Football
WPIAL Friday Night HighLights for Week One
August 31, 2013
The curtain lifted on the First Friday of the 2013 WPIAL football season with plenty of tightness. Yeah, there was the pressure of playing conference games right out of the gates, but tight muscles and cramps were everywhere on a humid end to what has been a pleasant month of August. Despite injury issues, here are the top performers who didn’t let their opponents or the weather ‘cramp’ their style.Ben DiNucci & Connor Slomka – Pine-Richland2013 WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League Football Standings – 08/31
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week One of the 2013 high school football season. Standings are updated after each game on Thursday, 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.# - Clinched at least a share of the conference title * - Clinched playoff spot x - Eliminated from playoff chase % - Not eligible for WPIAL playoffsWPIAL CLASS AAAA:Northern Eight Conference:WPIAL/City League Football Scores for Friday, August 30th
August 30, 2013
The curtain went up on a new high school football season as teams throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began the 2013 campaign. Here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the weather was a factor with rare humidity for the First Friday of the new season in both District 7 and District 8. Here are ALL the final scores from both the WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League for August 30th.WPIAL CLASS AAAA Southeastern Conference:Upper St. Clair Panthers 16 - Woodland Hills Wolverines 10 Penn Hills Indians 39- Canon-McMillan Big Macs- 17 Peters Township Indians 33- Baldwin Highlanders 28 Bethel Park Black Hawks 38- Plum Mustang 0WPIAL CLASS AAAA Foothills Conference:CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Single-A
August 29, 2013
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With a day to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class A.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS A PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. CLAIRTON BEARS (16-0)2. STO-ROX VIKINGS (11-2)3. CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS (9-3)4. NESHANNOCK LANCERS (10-2)5. BRENTWOOD SPARTANS (7-4)Chicks Picks for Week One 2013
Welcome to Week 1. Chick’s Picks has been counting down all summer (or lack thereof) to the start of football season. In an attempt to stay connected with her favorite time of year, she decided to host a summer camp for her prognosticating pals. A generous soul, Chick’s Picks thought it would be a good opportunity to share her prophetic wisdom with her counterparts.The Boss was kind enough to offer the use of MSA Sports World Headquarters for the camp. Chick’s Picks suspected that this could be The Boss’s way of living his childhood dream of pigskin prognosticating vicariously through the professionals. Regardless, the turnout was impressive, and included the likes of The Birdie, The Fumbler, HS Picks and some amateurs as well.District College Football Preview for 8/30/13
The college football season opens this weekend with just two games as the NEC teams kick off their schedule. All of the local Division II and III teams kick off next week. Robert Morris heads to Kentucky to face a national power and Duquesne takes on a former NEC foe.Here are previews of both games, check in on Sunday for recaps of both games.Robert Morris at Eastern Kentucky 7pm Thursday nightThe Colonials will kick off the schedule for all of the district teams with a very tough test, travelling to Richmond to take on 19th ranked Eastern Kentucky. Robert Morris has not beaten a ranked team since defeating Liberty in 2010.CTK 2013 – Pittsburgh City League Preview
August 28, 2013
For the second year in a row, Pittsburgh City League football will be a nice little six pack.With the closure of Oliver, Peabody, Langley and Schenley in recent years, the City League is down six teams. Last year was the first season with only six teams and Perry defeated University Prep for the title.One of the problems with having only six teams is that teams have experienced some trouble getting a nine-game schedule. Last year was the first year that the WPIAL scheduled all nine games for WPIAL teams. In the past, the WPIAL did not schedule season openers. It was up to WPIAL schools to play whoever they wanted. Thus, some WPIAL teams played a City League team in the opener.CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Double-A
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. ALIQUIPPA QUIPS (15-1)2. WASHINGTON LITTLE PREXIES (12-1)3. SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS (11-1)4. MOUNT PLEASANT VIKINGS (8-3)5. BEAVER FALLS TIGERS (8-3)MSA Sports Big Game Hunting – Week One
It is funny isn’t it? How every year near then end of summer the smell of freshly cut grass just starts to smell like football? Doesn’t smell like that in the springtime. I wonder how that works. I am glad it works that way, and I am delighted that it is time to crank up the Big Game Hunting for another WPIAL football season! The first of 16 Big Game Huntings is always determined by the four defending WPIAL champions. So let’s kick it off for the 2013 year it’s time to take a look at four big games for opening weekend!Class AAAA - Non-Conference:CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Triple-A
August 27, 2013
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AAA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AAA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS (12-2)2. THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS (11-1)3. CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS (9-3)4. WEST MIFFLIN TITANS (11-2)5. MARS FIGHTING PLANETS (9-2)CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Quad-A
August 26, 2013
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AAAA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AAAA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (10-3)2. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (8-3)3. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (16-0)4. GATEWAY GATORS (9-2)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/26/2013
The curtain is about to be lifted in GRAND style on the high school football season as we conclude our Countdown to Kickoff 2013 schedule this week here on the MSA Sports Network. How about over FORTY WPIAL and District 6 football games on Friday and Saturday to get the high school season started, beginning with the expanded MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL High School Football Scoreboard Show, plus the pro baseball season winds down with Frontier League baseball featuring the Washington Wild Things as well as news from the auto racing world with Rappin on Racin ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, August 26th:TALK SHOW - Rappin on Racin at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netTuesday, August 27th:CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Eastern Conference Preview
August 25, 2013
One record setting streak ended in the Eastern Conference last fall while another overall slide continues into this 2013 campaign.While all eyes were on Clairton’s WPIAL and PIAA record winning streak, the longest losing streak in WPIAL history came to an end last fall when West Shamokin finally put a game in the ‘W’ column. The Wolves snapped a 46-game, five year losing streak that dated back to 2007 when they knocked off the Riverview Raiders 25-6 in Week 3. West Shamokin liked the feeling so much, they won two more games before the season ended.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Tri-County South Conference Preview
August 24, 2013
Youth was served last year in the Tri-County South Conference. Of the 24 positions for first-team all-conference last year, 16 were filled by sophomores. Those players are a year older, which means the Tri-County South could be a little stronger. Last year was the first of the “new” Tri-County South. That basically meant Monessen no longer was in the conference. The Tri-County South did not fare well in the postsesaon as all four teams lost in the first round. Will the conference get to taste any postseason success this year? With so many returning all-conference players, maybe Tri-County South teams will fare better.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Big 7 Conference Preview
August 23, 2013
Every team in Class A has been chasing the Clairton Bears and their 64 game winning streak for the last five seasons. Could this be the year that the Bears are dethroned? That is still to be determined but several of the candidates to try and knock off the Bears will come from the Big Seven Conference.Sto-Rox has played at Heinz Field the last two seasons and the conference had three teams of the top four seeds(thanks to the WPIAL creative seeding process) in last year’s playoffs. The Vikings, longtime conference power Rochester and Neshannock, all tied for the Big Seven championship last season. And the spotlight will shine bright on the Lancers and Vikings on September 12th for a Thursday night Root Sports matchup which can be heard live on MSA Sports.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Black Hills Conference Preview
August 22, 2013
Any discussion of the race in the Class A Black Hills must start with Clairton. The Bears come into the season on a 63-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the country and the longest in the history of Pennsylvania. Clairton lost a number of key players to graduation. So do the Bears simply reload? Do they step a back? Is this finally the year the streak ends? Questions abound about the Bears. For sure, they are good enough to win a conference title again and maybe a sixth consecutive WPIAL and fifth consecutive PIAA. Maybe Brentwood or Monessen are ready to give a serious challenge to Clairton. Remember Char-Houston gave the Bears fits on the opening night last year.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Allegheny Conference Preview
August 21, 2013
The Allegheny Conference of Class AA has seen its share of balance recently. Over the past four seasons, four different teams have won at least a share of the conference title.While many are picking Shady Side Academy as the team to beat this year, balance seems to permeate through the section again.A number of teams seem capable of grabbing one of the WPIAL playoff spots. One thing the teams in the conference would like to do is improve their playoff fortunes. Shady Side Academy is the only Allegheny team to win a playoff game the past two seasons.Here is a look at the Allegheny Conference: BURRELL BUCCANEERS:CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Century Conference Preview
2012 was another strong year for a pair of Class AA powers and South Fayette and Seton-LaSalle finished one-two in the conference and had some playoff success with the Rebels going to the Quarterfinals and the Lions to the Semifinals. But they were not the story last fall in the Century Conference.In his 4th year at South Allegheny, former Duquesne High School football coach Pat Monroe did what few people thought he could, he turned the Gladiators into a contender.The moribund program turned it around in the fall of 2012 as South Allegheny finished third in the conference and was 7-2 in the regular season before bowing out in Round One of the WPIAL playoffs.Imani Christian OUT For 2013 Football Season
August 20, 2013
Less than two weeks before the 2013 high school football season kicks off, Bishop Canevin suddenly does not have an opponent for opening weekend. In fact, eight other members of the Class A Black Hills Conference are trying to fill the void of an open week after receiving letters that Imani Christian will not field a team this fall.WPIAL Executive Director Tim O'Malley said Imani Christian school officials sent a letter to the district and the eight other teams from the Black Hills Conference that they would not be able to honor their 2013 football schedule because of a lack of players.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Interstate Conference Preview
August 19, 2013
Over the past four seasons, four different teams have won the Interstate Conference championship. It was Washington last year, Jeannette in 2011, Greensburg Central Catholic in 2010 and Mount Pleasant in 2009. The race for the 2013 conference crown looks to be among those same four teams. All four have some firepower that could lead a team to the conference title. Washington made it to the WPIAL title game last year and has super running back Shai McKenzie. But the Little Prexies still have a lot of holes to fill. Here is a look at the Interstate Conference: BROWNSVILLE FALCONS: There is nowhere to go but up for the Falcons.
