Golf
Scholastic 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.
Defending PIAA Champ Jason Li Wins First WPIAL Golf Crown
October 1, 2015
The 2014 state champion is this years 2015 WPIAL Class AA champion. Jason Li of Sewickley Academy finished 12th in last years WPIAL finals, but rose to the top Thursday to claim the AA titlle with a 2-over par 72 in very windy conditions at the Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley. Li was in the last group to tee off and led most of the way. Sharing second place honors was Adam Snyder of Sewickley Academy who sank a 30 foot birdie on the 18th hole and Mike Kondratik of Charleroi. Sixteen of the thirty two golfers qualified for the PIAA Western regional Round at Tom's Run in Blairsville.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/21/2015
September 21, 2015
Believe it or not, we have out first district championship coming up as we creep closer to the mid-way point of the fall high school sports regular season this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Four 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.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/15/2015
September 15, 2015
The warm weather isn't gone yet, thanks in part to the hot action on the gridiron, the pitch, the court and the links with lots of great fall high school sports action this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Three of the high school football season with 29 WPIAL weekend contests starting Friday night with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/07/2015
September 7, 2015
A sizzling September is off and running as the 2015-2016 high school sports year kicks into gear this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We move on to Week Two of the high school football season with 29 WPIAL weekend contests starting Friday night with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show. We also have seven District 6 and District 9 high school football games along with WPIAL boys golf and the debut of WPIAL girls volleyball and WPIAL boys and girls soccer, plus another edition of Rappin' on Racin' to go along with This Week in the WPIAL and The Indiana County Coaches Show ALL here at MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/01/2015
September 1, 2015
The summer calm is over and now the autumn storm is upon us as we kck off the 2015-2016 scholastic sports season this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We begin a new season of high school football with 27 WPIAL opening weekend contests along with eight District 6 and District 9 high school football games. We also have high school golf and the final week of the Washington Wild Things season, plus another edition of Rappin' on Racin' to go along with the season premieres of This Week in the WPIAL and The Indiana County Coaches Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, August 31st: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net
2015 Positive Athlete Awards
May 19, 2015
2015 Positive Athlete Awards On Wednesday, May 13th, 27 Western PA High School students were recognized at the John Heinz History Center by Hines Ward as “Positive Athletes” . These athletes were nominated by coaches, teachers, administrators, parents, and friends for their ability to meet the following criteria in their day-to day lives as athletes, students and members of their communities.
WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2015
April 9, 2015
Four athletes who would later go on to professional careers, several multi-sport athletes, four coaches who won nearly 40 WPIAL championships between them, an old-school baseball player whose son continued his Major League Baseball legacy and a team that won nine WPIAL and PIAA playoff games en route to a state basketball title by an average margin of victory of 25.8. Those are some of the headliners of the WPIAL Hall of Fame class of 2015. The WPIAL held a news conference Thursday morning to announce its ninth annual class. You can watch the video stream archived here on MSA Sports. All inductees will be honored at a banquet June 12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Greentree.
