Football
CTK ’17 – 1-A Eastern Conference Preview
August 25, 2017
Last season, the 1A Eastern Conference once again reigned supreme, with Clairton edging section foe Jeannette in the finals for the second straight year. Meanwhile, Imani Christian returned to WPIAL play and made the playoffs, while Greensburg Central Catholic uncharacteristically was out of the postseason. Despite the loss of two superstars, the Bears will likely […]
CTK ’17 – 2-A Three Rivers Conference Preview
August 24, 2017
Surely, Steel Valley can’t be as strong as last season, when the Ironmen won WPIAL and PIAA championships by invoking the mercy rule in every game. Due to the loss of a number of players, Steel Valley can’t expect a repeat of such dominance. But the question is can anybody in the Class 2A Three […]
CTK ’17 – 2-A Midwestern Athletic Conference Preview
August 23, 2017
The Midwestern Athletic Conference had six teams qualify for the Class 2A playoffs in 2016. Five of those six teams won a game in the postseason. A wide variety of teams and directions exist in the MAC. Teams like Riverside and Laurel bounce back from troublesome years to find success and playoff victories. Cardinal Wuerl […]
CTK ’17 – 2-A Century Conference Preview
Washington took control of the new-look Century Conference in its inception in 2016. However, the Prexies were the only team from the conference to record a postseason victory. After the Prexies, there is an apparent log-jam for the remaining playoff spots out of the conference. Some teams are returning a vast majority of their starters, […]
CTK ’17 – 3-A Interstate Conference Preview
August 22, 2017
For the majority of last season, all of the talk in the 3A classification revolved around the Beaver Valley Conference. While that conference did produce both finalists in the WPIAL title game at Heinz Field, the Interstate Conference had its fair share of compelling storylines. Chief among them was the unexpected rise to prominence of […]This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/22/2017
We continue to prepare for the upcoming high school football season, including the unofficial start to the 2017 campaign as well as our continued coverage of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. Our 2017 Countdown to Kickoff continues with a month long daily previews of the 2017 WPIAL football season, plus […]
CTK ’17 – Week Two WPIAL Football Scrimmages
WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools had a choice to make again this year. Under PIAA rules, teams could either play the traditional second scrimmage or schedule an exhibition game. This year, it was not the 50-50 split decision it was last summer. Of the 127 WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League high school football teams, 49 decided […]
CTK ’17 – WPIAL Saturday Football Schedule
August 21, 2017
While there is little doubt that high school football is king on Friday nights in Western Pennsylvania, Saturday high school football in the WPIAL is still enjoyed by many, although sadly it is becoming a dying breed with only five schools that play a majority of their home games on Saturday afternoons or evenings. Last […]
CTK ’17 – 3-A Allegheny Conference Preview
The two schools that are located across the street from each other in the South Hills could reside next to each other at the top of their football conference. That’s how the WPIAL Class 3A Allegheny Conference shapes up this season. It seems everyone from media outlets to coaches are projecting Seton-LaSalle as the team […]
CTK ’17 – 3-A Beaver Valley Conference Preview
As many predicted, last year’s Beaver Valley Conference was so strong that, with the new classifications, at least one extremely qualified team would be left out of the postseason. Beaver went from first place to out of the playoffs altogether with one Week Nine defeat. With only two teams guaranteed to make the playoffs, every […]
CTK ’17 – 4-A Big Nine Conference Preview
The Big Nine Conference not only produced the WPIAL champs in 4A last year, but also featured three semifinalists: Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin and Ringgold. Everyone else is still looking up at TJ, though, as the Jaguars cruised to another district crown. Belle Vernon Area also made the postseason in 2016, while Greensburg Salem and […]
CTK ’17 – 4-A Northwest Nine Conference Preview
Throughout the WPIAL, it is tough to imagine a conference more diverse than the 4A Northwest Nine. One team with a prolific spread offense passing attack, another with a team that threw the ball on average just over six times per game, and a couple of teams with quality dual-threat quarterbacks. Each week is a […]
CTK ’17 – 5-A Allegheny Nine Conference Preview
Look on the sidelines in games involving Allegheny Conference teams and you might want to often say, “Hey, new guy.” The Allegheny Nine is full of new head coaches. Of the nine teams, four have new head coaches. One team, Woodland Hills, has changed head coaches twice since the end of last season. The new […]
CTK ’17 – 5-A Big East Conference Preview
August 17, 2017
Last season, Big East Conference teams were involved in some of the most dramatic and wild finishes in the entire WPIAL, including multiple involving the McKeesport Tigers. In the regular season, Armstrong edged McKeesport in an overtime classic. Meanwhile in the 5A semifinals, it was the Tigers who pulled off a Hail Mary to win […]
CTK ’17 – Week One WPIAL Football Scrimmages
FINALLY! High school football camps throughout Pennsylvania opened for business on Monday. That means district teams have five days of practice before they hit the field for either the first of two scrimmages or in the case of some teams, their only scrimmage prior to Week Zero. All Pennsylvania high school football teams have the […]
CTK ’17 – New WPIAL Football Coaches
New Faces – New Places – New Hopes – New Dreams. There are six more coaching changes this off-season then before the 2016 campaign. There are a lot of rookie head coaches getting their first crack, some coaches who are just changing hats and addresses and one who has gone back to the future. Whatever […]
CTK ’17 – 6-A Southeastern Conference Preview
The storylines all throughout the regular season last year in 6A revolved around how the Southeastern Conference lacked any heavyweight teams, while the Northern Seven boasted several title contenders. Unfortunately for fans of the Southeastern Conference, that’s exactly how things played out in the playoffs, too, as all four representatives were bounced in the first […]
CTK ’17 – 6-A Northern Seven Conference Preview
Of the seven teams in the Northern Seven Conference, at least one of them has been in a WPIAL championship game nine times in the past seven years. Two times over the past three years the championship in the WPIAL’s largest class has matched two teams from the Northern Seven. Come late November this year, […]
CTK ’17 – 2017 WPIAL Class 1-A Players to Watch
Countdown to Kickoff 2017 continues with a six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP […]
CTK ’17 – 2017 WPIAL Class 2-A Players to Watch
Countdown to Kickoff 2017 continues with a six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP […]
