Football
Scholastic Notebook – 01/27/2017
January 27, 2017
If A.J. Myers and Cameron Hanley ever get together and grab a bite to eat, it would only be appropriate if they went to Applebee’s, just so they could order off the 2 for $20 menu. Myers and Hanley are members of the Chartiers-Houston boys basketball team. On the menu that is the leading scorers list for the WPIAL, Myers and Hanley are the only 2 for 20 you can find. Myers, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, is averaging 26 points a game. He is the sixth-leading scorer in the WPIAL. Hanley, a 6-foot junior guard, is averaging 21.7. No other WPIAL team has two players averaging 20.Scholastic Notebook – 01/20/2017
January 20, 2017
It was six years ago that Kyle DeGregorio went through a painful experience of being let go as Baldwin’s boys basketball coach. But DeGregorio eventually found new coaching life a little farther south down Route 51, and has given the Belle Vernon program a new heartbeat. Belle Vernon is 10-3 and tied with McGuffey and South Fayette for first place in WPIAL Class 4A Section 3. Two of those tied teams square off Friday when Belle Vernon plays host to South Fayette.Scholastic Notebook – 01/13/2017
January 13, 2017
Over the next five days, WPIAL boys basketball has three of the top games of the entire season and all three are on MSA Sports. While the teams make the matchups big, the players involved make the contests bigger than big. The big games are Friday and Tuesday. They are: Pine-Richland (No. 1 in the MSA 6A rankings) at North Hills (No. 3) Friday night at 7:30. Chartiers Valley (No. 1 in 5A) at Mars (No. 3) Friday night at 7:30. Latrobe (No. 2 in 6A) at Penn Hills (No. 4) Tuesday night at 7:30.Scholastic Notebook – 01/06/2017
January 6, 2017
Look at the progression of the Laurel High School boys basketball program the past few years, and it is quite evident that the Spartans are now all Locked in. Ken Locke is in his fifth season as the Spartans’ coach. The program without much history has made giant strides the past few years. Now this year, the Spartans are doing things never seen before at the school. In the latest MSA Sports WPIAL rankings that came out at the beginning of the week, Laurel was No. 3 in Class 2A. But that was before Laurel knocked off No. 1 Sewickley Academy this past Tuesday. Laurel heads into Friday night’s big game against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with a perfect 9-0 record. The Spartans are one of only four teams in the WPIAL with a perfect record.MSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2016 Recap
January 4, 2017
It case you missed it, here is a look at our annual end of the year countdown of top stories or events from around the WPIAL. As we begin 2017, we look back at some of the top stories from around the WPIAL in calendar year 2016 with the entire countdown. #25 - CROSS-COUNTRY RUN ENDS
MSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2016 – #5 through #1
January 1, 2017
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at the MSA Sports Network. As we close out 2016 and another great high school sports year, we look back at some of the top stories from around the WPIAL in calendar year 2016. We conclude our countdown with #5 through #1. #5 - YOUNG AND OLD FINAL FAIRWELLS
MSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2016 – #10 through #6
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at the MSA Sports Network. As we close out 2016 and another great high school sports year, we look back at some of the top stories from around the WPIAL in calendar year 2016. We continue our countdown with #10 through #6. #10 - BLACK & ORANGE IS STILL GOLDEN
MSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2016 – #15 through #11
December 31, 2016
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at the MSA Sports Network. As we close out 2016 and another great high school sports year, we look back at some of the top stories from around the WPIAL in calendar year 2016. We continue our countdown with #15 through #11. #15 - BRIDESMAIDS NO MORE
MSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2016 – #20 through #16
December 30, 2016
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at the MSA Sports Network. As we close out 2016 and another great high school sports year, we look back at some of the top stories from around the WPIAL in calendar year 2016. We continue our countdown with #20 through #16. #20 - FROM NUMBER ONE TO DONE
WPIAL Coaches Corner – Ryan Matsook
December 24, 2016
‘Tis the season for getting to know some of the hometown coaches here in western Pennsylvania. In this brand new feature titled “Coach’s Corner”, I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts.
Clairton’s Lamont Wade Commits to Penn State
December 17, 2016
Clairton's Lamont Wade's college recruitment has been one of the most publicized and closely followed of any WPIAL player in recent memory. On Saturday night, Wade revealed his decision by saying just two words: We Are. Wade committed to join Penn State, choosing the Nittany Lions over his other finalists, Pitt, West Virginia, Tennessee and UCLA.
2016 MSA SPORTS ELITE ELEVEN
December 16, 2016
The Elite 11 was into breaking records. A number of players on this year’s Elite 11 broke records, whether they were WPIAL marks or school records. The team is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL and is picked by the MSA Sports staff. This year’s team is made up of 10 seniors and one junior. Four of the players were quarterbacks and another played quarterback a little. The team includes three of the top six WPIAL rushers of all time and two of the top three touchdown makers of all time. Other players accomplished things never seen before in the WPIAL. A number of the players have already made their college choices and this year’s team is “Zane-y.” Two of the players are named Zane. Here is a look at the MSA Sports Elite 11 and the Player of the Year:Scholastic Notebook – 12/12/2016
December 12, 2016
No one knew much about Najhier West before the PIAA Class 2A championship Saturday morning. But only hours after the game, West was being talked about on national television and his running ability put him right up there with some well-known athletes on a college and pro level. West is a junior running back at Steel Valley, the backup halfback to DeWayne Murray. But Murray wasn’t at full strength and didn’t play all that much in the title game against Southern Columbia at Hersheypark Stadium. It might have been a big deal because West is the sixth-leading rusher in WPIAL history. But Steel Valley simply went West.
WPIAL Coaches Corner – Bob Palko
December 11, 2016
‘Tis the season for getting to know some of the hometown coaches here in western Pennsylvania. In this brand new feature titled “Coach’s Corner”, I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts. First up this week is the West Allegheny Indians football Coach Bob Palko. Coach Palko led the Indians to another WPIAL title this year, his record 8th title as a head coach. He also recorded his 200th win in the state playoffs this year, another amazing milestone. Let’s take a look inside Coach Palko’s corner:
2016 PIAA Football Playoffs – The Road to Hershey RESULTS
Six strong WPIAL champions participated in the PIAA playoffs, four of them advanced to the finals in Hershey and two of them came home as state champions. Both Beaver Falls in 3-A and Steel Valley in 2-A won state crowns for the first time in school history while both Pittsburgh Central Catholic in 6-A and Clairton in 1-A fell short of adding to the PIAA titles count and settled for silver in a chilled Chocolate Town. Here are ALL of the final results from the first ever expanded 2016 PIAA Football Playoffs. Games marked with (MSA) are games broadcast live and archived on the MSA Sports Network. 2016 PIAA CLASS 6-A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Bishop Guilfoyle Blanks Clairton for 3rd Straight PIAA 1-A Title
December 9, 2016
For the Clairton seniors like Lamont Wade and Noah Hamlin, a PIAA championship was the final piece in their incredible careers. The Bears left Hershey unfulfilled, though, as the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders decisively prevailed, 17-0, in the Class 1A title game at Hersheypark Stadium. Bishop Guilfoyle (15-0) captured its third straight crown, and extended its win streak to 47 games, denying the Bears (14-1) a chance for redemption after the Marauders won 19-18 in the 2014 meeting. In the process, the Bears suffered their first shutout in more than 13 years.Big Game Hunting for State Finals
December 7, 2016
And then there were four. Four WPIAL teams still alive as we head to the final weekend of the 2016 high school football season in the state of Pennsylvania. That final week takes place here in 2016 in week 15, as opposed to week 16 in years past. Doesn’t feel any different to me, the weather is still going to be frigid, and despite the number of teams in Hershey, I am willing to bet attendance won’t be very different with games being played on school or work days and school or work nights. The teams that are in Hershey are very familiar as well. So one year in, the staff at Big Game Hunting, after a secret ballot, has officially declared its hatred for six classifications.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Quad Law
December 5, 2016
While the football season is still ongoing for four WPIAL teams, the majority of high school and college teams have concluded their seasons. For many seniors at both levels, it's the final time they will play in a competitive game. Former Ringgold star Quad Law recently concluded his college career at Gannon University, but he made quite an impact in his many years on the gridiron.Scholastic Notebook – 12/05/2016
Clairton’s Lamont Wade and Steel Valley’s DeWayne Murray have run their way into the WPIAL record book. They are two of only seven runners in WPIAL history to rush for 6,000 yards in a career. While the yards are impressive, maybe the thing that is most impressive about the two is how many yards they gain every time they touch the ball. The yards-per-carry average of both Wade and Murray is among the best in WPIAL history. Wade is now the third-leading rusher in WPIAL history with 7,005 yards while Murray is sixth with 6,418 yards. But what’s incredible is that both are averaging 11 yards a carry for their career. Wade has carried 604 times for an 11.6-yard average, while Murray has carried 576 times for an average of 11.1.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/05/2016
We officially conclude the fall high school sports season while opening up full throttle on the winter high school sports season on the first full week of December this week on the MSA Sports Network. We have coverage of four PIAA Championship Football Games featuring Clairton, Steel Valley, Beaver Falls and Pittsburgh Central Catholic and their quest for a state title from Hershey. We also tip off the 2016-2017 high school basketball season with plenty of tip-off tournament roundball action as well as PIHL high school hockey and women's college basketball featuring Carlow University, plus it's the season debuts of Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle on Mondays and The PIHL Power Play Show on Wednesdays ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 5th:
