a lot of offense on the final Friday of the regular season. Some were great tune-ups for the upcoming high school football postseason. Other were wrapping up the season and going out with a blaze of glory. Whether the driving force coming into the game was a conference title, a home game, a playoff berth or just plain old civic and school color pride, here are some of the top performances on a night we could sprain our arm tipping our cap to all who deserved it. Miles Sanders - Woodland HillsWPIAL/City League Friday Football Scores – 10/30/2015
October 30, 2015
For some football teams in the WPIAL, this Halloween Eve will be filled with treats as teams search their bag of goodies and find conference championships, playoff berths and the fun-size home field advantage postseason games. For others however, this final Friday of the regular season will be filled with tricks as teams see their playoff hopes disappear with one smoky poof. Here are all the WPIAL Week Nine football games along with the one Pittsburgh City League Semifinals contest. Check back later this evening for final results and follow us on twitter @msasports for updated scores throughout the night. Games marked with (MSA) can be heard live and archived here on the MSA Sports Network. All games kick off at 7:30pm unless otherwise indicated.Scholastic Notebook – 10/30/2015
If you want to see variety, check out Paris this fall. But we’re not talking the city of Paris. We’re talking the junior do-it-all player for the Seton-LaSalle football team named Paris Ford. He is a Ford that is souped up with versatility. He is undoubtedly one of the most versatile – and best – players in the WPIAL. Ford is listed as a receiver and defensive back. He is a stud at both positions. But he also runs the football and returns kicks and punts. How versatile is he? Well, Seton-LaSalle has moved the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Ford to linebacker because that’s where they could use him the most.Chicks Picks – Week 9 – 2015
October 29, 2015
Welcome to Week 9 of the high school football season. Each year, Chick’s Picks heads up the official MSA Sports Network Halloween Costume Committee. This is a critical role, as finding a group costume that suits the personalities of the entire MSA Sports Network team can be quite a challenge. After managing this task for 15 years and running low on ideas, Chick’s Picks found this challenge to be exceptionally daunting this Halloween. Then, an email came through from The Boss, and it suddenly all made sense. The Boss wrote, “MSA Sports will continue our tradition in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing PINK on Friday. Do what you can to wear pink for the cause at your football game.”WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Nine 2015
October 28, 2015
Week Nine brings with it some big time rivalry games that are made extra special by the fact that they all have additional meaning and immediate impact on the playoffs. The Highway to Heinz is made so much less bumpy if that first round “on ramp” is freshly paved at your home field, and not freshly paved over a seemingly never-ending amount of time with insane restrictions the way Penn Dot is doing with the Parkway West; but, rather a nice regular season-ending victory over your biggest rival. Sorry I got a little off track there, but nonetheless one last time in the 2015 regular season, let’s go Big Game Hunting!MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 10/28/2015
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. These are the rankings following Week Eight of the 2015 WPIAL football season. This is our Final Top 10 of the season as this Sunday, we will seed all 16 playoff teams in each of the four classifications. WPIAL CLASS AAAA WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (8-0) (Last Week #1.....Week Nine Nine at Penn Hills on MSA) 2. PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (8-0) (Last Week #2.....Week Nine at Norwin on MSA)WPIAL Football Playoff Picture 10/26/2015
October 26, 2015
The MSA Sports abacus will be cooking on Friday as we determine the final field for this falls district football playoffs. Heading into the regular season finale this weekend, here is a breakdown of all 14 football conferences around the WPIAL along with the wild card picture in Quad-A and Triple-A as we prepare for the 2015 Highway to Heinz. CLASS AAAA Foothills Conference: Penn-Trafford Warriors (7-0) have clinched Conference Champion 10/30: at Norwin McKeesport Tigers (6-1) have clinched McKeesport can finish in second place with a win Friday over Kiski Area 10/30: KISKI AREAScholastic Notebook – 10/25/2015
October 25, 2015
The irony of it. Deer Lakes came into Friday night’s game with the leading rusher in the entire WPIAL this season Hunter Burns. When it ended, Apollo-Ridge had the top rusher ever in a WPIAL game. Duane Brown, a junior at Apollo-Ridge, put himself in the history books when he rushed for a WPIAL record 460 yards in a 56-35 victory over Deer Lakes. Brown was certainly a workhorse in the game, carrying the ball 47 times. Brown broke a 15-year-old WPIAL record. Connellsville’s Marcus Furman ran for 455 yards in a 2000 game. What’s funny is that Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba and his team had no idea how many yards Brown had or that he had broken the WPIAL record until an announcer from your very own MSA Sports staff came on the field and told him after the game.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/25/2015
We conclude the Stretch Run of the 2015 high school football season while starting exclusive coverage of the 2015 WPIAL Soccer and Girls Volleyball Playoffs this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We wrap up the regular season with Week Nine of the high school football season with 29 WPIAL weekend contests starting Friday night with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show.2015 WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Football Standings
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week Eight of the 2015 high school football season...including the latest WPIAL Playoff clinchings and eliminations. Once again this year, we have added points for, point against and the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 123 teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Standings can be also seen on each teams football webpage here on the MSA Sports Network. (Top 5 teams from AAAA and AAA conferences qualify for playoffs plus a sixth place wild card team) (Top 4 teams from AA and A conferences qualify for the playoffs)
