Football
CTK ’16: 2-A Midwestern Athletic Conference Preview
August 26, 2016
The Midwestern Athletic Conference has had a rich history. In the 60’s and 70’s it was New Castle, showing why the Red Hurricanes are among Pennsylvania’s most historic programs. The late 80’s brought the addition of Aliquippa, setting up historic meetings with Riverside. Since the mid 90’s, the conference hadn’t changed much as the Quips, along with Beaver Falls, New Brighton and Beaver have been at the top of the standings. With the move to 6 classes, some new teams take up residence in the MAC. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Neshannock, Riverside and South Side move up to AA, while Freedom, Laurel, Mohawk and New Brighton look to add to the history of the MAC.WPIAL and City League Football Scores for Fri 8/26
For the first time ever, the high school football season opens up not in Week One, but in the newly created Week Zero. When the PIAA gave members schools across the 12 districts the choice between playing a second scrimmage and a Week Zero non-conference game, it was a split decision in the WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League, with half the schools staying old school with a second scrimmage on Friday and the other half going Primetime with actual games. Here are the First Friday night high school football district results 'officially' kicking off the new six classification era. WPIAL CLASS 6-A Non-Conference: Olentangy Liberty Patriots (Oh) 30 North Allegheny Tigers 29 (F)
CTK ’16: 2-A Three Rivers Conference Preview
The Three Rivers Conference was demolished after 1999, just two years before Three Rivers Stadium was demolished. But the Three Rivers Conference has come back to life. With six classifications in Pennsylvania football this year, new conferences were formed in the WPIAL. The eight teams in this Class 2A section decided to call themselves the Three Rivers Conference. The funny thing is, only one team (Carlynton) that is a member of the Three Rivers this season also was in the last Three Rivers Conference in 1999. Here is a look at the new Three Rivers Conference: AVONWORTH ANTELOPES The Antelopes will look a lot different this year. Why? Because they don’t have a quarterback who set a WPIAL record last season.
CTK ’16: MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten – 4-A
August 24, 2016
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each of the six classifications. With days to go before the 2016 WPIAL football season kicks off with Week Zero, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams...with the Top Ten in Class 4-A. Final 2015 record is in parenthesis. WPIAL CLASS 4-A PRE-SEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS (12-1) (Week Zero - vs Central Valley on MSA) 2. THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS (11-3) (Week Zero - scrimmage vs Baldwin)
CTK ’16: 3-A Interstate Conference Preview
You could say the road to the top of the Interstate has gone through Washington in recent years. Washington won the Class 2A Interstate Conference three of the past four years. But a journey through the Interstate this year will not include a stop at Washington. Under the new classification system, Washington is longer in the Interstate. The Little Prexies are a Class 2A team. The departure of Washington isn’t the only change in the Interstate. Charleroi, Burgettstown and Brownsville also have dropped to Class 2A. Meanwhile, the Interstate adds Elizabeth Forward and Yough, which played in 3A last season. Also, South Park moves over from the old 2A Century Conference. Here is a look at this year’s Interstate: DERRY TROJANS
CTK ’16: MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten – 5-A
August 23, 2016
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each of the six classifications. With days to go before the 2016 WPIAL football season kicks off with Week Zero, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams...with the Top Ten in Class 5-A. Final 2015 record is in parenthesis. WPIAL CLASS 5-A PRE-SEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS (8-3) (Week Zero - scrimmage vs Trinity) 2. UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS (5-5) (Week Zero - scrimmage vs Franklin Regional)
CTK ’16: 3-A Allegheny Conference Preview
The Allegheny Conference in the new six classification format looks a lot like the old Allegheny Conference – with a little southern flavor to it. Six of the teams in the 2016 Allegheny are longtime members Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Shady Side Academy and Valley. Those who departed are Highlands, West Shamokin and Summit Academy. Highlands will play in 4A, Summit Academy in 1A while West Shamokin dropped out of the WPIAL.
CTK ’16: MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten – 6-A
August 22, 2016
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each of the six classifications. The lone exception will be 6-A. With only 14 teams in the class, we will rank the Top Seven teams each week. With days to go before the 2016 WPIAL football season kicks off with Week Zero, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams...with the Top Seven in Class 6-A. Final 2015 record is in parenthesis. WPIAL CLASS 6-A PRE-SEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP SEVEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (15-1) (Week Zero - vs St. John's Academy (DC) Saturday on MSA)
CTK ’16: 3-A Beaver Valley Conference Preview
With schools either electing to move up or just taking the jump in class, what could be a new super conference in Class AAA was formed. The Parkway may be no more but the Beaver Valley Conference might rival the Parkway in toughness. With only 3 AAA conferences and just 8 teams making the playoffs, it means that there will be at least 1, if not 2 or more teams that deserve to make the playoffs, now will not qualify for the post-season. Here is a preview of each team and the predicted order of finish. ALIQUIPPA QUIPS
CTK ’16: Week Two WPIAL Football Scrimmages
WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools had a choice to make this week. Under PIAA rules, teams could either play the traditional second scrimmage or schedule an exhibition game. It was a split decision. of the 128 WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League high school football teams, 64 decided to go with the scrimmage while 64 decided that one scrimmage was enough and it was time to start the season early...thus Week Zero is upon us. We will have all the Friday (8/26) and Saturday (8/27) game schedules later this week. However here, we run down the second scrimmage schedule for those schools sticking with tradition. WPIAL vs Pittsburgh City League: Brashear Bulls AT Franklin Knights at 6:00pmThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/22/2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 and Frontier League baseball continue to share the spotlight this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We continue to prepare you every day for the upcoming high school football season with CTK '16 and will lift the curtain in a new high school football season with action from the very first Week Zero. The Network is also the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as they host both the Traverse City beach Bums and the Joliet Slammers in the final games at CONSOL Energy Park this regular season, plus we have another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net
CTK ’16: 4-A Big Nine Conference Preview
August 21, 2016
While realignment created some radically different conferences for the upcoming football season, the 4-A Big Nine bears a tremendous resemblance to the former AAA Big 10 Conference. Eight of those teams made the transition to the Big Nine, while only Yough and Elizabeth Forward moved elsewhere. In their place, Greensburg Salem, formerly of the AAA Greater Allegheny Conference, has joined the section. Thus, many of the rivalries are already in place in the section, and teams and coaches will have a high level of familiarity. A notable difference for this season, though, is that only four teams will earn playoff bids, whereas the conference produced five teams a year ago.
CTK ’16: 4-A Northwest Nine Conference Preview
With the coming of six classifications, some conferences were merged into others. Gone is the Parkway Conference, one of the toughest in the nation. Also gone is the Greater Allegheny, known for some REALLY long bus trips over a 5 county area. Now we have the Northwest Nine, a combination of the two above mentioned with a little Century Conference thrown in. Let’s preview the new conference, which is sure to be exciting for fans over the next 2 years. AMBRIDGE BRIDGERS The Bridgers finished 5-5 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2005 out of the Parkway Conference. Ambridge won their last 3 conference games to make the Highway to Heinz. That was the good news.
CTK ’16: 5-A Big East Conference Preview
August 19, 2016
The 5A Big East Conference bares a strong resemblance for the former Quad-A Foothills Conference, as Connellsville, Greater Latrobe, Kiski Area, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and Plum all remain intact. The other three spots, though, are comprised of teams previously in the AAA Greater Allegheny Conference, Franklin Regional, Gateway and Armstrong. Six of the nine squads qualified for the postseason last year, with Penn-Trafford reaching Heinz Field for the Quad-A title game and McKeesport also ranking among Quad-A's best. If the Warriors and Tigers take even a slight step back this year, though, the conference could be wide open.
CTK ’16: 5-A Allegheny Nine Conference Preview
August 18, 2016
One of the best aspects of the football realignment is the potential to build new and exciting rivalries. The Allegheny Nine Conference certainly provides some captivating possibilities, as former Quad-A Powerhouses Woodland Hills and Upper St. Clair are now joined by an elite team from AAA, West Allegheny. Six of the nine teams qualified for the postseason in 2015, with North Hills, Hampton and Chartiers Valley joining the aforementioned three. Meanwhile, two teams that finished at the bottom of their respective Quad-A conferences, Baldwin and Fox Chapel, join former AAA squad Moon to round out the newly-formed 5A section.
CTK ’16: 6-A Southeastern Conference Preview
August 17, 2016
A conference in the WPIAL’s largest classification that is made up of southern suburban teams … and doesn’t include Upper St. Clair? That might seem strange, but that is how things shake down this year under the new six classification system that the PIAA put in place. The Class 6A Southeastern Conference has seven teams, including Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park. But not Upper St. Clair. Under the new system, determined by school enrollments, Upper St. Clair will play Class 5A. The rivalry games between Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park, are no more. The new 6A Southeastern Conference has southern and eastern teams.
CTK ’16: 6-A Northern Seven Conference Preview
When the WPIAL made conferences for the new 6A classification, a big questions was where to put Pittsburgh Central Catholic? Competitive balance apparently wasn’t an issue for the WPIAL. The WPIAL bosses put Central Catholic in the Northern Seven Conference – and essentially made the Northern Seven much stronger than the other 6A Conference (Southeastern). Central Catholic has played in the northern suburban conference before, but the WPIAL also put Penn Hills – an east suburban school – into the Northern Seven. There were many who thought Central Catholic would be placed in the Southeastern to balance the competitiveness. With Central Catholic in the Northern Seven, that conference now appears to be much stronger - top to bottom - than the Southeastern.
CTK ’16: MSA SPORTS PRESEASON ELITE ELEVEN
August 16, 2016
Pittsburgh Central Catholic is ranked in the top 20 in some national preseason polls. To MSA Sports, the Vikings have three players who rank among the top 11 in the WPIAL. Three Central Catholic players have been selected to the MSA Sports Elite 11 preseason team. The squad is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL and is picked by the MSA Sports staff. The three Central Catholic players named to the Elite 11 are lineman C.J. Thorpe, lineman Kurt Hinish and linebacker David Adams. All three seniors already are commited to Division I colleges. Thorpe will attend Penn State while Adams and Hinish have made verbal commitments to Notre Dame. While Central Catholic has three players on the Elite 11, Steel Valley has two – Paris Ford and Dewayne Murray.
CTK ’16: New WPIAL Football Coaches
August 15, 2016
New Faces - New Places - New Hopes - New Dreams. While there were two fewer coaching changes this off-season then before the 2015 campaign, there were a couple of big names that hung up the whistle after last fall. Legendary McKeesport coach George Smith retired for a second time while record setting coach Tom Nola exited at Gateway. There are a lot of rookie head coaches getting their first crack, and some coaches who are just changing hats and addresses. Whatever the case, there are 17 coaching changes coming into this 2016 season. Here are the new football coaches that will be running the sidelines in the WPIAL this fall. CLASS 6-A: ALTOONA - Nick Felus replaces John FrancoThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/15/2016
High school football camps are now open around the WPIAL in preparation for the 2016 season as Countdown to Kickoff 2016 and Frontier League baseball continue this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We continue to prepare you every day for the upcoming high school football season with CTK '16. The Network is also the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as they visit Traverse City for three games before returning home to CONSOL Energy Park to face Schaumburg this weekend, plus we have another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, August 15th:
