Football
WPIAL Football Scores for Sat 10/29
October 29, 2016
The 2016 WPIAL regular season in football came to a beautiful, yet quiet end on Saturday with three games including one with playoff implications. On a Day that felt more like Week Three than Week Nine, three contests closed out the regular season and set the table for the postseason. Here are ALL three final scores from Saturday afternoon. WPIAL CLASS 2-A Three Rivers Conference: Avonworth Antelopes 35 - Vincentian Academy Royals 16 WPIAL CLASS 1-A Big 7 Conference: Rochester Rams 50 - Western Beaver Golden Beavers 6 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS 1-A Non-Conference: Summit Academy Knights 50 - Avella Eagles 02016 WPIAL Football Playoff Picture – 10/29
The 2016 WPIAL football playoff field is now set...well, almost. Five classifications are ready to go for the brackets on Monday night, with only one team still to be determined in Class 1-A. While all of these playoff teams will share the spotlight leading up to Friday. November 4th and kickoff of the opening round, there will be a lot of discussion prior to Monday of one team that did not make the field of 64. Beaver came into the final Friday of the regular season ranked #1 in Class 3-A and after all the kings horses and all the kings men figured out the tiebreakers in the Beaver Valley Conference, they could not put the Bobcats and the district playoff together again. Here is the latest WPIAL Playoff Picture heading into Saturday, October 29th.2016 WPIAL Football Standings – 10/29
Here are the latest WPIAL football standings through Friday of Week Nine of the 2016 high school football season...INCLUDING THE LATEST PLAYOFF PICTURE WITH POSTSEASON CLINCHINGS AND ELIMINATIONS. Once again this year, we have added points for and points against as well as the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 122 WPIAL teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Click on each team to see all of their results along with their remaining schedule for the 2016 season.Scholastic Notebook – 10/28/2016
October 28, 2016
It was a first-time occurrence earlier this season when Armstrong’s Zane Dudek, Clairton’s Lamont Wade and Steel Valley’s DeWayne Murray all surpassed 5,000 career yards rushing. Of the 19 running backs in WPIAL history who ran for 5,000, Dudek, Wade and Murray were the first trio to do it in the same year. But that trio isn’t just settling at 5,000. They could be the three amigos for 6,000.WPIAL and City League Football Scores for Friday 10/28
It is a scary time of the year. No, I’m not talking about all of those ghosts and goblins that will invade in a few days on Halloween night; I’m talking about looking in the standings and not seeing an asterisk next to your favorite team’s name. The end is near for all playoff hopes. You either get your ticket punched for a ride on The Highway to Heinz or starting this year…The Road to RMU, or you wonder ‘what if’ as you listen to exclusive coverage of the WPIAL football playoffs. The complete puzzle is nearly in place after tonight, but like a good jig-saw, sit back and enjoy as we put the final WPIAL Playoff Picture pieces together on Friday night of Week Nine. Here are ALL the finals scores from the final Friday of the regular season.Chicks Picks for Week Nine
October 27, 2016
Welcome to Week 9 of the high school football season. As regular season play wraps up, Chick’s Picks knew that she needed to check in on The Boss at MSA Sports World Headquarters. For quite some time, Chick’s Picks had been aware of the overtime put in by The Boss this time of year. However, what she witnessed when she walked into World Headquarters was still a shock. There he was, The Boss, pecking away at his keyboard relentlessly with his two index fingers. Moments later, when The Boss finally realized that he had a visitor, Chick’s Picks noticed his tired, bloodshot eyes, unkempt hair, and disorder throughout his office.Big Game Hunting for Week Nine 2016
The final week of the regular season arrives and things are still a bit murky around the WPIAL, but as always the “Boss” has made it clear and precise, if you have questions about your team and their post season needs or desires, it is laid out here, http://www.msasports.net/articles/2016-wpial-football-playoff-picture. That amount of work can only be a labor of love, and when the boss is doing a labor of love, the worker-bees will almost always do the same. Like the famous line in Remember the Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership”. So, this opening paragraph is dedicated to my colleagues, each of them I know, doing this job because they love it.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 10/24/2016
October 24, 2016
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten seven in 6-A and top ten football teams in each of the other five classifications. Here are the rankings following Week Eight of the 2016 high school football season. WPIAL CLASS 6-A WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP SEVEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (8-1) (Last Week #1.....Week Nine - at Penn Hills) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (7-2) (Last Week #2.....Week Nine - at #3 Pine-Richland on MSA)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Brendan Lynch
Brendan Lynch was a special athlete in his time at Freeport High School, and now Lynch is proving to be a special player at Case Western Reserve University. Formerly a three-sport standout for the Yellowjackets, Lynch is enjoying a prolific senior campaign as a receiver for the Spartans. Before he made his mark in the college ranks, Lynch was well known throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley for his efforts on the gridiron, hardwood and track. He was a four-year letterwinner in track and field, while garnering letters in three seasons for both football and basketball. He was also a three-time All-County selection in hoops.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/23/2016
October 23, 2016
The final seven days of the tenth month of the year heats up as the mercury drops as the fall sports postseason kicks into full gear this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The 'Stretch Run' of the high school football season concludes with Week Nine and The Network has 30 WPIAL football weekend contests starting with the MSA Sports pregame Show Friday at 6pm and concluding with the WPIAL Scoreboard Show Friday at 9:30pm.2016 WPIAL Football Standings – 10/23
Here are the latest WPIAL football standings through Week Eight of the 2016 high school football season...INCLUDING THE LATEST PLAYOFF PICTURE WITH POSTSEASON CLINCHINGS AND ELIMINATIONS. Once again this year, we have added points for and points against as well as the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 122 WPIAL teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Click on each team to see all of their results along with their remaining schedule for the 2016 season.MSA Sports Saturdays Scholastic Starz for Week Eight
Rain that made Friday night in Week eight interesting carried over into Saturday afternoon, making for a slow track at four of the five 'natural surface' sites around the WPIAL as grassy fields soon turned muddy and clean uniforms were not so much. But the late Autumn weather conditions made the afternoons and evening for these five standouts really stand out as we put a bow on the next to the last weekend of regular season high school football. Dominic Fundy - Beth-CenterMSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week Eight
October 22, 2016
While the weather outside was frightful (including a game postponed until Saturday), the play of some on the slick turf or the muddy grass was downright delightful as these WPIAL football players proved Eddie Rabbit correct as they all Loved a Rainy Night. Steady to heavy rain throughout the day and into game time did nothing to slow these guys from leading their team to victory in Week Eight. Max DeVinney - Pine-RichlandWPIAL Football Scores for Sat 10/22
Rain has played a big part of the Week eight picture in WPIAL and it will continue to play a major role on Saturday. Four scheduled games, including all of the Class 1-A Eastern Conference tilts, has grown by one after the postponement Friday of the Charleroi at Beth-Center contest. Two of the three afternoon games and one of the two Primetime contests were heard here on The Network. Here are ALL the final results from Saturday of Week Eight. WPIAL CLASS 2-A Century Conference: Beth-Center Bulldogs 20 - Charleroi Cougars 0 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS 1-A Eastern Conference: Clairton Bears 60 - Riverview Raiders 0 (MSA) Imani Christian Saints 18 - Springdale Dynamos 6 (MSA)Scholastic Notebook – 10/21/2016
October 21, 2016
For the first time in WPIAL history, there could be a Lady in the football playoffs. No, it’s not a female player or coach. It’s the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart team. The Chargers started playing WPIAL football in 2010 and failed to make the postseason in the first six years of the program. OLSH could turn out to be one of the big turnaround stories in the WPIAL this season. The Chargers did not win a game last year, going 0-9. Now they are 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Seven Conference. They are almost assured of a playoff berth, with games remaining against Sto-Rox and Shenango. Rochester leads the conference at 6-0, Northgate is 5-1 and OLSH and Sto-Rox are tied at 4-2. Shenango is fifth at 3-3.WPIAL and City League Football Scores for Fri 10/21
"The autumn wind is a pirate. Blustering in from sea with a rollicking song he sweeps along swaggering boisterously. His face is weather beaten, he wears a hooded sash with a silver hat about his head and a bristling black mustache, he growls as he storms the country, a villain big and bold, and the trees all shake and quiver and quake as he robs them of their gold. The autumn wind is a Raider, pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you around and upside down and laugh when he's conquered and won." As a kid growing up on NFL Films, that Steve Sabol poem was like Shakespeare. Truer words were never spoken for Friday night as the mercury dropped, the winds picked up and the rain fell and fell on another big night of high school football. Check out all of the final results.Chicks Picks for Week Eight
October 20, 2016
Welcome to Week 8 of the high school football season. The Stretch Run is upon us. It’s that magical time of year when postseason positions are secured, and the sheep are separated from the goats. Speaking of sheep and goats – each year during the Stretch Run, Chick’s Picks organizes a group fitness activity for the entire MSA Sports crew. Chick’s Picks believes this team-building exercise plays a crucial role in getting the gang ready for the playoffs. This year, Chick’s Picks selected Animal Flow as the group activity of choice – a new fitness craze which teaches animal movement training.Big Game Hunting for Week Eight 2016
October 19, 2016
Week eight brings with it the answer to a question put forth here back in week one. How will I personally feel about the change to six classifications after seeing it for a season? The answer now, is the same as it was for me at first blush. I hate it, hate it with the fiery passion of 1000 suns, not to put too fine a point on it. It does nothing to accomplish any of the goals it portends to. It is going to exclude some very good teams, possibly great teams from the playoffs and include some very bad teams. Not to mention we are only in week eight and little is left that matters in terms of games of import in the largest classification. Nonetheless, we are nothing if not intrepid here at BGH, so let’s go Big Game Hunting!MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 10/18/2016
October 18, 2016
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten seven in 6-A and top ten football teams in each of the other five classifications. Here are the rankings following Week Five of the 2016 high school football season. WPIAL CLASS 6-A WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP SEVEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (7-1) (Last Week #1.....Week Eight - host #7 Norwin) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (6-2) (Last Week #2.....Week Eight - at Hempfield on MSA) 3. PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (5-3) (Last Week #4.....Week Eight - at Butler on MSA)WPIAL Football Playoff Picture 10/17/2016
October 17, 2016
There is no doubt this school year is a season of change in the WPIAL, not just in high school football, but across the board with every sport that saw an expansion in classification. But our focus here is football. The bigger postseason is a couple of weeks away and MSA Sports traditional and exclusive playoff trip also must be tweaked. Yes, the Highway to Heinz opens up in two weeks for teams in Class 6-A, 5-A, 4-A and 3-A, bot now there is a new fork in the road. All of that construction on the Parkway near the Airport has created The Road to RMU for teams in 2-A and 1-A as their two title games will take place at Robert Morris University.
