Sports
Mars Dethrones Three-Time Champ Quaker Valley 4-2
March 15, 2015
Mars turned in an out-of-this-world performance in dethroning the three-time defending champion Quaker Valley 4-2 to capture the Class A Penguins Cup Championship at Consol Energy Center. {Left: Mars didn't miss much Saturday, but this third period shot goes sailing wide of the Quaker Valley cage}
Canon-McMillan Blanks Butler 4-0 to Win Penguins Cup AAA Championship
March 14, 2015
Sometimes the most unlikely heroes are found in championship games and the Class AAA PIHL Championship game was no exception. Austin Czartorski scored two goals in ten seconds to help the Canon-McMillan Big Macs to their second championship with a 4-0 victory over the Butler Golden Tornados at Consol Energy Center. {Left: Austin Czartorki's two goals 10 second apart late in second was a huge key to Big Macs second Penguins Cup in five years}
Cathedral Prep Rambles to AA Pens Cup Crown
A lot has happened in 17 years. 1997 was the second year of the second term for President Clinton, the movie Titanic won 11 Oscars, a gallon of gas was $1.22 and the price of a movie ticket was $4.59. 1997 was also the last time Erie Cathedral Prep won a Penguins Cup high school hockey championship, until Saturday. {Left: Erie Cathedral Prep goalie Jacob Kucharski keeps the puck out despite heavy traffic in front in leading Ramblers to 2015 Penguins Cup Class AA crown} The Ramblers got clutch goaltending from Jacob Kucharski and a pair of goals from Trevor Faulkner to beat the Armstrong RiverHawks 3-1 Saturday at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh to win the 2015 PIHL Class AA Penguins Cup Championship.Scholastic Notebook – 03/13/2015
March 13, 2015
This is the time of year in basketball where coaches often look to their seniors or experienced players for leadership and to make key plays in playoff games. But for a few teams in the WPIAL, “fresh” faces can be seen on the court. The New Castle and Mars boys, and also the Chartiers-Houston girls have made it to the PIAA quarterfinals and freshmen have fueled their runs. * For New Castle, 6-foot freshman forward Marcus Hooker is averaging 10 points and seven rebounds a game for a team that will play Archbishop Carroll tonight in the Class AAA elite eight. Hooker is the younger brother of Malik Hooker, a former New Castle star who is now a freshman football player at Ohio State. Marcus also plays football.
PIHL Playoff Recaps for Wednesday, March 11th
March 12, 2015
A fantastic three days of Final Four high school hockey at the Robert Morris University Sports Complex on Neville Island came to an end Wednesday with a pair of overtime thrillers. While the two favorites prevailed, it was anything but easy in clinching another trip to the PIHL Penguins Cup Finals for both Quaker Valley and Mars. Here are recaps from those two games as well as the fourth and final Division II Quarterfinals playoff game, A special thanks to Bob Orkwis, Josh Rowntree and Sean Meyers for their help on these recaps. {Above: Connor Quinn scores overtime game winner to lift Quaker Valley over Hempfield Wednesday in a Class A Semifinals game. Special thanks to David Hague for the photo} PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS A Semifinals:PIHL Playoff Recaps for Tuesday, March 10th
March 11, 2015
Another defending champion has bit the dust in the PIHL Penguins Cup high school hockey playoffs. It was not a good day for high-seeds as top-seed North Allegheny lost by seven and defending champion Peters Township was knocked out by the lowest seed still alive in #6 Butler. Here are recaps from the two Class AAA Semifinals in the Penguins Cup playoffs along with another Quarterfinals game in the PIHL Division II postseason. A special thanks to Sean Meyers, Sam Hall and Mike Azadian for their help on these recaps. PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS AAA Semifinals:PIHL Playoff Recaps for Monday, March 9th
March 9, 2015
The curtain rose on the second week of the high school hockey playoffs with the first of three straight nights of Penguins Cup Semifinals action from the RMU Sports Complex with Class AA claiming the spotlight on Monday. Plus a pair of Quarterfinals contest in the PIHL Division II Playoffs. Here are the recaps from all four contests. A special thanks goes out to Bob Orkwis, Josh Rowntree, Steve Nagler and Mike Azadian for their help on these recaps. PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS AA Semifinals:PIHL Notebook – 03/09/2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. Over the next three days, we will find out which six teams will complete for the 2015 Penguins Cup championships. All six semifinal games will be heard on these airwaves, and we have you primed in the space below with our traditional team capsules. Team stats, playoff results, keys to victory – we have it call at your fingertips. So, let’s light the lamp on this special postseason edition of “PIHL Notebook.” CLASS A PENGUINS CUP SEMIFINALS:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/08/2015
March 8, 2015
The state basketball playoffs head into rounds two and three while the high school hockey postseason heads into the giving up The Cup this week on the MSA Sports Network. We have Second Round and Quarterfinals action in the PIAA Basketball Playoffs along with Semifinals and Championship play from the PIHL Penguins Cup high school hockey playoffs. We also look forward to spring with a week full of college baseball from Florida featuring Geneva College, plus we have the season finale of Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, the WPIAL Roundball Report and the PIHL Power Play Show on a special night ALL here at MSAsports.net
WPIAL a Perfect 9-for-9 in PIAA Wrestling AAA Finals
The WPIAL came into the finals of the PIAA Championships with the opportunity to win at least nine gold medals. After the night was done, the WPIAL swept through every weight class to have nine WPIAL wrestlers come home as state champions. {Left: Waynesburg's A.C. Headlee received the trophy as Outstanding Wrestler of the PIAA Class AAA tournament a week after winning the same award in the WPIAL Finals}
Six WPIAL Class AA Wrestlers Win PIAA Titles
March 7, 2015
It was a golden day for the WPIAL in the AA PIAA Championships, as nearly half of the state champions were from District 7. The WPIAL had eight wrestlers take the mats in seven weight classes in the hopes of becoming a state champion, and six of those eight wrestlers were victorious. {Left: Derry's George Phillippi, who won his second state title, received the trophy as Outstanding Wrestler of the PIAA Class AA tournament}
PIAA Individual Wrestling Results – Day Two Recap
The AA PIAA Championships started with a lot of excitement on Friday. That was because Jefferson Morgan freshman Gavin Teasdale, who was 43-0 coming into Friday, almost seen his perfect season flash before his eyes. Teasdale was leading Jaret Lane of Southern Columbia 8-3 in the second period. That is when Lane hit a headlock on Teasdale. Fortunately for Teasdale, it was late in the second period, where he only had to bridge off of his back for roughly 20 seconds. After two periods, it was 8-8.Scholastic Notebook – 03/06/2015
March 6, 2015
Chassidy Omogrosso is Blackhawk’s Energizer bunny. The senior guard on the Blackhawk girls basketball team seemingly never stops on the court. Her motor is stuck on overdrive. While Comcast has bundle deals for cable television, Blackhawk has a bundle full of energy in Omogrosso. Omogrosso’s “run” through the recent WPIAL tournament was one to behold. She was close to unstoppable in the Class AAA playoffs, leading the Cougars to a second consecutive WPIAL title last Saturday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. No one has records for what is the greatest playoff run – scoring wise – for WPIAL girls basketball. But Omogrosso has to be somewhere near the top.
