Football
Big Game Hunting for Week Three 2016
September 14, 2016
In my time doing Big Game Hunting I cannot recall any other regular season week in which the top games were so obvious. Week three has it all, consistent Top-Ten battles across five of the six classifications, the two leading passers in the WPIAL, the leading rusher and scorer in the WPIAL, and three of the top six receivers in the WPIAL. All of this saves me the trouble of having to come up with an engaging and interesting opening paragraph, and let’s be honest I was only hitting about .250 at that to begin with so, without further ado, let’s go Big Game Hunting!MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 09/12/2016
September 12, 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...including another NEW #1 team in Class 3-A. Here are the rankings following Week Two of the 2016 high school football season. WPIAL CLASS 6-A WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP SEVEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (2-1) (Last Week #1.....Week Three - host #4 Hempfield on MSA) 2. PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (2-1) (Last Week #2.....Week Three - at #3 Penn Hills on MSA)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Ryan Lewis
In high school, Ryan Lewis starred in two different sports at two different schools. His somewhat unorthodox path, though, led him to Robert Morris University, where he's now a standout on the Colonials' defensive line. Lewis is this week's spotlight for the WPIAL Alum Q&A. As a sophomore and junior in high school, Lewis was a standout for North Catholic. As a 6-foot-5, 200-plus pound receiver, he was a matchup nightmare for opponents. Likewise, he wreaked havoc on the defensive side, where he had 18 sacks and 100 tackles in his junior campaign. The Trojans finished 7-4 that season, making it to the Class A quarterfinals.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/11/2016
September 11, 2016
It's another busy week of fall high school sports here on the MSA Sports Network. The high school football season moves to Week Three and The Network has 28 WPIAL football weekend contests starting with the MSA Sports pregame Show Friday at 6pm and concluding with the WPIAL Scoreboard Show at 9:30pm. We also have six District 6 and District 9 high school football games, WPIAL girls soccer and WPIAL girls volleyball, College soccer and volleyball featuring Carlow University, plus the debut of the MSA Sports Hometown Girls Volleyball Show and another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.netMSA Sports Saturdays Scholastic Starz for Week Two
Any coach will tell you, versatility in a football player is huge. If you can play various positions at a high level in all three aspects of the game, that is a very good thing. Especially in Class 1-A where rosters sizes are small and the demand for versatility is not only appreciated, but needed. Here are the top five stand out performances from a gusty Saturday afternoon in Week Two as the play of these guys 'blew away' their opponents. Kenny Robinson - Imani Christian2016 WPIAL Football Standings – 09/11
Here are the latest WPIAL football standings through Week One of the 2016 high school football season. 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. (Top 4 teams from both conferences in 6-A, 5-A and 4-A qualify for the playoffs) (Top 2 teams from the three conferences in 3-A along with two third place wild cards qualify for the playoffs) (Top 5 teams from the three conference in 2-A and 1-A along with one sixth place wild card qualify for the playoffs) # = Clinched Section Title * = Clinched Playoff Berth x = Eliminated From Playoff ChaseMSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week Two
September 10, 2016
It was wet...it was wild...and depending on what sideline you were on, it was a wonderful Friday night of high school football...and we are only in Week Two. A long winning streak stretching over parts of seven years came to a sudden halt...a long losing streak came within inches of ending...and depending on what part of Western Pennsylvania you were watching your favorite team, you either had to deal with a pregame sprinkle or a mid-game downpour. Oh yeah, there were these gems that provided the icing on a very delicious scholastic football cake. Phil Jurkovec - Pine-RichlandWPIAL Football Scores for Sat 9/10
For a second straight Saturday, the WPIAL focus was on Class 1-A as we wound down a wild and crazy Week Two. There were three afternoon conference contests and a pair of non-conference matchups, one of which included a Class 2-A team sliding into the Saturday schedule mix under the lights to cap off the weekend. Here are all of the results. WPIAL CLASS 1-A Big 7 Conference: Western Beaver Golden Beavers 34 - Cornell Raiders 0 (MSA) Rochester Rams 42 - Summit Academy Knights 18 WPIAL CLASS 1-A Eastern Conference: Imani Christian Saints 30 - Riverview Raiders 21 WPIAL CLASS 2-A vs CLASS 1-A Non-Conference:Scholastic Notebook – 09/09/2016
September 9, 2016
Pine-Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec has been all the rage of dual-threat quarterbacks in the WPIAL the past two seasons. Jurkovec has gotten many props and loads of publicity – rightly so – for his ability to throw and run. But up north at small Neshannock High School, there is another quarterback doing big things running and passing. Frankly speaking, he could finish with statistics you don’t see often from WPIAL quarterbacks.WPIAL and City League Football Scores for 9/9
Now that everybody dipped their toes into the WPIAL football season pool at least once this year, our first Friday night of weather issues came into play. Rain, some very heavy, affected most of the action in Western Pennsylvania, especially south of the City of Pittsburgh. Check out all of the final results from a wild Friday night in Week Two. WPIAL CLASS 6-A Northern Seven Conference: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 55 - North Allegheny Tigers 14 (F) Pine-Richland Rams 51 - Seneca Valley Raiders 20 (F) WPIAL CLASS 6-A Southeastern Conference: Hempfield Spartans 41 - Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 38 (F)Chicks Picks for Week Two
September 8, 2016
Welcome to Week 2 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks has been fortunate enough to make a lot of friends throughout her prognosticating career – some that are unforgettable, and others that she cares to forget. One of Chick’s Picks’ favorites happens to be a very dear Twitter pal, who happens to be the better half of a local coach. This Twitter pal in particular has stood by Chick’s Picks through good times and bad – weeks when the crystal ball was on fire, as well as weeks when early retirement was considered. Earlier this season, during Week Zero, Chick’s Picks’ pal even came through with her own prediction when the crystal ball was in the shop for maintenance.Big Game Hunting for Week Two 2016
September 7, 2016
Friday and Saturday the MSA Sports Network has you covered with wall to wall games from week two of the WPIAL season, and hey, even if your game turns out to be not that good, at least you won’t have to watch the Pirates! Some eyebrows were raised last week and there were also a lot of “I told you so”s being thrown around the WPIAL in week one. We continue to discover who is going to rise to the top, and who is going to find themselves in a dog fight for their playoff lives here in 2016. Because for sure, some of these teams are going to show a lot more fight for their playoff lives than the aforementioned Pirates. So forget that dusty old Jolly Roger over there in the corner and let’s go Big Game Hunting!MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Football – 09/05/2016
September 5, 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...including a NEW #1 team in Class 3-A. Here are the rankings following Week One of the 2016 high school football season. WPIAL CLASS 6-A WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP SEVEN: 1. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (1-1) (Last Week #1.....Week Two - host #3 North Allegheny on MSA) 2. PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (1-1) (Last Week #2.....Week Two - host #4 Seneca Valley on MSA) 3. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (1-1) (Last Week #3.....Week Two - at #1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic on MSA)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/05/2016
The new high school sports season kicks into full gear this first full week of September here on the MSA Sports Network. The high school football season moves to Week Two and The Network has 31 WPIAL football weekend contests starting with the MSA Sports pregame Show Friday at 6pm and concluding with the WPIAL Scoreboard Show at 9:30pm. We also have seven District 6 and District 9 high school football games to go with the debut of WPIAL boys soccer and WPIAL girls volleyball, plus another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, September 5th:MSA Sports Saturdays Scholastic Starz for Week One
September 4, 2016
The bright sunshine was shining down on Class 1-A in the WPIAL on a wonderful afternoon for high school football and conclusion of Week One. A pair of Eastern Conference frays and a Big 7 Conference tilt made up the schedule, setting the stage for three quarterbacks to do damage with both their arms and their legs. Jeddy Young - Western Beaver2016 WPIAL Football Standings – 09/03
September 3, 2016
Here are the latest WPIAL football standings through Week One of the 2016 high school football season. 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. (Top 4 teams from both conferences in 6-A, 5-A and 4-A qualify for the playoffs) (Top 2 teams from the three conferences in 3-A along with two third place wild cards qualify for the playoffs) (Top 5 teams from the three conference in 2-A and 1-A along with one sixth place wild card qualify for the playoffs) # = Clinched Section Title * = Clinched Playoff Berth x = Eliminated From Playoff ChaseMSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week One
Week Zero produced plenty of memorable moments last weekend, but the problem was only half of the WPIAL teams were able to enjoy that sweet opening night feeling. Well, all 122 teams were suited up for action for Week One, with 63 of the 66 district games taking place on a wonderful weather wise Friday night. These players took full advantage of the conditions as they thrived in victories that for most, put them atop their section standings with conference opener triumphs. Phil Jurkovec - Pine-RichlandWPIAL and City League Football Scores for 9/2
September 2, 2016
You could refer to the first ever Week Zero as a fancy dress rehearsal as half of the WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League teams played a traditional second scrimmage while the other half played actual non-conference games. Whatever the case was last week, the fun began Friday as most teams officially kick off the 2016 season with conference openers. Here are ALL of the final results from Friday in Week One. WPIAL 6-A Northern Seven Conference: Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 48 - Shaler Titans 7 (F) Penn Hills Indians 37 - Butler Golden Tornado 6 (F) WPIAL 6-A Southeastern Conference: Hempfield Spartans 35 - Canon-McMillan Big Macs 12 (F)Chicks Picks for Week One 2016
September 1, 2016
Welcome to Week 1 of the high school football season. It has been a busy summer for Chick’s Picks. As she finally settled in to focus on the season upon us, she realized that quite a few things had changed – MSA Sports World Headquarters relocated, AND the WPIAL changed to six classifications. When Chick’s Picks informed her trusty crystal ball that it needed to be up and running in the new world headquarters for Week Zero, her key prognosticating tool went into overload mode. Chick’s Picks rushed the crystal ball to the shop for maintenance, but, as it turned out, a major overhaul was required. The prognosticator, along with her crystal ball, had to watch Week Zero from the sidelines.Big Game Hunting for Week One 2016
August 31, 2016
Big Game Hunting gets bigger! Nothing wrong with that, right? 2016 and our weekly four-pack gets rounded out to an actual 6-pack. While I am not a fan yet of six classifications; I am willing to give it a try and I am a huge fan of six-packs. When someone shows up at your door and they have a six-pack, they are automatically your friend. Well in 2016 I will be showing up at your door with a six-pack every week, so that will make us friends. That’s a good thing and so is more football talk, and so is researching and writing about 150% of the games for the same amount of money right? Er…. Without further ado, let’s for the first time in 2016, go Big Game Hunting!
