Sports
District College Football Recap for Saturday, November 8th
November 9, 2014
The second Saturday of November saw two local teams claim conference titles as the final week of regular season play comes up next week. Here are ALL the recaps from all the games, including two heard here on the Network: W & J 49 – Thiel 18 The #13 ranked Presidents clinched the PAC title and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs with the win in Greenville. W & J also remains undefeated at 9-0 with only the backyard brawl at Waynesburg standing in the way of a perfect regular season.MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five – PIHL Hockey – 11/08/2014
November 8, 2014
Here are the initial MSA Sports Sports Frozen Fab Five rankings of PIHL hockey teams in each of the five classifications for the 2014-2015 high school hockey season. Don't miss the latest PIHL rankings every Wednesday during the regular season, plus starting in December, it's the PIHL Notebook every Monday on our website and the weekly PIHL Power Play Show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm here on the home of the best audio and video high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network at www.MSAsports.net PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (5-0-0) 2) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (5-1-0) 3) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-1-0)WPIAL Friday Night HighLights for 11/7
Gone but not forgotten from the WPIAL football championship chase on the second exit on the Highway to Heinz: Two Vikings, Two Rams (one that was Golden)...several members of the cat family including as pair of Panthers, a Tiger, a Mountain Lion and a Wildcat...a few birds such as an Eagle and a Jayhawk...a Wolverine, a Mustang, a Talbot, a Little Indian and a Planet. Some were awaken from their golden dreams but players listed below, whose ride on the Highway to Heinz will continue for another week toward the hard to reach town of Final Foursville. Ben DiNucci - Pine-RichlandWPIAL Football Playoff Quarterfinals Recaps
While there were some hints early on, some ooohs and aaahs as certain scores trickled in with upset alert written all over them. But in the end, 14 of the 16 higher seeds won and advanced with the lone exceptions begin a couple of #5 seeds defeating two #4 seeds. Here are ALL the recaps from the 16 games on Quarterfinals Friday, with archives of all these games available on The Network. A special thanks to Brandon Showers, Gero Von Dahn, Sean Meyers, Adam Hoerner, Paul Paterra, T.J. DiStefano, Sam Hall, Rob Matzie, Dennis Fischer, Rob Longo, Bob Orkwis, Randy Gore, Charlie Weston, Mark Schaas, Bob Barrickman and Bob Gregg for their help on these recaps. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:Scholastic Notebook – 11/07/2014
November 7, 2014
If the first round of the WPIAL playoffs proved anything, it was that the Foothills are alive. Since coming back to being a WPIAL conference in 2006, the Foothills was always thought to be the weaker sister to all of the other Class AAAA conferences. Sure, it might have had a strong team like a Gateway, Penn-Trafford or even Central Catholic. But as far as strength from top to bottom, the Foothills didn’t measure up. This year, though, the Foothills flexed some muscle like never before. Four Foothills teams won first-round games – Penn-Trafford, McKeesport, Altoona and Plum. It was the first time since 2006 that the top four teams in the Foothills won first-round games. The two that lost were fifth-place Norwin and sixth-place Connellsville.WPIAL & City League Week 11 Friday Football Scores
We came upon the second exit on the Highway to Heinz, where the lines between favorites and underdogs was supposed to be a little more blurred. While that might been the case in Class AAAA, the other three classifications seem to have a little more clarity in who advancing would surprise nobody and which teams winning Friday would raise plenty of eyebrows. Here is a rundown of the 16 WPIAL Quarterfinals results, all heard only here on The Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals: Pine-Richland Rams 49 - Altoona Mountain Lions 7 (MSA) McKeesport Tigers 20 - Plum Mustangs 5 (MSA) Penn-Trafford Warriors 35 - North Allegheny Tigers 31 (MSA)District 5, 6, 8, 9 & 10 High School Football Playoffs
While the WPIAL Football Playoffs hit the Quarterfinals Friday stage, other neighboring districts in Western Pennsylvania are also now into their gridiron postseason. All of these district football playoffs eventually funnel into the 2014 PIAA Football Playoffs and the Road to Hershey. Here are ALL the final results from Friday and Saturday schedule in the District 5, District 6, District 9 and District 10 playoffs. DISTRICT 5/8 CLASS AA Semifinals: Chestnut Ridge Lions 35 - Westinghouse Bulldogs 0 DISTRICT 5 CLASS A Quarterfinals: Berlin-Brothersvalley Mountaineers 61 - Conemaugh Township Indians 0 Shade Panthers 15 - Northern Bedford County Panthers 0District College Football Preview for Saturday, November 8th
November 6, 2014
The PSAC West Division Title and a berth in the State Championship Game against #5 Bloomsburg will be at stake this week in Week 10 of the district college football slate. Four teams are still alive for the title going into the final week of divisional play. California is at Mercyhurst, Gannon hosts IUP and Slippery Rock is at Clarion. SRU, Gannon, California and Mercyhurst all are still alive for the title. Here’s how the tiebreakers would go:WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Ten 2014
We’re full steam ahead on the Highway to Heinz. Week one lacked a great number of upsets, but did provide a couple of big ones. A blocked kick, an early score, a late fumble and a Quarterback battling through an injury highlight the best plays from Week Ten. Before we make a pit stop in the Quarterfinals, let’s take a look back at the top plays from the WPIAL First Round:Chicks Picks – Week Eleven – 2014
Welcome to Week 11 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks is an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Dad video series, always looking forward to new episodes every Tuesday. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised this Tuesday, when she saw her own name mentioned in the caption. Chick’s Picks clicked play without further delay. Pittsburgh Dad started off the episode in his finest Pittsburghese, “Yinz heard about that lady that says she can predict WPIAL football games? Well, I can do that, too. Hey Deb, bring me my magic eight ball.”WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Eleven
November 5, 2014
And so we are off on the Highway to Heinz, some great games in the first round as always but things will really pick up here in the quarters. The first round was fairly “chalk” with A being the only classification to lose more than one higher seeded team, yes Beth Center and Frazier were both from the TCS. AA lost only an eight seed as South Park blocked Beaver’s attempt at a game-winning field goal as time expired. AAA saw only their seven seed, Montour go out falling hard to Mars. AAAA had just one upset but it was by far the biggest “eyebrow raiser” of the night as the Plum Mustangs ousted the four, Penn Hills. Who will surprise us in the quarters? Let’s go Big Game Hunting, and see if we find anything!Seneca Valley, Montour & Greensburg CC Win WPIAL Girls Soccer Titles
November 3, 2014
A pair of top-seeds that have won recent district girls soccer championships added to their collection this year while a #5-seed quietly captured the schools first ever soccer crown. Seneca Valley repeated as AAA champs with their fourth crown while Greensburg Central Catholic cruised to a third A title in the last four years. However Montour is a first time soccer champion after stunning former champs South Park and Mars in the Class AA Semifinals and Finals. Here are ALL of the results from the 2014 WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoffs. All results marked with (MSA) can be heard archived here at MSAsports.net sponsored by Carlow University. 2014 WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:Peters Twp, South Park & Winchester Thurston Win WPIAL Boys Soccer Gold
Three district boys soccer champions: One is a repeat winner...one was a perfect champions with an undefeated season to this point...the third is on top of the boys district soccer world for the first time ever. No matter how you slice it, Peters Township, South Park and Winchester Thurston all pitched shutouts in the finals and the three allowed only one goal combined in twelve games with the Indians and Bears blanking all of their postseason opponents. Here are ALL of the results from the 2014 WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoffs. 2014 WPIAL BOYS SOCCER CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Peters Township Indians 1 - Upper St. Clair Panthers 0 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS AAA Consolation:Baldwin, Ford City & Greensburg CC Win WPIAL Girls Volleyball Crowns
November 2, 2014
It was a great district postseason in which none of the top-seeds or defending champions was able to win gold. The playoffs were capped with an incredible championship day in which all three title matches went the distance in three straight 3-2 results as Ford City won their first ever girls volleyball championship, Baldwin won for the first time in over a decade and Greensburg Central Catholic claimed their second title in three years. Here are ALL of the results from the 2014 WPIAL Girls Volleyball Playoffs. MSA Sports exclusive coverage of the district postseason was sponsored by Carlow University. All results with (MSA) after are games you can listen to archived on MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/02/2014
With the WPIAL soccer, girls volleyball and girls field hockey playoffs in the rear view mirror, the focus is on the district football postseason this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The Highway to Heinz moves to the second exit as we broadcast all 16 games on Quarterfinals Friday along with high school football playoff action from both District 6 and District 9. We also have action from the PIAA with state FIELD hockey and video/audio ICE hockey action, plus another edition of This Week in the WPIAL and the Indiana County Football Coaches Show ALL here at MSAsports.net
Shaler’s Brianna Schwart Runs Away With PIAA Cross-Country Gold
The golden career of Shaler's Brianna Schwartz had another championship chapter written Saturday in Hershey. The three time WPIAL Class AAA girls cross-country champion finally captured a PIAA championship and was joined in the winners circle by one other famle runner and a pair of boys teams from the WPIAL. Schwartz finished first in the near record setting course time of 17:39 , the second fastest time ever by a female runner on the Hershey course on a raw, rainy and windy afternoon with temps in the mid-40's. Also winning state gold was Marianne Abdalah of Vincentian Academy, who took first in the Girls Class A race with a winning time of 18:35.
NA’s Li & Lee and SSA’s Dua Win PIAA Tennis Titles
It was a busy Saturday at the Hershey Racquet Club for WPIAL tennis players as as seven doubles pairs or singles players scored a medal of either gold, silver or bronze at the 2014 PIAA Doubles and Singles Girls Tennis Championships Saturday afternoon. In the Class AAA Singles, three of the four Semifinalists were from the WPIAL and all three earned medals. Junior Ananya Dua of Shady Side Academy won the state championship when she beat North Allegheny's Anna Lin the the PIAA finals 6-1, 6-1. Charlotte Madson of Upper St. Clair, who lost to Li in the Semifinals, beat Meredith Lee of Owen J. Roberts in the Consolation match.District College Football Recap for Saturday, November 2nd
Week 9 of the college football slate saw a big win for W & J in the PAC, Slippery Rock takes back a share of the lead in the PSAC West and a big Homecoming win in Lorretto for Saint Francis. Here are recaps of ALL the games, including one heard here on the Network. W & J 51 – Geneva 12 The road woes for the Golden Tornadoes continued while the #15 Presidents continue their quest for a PAC title. W & J led 37-0 at the half and never looked back in the win.
Baldwin Ousts North Allegheny to Win Girls AAA Volleyball
November 1, 2014
The Baldwin Highlanders won their first WPIAL championship since 2003, defeating the defending champion North Allegheny Tigers in a five-set thriller, 3-2, from Baldwin High School. The Highlanders claimed the WPIAL title by set scores of 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 18-25 and 18-16.
South Park Eagles Soar to Perfect Soccer Championship
The South Park Eagles came into the championship match at Highmark Stadium with a staggering goal differential of 109-4 so it figures that a shut-out would be the perfect ending to a perfect season as the Eagles won their first WPIAL Boys Class AA soccer championship since 2006 by shutting out 3rd seeded West Allegheny 1-0. It also figures that the leading goal scorer in the WPIAL would net the games only tally and that was the case for South Park senior forward Justin Minda. Minda converted a nice feed from fellow senior Brandon Walbert in the games 38th minute for his 39th goal of the season. Walbert’s through-ball found Minda open in the right side of the box and Minda wasted no time in chipping the ball past West Allegheny’s Tyler Eritz for the score.
