Sports
North Allegheny’s Luchini picked to All-America Watch List
August 4, 2017
Josh Luchini is in line to receive a top national honor as a member of the North Allegheny boys soccer team. Luchini, a senior forward,COUNTDOWN to KICKOFF 2017
The countdown to the start of the 2017 high school football season is underway. Last season dealt with major changes with the expansion from four to six classifications and teams having the option to have a second scrimmage on or playing an actual non-conference game that had been labeled Week Zero, which will be on 8/26 or 8/27 this season. Week One this season is set for Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd. Training camps for the new campaign open up in Western Pennsylvania on Monday, August 14th.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/01/2017
August 1, 2017
We officially kick off the high school football season as well as continue our coverage of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. Our 2017 Countdown to Kickoff begins with a month long daily preview of the 2017 WPIAL football season, plus we have both audio and video coverage as the Washington Wild Things wrap up their road trip with three games at Traverse City, then return home this weekend for three games against Lake Erie ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 31st: No Broadcasts Tuesday, August 1st: Frontier League Pro Baseball - Live Video - Washington Wild Things vs Traverse City Beach Bums at 7:05pm on MSAsports.netNo Football at Vincentian Academy Ths Fall
July 28, 2017
Five and done. Just over a month before the start of a new high school football season, Vincentian Academy has decided not to field a team this fall due to a lack of numbers. The program is a co-op between Vincentian Academy, Eden Christian and Aquinas Academy, but school officials decided not to go through with the season because of the lack of interest and the dangerously low numbers they would have started the season with. Vincentian athletic director Ronald Moncrief informed the WPIAL and their nine opponents of the final decision on Monday, July 24th. This would have been the sixth season of football for Vincentian Academy. They Royals were 8-39 over those five seasons with a record best 4-6 in 2013 and a low mark of 0-10 this past season.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/27/2017
July 27, 2017
We unofficially kick off the high school football season as well as continue our coverage of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. Our 2017 Countdown to Kickoff starts with the MSA Sports/Kennywood Park Preseason Football All-Star Team Presentation Show on Wednesday, plus we have both audio and video coverage as the Washington Wild Things host Normal for three games before hitting the road for three games at Gateway for three weekend games ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 24th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, July 25th: No Broadcasts Wednesday, July 26th:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/18/2017
July 18, 2017
As the heat of July continues on the diamond, we continue our coverage of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have both audio and video coverage as the Washington Wild Things hit the road for three games at Southern Illinois and three games at Evansville ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 17th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, July 18th: Frontier League Pro Baseball - Live Video - Washington Wild Things vs Southern Illinois Miners at 8:05pm on MSAsports.net Wednesday, July 19th:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/11/2017
July 11, 2017
With summer and July in full swing, we take a little bit of a break this week here on the MSA Sports Network. After the Frontier League All-Star break allows for a bit of rest at the start of the week, pro baseball returns to Wild Things Park this weekend with the start of the second half of the season and a three game series against the Windy City ThunderBolts ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 10th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, July 11th: No Broadcasts Wednesday, July 12th: No Broadcasts Thursday, July 13th: No Broadcasts Friday, July 14th:
Coaches Corner – Billy Simms
July 5, 2017
In this feature titled "Coaches 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 features head softball coach Bill Simms of the West Greene Pioneers. Coach Simms finished his 12th year with WG, and has helped turn the program into a perennial playoff contender. In 2016, he led his team to 4 straight blowout wins, earning them the Pioneers first ever WPIAL softball title. Coach Simms is also the Athletic Director, as well as a teacher at West Greene. Let's take a look inside Coach Simms's corner:
2016-2017 MSA Sports Male Athletes of the Year
Darius Wise and Austin Butler were both 'Cats in high school, Wise playing for the Beaver Bobcats and Butler for the Latrobe Wildcats. But when it comes to athletes, Wise and Butler are top dogs. Wise and Butler, who both graduated last month, have been selected the MSA Sports Co-Athletes of the Year. The MSA Sports staff selects the athlete of the year from all WPIAL schools. In the days of high school athletes specializing in one sport, Wise and Butler were throwbacks. They were multi-sports athletes - in the same three sports. But it's not just competing in three sports that made them stand out, it's what they achieved in the three sports that made them two of a kind.
2016-2017 MSA Sports Female Athlete of the Year
It didn't matter whether it was brown, white, orange or fluorescent green. Olivia Porter would kick it, shoot it, throw it and hit it. For her, life has been a ball. Porter was worth a "fourtune" at Southmoreland High School. She was the ultimate multi-sport athlete, playing four sports her senior year - soccer, basketball, softball and even a kicker on the football team.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/05/2017
We celebrate the birth of our nation with plenty of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We kick summer into full gear during the first full week of July with audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things as they hit the road for three games before returning home to Wild Things Park for three games this weekend ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 3rd: No Broadcasts Tuesday, July 4th: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Frontier League Pro Baseball - Live Video - Washington Wild Things vs Normal Cornbelters at 6:35pm on MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/27/2017
June 27, 2017
The 'Wild' summer of '17 continues with plenty of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We close out the month of June with audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things as they return home to Wild Things Park this week for three games with the Traverse City Beach Bums and three weekend contests against the Joliet Slammers, plus one more high school football all-star broadcast with the annual Penn-Ohio Classic ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 26th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, June 27th: Frontier League Pro Baseball - Live Video - Traverse City Beach Bums vs Washington Wild Things at 7:05pm on MSAsports.net2017 Diamond Studs Baseball All-Stars
June 24, 2017
Latrobe was the only team from the WPIAL to win a state championship in baseball this season - and Latrobe is the only team with two players on this year's MSA Diamond Studs all-star team. The Diamond Studs consists of the top 12 players in the entire WPIAL, regardless of position. It is picked by the MSA staff. The team has some players who made big impacts as two-way players - pitchers/position players. The team also includes five players who have committed to Division I colleges, including two who chose Virginia Tech. Seton Hill, a Division II school, has two recruits on the Diamond Studs team. Four of the players on this year's all-star team are juniors and the rest are seniors.
2017 Diamond Dolls Softball All-Stars
Morgan Ryan finished off a great career as a Hempfield pitcher this season. Bailey Parshall still has one year left as a pitcher at Belle Vernon, but already has had a great career. The two were so good this season - and in their careers - that the MSA Sports staff found it impossible to pick one over the other as Player of the Year. So there is a double take on Player of the Year this year. Ryan and Parshall have been selected co-Players of the Year and lead the MSA Diamond Dolls softball all-star team. The Diamond Dolls are the top 12 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position, and they are picked by the MSA staff. Here are thumbnail sketches of the players of the year and the rest of the Diamond Dolls team.
Coaches Corner – Mike Kirkwood
In this feature titled "Coaches 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 features head baseball coach Mike Kirkwood of the Neshannock Lancers. Coach Kirkwood jus wrapped up his 14th season as head coach of the Lancers. In his tenure as coach, he has only finished under .500 once and has led his team to 6 WPIAL championship games, winning four of them. He has also captured PIAA gold twice in 2004 and 2015. Let's take a look inside Coach Kirkwood's corner:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/19/2017
June 19, 2017
The calm after the 2016-2017 high school sports season is plenty of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things as they hit the road this week with three games vs the Lake Erie Crushers and three weekend contests against the Schaumburg Boomers ONLY here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 19th: No Broadcasts Tuesday, June 20th: Frontier League Pro Baseball - Live Video - Washington Wild Things vs Lake Erie Crushers at 7:05pm on MSAsports.net Wednesday, June 21st:2017 PIAA Baseball Playoffs RESULTS
June 18, 2017
It truly was a golden season for Latrobe as the Wildcats followed up their first ever WPIAL baseball championship with PIAA state gold. 2017 turned out to be a season of silver for South Park as the Eagles made it to the finals in both the district and state postseason, but fell in the two title games and impressively claimed second place in both. Here are ALL the results from the 2017 PIAA Baseball Playoffs. All of the results with (MSA) after them are games you can listen to archived here on The Network 2017 PIAA BASEBALL CLASS 6-A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Pennsbury Falcons 1 - Dallastown Wildcats 02017 PIAA Softball Playoffs RESULTS
Four out of six state softball championship and one runner-up. not to bad for the WPIAL in the first year of the six classification championships in PIAA Softball. Hempfield completed its season of dominance in Class 6-A with a third state crown and second in a row while Mount Pleasant (4-A), South Park (3-A) and West Greene (1-A) brought home their schools first PIAA softball title. South Side made it to the state finals, but brought home silver. Here are ALL the results from the 2017 PIAA Softball Playoffs. All results with (MSA) after them are games you can listen to archived here on The Network. 2017 PIAA SOFTBALL CLASS 6-A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
After Long Wait, South Park is 3-A Softball State Champs
June 17, 2017
The South Park Eagles redeemed a third place finish in the WPIAL playoffs and had the last laugh by taking home the program's first PIAA state title in history 4-2 over District 11 champion Pine Grove. The Eagles scrapped and clawed for a run in the first, second, fifth, and seventh innings to pull out a hard-fought victory over a Pine Grove team that defeated three other district champions on its way to the title game. South Park's lone senior Justine Dean silenced the high-speed Cardinal attack that had blitzed its way to 32 runs in the previous three rounds of state postseason play.
