Football
District College Football Preview for 8/30/13
August 29, 2013
The college football season opens this weekend with just two games as the NEC teams kick off their schedule. All of the local Division II and III teams kick off next week. Robert Morris heads to Kentucky to face a national power and Duquesne takes on a former NEC foe.Here are previews of both games, check in on Sunday for recaps of both games.Robert Morris at Eastern Kentucky 7pm Thursday nightThe Colonials will kick off the schedule for all of the district teams with a very tough test, travelling to Richmond to take on 19th ranked Eastern Kentucky. Robert Morris has not beaten a ranked team since defeating Liberty in 2010.CTK 2013 – Pittsburgh City League Preview
August 28, 2013
For the second year in a row, Pittsburgh City League football will be a nice little six pack.With the closure of Oliver, Peabody, Langley and Schenley in recent years, the City League is down six teams. Last year was the first season with only six teams and Perry defeated University Prep for the title.One of the problems with having only six teams is that teams have experienced some trouble getting a nine-game schedule. Last year was the first year that the WPIAL scheduled all nine games for WPIAL teams. In the past, the WPIAL did not schedule season openers. It was up to WPIAL schools to play whoever they wanted. Thus, some WPIAL teams played a City League team in the opener.CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Double-A
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. ALIQUIPPA QUIPS (15-1)2. WASHINGTON LITTLE PREXIES (12-1)3. SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS (11-1)4. MOUNT PLEASANT VIKINGS (8-3)5. BEAVER FALLS TIGERS (8-3)MSA Sports Big Game Hunting – Week One
It is funny isn’t it? How every year near then end of summer the smell of freshly cut grass just starts to smell like football? Doesn’t smell like that in the springtime. I wonder how that works. I am glad it works that way, and I am delighted that it is time to crank up the Big Game Hunting for another WPIAL football season! The first of 16 Big Game Huntings is always determined by the four defending WPIAL champions. So let’s kick it off for the 2013 year it’s time to take a look at four big games for opening weekend!Class AAAA - Non-Conference:CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Triple-A
August 27, 2013
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AAA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AAA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS (12-2)2. THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS (11-1)3. CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS (9-3)4. WEST MIFFLIN TITANS (11-2)5. MARS FIGHTING PLANETS (9-2)CTK 2013 – MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten: WPIAL Quad-A
August 26, 2013
Each and every Monday during the regular season, the MSA Sports Network will rank the Top Ten football teams in each classification. With days to go before the 2013 WPIAL football season kicks off, we present our Preseason Top Ten teams. This article, we present the Top Ten in Class AAAA.Final 2012 record is in parenthesis.WPIAL CLASS AAAA PRESEASON WPIAL FOOTBALL TOP TEN:1. WOODLAND HILLS WOLVERINES (10-3)2. PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS (8-3)3. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (16-0)4. GATEWAY GATORS (9-2)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/26/2013
The curtain is about to be lifted in GRAND style on the high school football season as we conclude our Countdown to Kickoff 2013 schedule this week here on the MSA Sports Network. How about over FORTY WPIAL and District 6 football games on Friday and Saturday to get the high school season started, beginning with the expanded MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding with the one and only WPIAL High School Football Scoreboard Show, plus the pro baseball season winds down with Frontier League baseball featuring the Washington Wild Things as well as news from the auto racing world with Rappin on Racin ALL here at MSAsports.netMonday, August 26th:TALK SHOW - Rappin on Racin at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netTuesday, August 27th:CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Eastern Conference Preview
August 25, 2013
One record setting streak ended in the Eastern Conference last fall while another overall slide continues into this 2013 campaign.While all eyes were on Clairton’s WPIAL and PIAA record winning streak, the longest losing streak in WPIAL history came to an end last fall when West Shamokin finally put a game in the ‘W’ column. The Wolves snapped a 46-game, five year losing streak that dated back to 2007 when they knocked off the Riverview Raiders 25-6 in Week 3. West Shamokin liked the feeling so much, they won two more games before the season ended.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Tri-County South Conference Preview
August 24, 2013
Youth was served last year in the Tri-County South Conference. Of the 24 positions for first-team all-conference last year, 16 were filled by sophomores. Those players are a year older, which means the Tri-County South could be a little stronger. Last year was the first of the “new” Tri-County South. That basically meant Monessen no longer was in the conference. The Tri-County South did not fare well in the postsesaon as all four teams lost in the first round. Will the conference get to taste any postseason success this year? With so many returning all-conference players, maybe Tri-County South teams will fare better.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Big 7 Conference Preview
August 23, 2013
Every team in Class A has been chasing the Clairton Bears and their 64 game winning streak for the last five seasons. Could this be the year that the Bears are dethroned? That is still to be determined but several of the candidates to try and knock off the Bears will come from the Big Seven Conference.Sto-Rox has played at Heinz Field the last two seasons and the conference had three teams of the top four seeds(thanks to the WPIAL creative seeding process) in last year’s playoffs. The Vikings, longtime conference power Rochester and Neshannock, all tied for the Big Seven championship last season. And the spotlight will shine bright on the Lancers and Vikings on September 12th for a Thursday night Root Sports matchup which can be heard live on MSA Sports.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Single-A Black Hills Conference Preview
August 22, 2013
Any discussion of the race in the Class A Black Hills must start with Clairton. The Bears come into the season on a 63-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the country and the longest in the history of Pennsylvania. Clairton lost a number of key players to graduation. So do the Bears simply reload? Do they step a back? Is this finally the year the streak ends? Questions abound about the Bears. For sure, they are good enough to win a conference title again and maybe a sixth consecutive WPIAL and fifth consecutive PIAA. Maybe Brentwood or Monessen are ready to give a serious challenge to Clairton. Remember Char-Houston gave the Bears fits on the opening night last year.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Allegheny Conference Preview
August 21, 2013
The Allegheny Conference of Class AA has seen its share of balance recently. Over the past four seasons, four different teams have won at least a share of the conference title.While many are picking Shady Side Academy as the team to beat this year, balance seems to permeate through the section again.A number of teams seem capable of grabbing one of the WPIAL playoff spots. One thing the teams in the conference would like to do is improve their playoff fortunes. Shady Side Academy is the only Allegheny team to win a playoff game the past two seasons.Here is a look at the Allegheny Conference: BURRELL BUCCANEERS:CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Century Conference Preview
2012 was another strong year for a pair of Class AA powers and South Fayette and Seton-LaSalle finished one-two in the conference and had some playoff success with the Rebels going to the Quarterfinals and the Lions to the Semifinals. But they were not the story last fall in the Century Conference.In his 4th year at South Allegheny, former Duquesne High School football coach Pat Monroe did what few people thought he could, he turned the Gladiators into a contender.The moribund program turned it around in the fall of 2012 as South Allegheny finished third in the conference and was 7-2 in the regular season before bowing out in Round One of the WPIAL playoffs.Imani Christian OUT For 2013 Football Season
August 20, 2013
Less than two weeks before the 2013 high school football season kicks off, Bishop Canevin suddenly does not have an opponent for opening weekend. In fact, eight other members of the Class A Black Hills Conference are trying to fill the void of an open week after receiving letters that Imani Christian will not field a team this fall.WPIAL Executive Director Tim O'Malley said Imani Christian school officials sent a letter to the district and the eight other teams from the Black Hills Conference that they would not be able to honor their 2013 football schedule because of a lack of players.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Interstate Conference Preview
August 19, 2013
Over the past four seasons, four different teams have won the Interstate Conference championship. It was Washington last year, Jeannette in 2011, Greensburg Central Catholic in 2010 and Mount Pleasant in 2009. The race for the 2013 conference crown looks to be among those same four teams. All four have some firepower that could lead a team to the conference title. Washington made it to the WPIAL title game last year and has super running back Shai McKenzie. But the Little Prexies still have a lot of holes to fill. Here is a look at the Interstate Conference: BROWNSVILLE FALCONS: There is nowhere to go but up for the Falcons.Fall Sports Underway
This week marks the start of section play in WPIAL boys golf, girls golf and girls tennis. Next week marks the beginning of section play in football while it's a post-Labor Day start up for section play in boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, girls field hockey and boys and girls cross-country.You can check out ALL of the 2013 WPIAL section schedules in football, boys/girls soccer, girls volleyball, boys/girls golf, girls tennis, girls field hockey and boys/girls cross-country by clicking the high school link at the top of the page...then click on the logo of your favorite school and then the sport you wish to see.CTK 2013 – WPIAL/Pgh City League Week Two Scrimmages
One scrimmage is in the books and one more is coming up this weekend as WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League football teams continue to prepare for the kickoff of the 2013 season. Scrimmage number two will take place for most teams on Friday 8/23 with four scrimmages on Saturday 8/24 and one scrimmage taking place Thursday 8/22. Here is a rundown of ALL the second week scrimmages involving District 7 and District 8 high school football teams.All games are Friday, August 23rd unless otherwise indicated.WPIAL vs Pittsburgh City League:Perry Commodores AT Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings at 6:00pmKnoch Knights vs Brashear Bulls AT Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh at 6:00pmCTK 2013 – WPIAL Double-A Midwestern Conference Preview
The Aliquippa Quips continued their dominance of Class AA with another WPIAL championship in 2012. The win was the fifteenth title in school history and the second of back to back gold footballs for the Quips.Aliquippa is likely the favorite once again in both the Midwestern and the classification, a huge challenge could come from their old rivals, the Beaver Falls Tigers, who are also in everyone’s top 5 to start the season. Could it be another Beaver County matchup at Heinz Field in November, stay tuned to the MSA Sports Network to see.Here is a look at the Midwestern Conference.CTK 2013 – WPIAL Triple-A Greater Allegheny Conference Preview
August 17, 2013
Will the Greater Allegheny be as defensive again? Last year was the first season of the “new” Greater Allegheny, where nine teams were in the conference, including a few that used to play in the old Keystone Conference. Although the conference featured some standout offensive players, it seemed defense was the cornerstone of a number of teams. Mars, Franklin Regional and Knoch gave up less than 100 points in conference games.No other conference in Class AAA had three teams give up less than 100 points in conference games.Points could be hard to come by again in 2013. The main reason is some teams lost some key offensive players (except Mars).CTK 2013 – WPIAL Triple-A Big Nine Conference Preview
August 16, 2013
The Big Nine Conference the past two years has been about the Big Two – Thomas Jefferson and West Mifflin. Don’t look for things to change this year. It seems just about everyone thinks Thomas Jefferson and West Mifflin will be the top teams in the conference again this season, with Thomas Jefferson holding the upper hand. Thomas Jefferson beat West Mifflin in the regular-season finale last year. Two years ago, they tied for the conference title. Thomas Jefferson has won the conference title outright nine times since 2002 and looks strong again. Elizabeth Forward made some waves last year, finishing third in the conference race. The Warriors are a team to watch again and could make some noise.
