Sports
WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2015
April 9, 2015
Four athletes who would later go on to professional careers, several multi-sport athletes, four coaches who won nearly 40 WPIAL championships between them, an old-school baseball player whose son continued his Major League Baseball legacy and a team that won nine WPIAL and PIAA playoff games en route to a state basketball title by an average margin of victory of 25.8. Those are some of the headliners of the WPIAL Hall of Fame class of 2015. The WPIAL held a news conference Thursday morning to announce its ninth annual class. You can watch the video stream archived here on MSA Sports. All inductees will be honored at a banquet June 12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Greentree.
Latrobe’s Chad Kissell & Carlynton’s Luke Phillps Win WPIAL Tennis Titles
April 8, 2015
The first WPIAL championships of the spring sports season were captured Wednesday with a pair of top-seeds going the distance to win district boys singles tennis crowns. Latrobe senior Chad Kissell added to his families golden case by winning the AAA title while Carlynton sophomore Luke Phillips won straight set gold in AA. Here are ALL of the results from the 2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Championships. 2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Class AAA Championship Match: Chad Kissell (Latrobe) over Chris Gladden (Canon-McMillan) 6-2, 6-2 (MSA)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Softball – 04/08/2015
Each week during the regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten softball teams in the WPIAL in all four classifications every Tuesday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings...including a NEW #1 in Class Quad-A. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2015 WPIAL Softball Playoffs sponsored by Carlow University, the MSA Sports Network at MSAsports.net WPIAL CLASS AAAA TOP TEN: 1. CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (5-0) (Last Week #2) 2. SHALER TITANS (3-1) (Last Week #1) 3. HEMPFIELD SPARTANS (4-0) (Last Week #3)2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Championship Finals Set
April 7, 2015
The first WPIAL championships of the spring sports season will be captured Wednesday with the 2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Championships getting the ball rolling on the boys tennis postseason schedule. Chad Kissell of Latrobe will battle Chris Gladden from Canon-McMillan in AAA while Luke Phillips takes on Sam Sauter of Sewickley Academy for AA gold indoors at The Club in Monroeville on MSA Sports Wednesday afternoon. 2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Class AAA Championship Match: Chad Kissell (Latrobe) vs Chris Gladden (Canon-McMillan) AT The Club in Monroeville on Wednesday, April 8th at 1:30pm on MSAsports.net WPIAL CLASS AAA Consolation:Hometown Softball Recap for West Mifflin Titans – 04/07/2015
A 3-0 first inning deficit was too much for the West Mifflin Titans to overcome as the Titans fell at home to the Belle Vernon Leopards 8-1 on Tuesday afternoon. The loss puts West Mifflin two games back of a playoff spot in the Section 3-AAA race. Belle Vernon scored an unearned run on a Nicole Ashcroft infield single, after an error on pitcher Amber Cook’s throw to second. After two outs, Lacey Washowich tripled over the head of right fielder Riley Carr for the three run advantage after a half inning. West Mifflin had a chance to score with two outs in the bottom of the inning but Tiana Sekowski struck out to end the inning.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Baseball – 04/06/2015
April 6, 2015
Each week during the regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten baseball teams in the WPIAL in all four classifications every Monday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2015 WPIAL Baseball Playoffs, the MSA Sports Network at MSAsports.net WPIAL CLASS AAAA TOP TEN: 1. MOON TIGERS (1-0) (Last Week #1) 2. BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS (3-1) (Last Week #3) 3. MOUNT LEBANON BLUE DEVILS (5-1) (Last Week #6) 4. SHALER TITANS (4-1) (Last Week #7)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 04/05/2015
April 5, 2015
We go hopping back to our normal busy schedule with a post-Easter blossom of spring high school sports action this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have WPIAL section play from the diamonds in both baseball and softball along with the debut of the 2015 Hometown Softball Broadcasts, while we also have District 7 section coverage in boys volleyball and girls lacrosse, plus The WPIAL Baseball Show and the first gold of the spring is handed out with the 2015 WPIAL Boys Singles Tennis Championships ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, April 6th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net WPIAL High School Baseball - Carmichaels vs McGuffey at 4:00pm on the McGuffey Highlanders Sports Network at MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 04/03/2015
April 3, 2015
Look at the list of WPIAL tennis champions over the past decade and you’ll see the name Kissell at various places on the girls side. But Chad Kissell is on the cusp of proving that this championship stuff is not just a girl thing in the Kissell family. Kissell is a senior at Latrobe High School and is the No. 1 seed for the WPIAL Class AAA boys tournament Tuesday and Wednesday. The tournament starts Tuesday at North Allegheny and lasts through the semifinals. The championship matches in Class AAA and AA will be Wednesday at Norwin.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/31/2015
March 31, 2015
As March sails off with the chilly wind, we welcome in April with various spring high school sports this holiday week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the start of secton play in WPIAL baseball along with more section softball action from around the WPIAL, plus we have WPIAL girls lacrosse and the debut of The WPIAL Baseball Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, March 30th: WPIAL High School Softball - McGuffey vs Waynesburg at 4:00pm on Greene Sports Network 3 at MSAsports.net AND on the McGuffey Highlanders Sports Network at MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 03/28/2015
March 28, 2015
The best distance runner in WPIAL history might not compete in track this season because of an illness and injuries. That leaves the door open for someone. Madeleine Davison has her foot in the door. Davison is a junior at North Allegheny. While Shaler’s Brianna Schwartz was running her way to records last year, Davison was often close behind, sometimes just a second or two away. Now, Davison could gain a reputation as one of the best distance runners in the WPIAL in recent history.
2015 WPIAL BASEBALL PREVIEW
March 27, 2015
With a new season upon us and WPIAL section play about to begin for most teams next week (weather permitting), MSA Sports takes a look at some of the district baseball players and the teams to watch for this 2015 campaign. Obviously, there are a lot of good players who did not crack the below list, but we will be hearing about them and their diamond successes as the campaign rolls on from the chill of March through the heat of late May. Four teams enter the season looking for back-to-back WPIAL baseball titles as Seneca Valley, West Allegheny, Steel Valley and California look to repeat.
2015 WPIAL SOFTBALL PREVIEW
March 26, 2015
With a new season upon us and WPIAL section play underway for the select few that have been able to play on their soaked fields, MSA Sports takes a look at some of the softball players and the teams to watch for this 2015 campaign. Obviously, there are a lot of good players who did not crack the below list, but we will be hearing about them and their diamond successes as the campaign rolls on from the chill of March through the heat of late May. Four teams enter the season looking for back-to-back WPIAL softball titles as Shaler, Thomas Jefferson and Beaver (now in AAA) look to repeat while Neshannock shoots for a third straight district title having moved up from Class A to Class AA.
2014 WPIAL BASEBALL REVIEW
March 25, 2015
Wow, what a magical season 2014 turned out to be on the district baseball diamonds. While Brendan McKay had an historic season to cap off a career for the ages, he and his Blackhawk teammates had to settle for silver after losing in the Triple-A finals to a scrappy West Allegheny team. But that wasn't the only surprising championship run as Seneca Valley has a postseason run for the ages to win another district baseball crown, this time from the #16 and final seed in Quad-A. Here is a look back at the 2014 WPIAL Baseball season with final regular season standings along with WPIAL and PIAA playoff results. FINAL 2014 WPIAL REGULAR SEASON BASEBALL STANDINGS:
2014 WPIAL SOFTBALL REVIEW
2014 saw a pair of first time district champions, a pair of top-seeds go the distance in the WPIAL postseason, one Cinderella team winning gold from the lucky 13th-seed and no WPIAL winner standing tall with gold in the PIAA circle at the end of the season. Here is a look back at the 2014 WPIAL Softball season with final regular season standings along with WPIAL and PIAA playoff results. FINAL 2014 WPIAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS:PIHL Notebook – 2015 MSA SPORTS ALL-ICERS
March 23, 2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. With the 2015 Penguins and Pennsylvania Cup champions crowned, there is just one more order of business we must attend to. It’s time once again to unveil the annual “All Icers” teams as voted on by the MSA Sports Network staff. This year, we take a different approach. Rather than name all-inclusive first and second teams, we have selected one group of six players for Class AAA, Class AA, Class A and Division II. This gives more kids a chance to be recognized, which is the whole point of this exercise after all. So, let’s light the lamp on the final 2014-15 edition of “PIHL Notebook.”This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/22/2015
March 22, 2015
We have said so long to the winter sports season and a gradual hello to the high school and college spring sports season all this week MSA Sports Network. While we still have some postseason women's college basketball action featuring California University of Pa, we also have the debut of WPIAL baseball, WPIAL softball, WPIAL boys volleyball and WPIAL boys and girls lacrosse, plus we have more college baseball with the Geneva Golden Tornado ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, March 23rd:
Roman Cath, Neumann-Goretti, Conwell-Egan & Constitution Bring 2015 PIAA Boys Hoops Titles Home to Philly
Last year, the WPIAL sent three boys teams to Hershey where two of them came home with gold. This year, there was only one District 7 team playing in Chocolate Town. That team was Aliquippa and the WPIAL champs were undefeated and looking to make perfect history, until they tasted defeat for the first time with a loss to Conwell-Egan Catholic, leaving the Quips with silver and a final record of 29-1. Here are ALL of the results from the 2015 PIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs. All of the games with (MSA) after the result can be heard archived here on the MSA Sports Network. 2015 PIAA CLASS AAAA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Blackhawk and Vincentian Academy Repeat as 2015 PIAA Girls Basketball Champs
Two out of three ain't bad. In 2014, Blackhawk in AAA, Seton-LaSalle in AA and Vincentian Academy in A not only won WPIAL championships, but also added PIAA state crowns to their trophy case. The golden girls once again captured another WPIAL crown last month before winning four games to advance back to Hershey and the state finals. While Seton-LaSalle fell shot in Class AA, both Blackhawk in AAA and Vincentian Academy in A were successful in winning another PIAA state championship. Here are all of the results from the 2015 PIAA Girls Basketball Playoffs. All results marked with (MSA) after the score can be heard archived on MSA Sports. 2015 PIAA CLASS AAAA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:HG Prep Takes a Bite Out of Big Macs, Win PA Cup AAA Title
March 21, 2015
In the East-West rubber match of the 2015 Pennsylvania Cup Hockey Championships, Flyers Cup Champion Holy Ghost Prep dropped Penguins Cup Champion Canon-McMillan, 6-4, in the AAA title game on Saturday evening at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena. A big second period lifted the Firebirds to the victory over the Big Macs, who last appeared in the State Championship in 2010, when they fell to Cardinal O’Hara.
Blackhawk Girls Golden Again In Hershey
It was truly a team effort as the Blackhawk Cougars (28-3) rallied from a first half deficit to defeat the Archbishop Wood Vikings, 46-40, in the PIAA Girls Class AAA Championship Game on Saturday evening at Giant Center in Hershey. The win gives Blackhawk back-to-back PIAA Championship Game victories over Archbishop Wood (26-5), as the Cougars won 51-43 in last year’s title game. Blackhawk has now won four girls state titles, going back-to-back in 1999 and 2000 as well. The Cougars missed their first six shots and trailed 7-0 and 14-4 in the opening quarter. But Duquesne University recruit Chassidy Omogrosso led the comeback with 23 points, while Courtney Vannoy, a Loyola (Md.) recruit, added 17 points for Blackhawk.
