Sports
Budget Concerns Lead to Sto-Rox Diamond Cuts
July 1, 2013
School district budget cuts have led to Sto-Rox High School dropping its baseball and softball programs for the upcoming school year. While the district is looking for a co-op with another school district for both programs, returning baseball and softball players can either move to another district, attend a private school or just not play next spring.Officials said there was talk about eliminating the entire athletic department before a proposal to just drop the two spring sports was passed on an 8-1 vote by the school board. Also part of the district wide cuts were eight teaching jobs and the school librarian.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/01/2013
The first full week of the month of July continues to focus on pro baseball here on the MSA Sports Network. The Washington Wild Things hit the road for a week-long Frontier League series as they travel to Gateway and Evansville, plus there is plenty of news from the world of auto racing with Rappin on Racin ALL here ONLY at MSAsports.netMonday, July 1st:TALK SHOW - Rappin on Racin at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net Tuesday, July 2nd:Pro Baseball: Frontier League - Washington Wild Things vs Gateway Grizzlies at 8:05pm on WJPA-FM 95.3
2012-2013 MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year – DEVIN WILSON
June 28, 2013
Devin Wilson likes to debate many topics and hopes to be a lawyer someday. As for the mystery of who is the best male athlete in the WPIAL, Wilson took the case and built a mountain of evidence for himself.
2012-2013 MSA Sports Female Athlete of the Year – SHATORI WALKER-KIMBROUGH
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s favorite athlete is LeBron James. “It’s actually an obsession with him,” Walker-Kimbrough said with a laugh. “My neighbors hate when the Heat plays on TV.” But while Walker-Kimbrough looks up to James, she is sort of like her idol in one way. James is king of the NBA and Walker-Kimbrough is the queen of WPIAL female athletes – again.WPIAL Coaching Changes
June 27, 2013
Three district coaching vacancies have been filled as a new football coach was hired at a Class A school while boys basketball coaches were appointed at a Class AAAA school and a Class AA powerhouse.* The change on the coaching staff at Carmichaels was more a switch of titles than anything else. John Menhart ended his second stint as head coach of the Mighty Mikes (1989-2002 and (2009-2012) after last season and will become an assistant coach at Carmichaels. So it only seemed right to take one of his assistants and slide them into the leadership role. Offensive coordinator Ryan Krull has been named new head coach of the Mighty Mikes, keeping it all in the family. Krull is Menhart's son-in-law.
Record Year Leads North Allegheny to 10th MSA Sports Cup Quad-A Title
WOW! North Allegheny has won every MSA Sports Cup Class AAAA championship, but you could say the title they won in the 2012-2013 school year was perfect. There are 20 sports in which schools can earn points in the competition and for the first time in ten years, a school earned points in ALL of them.North Allegheny scored a mind-numbing and record 1,115 points this year, 'edging' runner-up Peters Township by a mere 635 points. Mount Lebanon finished third, Canon-McMillan fourth and Hempfield fifth. The rest of the top ten was Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, Latrobe, Gateway and Fox Chapel.
Mars Earns First Repeat MSA Sports Cup Class AAA Title
The first ten years of the MSA Sports Cup has shown us that while there are a couple of dominating schools in the other three classifications, the chase for the Class AAA Cup has been up for grabs with eight different schools earning The Cup in ten years. However for the first time, a Triple-A school has captured the MSA Sports Cup for a second straight year.Mars earned 520 points, giving them a 105-point cushion over runner-up South Fayette. Former winner South Park was third with Indiana fourth and another former champ, West Allegheny fifth. Rounding out the Class AAA top ten were Ambridge, Hopewell, Hampton, Blackhawk and the only other two-time Triple-A Cup winner, Moon.
Quaker Valley Repeats as MSA Sports Cup Class AA Champs
For eight years they played the role of brides-maids as a close-but-no-cigar top five finisher. But now for the second straight year, Quaker Valley plays second fiddle to nobody after the Quakers earned a second consecutive MSA Sports Cup Class AA crown.Quaker Valley earned 525 points, the second most of any WPIAL school behind North Allegheny, giving them a comfortable 195 victory over runner-up and five-time champion Shady Side Academy. Beaver finished third, Riverside fourth and Burrell fifth, with Freeport, Seton-LaSalle, Burgettstown, Washington and Beaver Falls rounding out the Double-A top ten.
Greensburg Central Catholic Wins Class A MSA Sports Cup
Only once in the ten years history of the MSA Sports Cup has Sewickley Academy not won the Class A title. The Panthers won the first four years before Serra Catholic captured the 2007-2008 crown. Now another four-year run has ended thanks to Greensburg Central Catholic.GCC scored 405 to win by the closest margin, 65 points over runner-up Vincentian Academy. Sewickley Academy finished third followed by Bishop Canevin, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Neshannock, Clairton, Serra Catholic, Chartiers-Houston and Aliquippa round out the Top 10.The Centurions can look at success on The Pitch this past fall as to why they won the Cup. Greensburg Central Catholic's won both a WPIAL and PIAA championship in girls soccer and finished as the district runner-up in boys soccer.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/24/2013
June 24, 2013
The first full week of summer is also the last full week of June as the focus continues on pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The Washington Wild Things hit the road for a mid-week Frontier League series before returning home to CONSOL Energy Park for a four game weekend set including a Friday doubleheader, plus we have the top senior football players from Beaver, Northern/Western Allegheny and Lawrence County battle the elite from Eastern Ohio in the annual Penn-Ohio all-star football game along with plenty of news from the world of auto racing with Rappin on Racin ALL here ONLY at MSAsports.netMonday, June 24th:
2013 MSA Sports Diamond Dolls Softball All-Stars
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/18/2013
June 18, 2013
With the high school baseball season now over, the focus is on pro baseball the rest of the summer as Washington continues a long home stand at CONSOL Energy Park this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The Wild Things host both Traverse City and River City this week in Frontier League baseball, plus we have top senior football players in District 6 battle in the Central Pa Coaches Association Lezzer Lumber Classic along with plenty of news from the world of auto racing with Rappin on Racin ALL here ONLY at MSAsports.netMonday, June 17th:TALK SHOW - Rappin on Racin at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net Tuesday, June 18th:Clairton’s Tyler Boyd Shines Again in PA Win Over Md in Big 33
June 16, 2013
The last four years, Tyler Boyd of Clairton has concluded each football season with some gridiron magic at Hersheypark Stadium in leading the Bears to four straight state crowns. So it was only fitting he would cap off a dream scholastic career with a huge game in Chocolatetown in leading Pennsylvania to a 58-27 victory over Maryland in the annual Big 33 Classic high school football all-star game.Boyd ran back the opening kickoff 91-yards for a touchdown to get the ball rolling. he caught a pair of touchdown passes, both from North Allegheny quarterback Mack Leftwich of 16 and 5 yards, he had a scoring run from 4-yards out and just for good measure, he threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Brian Lemelle of Bishop McDevitt.Beaver Sees Dream Season End With Loss to Loyalsock in PIAA AA Baseball Finals
June 14, 2013
Bailey Young singled inside the first base bag to score pinch-runner Caleb Robbins to give the Loyalsock Lancers their second PIAA baseball championship, defeating the Beaver Bobcats 5-4 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in the Class AA title game.It was the second trip to the state title game for Beaver, falling 2-1 to Reading in the 1983 Class AAA championship, the Bobcats were led by future major leaguer John Burkett.Beaver had tied the game in the top of the seventh when Nick Hineman singled home Austin Logan with two outs. Logan led off the inning with a marathon at-bat, finally being hit by the eighth pitch from Kyle Datres.Williams Valley Walks All Over Neshannock as Lancers Lose in PIAA ‘A’ Title Game
If you would have asked the over one thousand fans in attendance today at Nittany Lion Softball Park, not even the most rabid Williams Valley fan would have predicted the outcome. The Vikings were patient at the plate, drawing eleven walks, six coming with the bases loaded as the District 11 champions handed the WPIAL Champion Neshannock Lancers a 13-0 defeat in six innings at Beard Field. The victory in the Class A Softball championship was the first for Williams Valley in any team sport on the state level.The win may be a prelude of things to come for the Vikings. Coach Lee Reiser has only two seniors on the roster, none were in the starting lineup with two juniors, five sophomores and two freshman taking the field.
In A Marathon, Canon-Mac Wins First State Quad-A Softball Crown
In the third longest game in PIAA softball championship history, the Canon McMillan Big Macs claimed their first Quad-A state title with a 4-3 win over the Neshaminy Redskins in 12 innings. Freshman Linda Rush drove a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence for a two run homer to put the Big Macs up for good. It’s the longest game in Quad-A championship history, overall the longest game was a 14 inning win for Fleetwood over Riverside in the 2001 Class AA championship match up and a twelve inning 1-0 win for Williamsport over Baldwin in the 1989 AA title tilt.Scholastic Notebook – 01/14/2013
Riverside Perfect No More After PIAA AA Title Game Loss To Brandywine Heights
One run was all it took to claim a state championship. The Brandywine Heights Bullets got that run and won their first PIAA Class AA softball title 1-0 over the Riverside Panthers at Beard Field on Friday morning. Senior Megan Olson pitched a dandy, keeping the Panthers hitters off balance all day. The loss spoils the undefeated season for Riverside, who had won 22 straight games and had only allowed seven runs all season.PIAA Softball Championship Previews
June 13, 2013
Last year, only Neshannock from District 7 returned home from State College with a PIAA softball championship. Now the Lancers are back in the finals, except this time the 2012 Double-A state champs are playing in the 2013 Single-A finals. The Lancers are not alone from the WPIAL in Happy Valley on Friday, as they are joined by 2013 WPIAL Quad-A champion Canon-McMIllan and 2013 WPIAL Double-A champion Riverside, who want to double their gold in-take before ending the season. Here are recaps from all three championship contests to be played at Beard Field in Nittany Lions Softball Park on the campus of Penn State University.All three games can be heard here on the MSA Sports Network.
