Sports
PIHL Notebook – 12/29/2015
December 29, 2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes the end of long unbeaten streaks for Peters Township in Class AAA, Moon in Class AA, and West Allegheny in Class A. Finally, with no MSA broadcasts to preview, we begin a two-part look at the current mid-season playoff picture, including first-round match-ups, beginning with Class AAA and Class AA. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak):This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/28/2015
December 28, 2015
We prepare to turn the page from 2015 to 2016 with plenty of holiday tournament basketball and wrestling this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the last of the WPIAL and District 6 boys and girls high school basketball action for 2015 along with start of high school hoops for 2016 along with two day coverage of the 2015 PowerADE Wrestling Tournament, plus the PIHL Power Play Show and The WPIAL Roundball Report ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 28th: WPIAL High School Boys Basketball - Latrobe vs Plum at 2:00pm on WCNS-AM 1480 WPIAL High School Boys Basketball - Knoch vs Avonworth at 6:00pm on WISR-AM 680
MSA SPORTS ELITE ELEVEN
December 24, 2015
The MSA Sports Elite 11 all-star team is quite offensive. This year’s team has a handful of players who either put up record offensive numbers this season, or had statistics that put them in an elite class. Among those are quarterbacks Phil Jurkovec of Pine-Richland and Zach Chandler of Avonworth, Woodland Hills running back Miles Sanders, Aliquippa running back Kaezon Pugh and Armstrong running back Zane Dudek. The team is picked by the MSA Sports staff and is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position. Eight of the players are seniors, two juniors and one sophomore. Three of the players were on WPIAL championship teams. Here is a look at this years Elite 11.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Wrestling – 12/23/2015
December 23, 2015
Here are the latest Top 10 rankings in WPIAL Team Wrestling. Every Thursday through January, MSA Sports ranks the top ten teams in both the WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA team wrestling. Don't miss Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle Show every Monday at 7:00pm AND weekly matches broadcast on Wednesday's and select weekends only here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAA:MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five Hockey Rankings – 12/23/2015
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 2015-2016 high school hockey season...including NEW #1 teams in Class AA and Class A. Don't miss the latest rankings every Wednesday during the regular season, plus PIHL Notebook every Monday on our website and the weekly PIHL Power Play Show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm with audio and video game broadcasts as well here on the home of the best PIHL high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network. PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (7-1-4) (Last Week #1)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Basketball – 12/23/2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Boys Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season...including a NEW #1 team in Class AAAA. Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday, along with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Top Ten: 1. LATROBE WILDCATS (7-0) (Last Week #2) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-2) (Last Week #1)PIAA Plays of the Week – Championships
December 22, 2015
After nearly four months of incredible action, the high school football season in Pennsylvania finally came to an end over the weekend in Hershey. While Aliquippa came up short in the title game after a tremendous season, the Central Catholic Vikings brought gold back to the WPIAL, as they captured the Quad-A PIAA Championship against the Parkland Trojans. Here are the plays that helped catapult Central Catholic to its fourth PIAA title. 1. Central Catholic 21, Parkland 18MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Basketball – 12/21/2015
December 21, 2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Girls Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season...including another NEW #1 team in Class AAAA. Check out the weekly girls rankings every Monday, along with girls hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and girls basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every girls WPIAL playoff game in February sponsored by Carlow University all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Girls Basketball Top Ten: 1. NORWIN KNIGHTS (7-0) (Last Week #3) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-1) (Last Week #1)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Ciara Gregory
Monday night, the 2009-2010 Jeannette girls’ basketball team will be honored for the anniversary of the Jayhawks winning the WPIAL Championship. An instrumental part of that team was Ciara Gregory, who is the focus of this week’s WPIAL Alum Q&A. In that 2010 Class AA title game, Gregory, a freshman, scored 14 points to help guide the Jayhawks to a 39-36 victory over Seton-LaSalle. That was just the beginning of Gregory’s incredible four-year run at Jeannette, though. As a sophomore, she averaged 19 points per game, and again helped lead her team to the title game. In her junior season, she increased that total to 27 points per game, and also filled the stat sheet by averaging six rebounds, five assists and nearly five steals per contest.Scholastic Notebook – 12/21/2015
Pittsburgh Central Catholic won the very first PIAA Class AAAA championship in 1988. On Saturday, Central Catholic won the last PIAA Class AAAA title as we know it. And Central Catholic has to be the odds-on favorite to win the first PIAA 6A title. Central Catholic won its latest title Saturday with a 21-18 victory against Parkland at Hersheypark Stadium. Because the PIAA is going to six classes next year, this was, in a sense, the last AAAA title under this system. Although it has only been a day since Central Catholic’s latest title, it’s easy to look ahead and peg the Vikings as the team to beat next year in 6A. The Vikings will play in the largest class under the new system.PIHL Notebook – 12/21/2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes overtime action in Class AAA and Class AA while a Division 2 newcomer continues its hot streak. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of this week’s MSA broadcast, a classic match-up of South Hills rivals in Class AAA. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak): Class AAA: Peters Township (7-0-4); Canon-McMillan (5-0-2); Butler (3-0-0); Pittsburgh Central Catholic (2-0-1)
2015 PIAA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Results
December 20, 2015
District 6, District 12, District 4 and the WPIAL have seen one of their their football champions win state titles this weekend in Hershey. Pittsburgh Central Catholic brought home the gold in the final game of the year as the Vikings held on to beat Parkland 21-18 to win the schools fourth PIAA Quad-A championship. After Bishop Guilfoyle repeated in Class A and Imhotep Charter won the first PIAA crown for District 12 in football on Friday, Aliquippa took it on the chin Saturday afternoon in Hershey as they fell big to Southern Columbia giving the Tigers their first ever state Double-A title and the schools seventh overall PIAA crown. Here are ALL the results from the 2015 PIAA Football Playoffs.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Wrestling – 12/20/2015
Here are the latest Top 10 rankings in WPIAL Team Wrestling. Every Thursday through January, MSA Sports ranks the top ten teams in both the WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA team wrestling. Don't miss Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle Show every Monday at 7:00pm AND weekly matches broadcast on Wednesday's and select weekends only here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAA:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/20/2015
It's a time for reflection...a time for family...a time for giving and receiving....and a time for more high school sports broadcasts as we help in the last minute shopping with stocking stuffers such as scholastic basketball, wrestling and hockey talk and action this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the last of the WPIAL and District 6 boys and girls high school basketball section play for 2015 along with WPIAL and District 6 scholastic wrestling and audio and video coverage of PIHL high school hockey, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, the PIHL Power Play Show and The WPIAL Roundball Report ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 21st:
Pgh Central Catholic Holds On for 4th PIAA Football Title
December 19, 2015
Over the lengthy course of an extended season, there are unexpected surprises – good or bad – that seem to pop up. Pittsburgh Central Catholic had one of those pleasant surprises in a 21-18 win over Parkland to win its fourth PIAA Championship in school history Saturday in junior running back J.J. Younger. Younger found the end zone late in the third quarter off a 54-yard run, which proved to be the winning score despite a 21-0 lead at that point by the Vikings. “This is probably the best game I’ve ever had,” said Younger. “Being out here on the big stage with my brothers; that’s what really pushed me tonight.”
Aliquippa Comes Up Short in State Title Game to Southern Columbia
Doomed by seven turnovers, Aliquippa’s pursuit of perfection came up short, as the Quips fell to Southern Columbia 49-14 in the PIAA Class AA Championship at Hersheypark Stadium. With the triumph, District 4’s Southern Columbia captured its seventh state title, but the first for the Tigers in Class AA, as the previous championships came in Class A. The Quips were playing in their sixth PIAA title game, including victories in 1991 and 2003.WPIAL Big Game Hunting – State Championships
December 16, 2015
The final Big Game Hunting of the year is here, and I hear those sarcastic “ahhhs” throughout western Pennsylvania! I have names and numbers and email addresses, each of you will be hearing from me personally. District-7 after going .500 in the PIAA quarters improved that number to 1.000 in the semis moving two teams into the final weekend of high school football in the state. The Quips and Vikings look for state championships number 39 and 40 for the WPIAL in football this weekend. That sounds like a great reason to go Big Game Hunting one more time in 2015.MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five Hockey Rankings – 12/16/2015
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 2015-2016 high school hockey season...including NEW #1 teams in Class AA and Division 2. Don't miss the latest rankings every Wednesday during the regular season, plus PIHL Notebook every Monday on our website and the weekly PIHL Power Play Show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm with audio and video game broadcasts as well here on the home of the best PIHL high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network. PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (7-0-4) (Last Week #1)PIAA Plays of the Week – Semifinals
December 15, 2015
After both Clairton and Thomas Jefferson were bounced for the PIAA postseason in the quarterfinals, the Central Catholic Vikings and Aliquippa Quips represented the remaining hopes for the WPIAL to capture gold in Hershey. Following the semifinals contests this past week, both of those teams are still alive, as they advanced to the state championships. The victories in the semis nearly mirrored the quarterfinals triumphs for the teams, as the Quips overcame a fourth quarter deficit, while the Vikings turned in a dominant defensive performance and won comfortably. With all of the great action from which to choose, this week's edition will feature two plays from each of the victories. 1. Aliquippa 30, Martinsburg Central 21MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Basketball – 12/15/2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Boys Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season. Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday, along with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Top Ten: 1. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (3-1) (Last Week #1) 2. LATROBE WILDCATS (4-0) (Last Week #4) 3. PLUM MUSTANGS (4-0) (Last Week #6)
