Sports
PIHL Notebook – 12/09/2013
December 9, 2013
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes some great action in Class A, highlighted by a blowout upset featuring two former section rivals. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of three upcoming broadcasts, two of which feature some powerhouses in Class AA. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” Oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday, Mom!This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/08/2013
December 8, 2013
Well the weather outside is frightful, but the broadcast schedule for the final week of the high school football season is quite delightful this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have all three remaining WPIAL football champions in action this weekend as the Road to Hershey concludes with the PIAA Football Championship Games at Hersheypark Stadium. We also open up section play in boys and girls high school basketball along with the start of section action on the mats in high school wrestling and men's and women's college basketball as well, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle and the PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 9th:Road to Hershey Semifinals Recaps
The three remaining WPIAL football champions on the Road to Hershey have all met their final destination of playing for a state title next weekend at Hersheypark Stadium, two of them based on impressive one-sided victories while the other struggled, but prevailed as Pittsburgh Central Catholic, South Fayette and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic all improved to a perfect 15-0 with PIAA Semifinals on Saturday. PIAA CLASS AAAA: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 45 - Lower Dauphin Falcons 0 In a PIAA Semifinal defensive performance for the ages, WPIAL AAAA Champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic (15-0) pounded District 3 Champion Lower Dauphin 45-0 at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona.2013 PIAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
December 7, 2013
Three WPIAL football champions are now a perfect 15-0 and are moving on to Hershey to play for a state football championship. Pittsburgh Central Catholic in AAAA, South Fayette in AA and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in A all registered impressive Semifinals victories on Saturday afternoon and will conclude the Road to Hershey next weekend playing for a state crown at Hersheypark Stadium. Here are ALL of the final results through the State Semifinals on Saturday in the 2013 PIAA Football Playoffs, plus the schedule for the state championships in Hershey with the AA and AAAA title games being bumped back from Saturday to Sunday here on the MSA Sports Network.WPIAL Girls Basketball – 2013-2014 Preview
December 6, 2013
With the exception of Vincentian Academy in Class A, repeating for the 2012-2013 WPIAL girls basketball champions could be a steep up hill climb. Sure, bethel Park, South park and Bishop Canevin are going to be competitors and will be tough outs once the district playoffs start in mid-February, but graduation and injuries have hit those three defending champs hard, possibly leaving the door open for some new faces raising the gold in March. Here is a rundown of WPIAL girls basketball Players to Watch and the Preseason Top Ten in all four classifications. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Players to Watch: Monica Burns - Hempfield Maria Palarino - Penn-Trafford Alayna Gribble - Norwin Erin Mathias - Fox ChapelWPIAL Girls Basketball – 2012-2013 Review
December 5, 2013
The 2012-2013 WPIAL girls basketball championship games had a bit of a southern flavor to them. Five of the eight participants, including two of the eventual champions are from south of the City of Pittsburgh. Bethel Park in AAAA and Bishop Canevin in AA celebrated first ever district girls basketball titles while South Park won for the second time in six years in AAA and Vincentian Academy repeated in A with the Royals third crown in four years. The Eagles and Crusaders followed up their district gold with a PIAA state championship as well. Here is a look back at the standings and results from the WPIAL and PIAA girls basketball playoffs in 2012-2013. 2012-2013 WPIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS:Big Game Hunting – The Football Fourpack for Week 15
December 4, 2013
State semifinals week is here and three district seven teams remain with a seat at the table. We will break down their opponents here in Big Game Hunting week 15. Kudos to West Allegheny as they bow out in week 14 losing to Erie Cathedral Prep here on the MSA Sports Network. Hearing that score and seeing the Indians throughout the regular season makes you just marvel at how good the Ramblers must be. The WPIAL banner remains high aloft, can one, two, or even all three teams, reach week sixteen? PIAA CLASS AAAA: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (14-0) vs. Lower Dauphin Falcons (13-1) Saturday December 7th at 1:00 PM @ Mansion Park in Altoona, PA broadcast on the MSA Sports Network by Josh Rowntree and Lou RoodMSA Sports Top Ten – PIHL Hockey – 12/04/2013
Here are the latest MSA Sports Sports Frozen Fab Five rankings of PIHL hockey teams in each of the four classifications. Don't miss 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 high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network at www.MSAsports.net PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (6-1-0) (Last Week #1) 2) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (4-2-1) (Last Week #2) 3) PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (5-2-0) (Last Week #3) 4) SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS (4-3-0) (Last Week Unranked)WPIAL Boys Basketball – 2013-2014 Preview
The boys basketball gold has been somewhat hoarded the last few years in the WPIAL. Of the twelve championships won over the course of the last three years, five schools (Gateway, New Castle, Montour, Beaver Falls and Vincentian Academy) have won ten of them. Could the 2013-2014 season mark a changing of the guard in District 7 boys hoops, or just more of the same golden antics from those teams listed above? Here is a rundown of WPIAL boys basketball Players to Watch and the Preseason Top Ten in all four classifications. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Players to Watch: Kason Harrell - Hempfield Tony Pilato - Hempfield Matt D'Amico - Fox Chapel Brian Papich - Fox Chapel Tom Kromka - GatewayWPIAL Boys Basketball – 2012-2013 Review
December 3, 2013
It was an historic season for New Castle, as they won a second straight boys basketball district title, this time in Class AAAA after winning gold in the 2011-2012 season in Class AAA. It was also a year to shine for Montour in Class AAA, Beaver Falls for a second straight year in Class AA and Vincentian Academy in Class A. Beaver Falls took their winning seriously as they then went on to be the only WPIAL to win a boys basketball state crown. Here is a look back at the 2012-2013 WPIAL boys basketball season. FINAL 2012-2013 WPIAL BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS:WPIAL Wrestling – 2013-2014 Preview
Will a coaching change at Canon-McMillan slow down the Big Macs? Will the Burrell Buccaneers add an eighth straight WPIAL Class AA team title to their bloated wrestling trophy case? Which returning wrestlers and top newcomers will have that golden shine about them this winter? We preview the 2013-2014 WPIAL Wrestling season with a look at some of the top wrestlers in the district and the MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten in both classifications> Don't miss Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, every Monday night at 7:00pm only here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAA:WPIAL Wrestling – 2012-2013 Review
December 2, 2013
The two wrestling dynasties in the WPIAL continued along their golden way a year ago when Canon-McMillan in Class AAA and Burrell in Class AA won district team titles, later matched by a team state championship for the Big Macs. As we prepare for another season of great mat action, here is a look back at the team standings, team playoff results and individual WPIAL and PIAA results from the 2012-2013 season. FINAL 2012-2013 WPIAL Team Wrestling Standings # - Won Section Championship % - Clinched Sub-Section Championship * - Clinched Berth in Section Playoff x - Eliminated From Section PlayoffPIHL Notebook – 12/02/2013
Welcome to the 2013-14 debut edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. We return this year with two familiar segments while the third gets a facelift. First, we have your weekly thermometer of streaking teams in “Melting the Ice” while also previewing upcoming MSA broadcasts. The “Scoreboard Watch” is also back with a new twist, providing the highlights in more a capsule format while expanding to include the top t here games from each classification during the past week. That means more teams and players get a mention, which is what this little article is all about. So, let’s light the lamp on this season of “PIHL Notebook.”This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/02/2013
The Winter high school and college sports kick into full gear as we welcome in the festive month of December this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the three remaining WPIAL football champions this weekend as the Road to Hershey continues with the PIAA Semifinals. We also open up the high school winter sports season with basketball and wrestling action along with men's and women's college hoops, plus the debut shows of Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle and the PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 2nd: TALK SHOW - Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle at 7:00pm on MSAsports.netRoad to Hershey Recaps: PIAA Football Saturday Afternoon
November 30, 2013
After winning one of two Friday night, two more WPIAL football champions were in action on Saturday afternoon as both Pittsburgh Central Catholic and South Fayette headed north on Interstate 79. The Quad-A champion Vikings stayed on 79 all the way to Erie while the Double-A champion Lions turned east on Interstate 80 toward Clarion. Both came back home Saturday evening to Southwestern Pennsylvania with a win and the hopes of state gold still alive. Here are the summaries from both of those contests. PIAA CLASS AAAA QUARTERFINALS:Road to Hershey Recaps: PIAA Football Friday Night
November 29, 2013
Two of the four winners on the Highway to Heinz began their journey Friday night on the Road to Hershey. For one experienced traveler, it was deja-vu from 2012 and a short trip in the state playoffs, but for the rookie squad heading out for the first time in the PIAA football postseason, the first ride was very enjoyable. Here are recaps from the two PIAA Football Playoff games involving WPIAL champions from Friday night. PIAA CLASS AAA QUARTERFINALS:Scholastic Notebook – 11/29/2013
It was a pretty big deal this fall when Sto-Rox’s Lenny Williams became the WPIAL all-time leading passer. But it’s looking like Williams’ record might not last more than a year. South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh appears to have a very good shot at Williams’ record next year. Let’s look at the numbers and the possibilities: Williams, a senior, finished his career with 8,508 yards. Besides that being the best in WPIAL history, it also was fifth-best in state history. Sto-Rox lost lost last week in the WPIAL Class A finals and the loss means Williams can’t add more distance between himself and Brumbaugh.MSA Sports Top Ten – PIHL Hockey – 11/29/2013
Here are the latest MSA Sports Sports Frozen Fab Five rankings of PIHL hockey teams in each of the four classifications. Don't miss 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 high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network at www.MSAsports.net PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (5-1-0) 2) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (4-2-0) 3) PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (5-2-0) 4) UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS (4-2-0) 5) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (4-2-0) PIHL CLASS AA:Big Game Hunting – The Football Fourpack for Week 14
November 27, 2013
Four District Seven teams head off into the PIAA tournament carrying the WPIAL banner with them this weekend after a fantastic championship Saturday at Heinz Field. How will they do and who will they face, we will try to take away some of the mystery for local fans as they get set for the state tournament. AAAA and AA teams from the WPIAL hit the road, heading out of district to play while AAA and A get what amounts to a home game playing within the district. Without further ado let’s go Big Game Hunting.2013 WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RESULTS
November 25, 2013
It was a clean sweep for Allegheny County as Pittsburgh Central Catholic, West Allegheny, South Fayette and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic captured WPIAL football championships. For only the second time ever and the first time since USC, West A, South Park & Riverview won in 1997 have schools from one county won all four District 7 football crowns. West Allegheny was the only repeat champion and the Indians were the only top seed to win it all as the other three champs were all #2-seeds. Here are ALL of the results from the 2013 WPIAL Football Playoffs. All games marked with (MSA) after the results can be heard archived here on MSA Sports. 2013 WPIAL CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
