Football
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF 2014
July 28, 2014
The countdown to the start of the 2014 high school football season is underway. High School football training camps throughout Western Pennsylvania open up on Monday, August 11th as teams prepare for a new season starting Friday, August 29th and Saturday, August 30th. As has been the case in the fifteen previous years here at MSA Sports, the ONLY place to turn for original DAILY updates that help prepare fans for all the excitement of the 2014 high school football season in the WPIAL is 'Countdown to Kickoff 2014' ONLY here at www.msasports.net ALL UPDATED: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/28/2014
We prepare to wrap up a comfortable July and welcome in what will likely be an unbearable August with plenty of diamond action for both the guys and the gals this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have Frontier League pro baseball featuring the Washington Wild Things as they return to CONSOL Energy Field after a long road trip while the Pennsylvania Rebellion conclude their long home series against Chicago before hitting the road this weekend in Akron.Pgh Central Catholic RB Ruled Ineligible for 2014
July 9, 2014
A wrestler from Burrell High School and a top returning running back and kicker from Pittsburgh Central Catholic received bad news Wednesday when they were ruled ineligible for the 2014/2015 high school sports season. Riley Redman rushed for 1,192 yards and scored 16 touchdowns last year for the WPIAL Quad-A champion Vikings and was voted as the all-Conference kicker in the Class AAAA Northern Eight Conference. However Redman turned 19 on June 26th, four days before the PIAA eligibility cutoff of July 1st.
MSA SPORTS CUP: Seton-LaSalle Are Rebels With a Cause After Winning AA Cup
July 2, 2014
For only the third time in the eleven years of the MSA Sports Cup Class AA chase, the torch has been passed to a new champion. Greensburg Central Catholic won the first three years, followed by a five year run by Shady Side Academy and the last two years with Quaker Valley on top. Now thanks to a lot of hardwood gold, Seton-LaSalle High School is wearing the Cup crown. After a couple of close calls in recent years, Seton-LaSalle was lifted to the top spot in part because of double gold on the basketball court this winter followed up with some diamond success in the spring.
MSA SPORTS CUP: South Fayette Roars to First Class AAA Cup Title
July 1, 2014
The first ten years of the MSA Sports Cup has shown us that while there are a couple of dominating schools in the other three classifications, the chase for the Class AAA Cup has been up for grabs with eight different schools earning The Cup in ten years. Now in the eleventh year of this competition, we have another first time winner in Triple-A making it nine different champs in eleven years. After finishing as the runner-up in 2012-2013 and being a steady member on the Top 5 in recent years, South Fayette is finally enjoying its day in the Championship Sun with a convincing victory.
MSA SPORTS CUP: Another Year, Another Quad-A Title for North Allegheny
June 30, 2014
Another school year and another MSA Sports Cup in Class AAAA for North Allegheny High School. NA captured their 11th Cup in eleven years since the MSA Sports Network started this school year long competition to determine the top sports programs in each classification. There are 20 sports in which schools can earn points in the competition and for the second straight year and only the second time in this history of the coveted competition, the Tigers earned points in ALL of them. In the 2012-2013 school year, North Allegheny scored a mind-numbing and record 1,115 points. In 2013-2014, they had to settle for a mere 965 points. The second place school finished 530 points behind NA.
2013-2014 MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year
June 26, 2014
Neshannock High School in Lawrence County was much more than a school for Ernie Burkes. To him, the place was like his own personal “four seasons” resort. Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. Neshannock was never a place Burkes went to relax. But it was where he always went to get his fix of sports – in all four seasons. Burkes would start football in late summer and play it into the fall. He would move to basketball in the winter. In the spring, it was on to baseball and track. Four seasons. Four sports. One incredible athlete. Now just call him Athlete of the Year. Burkes, a Neshannock senior, wins the MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year for the 2013-14 school year. The winner is picked from the entire WPIAL and is selected by the MSA Sports staff.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/24/2014
June 24, 2014
We celebrate the first full week of summer with another busy week of pro baseball and pro softball action with another high school football all-star game this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The Washington Wild Things close out their home stand for three games at CONSOL Energy Field before hitting the road this weekend, while the Pennsylvania Rebellion visit Akron for two weekend pro fast pitch softball games, plus the 2014 Penn/Ohio High School Football All-Star Game and another edition of Rappin on Racin ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 23rd: TALK SHOW - Rappin on Racin at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/16/2014
June 16, 2014
After honoring all of the Dad's, our attention turns to another busy week of pro baseball and pro softball action as we say so long to spring and hello to summer this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The Washington Wild Things hit the road for three games before returning home this weekend for three games at CONSOL Energy Field, which will also be the site of two home games for the Pennsylvania Rebellion pro fast pitch softball, plus the 2014 Ken Lantzy High School Football All-Star Classic along with another edition of Rappin on Racin ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 16th:Scholastic Notebook – 06/06/2014
June 6, 2014
Connor Coward’s right arm has been a major part of Seneca Valley’s turnaround story and march through the postseason. But Coward’s bat is also starting to be a big factor. Coward is a senior pitcher-shortstop for Seneca Valley. He is one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL, but he pitched only one inning in the regular season because of a stress fracture in his back.Scholastic Notebook – 06/03/2014
June 3, 2014
WPIAL baseball champions took it on the chin three times in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Monday. But history shows WPIAL champs often have trouble in the PIAA playoffs. Take a look at past years and the statistics say that WPIAL champs have only a slightly better than 25 percent chance of making it to a PIAA title game. The PIAA championships started with one class in 1977, expanded to two classes in 1979, three classes in 1999 and four classes in 2005. Since the PIAA playoffs started in 1977 and through last year, there were 96 WPIAL champs. Only 26 of those 96 teams (27 percent) made it to a PIAA title game.Scholastic Notebook – 05/23/3014
May 23, 2014
The perfect championships don’t happen often in WPIAL softball. But for the Deer Lakes Lancers, they’ve been in the perfect storm before. Deer Lakes is 18-0 and will play Beaver (15-0) for the Class AA championship Thursday at California University of Pennsylvania. It is only the third time in 17 years that a softball title game will match two undefeated teams. But it’s the second year in a row for Deer Lakes. In 2013, Deer Lakes and Riverside both took undefeated records into the title game before Riverside came away with a 5-1 victory. The only other time in the past 17 years that two undefeated teams met in a final was 1998 when Carmichaels beat Sto-Rox for the Class AA crown.Scholastic Notebook – 05/09/2014
May 9, 2014
With every zero that he puts on the scoreboard, Blackhawk senior pitcher Brendan McKay continues to climb the national list for the longest scoreless streak? That naturally brings up two questions: Is McKay anywhere near the national record and does he have a chance to break it before he graduates? The answers are yes and yes. McKay beat Montour, 3-0, earlier this week to stretch his scoreless streak to 58 innings, dating back to last season. That is the fourth-longest streak in U.S. high school history, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the governing body of high school sports in the country.Scholastic Notebook – 05/02/2014
May 2, 2014
There are multi-sport athletes in the WPIAL who compete in more highly-visible sports than North Hills’ Noah Bostick. But as far as the number of sports and excelling in them, Bostick has few peers. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say Bostick is most one of the best all-around athletes in the WPIAL. He is a young man for all seasons – and then some. You don’t see many three-sport athletes these days at large schools. But Bostick is more than a three-sport athlete. He actually competes in four sports, and does well in all of them.Scholastic Notebook – 04/25/2014
April 25, 2014
Football is only four months away and basketball ended only last month. But the coaching wheels are turning in both sports. There were a number of coaching moves this week in the WPIAL, some of them noteworthy. Here are some coaching happenings this week. In football: * Deer Lakes turned to a former NFL player as its new coach. Steve Sciullo takes over a team that did not win a game last season. Sciullo graduated from Shaler in 1988 and then played at Marshall before playing offensive line in the NFL for a few seasons. He has been an assistant coach at Hampton. * Norwin hired Dave Brozeski. He has been an assistant at Norwin for the past 17 years.Scholastic Notebook – 04/20/2014
April 20, 2014
If you look at the three sports of football, basketball and baseball, Baldwin has been more like Baldloss the past few years. But finally, the baseball team is putting the win back in Baldwin. Things have been absolutely perfect so far this spring for the Baldwin baseball team. The Highlanders have a perfect 7-0 record after a 13-3 victory over Gateway on Saturday. This winning is new for the three teams of football, basketball and baseball at Baldwin. There hasn’t been a winning season in those three major sports since the basketball team went 14-8 in the 2009-10 season and the baseball team went 12-6 in the 2010 season. The football team hasn’t had a winning season since 2003.Scholastic Notebook – 03/28/2014
March 28, 2014
Baseball and softball teams were able to start playing games last week. But it’s never too early to look ahead – and there are two teams that have a chance to make history come late May. In baseball, Seneca Valley has been to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game three years in a row, winning twice and losing last year. The Raiders could become the first WPIAL team in at least 70 years to make a championship game four years in a row. A check of WPIAL final game scores that go back to 1954, shows that no team has played in a championship game four consecutive years. Some teams have made it three years in a row. North Allegheny made it four of five years from 1990-94. Shaler made it four of five years from 1980-84.Scholastic Notebook – 03/07/2014
March 7, 2014
Another postseason tournament starts this weekend for the New Castle boys basketball team and the Red Hurricanes. While New Castle has achieved a number of historical feats the past few seasons, the start of the PIAA playoffs means New Castle will take another shot at joining a most special group. But to become a member, New Castle will have to look just perfect. For the third year in a row, New Castle will take a perfect record into the PIAA tournament after winning a WPIAL title with an undefeated record.Scholastic Notebook – 02/21/2014
February 21, 2014
If the WPIAL basketball quarterfinals are a party for eight, Class AAAA Section 1 has done and unusual thing and made reservations for two. It’s like Section 1 has finally stood up and said “what about us?” Hempfield and Kiski Area are Section 1 teams that have made it to the quarterfinals. It might not seem like much, but seeing two from Section 1 eating at the quarterfinal table doesn’t happen often. Since 2000, this is only the fourth time that two teams from Section 1 have made the quarterfinals and the first time since 2010. In 2007, Albert Gallatin and Norwin made the quarterfinals. Norwin and Franklin Regional made it in 2008. Kiski Area and Latrobe made it in 2010.2014 National Letter of Intent Day – MSA Sports Elite Eleven College Destinations
February 6, 2014
Wednesday was National Letter of Intent Day where high school seniors make their verbal committments official by signing on the dotted line to the school of their choice. What were the final college destinations for the member of the 2013 MSA Sports The Elite 11 football all-star team? Here is a look: CHASE WINOVICH, THOMAS JEFFERSON QB/RB-LB, 6-4, 220, UNIVERSITY of MICHIGAN NIKO THORPE, PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC LB, 5-10, 225, SENIOR FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
