Football
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/15/2015
September 15, 2015
The warm weather isn't gone yet, thanks in part to the hot action on the gridiron, the pitch, the court and the links with lots of great fall high school sports action this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Three 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.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 09/14/2015
September 14, 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 One of the 2015 WPIAL football season including only two new teams overall. WPIAL CLASS AAAA WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (2-0) (Last Week #1.....Week Three at #8 North Allegheny on MSA) 2. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (2-0) (Last Week #2.....Week Three at Shaler on Saturday on MSA) 3. PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (2-0) (Last Week #3.....Week Three host #4 McKeesport on MSA)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Nate Stone
WPIAL Alum Q&A is a new weekly question and answer segment with a former high school standout who is now excelling at the college level. It will span the fall, winter and spring seasons, and will focus on both male and female athletes in a variety of sports. For the inaugural installment, we take a closer look at Nate Stone. A Scottdale native, Stone enjoyed a stellar career with the Greensburg Central Catholic football team. A 2014 graduate, he continued his academic and athletic career at Duquesne University. In his freshman year, Stone started at linebacker for the Dukes, and he compiled 100 tackles. As a result of his strong play, the 6-foot, 240 pound linebacker earned the Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year award.2015 WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Standings – Week 2
September 13, 2015
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week Two of the 2015 high school football season. 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) # = Clinched Section Title * = Clinched Playoff Berth x = Eliminated From Playoff ChaseWPIAL Saturday’s Scholastic Starz
While Mother Nature was raining steady on Western Pennsylvania, several district high school football teams were reigning points on the scoreboard. While Mother Nature showed some mercy with downpours becoming light trickles before tapering off, three of the five WPIAL football winners on Saturday invoked the mercy rule on their opponents. While we show no love to Mother Nature here, we do show some love for those players who overcame the wet conditions to slip and slide their way to victory. Lionel Deanes - Seton-LaSalleWPIAL Friday Night HighLights – Week Two 2015
September 12, 2015
While Mother Nature held off on the fancy sky light shows and the rain that plagued many games on opening night, the second Friday of the season was an historic one in two ways. First, a tip of the cap 700 times to the Jeannette Jayhawks for becoming only the second district school and sixth school in Pennsylvania to mass that many wins. And one win has eluded Thomas Jefferson in the first two weeks of a season for the first time in the 21-year golden career of head coach Bill Cherpek. It was also a memorable Friday for these young men: Phil Jurkovec - Pine-RichlandWPIAL Saturday Football Scores – 09/12/2015
A wild and wonderful afternoon and evening of high school football on the second Saturday of the season was a WET and wild and wonderful Saturday of high school football. A pair of afternoon frays (aww yeah) and three Saturday night specials involving four top ten football teams were played in a steady rain. Here are ALL of the finals from the five district contests. Games marked with (MSA) after them can be heard archived on MSAsports.net WPIAL CLASS AA Century Conference: Seton-LaSalle Rebels 49 - South Allegheny Gladiators 6 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS A Eastern Conference: Clairton Bears 72 - Wilkinsburg Tigers 6 WPIAL CLASS A Big 7 Conference:
WPIAL/Pittsburgh City League Friday Football Scores – 09/11/2015
September 11, 2015
9/11. Two numbers that together will go down in history as one of, if not the most tragic day for our nation. The memories from 14 years ago are still fresh in the minds for those us us old enough to remember. I had not been born in November of 1963, but i always marveled at those who were around and how vivid their memories were when I asked them where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated. They would answer with clear recollection of an event seared into their memory. 9/11 was my generations JFK. Two tragic stains on our nations history that we hope and pray we won't need to ever relive. It is on this historic day that we come together to celebrate one of the many enjoyments awarded to us by freedom. With that said, remember it's only a game...but it's a game we love.Scholastic Notebook – 09/11/2015
Duane Brown’s sidekick is gone, but Brown’s game apparently still has a lot of kick. Brown is a junior football player at Apollo-Ridge. A year ago, he and Tre Tipton were a one-of-a-kind one-two punch, as both played quarterback and some at receiver/running back. They were believed to be the first quarterback pair in WPIAL history to both rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. Tipton is now at Pitt, but life is anything but the pits for Brown. At least after the first week of the season. Look at the statistical leaders for the WPIAL after Week 1 and Brown is the only one you will see in the receiving, rushing and scoring leaders.Chick Picks for Week Two
September 10, 2015
Welcome to Week 2 of the high school football season. The term Friday Night Lights was given new meaning last week, with severe storms and lightning causing several Week 1 games to be delayed and even postponed. Earlier last week, Chick’s Picks was contacted by one of her fellow MSA Sports broadcasters, Matt Vandriak, who had a proposition for the prognosticator. He said, “Hey Chick’s – I’m going to be broadcasting the inaugural Armstrong River Hawks game Friday night. I think it would be great if I could take your crystal ball along to the press box. Good PR for the network.” Chick’s Picks, who is not one to pass up publicity, agreed. So, off went the crystal ball.WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Two 2015
September 9, 2015
I don’t know if there will be a moment of silence for the remembrance of 9-11-01 at your game Friday night around the WPIAL. I think there should be. I hope there will be, and I believe there will be, but I don’t know for certain. I know this, Friday for me at South Park, I will take a moment to myself to soak in the National Anthem with a little more thought than "who won the toss", or "where are their starters". I hope you do so as well, we should do that more often. I was a brand new father on 9-11, my daughter, now a freshman at Bishop Canevin, had not reached a month old when the Towers fell, and the kids on the fields in front of you Friday night were the same, or just a little older. They don’t know that fear that we felt that morning, and I pray they never do.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 09/07/2015
September 7, 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 One of the 2015 WPIAL football season...including a NEW #1 team in Class AAA and five new teams overall. WPIAL CLASS AAAA WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (1-0) (Last Week #1.....Week Two host Shaler) 2. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (1-0) (Last Week #2.....Week Two host Bethel Park on MSA)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/07/2015
A sizzling September is off and running as the 2015-2016 high school sports year kicks into gear this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Two 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. We also have seven District 6 and District 9 high school football games along with WPIAL boys golf and the debut of WPIAL girls volleyball and WPIAL boys and girls soccer, plus another edition of Rappin' on Racin' to go along with This Week in the WPIAL and The Indiana County Coaches Show ALL here at MSAsports.net2015 WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Standings – Week 1
September 6, 2015
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week One of the 2015 high school football season. 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) # = Clinched Section Title * = Clinched Playoff Berth x = Eliminated From Playoff ChaseMSA Sports Saturday’s Scholastic Starz
The first Saturday of the 2015 high school football season in District 7 and District 8 was originally a light one, with only three games on the schedule. However four games postponed due to lightning and storms in the WPIAL from Friday night made for plenty of gridiron action in the morning, in the afternoon and at night. Here are the players who avoided those pesky cramps and out-muscled their opponents to close out opening weekend. Michael Pope - North AlleghenyMSA Sports Friday Night HighLights – Week One 2015
September 5, 2015
We expect fireworks on the field on a Friday night in the fall from the players, but it was Mother Nature putting on a show in some areas of Western Pennsylvania on opening night. Lengthy lightning delays and on four occasions, postponements were part of the story on the first Friday of the 2015 season, however the sky show did not steal the spotlight from these individuals who shined in their teams lid-lifters. Brett Lafoon - Penn-TraffordWPIAL/City League Saturday Football Scores
What was scheduled as a very quiet start to the Saturday high school football schedule throughout Western Pennsylvania was more than doubled after Mother Nature decided to be on a lightning display, causing delays and the postponement of four games on Friday. Thus the schedule expanded from three games to seven contests with games played in the morning, noon and night. Here are the final results from the first Saturday of the season. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Northern Eight Conference: North Allegheny Tigers 34 - Seneca Valley Raiders 24 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS AA Allegheny Conference: Quaker Valley Quakers 21 - Ellwood City Wolverines 18 WPIAL CLASS A Big 7 Conference:Scholastic Notebook – 09/04/2015
September 4, 2015
There is only one Friday the 13th this high school football season and it’s two months away. But every Friday, there is a Jason that will come out and put some fear into opponents of Riverside High School’s team. Meet Jason Dambach. His fourth and final sequel to his high school career begins tonight when Riverside plays host to Bishop Canevin. It seems many don’t realize, but if you go just by statistics, Dambach is one of the best quarterbacks returning in the state this year. Dambach threw for 2,324 yards last season in only 10 games, a school record. He heads into this season with 3,194 yards passing. Another big season and Dambach could become one of only 19 quarterbacks in WPIAL history to throw for 5,500 yards.WPIAL/City League Friday Football Scores – 09/03/2015
September 3, 2015
The wait is over as the curtain has gone up on the 2015 high school football season here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. High hopes hit the gridiron on a steamy evening on one of the busiest Friday nights of the entire season. Pine-Richland, Central Valley, South Fayette, Clairton and Brashear are all ready to defend their golden crowns from a year ago. Here are the first night scores along with four postponements due to weather issues. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Southeastern Conference: Upper St. Clair Panthers 17 - Penn Hills Indians 0 (F) Woodland Hills Wolverines 37 - Peters Township Indians 0 (F) Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 48 - Canon-McMillan Big Macs 14 (F) WPIAL CLASS AAAA Northern Eight Conference:Chick Picks for Week One
Awww yeah! Welcome to Week 1 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks felt it only proper to kick off the season with a quote from the legendary Deuce Skurcenski, who passed away earlier this month. Well-known by most around the WPIAL for his stats, his scorekeeping, and of course, his infamous one-liners, Deuce was said to have attended more than 10,000 basketball games and 3,000 football games in his day. Chick’s Picks reflected upon the first time she met Deuce. It was a cool, crisp night at Woodland Hills. Chick’s Picks was nervous to finally meet the legend face to face, but thought, surely he would know of her – the top prognosticator in the WPIAL. So, she built up the courage and introduced herself.
