Football
2015 WPIAL/Pittsburgh City League Standings
October 18, 2015
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week Seven of the 2015 high school football season...including the latest WPIAL Playoff clinchings and eliminations. Once again this year, we have added points for, point against and the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 123 teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Standings can be also seen on each teams football webpage here on the MSA Sports Network. (Top 5 teams from AAAA and AAA conferences qualify for playoffs plus a sixth place wild card team) (Top 4 teams from AA and A conferences qualify for the playoffs)WPIAL Saturday’s Scholastic Starz – Week Seven
Lets see, there was definitely a chill in the air on the seventh Saturday of the 2015 high school football season, but there was something else in the air you could detect at the two WPIAL games at historic Graham Field in Wilkinsburg and at Thee Summit Academy in Herman. Playoff tension? Possibly. Civic and school pride? Maybe. Lots and lots of passes? Not really. No, the answer was Mid-October SNOW FLURRIES! What the... Anyway, as we thaw out, lets tip our frozen lid to these two players who were red hot on a downright cold Saturday afternoon. Duane Brown - Apollo-RidgeWPIAL Friday Night HighLights – Week Seven – 2015
October 17, 2015
On the seventh Friday of the high school football season, there was a chill in the air throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Or maybe based on the below performances, there was a thrill in the air. Friday marked the start of the 'Stretch Run' of the 2015 campaign, where the pressure starts to mount over the final three weeks as we inch closer to the on-ramp to the Highway to Heinz...much like real life, where we hope that on-ramp is not closed due to construction. Anyway, here are those players that shined in victory on a mid-October eve. Ronnie Jones - Pittsburgh Central CatholicWPIAL Saturday Football Scores – 10/16/2015
October 16, 2015
They say that one is the loneliest number in whole wide world. Well when it came to high school football in Southwestern Pennsylvania, two is very lonely too. The seventh Saturday of the season had only two WPIAL games on the docket, one Double-A game that featured a desperate team trying to climb back into the playoff chase while the Single-A game showcased a Top 10 team looking to stay in a tie for second place. Here are the results from both games played in the snow flurries on Saturday afternoon. WPIAL CLASS AA Allegheny Conference: Apollo-Ridge Vikings 36 - Summit Academy Knights 24 (MSA) WPIAL CLASS A Eastern Conference: Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 41 - Wilkinsburg Tigers 18Scholastic Notebook – 10/16/2015
Aliquippa is the only school in the WPIAL to have four running backs rush for more than 4,000 yards in their careers. There will likely be one for the thumb by the end of the season. Aliquippa senior running back Kaezon Pugh went over 3,000 yards two weeks ago and now has 3,210. Barring injury, Pugh should get 4,000 this season. He has three regular-season games left and Aliquippa should play at least two playoff games. The Quips are undefeated and played in the WPIAL Class AA championship seven years in a row. What’s impressive about Pugh is his yards-per-carry average. It’s almost 10 for his career. Pugh has 3,210 yards on 324 carries (9.9 average).WPIAL/City League Friday Football Scores – 10/16/2015
The WPIAL officially hit Seventh Heaven on Friday night as the 2015 'Stretch Run' began. What is this 'Stretch Run' thing you keep hearing about on MSA Sports? It's the final three weeks of the high school football regular season that will help decided conference champions, home field advantage in the opening round of the postseason and playoff berths with a chance to ride on the Highway to Heinz. Here are ALL of the final scores from around the WPIAL and Pittsburgh City league from Friday night. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Northern Eight Conference: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 38 - Seneca Valley Raiders 14 (F) North Allegheny Tigers 56 - Fox Chapel Foxes 6 (F) Pine-Richland Rams 67 - Butler Golden Tornado 30 (F)Chicks Picks – Week 7 – 2015
October 15, 2015
Welcome to Week 7 of the high school football season. The 2015 Stretch Run is here – that time of year when the regular season is coming down to the wire with key games and the postseason looming. Chick’s Picks feels that this is a critical time for the MSA Sports Network team to get mentally prepared for the playoffs, just as do the players and coaches around the WPIAL. So, each year, Chick’s Picks takes it upon herself to organize a group exercise activity as a means of building teamwork and mental toughness for this most important time of the season.WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Seven 2015
October 14, 2015
The “Stretch Run” for 2015 is on us, the final third of the regular season will start this weekend with several big games around the WPIAL. Players, whether you are playing for a number one seed, a conference title, a home playoff game, a shot at the playoffs, a winning season, or to get your only win of the season, play hard, keep your head up when you tackle and make the most of this time in your life. If you are going to watch, cheer hard, bellyache less about the refs and the coaches, support your kids and your team without feeling like you need to control or have some input as to how the other team should or should not conduct themselves. It’ll be so much more fun for you and the people around you. Need to know where to go, or which link to click?MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 10/12/2015
October 12, 2015
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. These are the rankings following Week Six of the 2015 WPIAL football season. WPIAL CLASS AAAA WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN: 1. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (6-0) (Last Week #1.....Week Seven host AAA #1 West Allegheny on MSA) 2. PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS (6-0) (Last Week #2.....Week Seven host Shaler on MSA) 3. PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (6-0) (Last Week #3.....Week Seven at Butler on MSA)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Dante Nania
Dante Nania enjoyed a prolific high school career as the quarterback for the Hempfield Area Spartans, and he has gone on to enjoy great success collegiately at both Youngstown State University and now Slippery Rock University. This week’s WPIAL Alum Q&A puts the senior signalcaller under the spotlight. While at Hempfield, Nania was a four-year letterwinner and earned first-team all-conference recognition. In his senior campaign in 2010, he threw for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns.2015 WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Standings – Week 6
October 11, 2015
Here are the latest WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football standings through Week Six of the 2015 high school football season...including the latest WPIAL Playoff clinchings and eliminations. Once again this year, we have added points for, point against and the updated WPIAL tiebreaker points for all 123 teams. Standings are updated after Friday and Saturday's scholastic gridiron action each week. Standings can be also seen on each teams football webpage here on the MSA Sports Network. (Top 5 teams from AAAA and AAA conferences qualify for playoffs plus a sixth place wild card team) (Top 4 teams from AA and A conferences qualify for the playoffs)WPIAL Saturday’s Scholastic Starz – Week Six
Friday night from Week 6 around the WPIAL featured a plethora of big games. The sixth Saturday of the 2015 campaign saw a smorgasbord of District 7 gridiron action. A taste of high school football with teams from all FOUR classifications made up the busiest Saturday of the season with six football contests. McKeesport, Moon, Burgettstown and Freedom picked a postcard perfect day to celebrate Homecoming 2015. But who was wearing the crown at the end of the day for top performances? Khaleke Hudson, Mark Cromerdie, Kyreek Sayles - McKeesportWPIAL Friday Night HighLights – Week Six
October 10, 2015
While the mercury continues to dip as October and autumn settle in, the lineup of big games was red hot up and down the FOUR classifications around the WPIAL. Battles for first place here, showdowns between unbeaten teams there, big games, big games everywhere. Some of them lived up to their billing and thrilled the huge crowds on hands, some were closer early before the final results was no so tight, and others were just an old fashioned butt whipping. Whatever the case, big game or not, here are the players that stood out in various playoff like atmosphere's in only Week Six. Philip Jurkovec - Pine-RichlandWPIAL Saturday Football Scores – 10/10/2015
It was the busiest Saturday of WPIAL football in the regular season on a picture perfect day for a Homecoming Day contest, which four of the six games fell under. Much like its predecessor in Week 6 - Friday night, Saturday had key games throughout the slate as well. A key battle between playoff hopefuls in the AAA Parkway Conference...two teams locked in a four-team playoff chase for a pair of AA Interstate Conference spots...and a highly ranked team in Class A hoping to not fall into a trap as they prepared to play of the A Black Hills Conference title next week. Three of the six games were heard here on MSA Sports. Here are ALL of the results, including a big upset in Class A. Games marked (MSA) can be heard live and archived at www.msasports.netScholastic Notebook – 10/09/2015
October 9, 2015
Many Class A football players are often smaller in size than those in Class AAA or AAAA. But Avonworth’s Zach Chandler and Neshannock’s Frank Antuono are Class A quarterbacks who would be large for any team, regardless of class. And Chandler and Antuono are doing some big, big things this season. Chandler is 6 feet 4, 235 pounds, while Antuono is 6-2, 220 and bench presses 400 pounds. Now consider what these “big guys” are doing: *Chandler, a senior, leads the WPIAL in passing yardage with 1,702 after five games. He has completed 83 of 134. This after missing most of the past two seasons with injuries. He has helped Avonworth to a 4-1 record.WPIAL/City League Friday Football Scores – 10/08/2015
October 8, 2015
Week Six...WOW! Big games here, big games there, big games, big games everywhere. One week before the Stretch Run began, first place was at stake in no less than seven conferences up and down the WPIAL, including five matchups between teams that had perfect conference records and three showdowns of 5-0 vs 5-0. Of Course, ALL of those key contests can be heard archived here on The Network. Here are ALL of the final scores from the sixth Friday of the season. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Foothills Conference: Penn-Trafford Warriors 42 - Hempfield Spartans 7 (F) Plum Mustangs 49 - Connelsville Falcons 23 (F) Altoona Mountain Lions 28 - Latrobe Wildcats 14 (F) Norwin Knights 40 - Kiski Area Cavaliers 31 (F)Chicks Picks – Week 6 – 2015
Welcome to Week 6 of the high school football season. Friday nights at MSA Sports World Headquarters are hard work. As a reward, The Boss provides delicious dinner for the crew from the best pizza place in town. Last week, an unfamiliar delivery man showed up with the evening’s provisions. As he handed over the order, however, it became obvious that something was not right. When the crew began to question the delivery man, he panicked and ran for the exit—right into the regular delivery man who was bringing the actual order. The spill caused the impersonator to lose the contents of his pockets, including his cell phone, which happened to start ringing at that exact moment—caller I.D.: The Fumbler.PIAA Approves 6 Classes for Football, Hoops, Baseball & Softball
Are you ready for six classifications in Pennsylvania high school football? And boys basketball? And girls basketball? And baseball? And softball? Six classifications in all of those sports will be a reality in the 2016-17 school year. That was the gigantic news that came out of a PIAA board of directors meeting Wednes day in Mechanicsburg. Heading into the meeting, the main topic on the agenda was supposed to be a final vote on the expansion of classifications in football from four to six. The PIAA had already passed that in two other votes, and needed only to pass one more vote before going into effect for the 2016-17 season. That proposal easily passed by a 26-4 vote. But there was more big news to come.WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Six 2015
October 7, 2015
In the mid-1800’ when you went to the fabric store and asked for a bolt or a yard of cloth, the clerk would first just hold it out at ‘arms- length’ to give you an idea of how much you were getting. But, when the time came for the actual cutting of the fabric and the paying of the money the fabric would be measured exactly between a pair of brass tacks set in the counter at specific lengths. That’s where the term “getting down to brass tacks” comes from. No more looks from a distance at who are the championship contenders in the WPIAL. This week we get down to “brass tacks” with top-ten battles sprinkled throughout every classification. Here are four dandies for you to take in on…. THE NETWORK, this weekend.Three Football Players Suspended After Monessen-Wilkinsburg Fight
After meeting with school officials from both Monessen and Wilkinsburg along with game officials on Tuesday, the WPIAL has ordered that two Wilkinsburg players and one Monessen player be suspended by the schools for at least two games, or else the two programs could be suspended by the WPIAL. This edict came down Wednesday morning following a fight Saturday between players from both teams that led to the football game being stopped in the third quarter with Monessen leading at historic Graham Field in Wilkinsburg. The identity of all three players was not revealed. The WPIAL does not have the authority to suspend the players, so they have asked the schools to do it or else they risk having their season suspended by the WPIAL.
