Sports
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 05/25/2015
May 25, 2015
After broadcasting the WPIAL Boys Volleyball and Boys & Girls Lacrosse championships last week, we'll have end to end coverage of the battles for WPIAL diamond gold in both baseball and softball making this another memorable week this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have WPIAL Baseball and Softball Championship action from CONSOL Energy Field and California University of Pennsylvania, along with all eight consolation games from both sports and District 9 baseball and softball postseason play. We also have pro baseball with the Washington Wild Things and pro softball with the 2015 start of the Pennsylvania Rebellion season, plus The WPIAL Baseball Show on a special night of Thursday evening and the weekly edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.netPIAA Track & Field – Saturday Highlights
May 23, 2015
A baseball field sits next to the track at Shippensburg University, and Beaver Falls’ Dom Perretta turned a double play at the PIAA track and field championships Saturday. Perretta won two events – the Class AA 800 and 1,600 – on the final day of the two-day competition. He was one of only two WPIAL athletes to win two events. Knoch’s Jordan Geist won the Class AAA boys shot put Saturday, one day after he won a gold medal in the discus. For Perretta, it was the second year in a row he won both the 800 and 1,600. Perretta is only a junior, which means he could finish his career with a half dozen gold medals. No opponent could keep up with Perretta in either race this year. “I’m happy I won, but I really wanted that record in the 800,” said Perretta.
Mount Lebanon Beats North Allegheny in 2OT Thriller for Boys Lax D-I Gold
The Mount Lebanon Blue Devils scored with just six seconds left in double overtime to win the boys lacrosse championship 9-8 on Friday night. Mount Lebanon captured their fourth title in the last seven years. This was a rematch from last years semi final win when they defeated North Allegheny 10-9 also in double overtime.
Fox Chapel Wins WPIAL Boys Volleyball Class AAA Title
In 2006, Fox Chapel won the WPIAL Boys AAA Volleyball Championship. Since then, nobody not named "North Allegheny" has been able to accomplish that feat. Until Friday night. No. 1 Fox Chapel used massive net play and tenacious serving to defeat No. 2 Seneca Valley 3-1 (25-13, 25-11, 20-25, 25-21) to claim their second WPIAL Boys AAA Volleyball Championship on Friday night at Baldwin High School. The win officially ends the run of North Allegheny, which had won eight consecutive titles and eleven of the last 12, with Fox Chapel in 2006 being the lone exception. The Tigers bowed out in the 2015 Quarterfinals to Plum.
Hampton Claims WPIAL Boys Lacrosse Division II Championship
Hampton last participated in boys Division 2 Lacrosse in 2012. The Talbots last won a WPIAL title the same year. After a 2 year jump up to Division 1, Hampton returned to familiar ground and found a familiar result, defeating top seeded Canon-McMillan 15-12 at Highmark Stadium to capture its 4th Division 2 championship.
Ambridge Captures Fourth Straight WPIAL Boys Volleyball AA Crown
The Ambridge Area boys’ volleyball dynasty continued at Baldwin High School on Friday, as the Bridgers bested Obama Academy in four sets to capture their fourth-consecutive Class AA crown. The Bridgers have been a staple of success, now with seven titles in the past eight campaigns, while the Eagles were playing in their first season in the WPIAL. Despite the disparity in the history of the programs, all four sets were competitive, with Ambridge prevailing 25-19, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22.PIAA Track & Field – Friday Highlights
May 22, 2015
Three athletes from the WPIAL won championships on the first day of the PIAA track and field championships Friday at Shippensburg University. Two have national reputations. One was certainly a surprise champion. The three winners were Connellsville sophomore Madison Wiltrout in the Class AAA javelin, Knoch sophomore Jordan Geist in the Class AAA discus and – get this – Trinity Christian junior Tyler Carter in the Class AA triple jump. Wiltrout winning was practically a given. She set a national high school record a few weeks ago. Geist winning was also a good possibility. Even though the shot put is his best event, he was also the No. 1 seed in the discus.Scholastic Notebook – 05/22/2015
Neshannock High School’s baseball team has made it to the WPIAL Class AA championship game. It’s another chapter in one of the most successful coaching stories in the WPIAL. You might not think of Mike Kirkwood as one of the elite coaches in the WPIAL. Maybe because Neshannock is on the edge of the WPIAL and doesn’t get a ton of publicity in the Pittsburgh area, the heart of the WPIAL. But consider this: Kirkwood has won four WPIAL championships. No other active coach has four WPIAL titles. And next Tuesday, Kirkwood will go after one for the thumb when Neshannock plays Quaker Valley for the WPIAL Class AA championship. Making it to the title game this year is impressive for Kirkwood. The Lancers had competed in Class A, but moved up to Class AA in 2013.
2015 WPIAL Scholar Athletes
The Class of 2015 On Monday, May 18th, twenty (20) student athletes were recognized by the WPIAL for their extraordinary achievements - both academically and athletically - throughout their high school careers. This years scholarship recipients are listed below, including brief bios on each (as provided by the WPIAL).
Sweet Revenge as Quaker Valley Beats Mt. Lebanon in Girls D-I Lax Finals
“It’s been a long ride for the senior class, we’ve been waiting 365 days for this,” said Quaker Valley senior attack Kayla Foster after scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists in the Quakers 11-9 win over Mt. Lebanon at Highmark Stadium in Station Square. Not only did the victory give Quaker Valley its first ever WPIAL Division 1 Girls Lacrosse title, it also avenged last year’s final in which the Quakers lost to the Blue Devils 9-7. The title is the third overall championship for the Quakers, who captured the first two Division 2 titles in 2009 and 2010.
Shaler Three-Peats as WPIAL Girls Lacrosse Division II Champs
Senior midfielder Shannon Lynch scored four goals and added an assist, leading Shaler (19-1) to a 10-5 triumph over Blackhawk (15-3) in the WPIAL Girls Division II lacrosse title game at Highmark Stadium Thursday evening. It was the third straight championship for the victorious Titans. Lynch scored an amazing 22 goals during her squad’s three game trek through the playoffs this season. In three championship final contests, Lynch notched a total of 16 goals. She also scored six goals each as a sophomore in 2013 and a junior in 2014.WPIAL Softball Playoff Recaps for Thursday 5/21
May 21, 2015
The Final Four. The winners reach a major goal and earn a spot in a WPIAL championship game. The losers have to deal with a dream dashed and yet still prepare for a consolation game and a berth in the upcoming state playoffs. Here are summaries from all seven softball Semifinals contest played on Thursday. A special thanks to Sean Meyers, Lee Mohn, Mike Azadian, Rob Longo and Lou Rood for their help on these recaps. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Semifinals:WPIAL Baseball and Softball Playoff Recaps for Wednesday 5/20
The Final Four. The winners reach a major goal and earn a spot in a WPIAL championship game. The losers have to deal with a dream dashed and yet still prepare for a consolation game and a berth in the upcoming state playoffs. Here are summaries from all eight baseball and the one softball Semifinals contest played on Wednesday. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Jason Tennant, Sean Meyers, Steve Nagler, Lee Mohn, Lou Rood, Scott Majesky, Mike Azadian and Josh Rowntree for their help on these recaps. BASEBALL: WPIAL CLASS AAAA Semifinals:WPIAL Baseball/Softball/Lacrosse Playoff Recaps for Tuesday 5/19
May 20, 2015
What a difference 24 hours makes. Late Monday, severe storms swept through Western Pennsylvania, postponing several baseball, softball and lacrosse postseason contests. But under sunny skies, it was time for teams to shine en route to the Final Four on the diamond and the title matches in lacrosse. Here are recaps from those games heard Tuesday here on the MSA Sports Network. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Steve Nagler, Greg Kuntz, Sean Meyers, Bob Gregg, Scott Majesky, Jason Tennant, Rick Smith, Bob Orkwis, Jess Levo and Lee Mohn for their help on these recaps. BASEBALL: WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:
2015 Positive Athlete Awards
May 19, 2015
2015 Positive Athlete Awards On Wednesday, May 13th, 27 Western PA High School students were recognized at the John Heinz History Center by Hines Ward as “Positive Athletes” . These athletes were nominated by coaches, teachers, administrators, parents, and friends for their ability to meet the following criteria in their day-to day lives as athletes, students and members of their communities.WPIAL Baseball/Softball/Lacrosse Playoff Recaps for Monday 5/18
The forecast was promising, but there was hope that most of the WPIAL spring sports playoff schedule could get squeezed in before expected storms hit. Oh well. While most of the early action did get played, that was not the case for most of the baseball and softball scheduled games. Heck, even half of the lacrosse matches were postponed and pushed back until Tuesday. Here are some of the recaps from the action that did take place on a stormy Monday. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Jason Tennant, Bob Orkwis, Rob Longo and Josh Rowntree for their help on these recaps. BASEBALL: WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 05/17/2015
May 17, 2015
There is more gold to be won in those scholastic spring sports hills leading up to the holiday weekend this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have Semifinals and Championships of the WPIAL Boys and Girls Lacrosse and Boys Volleyball playoffs along with WPIAL and District 6 Quarterfinals and Semifinals action in both high school baseball and high school softball, plus The WPIAL Baseball Show and the weekly edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, May 18th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net WPIAL High School Baseball Playoffs: Class AAAA Quarterfinals - Plum vs Shaler at 2:00pm on MSAsports.netUSC Settles for Silver in 2015 PIAA Boys Team Tennis State Playoffs
May 15, 2015
After a golden run through the district playoffs, Upper St. Clair will have to settle for silver in their state playoff journey. After beating South Hills rival Mount Lebanon Saturday morning in the state Semifinals, the Panthers could not add PIAA gold to their WPIAL championship as they lost to Lower Merion 3-2 in the finals Saturday afternoon at the Hershey Racquet Club. Meanwhile, WPIAL Class AA champion Sewickley Academy saw its state title dreams end with a loss in the Semifinals to eventual champion Moravian Academy. Here are ALL the results from the 2015 PIAA Boys Team Tennis Playoffs. 2015 PIAA BOYS TEAM TENNIS CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Lower Merion Aces 3 - UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS 2Scholastic Notebook – 05/15/2015
The name is Aaron, as in Hank. The hitting this baseball season has been Hank Aaron-esque. California senior Aaron Previsky had a regular season for the ages. A year ago, Norwin’s J.J. Matijevic became the first known player to win the WPIAL triple crown (first in batting average, home runs and RBIs). Previsky didn’t do that, but his regular season also was terrific. Previsky finished with a .545 batting average, which was good for 13th in the WPIAL. But he was second in home runs with six and third in runs scored with 35.
2015 WPIAL Individual Track & Field Finals RESULTS
May 14, 2015
In Class AAA, the top four finishers automatically qualify for the PIAA championships May 22-23 in Shippensburg. In Class AA, the top five qualify. Others who finish in the top eight places must meet qualifying standards to make the PIAA meet. The qualifying standards are in parentheses next to each event. *-denotes WPIAL Record BOYS CLASS AAA 100 meters (11.10) – 1. Todd Sekowski, West Mifflin, 10.91. 2. Kianta Britton, Kiski Area, 10.93. 3. Arthur Thompkins, Woodland Hills, 10.99. 4. Collin Darby, Penn Trafford, 11.10. 5. Keith Leckenby, Upper St. Clair, 11.23. 6. Chiante Pryor, Bethel Park, 11.25. 7. Nathan Kibbie, Butler, 11.28. 8. Mark Febinger, Deer Lakes, 11.66.
