Sports
FINAL 2016-2017 PIHL High School Hockey Standings
February 26, 2017
Here are the FINAL 2016-2017 standings for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League...plus the FINAL PIHL and Penguins Cup Playoff clinchings. You can follow the PIHL high school hockey regular season with weekly audio and video broadcasts, plus the PIHL Notebook every Tuesday and the PIHL Power Play Show on Wednesday nights at 8:00pm ONLY here on the MSA Sports Network. The top eight teams in Class 3-A qualify for the Penguins Cup Playoffs. The top five teams in each Class 2-A conference qualify for the Penguins Cup Playoffs. The top seven teams in each Class 1-A conference qualify for the Penguins Cup Playoffs. The top eight teams in Division II qualify for the Penguins Cup Playoffs.WPIAL Basketball Playoff Summaries for Saturday 2/25
February 25, 2017
One 'Super Section' enjoyed a fabulous Saturday afternoon while another got swept into the abyss of not knowing if their season is over or if a berth in the state playoffs is in their future. While there were no surprises again on the girls side and the top four seeds advanced in Boys 4-A (All from Section 2), Boys Class 6-A was shaken big time when Section 2 Tri-Champs Latrobe, Fox Chapel and Penn Hills...seeds 2, 3 and 4, all lost. Here are the recaps from the Boys 6-A, Boys 4-A, Girls 5-A and Girls 3-A Quarterfinals on Saturday to Conclude Round Two.
2017 PIAA Class 2-A Southwest Regional Wrestling Results
The Southwest Regional Tournament in AA moved up one week, and to a different location, but the WPIAL produced similar results to a year ago. From the confines of Ed Frey Arena, Kovalchick Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the WPIAL was able to produce 34 state qualifiers, down only one from last season. While the number of wrestlers going to Hershey from the WPIAL remains similar, the amount of champions was not quite up to par. The WPIAL featured many dominant wrestlers a year ago, en route to producing 7 champions out of the Southwest Region. This year, only 2 were champions, and both won over fellow WPIAL foes.WPIAL Individual Wrestling Class 3-A Sectional Results
The field for the 2017 WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championships is now set following the results from all four Triple-A sectionals on Saturday. The top five wrestlers from each section qualify for the district championships next weekend at Canon-McMillan High School and here on MSA Sports.
Mars Taylor Hockenberry Still the Queen of WPIAL Diving
A move up in classification had no effect on Taylor Hockenberry. After a silver medal as a freshman and gold medals each of the past two seasons competing in Class AA, the Mars senior made it a three-peat as WPIAL Champion, this time in Class AAA.
Fox Chapel Sophomore Wins WPIAL 3-A Boys Diving
Fox Chapel sophomore Jonah Cagley earned a silver medal as a freshman last year and with two-time champion Joey Ference graduated, Cagley was considered one of the favorites for this year’s Boys (3A) competition at North Allegheny High School. Cagley did not disappoint, finishing with a score of 525.20 to capture the gold medal. Cagley was the only diver to post a score over 500 points. Cagley came into the final round with a score of 381.75 and he finished strong with scores of 51.0, 38.5 and 54.6 to finish in first place.WPIAL Basketball Playoff Summaries for Friday 2/24
February 24, 2017
Day Two of Round Two brought forth some hot action on the hardcourt. OK, so temps in the upper 70's in Southwestern Pa may have had something to do with the 'hot' aspect, but it was a great night for the 'Super Sections' in boys hoops while a couple of top four seeds were eliminated on the girls side. Here are recaps from Boys 5-A, Boys 2-A, Girls 6-A and Girls 1-A Quarterfinals game on Friday around the WPIAL. A special thanks to Josh Rowntree, Bob Gregg, Steve Nagler, Cory Campano, Dennis Fischer, Dave Floyd, Sam Hall, Nate Regotti, Matt Vandriak, Don Rebel, Tom Hays and Brian Mroziak for their help on these recaps. BOYS WPIAL CLASS 5-A Quarterfinals:
Beaver Sophomore Diver Wins WPIAL Girls 2-A Gold
At Moon High School in WPIAL Girls AA diving a new champion was crowned. With the PIAA realignment the last two years champion Taylor Hockenberry from Mars will try to win a third straight title in AAA Saturday. But the new girls AA champion is from Beaver and she is Sophomore Ava Talorico. Talorico led from wire to wire easily taking the crown. In 2016 she finished 4th and was the leading scorer returning for 2017. She won with a score of 392.35 beating her score form last year by 30.9 points. Anna Vogt a Sophomore from Ringgold finished a distant second with a score of 345.75 trailing Talorico by 46.6 points. These two should compete in the next two years as both are young divers. Jamieson Elia a Junior from Blackhawk was third scoring 288.35.
South Fayette Senior Repeats as WPIAL Boys 2-A Diving Champ
With the Class AA boys diving field reduced to only six competitors, the 2017 Championship concluded in record time. Despite the brevity of the event at Moon Area High School, drama was still at the forefront, as South Fayette senior Trevor Mahoney repeated as champion, winning by a razor-thin margin. Mahoney edged Laurel Highlands' John Ek by less than one point, 427.05 to 426.15. The gold was decided in the final round, as Ek executed a spectacular dive, which yielded a score of 54.60. Mahoney, who was unaware of Ek's dive and consequently the score the needed to win, recorded a 42.0, which was just enough to take first place.Scholastic Notebook – 02/24/2017
It’s unusual for the Canon-McMillan boys basketball team to still be playing in late February. It is certainly a fun time for the Big Macs. For the Bell family, it’s twice as nice. Canon-McMillan’s coach is Rick Bell. His son, R.J., is a 6-foot-4 senior guard who has played a big role in getting the Big Macs to the WPIAL 6A quarterfinals. They play No. 1 seed Pine-Richland Saturday. The younger Bell had six 3-pointers in a first round victory against North Allegheny. R.J. is averaging in double figures. The victory against North Allegheny was only the third playoff win in school history for Canon-McMillan. The others were in 1996 and 2008. This is only the ninth time the Big Macs have been to the postseason.WPIAL Basketball Playoff Summaries for Thursday 2/23
February 23, 2017
The name of the game in the First Round of the 2017 WPIAL Basketball Playoffs was no surprises. Outside of a #11 and a couple of #10 teams, all of the favorites prevailed in the opening round. That theme continued on the first night of the Second Round as the top four seeds advanced in three of the four classifications. Here are summaries from the Boys 3-A, Boys 1-A, Girls 4-A and Girls 2-A Quarterfinals from Thursday night on MSA Sports. A special thanks to Mark Uriah, Paul Paterra, Sean Meyers, Brian Mroziak, Mike Azadian, Bob Orkwis, Mark Schaas, Cory Campano, James Dotson, Bob Gregg, Tom Hays and Kevin Zielmanski for their help on these recaps. BOYS WPIAL CLASS 3-A Quarterfinals:WPIAL Basketball Playoff Summaries for Wednesday 2/22
After six days and four nights of contests (three nights actually along with Saturday afternoon), the First Round of the 2017 WPIAL Basketball Playoffs is complete. With hardly any surprises and with the Second Round chalk full of top eight seeds, the Quarterfinals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday should be much more competitive hoops. For now though, we look back at the final night of the opening round on Wednesday with recaps from Boys 6-A, Boys 4-A and Gilrs 3-A First Round basketball games. A special thanks to Tyler Friel, Mark Uriah, Ed Troup, Steve Nagler, Mike Azadian, Bob Gregg, Lee Mohn, Rennie Detore, John Smathers and Mark Schaas for their help on these recaps. BOYS WPIAL CLASS 6-A First Round:MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five PIHL Rankings – 02/22/2017
February 22, 2017
Here are the latest MSA Sports Sports Frozen Fab Five rankings of PIHL high school hockey teams in each of the four classifications for the 2016-2017 high school hockey season. Don't miss the latest rankings every Wednesday during the regular season, plus PIHL Notebook every Tuesday on our website and the weekly Chatham University PIHL Power Play Show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm. We also have audio and video game broadcasts and center stage interviews as well here on the home of the best PIHL high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network. PIHL CLASS 3-A: 1) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (13-4-3) (Last Week #1)WPIAL Basketball Playoff Summaries for Tuesday 2/21
February 21, 2017
Another night of First Round games in the district postseason and the song remains the same as the favorites keep rolling into Round Two. On this third day of opening round contests, 12 of 14 higher seeds were victorious and only a pair of #10-seeds over #7-seeds were the so-called surprises. Here are the recaps from the ten 5-A and 2-A boys games and the four 6-A girls games from Tuesday nights action on MSA Sports. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Andy Stanko, Dennis Fischer, Rennie Detore, Bob Gregg, Mark Uriah, Josh Rowntree, Mark Schaas, Brian Mroziak, Kyle Dawson and Tyler Friel for their help on these recaps. BOYS WPIAL CLASS 5-A First Round:PIHL Notebook – 02/21/2017
The PIHL regular season draws to a close this week, as the final positions will be set for the 2017 postseason. With just a few games remaining, this week's edition will put a bow on the regular slate, before the focus shifts to playoff hockey. Melting the Ice (the longest unbeaten streak in each classification)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Tim Shoup
February 20, 2017
The 2010-11 PIHL season was one for the record books for Upper St. Clair, as the Panthers won both the Penguins Cup and Pennsylvania Cup in dramatic fashion. That historic team was comprised of several future DI players, including sophomore blueliner Tim Shoup. Shoup, who is now one of the top defensemen at Dartmouth College, is under the microscope for this week's edition of the WPIAL Alum Q&A. During that campaign for the Panthers, Shoup contributed one goal and eight assists in the regular season. Upper St. Clair advanced to the Class AAA title game against Canon-McMillan, but the Panthers trailed late in the third period. The team got the equalizer, though, and then prevailed in overtime to claim the championship.
WPIAL Coaches Corner – Adrian Batts
In this 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. This week highlights Jeannette boys basketball coach Adrian Batts. This is his 8th season coaching for the Jayhawks. After losing in the 2015 WPIAL championship, and in the 2016 WPIAL semifinals, Coach Batts has his squad primed for a 2017 run in 2-A. Let’s take a look inside Coach Batts’ corner:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 02/20/2017
The February Frenzy may feel like the springs high school sports postseason is here outside, but inside, the winter sports postseason heats up...much like outside, this week on the MSA Sports Network. Our EXCLUSIVE postseason coverage Continues with the WPIAL and District 6 boys and girls basketball playoff games, college hoops featuring Carlow University, WPIAL Individual Wrestling Class AAA Sectionals and PIAA Class AA Southwest Regional Wrestling, plus we have The WPIAL Roundball Report, The PIHL Power Play Show, Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle and Carlow Sports Talk ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, February 20th:Allderdice Beats Obama in Triple OT Thriller for Boys City Title
February 19, 2017
For the third straight season, Allderdice and Obama Academy squared off for the City League boys’ championship. Both of the first two matchups went to Allderdice, giving the Dragons their latest two of three straight City League crowns. Sunday’s matchup was different, however, as for the first time in the three matchups, Allderdice came in the underdog, the No. 2 seed to Obama Academy’s No. 1 seed. The Eagles had defeated the Dragons in the second matchup between the teams during the regular season. The difference was two points in that game; in the previous regular season matchup it was five.Obama Claims 4th Straight City League Girls Hoops Crown
The seniors of Obama Academy's girls basketball team have become accustomed to winning championships, dating back to their time in middle school. They continued that trend on Sunday in the City League Championship at the Petersen Events Center, as the Eagles defeated Taylor Allderdice 64-53. In the process, Obama Academy captured its fourth-consecutive title. To score the triumph, Obama (16-8) used a strong second half, paced by senior Michaela Porter, the two-time reigning City League MVP. Porter, who is committed to the University of Cincinnati, netted a game-high 22 points, including 18 in the second half. Porter had plenty of support, however, including Taylor Stewart, who provided 19 points and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
