Golf
WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2016
April 13, 2016
A current NBA player, a former Parade All-American girls basketball player, two dominant teams and four highly successful coaches highlight the WPIAL Hall of Fame class of 2016. This is the 10th class for the WPIAL Hall of Fame, and selections were announced Wednesday at a news conference at the Heinz History Center. Inductees will be honored at a banquet at the Green Tree Doubletree June 10. A Hall of Fame committee selects inductees in five categories: athlete, coach, team, contest official and contributor. The WPIAL also inducts a Heritage Award winner and a Courage Award winner. Here is the 2016 class: ATHLETESWPIAL Girls Sports Realignment
February 16, 2016
We all knew it was coming. A major change to the WPIAL high school sports landscape based on the PIAA's decision to increase from four to six classifications in basketball and softball, plus the increase in other sports such as soccer, volleyball and lacrosse. The WPIAL Board of Control approved the various steering committee's re-alignment suggestions starting with the 2016-2017 school year. This alignment also will be for the 2017-2018 school year. For interactive listing, CLICK HERE. GIRLS BASKETBALL Class 6AWPIAL Boys Sports Realignment
We all knew it was coming. A major change to the WPIAL high school sports landscape based on the PIAA's decision to increase from four to six classifications in football, basketball and baseball, plus the increase in other sports such as soccer and lacrosse. The WPIAL Board of Control approved the various steering committee's re-alignment suggestions starting with the 2016-2017 school year. This alignment also will be for the 2017-2018 school year. *For an interactive listing, CLICK HERE FOOTBALL Class 6AScholastic Notebook – 10/30/2015
October 30, 2015
If you want to see variety, check out Paris this fall. But we’re not talking the city of Paris. We’re talking the junior do-it-all player for the Seton-LaSalle football team named Paris Ford. He is a Ford that is souped up with versatility. He is undoubtedly one of the most versatile – and best – players in the WPIAL. Ford is listed as a receiver and defensive back. He is a stud at both positions. But he also runs the football and returns kicks and punts. How versatile is he? Well, Seton-LaSalle has moved the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Ford to linebacker because that’s where they could use him the most.Sewickley Boys & North Allegheny Girls Win PIAA Team Golf Gold
A day after heavy rains forced the postponement of the PIAA Team Golf Championships on Wednesday, the Sewickley Academy boys and North Allegheny girls turned the wait into a golden experience. The Panthers in Boys AA and the Tigers in Girls AAA won PIAA Team Golf titles on Thursday afternoon at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. After finishing second a year ago, Sewickley Academy claimed its first ever PIAA boys golf crown by shooting a combined 333, ten strokes better than runner-up New Hope-Solebury. North Allegheny girls were even more impressive by posting a score of 353 which was 23 strokes better than runner-up Mount St. Joseph.Olivia Zambruno of Greensburg CC Repeats as PIAA Girls Golf Champ
October 28, 2015
Junior Olivia Zambruno has become the golden girl on the links. Three weeks after repeating as WPIAL Girls Class AA champion, she was able to repeat as PIAA Class AA champion Tuesday at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. Her two day total was 153, ten strokes better than runner-up Amber Hess of Keystone. She was the only WPIAL golfer to win gold, but a pair of Boys Class AA golfer finished in the Top 3 as 2014 WPIAL winner Chris Tanabe of Quaker Valley finished second with a 150, four strokes behind champion Nate Mennon of Wyomissing while 2015 WPIAL champion Jason Li finished third with a 151. WPIAL Girls AAA champion Marissa Balish finished in third place with a 154.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Matt Barto
October 26, 2015
Over the past several weeks, the WPIAL Alum Q&A has focused on athletes who excel in a variety of fall sports, including football, soccer, girls’ volleyball and tennis. For this week’s edition, golf comes to the forefront, with the spotlight on former Leechburg High School champion Matt Barto. In addition to capturing the section championship in all four years at Leechburg, Barto captured the Class AA Individual Championship in both his junior and senior years with the Blue Devils. In 2012, Barto shot a one-over 73 at Youghiogheny Country Club to capture the title, and the following year, he won in a playoff after shooting a round of 75 at Sewickley Heights Golf Club.PIAA Western Regional Golf Results
October 20, 2015
A combined 34 golfers from the WPIAL were successful Monday in qualifying for the upcoming state championships during the PIAA Western Regional Championships Monday at Tom's Run Golf Course in Chestnut Ridge. 9 boys Triple-A, 12 boys Double-A, 6 girls Triple-A and 6 girls Double-A golfers now advance to the two day PIAA Golf Championships next week at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York on October 26th and 27th. WPIAL golfers advancing were: BOYS CLASS AAA: Connor Schmidt (Peters Township) - 70 Alec Stopperich (Peters Township) - 74 Palmer Jackson (Franklin Regional) - 75 Tanner Johnson (Peters Township) - 75 Noah Firmstone (Moon) - 78 Jimmy Meyers (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) - 78Scholastic Notebook – 10/16/2015
October 16, 2015
Aliquippa is the only school in the WPIAL to have four running backs rush for more than 4,000 yards in their careers. There will likely be one for the thumb by the end of the season. Aliquippa senior running back Kaezon Pugh went over 3,000 yards two weeks ago and now has 3,210. Barring injury, Pugh should get 4,000 this season. He has three regular-season games left and Aliquippa should play at least two playoff games. The Quips are undefeated and played in the WPIAL Class AA championship seven years in a row. What’s impressive about Pugh is his yards-per-carry average. It’s almost 10 for his career. Pugh has 3,210 yards on 324 carries (9.9 average).Peters & Sewickley Repeat as WPIAL Boys Golf Champs
October 15, 2015
A year ago, Peters Township won the schools fifth district boys golf crown and first since 2008 while Sewickley Academy repeated as Class AA champs, also winning the Panthers fifth boys golf crown. The headlines from last year remain the same here in 2015. Both Peters Township and Sewickley Academy remain on top of the boys golf district leader board after winning their schools sixth crown on Thursday at the Cedarbrook Golf Club. Here are ALL the Championship and Semifinals results from the 2015 WPIAL Boys Team Golf Championships. Both Peters Township in AAA and Sewickley Academy in AA qualify for the PIAA Team Championships at Heritage Hills Country Club in York on October 28th.North Allegheny & Greensburg CC Win WPIAL Girls Team Golf Gold
A pair of new girls team golf district champions were crowned Thursday at the Cedarbrook Golf Course in Rostraver as North Allegheny won AAA gold while Greensburg Central Catholic claimed the AA title. The Tigers won WPIAL girls golf championships six times between 1986 and 1993, however they haven't won since, ending a 22-year drought. NA edged Peters Township by only two strokes. Meanwhile, the gap was 15 strokes for the AA champion Centurions, who won a WPIAL crown in the teams first year of existence. Led by WPIAL Girls Class AA individual champion Olivia Zambruno, GCC cruised past defending champion Sewickley Academy to make history. Here are all of the results from the 2015 WPIAL Girls Team Golf Championships. WPIAL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:Scholastic Notebook – 10/09/2015
October 9, 2015
Many Class A football players are often smaller in size than those in Class AAA or AAAA. But Avonworth’s Zach Chandler and Neshannock’s Frank Antuono are Class A quarterbacks who would be large for any team, regardless of class. And Chandler and Antuono are doing some big, big things this season. Chandler is 6 feet 4, 235 pounds, while Antuono is 6-2, 220 and bench presses 400 pounds. Now consider what these “big guys” are doing: *Chandler, a senior, leads the WPIAL in passing yardage with 1,702 after five games. He has completed 83 of 134. This after missing most of the past two seasons with injuries. He has helped Avonworth to a 4-1 record.
Peters Township Sophomore Hunter Bruce Wins WPIAL Boys AAA Golf
October 8, 2015
On a golf team full of excellent golfers, the youngest of the group, Peters Township’s Hunter Bruce stunned the field to win the WPIAL Boys AAA Individual Gold Championships at Southpoint Golf Club. Bruce, only a sophomore, fired a 1-over 73 to edge teammate Alec Stopperich by one shot and became the first Peters Township Indian to win WPIAL individual gold in golf.Marissa Balish and Olivia Zambruno Win WPIAL Girls Golf
October 6, 2015
Olivia Zambruno of Greensburg Central Catholic repeated as WPIAL Class AA champ while Marissa Balish of Hampton captured gold in Class AAA Tuesday afternoon at the Rolling Hills Country Club in McMurray. Both won in convincing fashion with with Balish shooting at 1-over par 73 and winning by three strokes while Zambruno shot a 3-over par 75 to win by five strokes. It was the first district crown for the senior Balish while the junior Zambruno won for a second straight year. Balish is a member of the Talbots boys golf team since the girls do not have a team at Hampton. Zambruno did the same thing last year for the Centurions, but this year, a girls team was added at Greensburg Central Catholic.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/04/2015
October 4, 2015
The first full week of October is a busy one with a full plate of fall sports along with a side dish of winter high school sports action this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Six of the high school football season with 30 WPIAL weekend contests starting Friday night with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show.Scholastic Notebook – 10/02/2015
October 2, 2015
Anthony Welsh of Bethlehem-Center will likely run his way into the WPIAL record books Friday night. Welsh, a senior, needs only 62 yards rushing to reach 4,000 for his career. He would become the 63rd player in WPIAL history to reach 4,000 yards. With that in mind, here are some factoids about the 4,000-yard milestone: * The first player known to reach 4,000 yards was Jerry Patterson of Chartiers-Houston, who graduated in 1970 with 4,075 yards. * Welsh would be the second Beth-Center runner to reach 4,000. Keith Miller, a 1997 graduate, ran for 5,121.
