Sports
Highway to Heinz – Quarterfinals Recaps 2015
November 13, 2015
You had to know some strange things would happen when Quarterfinals Friday fell on Friday the 13th. Undefeated teams Belle Vernon in AAA and Washington in AA were upended as was AAA 3rd-seed West Allegheny...Unbeaten Penn-Trafford and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic needed fourth quarter comebacks to pick up their 11th win of the season...and a Tri-County South Conference team is in the Final Four. Strange but true. Here are the summaries from an exciting Round Two as the Highway to Heinz has reached the midway point. A special thanks to Paul Paterra, Mark Uriah, Adam Hoerner, Rick Smith, Brandon Showers, Bob Barrickman, Tom Hays, Cory Campano, Bob Orkwis, Bob Gregg, James Dotson, Mark Schaas Mike Zappone, Randy Gore, Dan Wallace and Adam Gusky for their help on these recaps.Scholastic Notebook – 11/13/2015
A Steel Valley player made some history last week. Now, the Steel Valley team will try to make some more history Friday night. It went pretty much unnoticed, but Steel Valley running back DeWayne Murray surpassed 4,000 career yards rushing last week in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Although close to 70 runners have gained 4,000 yards rushing in their careers, it is a noteworthy feat for Murray because he is only a junior and is the first Steel Valley player to reach 4,000 yards. Murray has 4,097 yards on 363 attempts, an impressive 11.3 yards-per-carry average. Because he is only a junior, he has a good chance to next year become the 17th runner in WPIAL history to gain 5,000 career yards.WPIAL Friday Football Scores – 11/13/2015
The eleventh week of the WPIAL high school football season fell on Friday the 13th. For 16 teams that avoided black cats, didn't walk on cracks and sashay around any ladders they saw, victory was theirs and they continue to cruise on the Highway to Heinz to the Final Four. The 16 other teams will felt like victims of Freddy Krueger or Jason or Chuckie as their dreams of district gold were laid to rest. Here are all the final results. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals: Woodland Hills Wolverines 40 - Bethel Park Black Hawks 20 (F) Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 31 - North Allegheny Tigers 17 (F) Penn-Trafford Warriors 39 - McKeesport Tigers 32 (F-OT) Pine-Richland Rams 42 - Mount Lebanon Blue Devils 13 (F)District 5, 6, 9 & 10 High School Football
November 12, 2015
While the WPIAL football playoffs reached the Quarterfinals stage, other district postseason action kicked off around Western Pennsylvania this weekend. The next two weeks will help shape the eventual playoff field for the PIAA postseason. Here is a rundown of the results from Friday and Saturday in District 5, District 6, District 9 and District 10 along with a couple of multi-district matchups which included the Pittsburgh City League and District 8. District 5 & 8 CLASS AA Semifinals: Chestnut Ridge Lions 14 - Westinghouse Bulldogs 6 {Winner plays vs Bedford on 11/20} District 5 CLASS A Quarterfinals:Chicks Picks – Week 11 – 2015
Welcome to Week 11 of the high school football season. The atmosphere at MSA Sports World Headquarters was full of excitement last Friday night as we began our exclusive coverage of the WPIAL playoffs. Things seemed to be running smoothly; that is, until Chick’s Picks overheard an unsettling statement during one of the broadcasts. The color commentator said, “This team should utilize that standout running back some more. He’s really getting it done out there tonight.” The play-by-play announcer called the next play, “That running back just went 80 yards for a touchdown! Way to go, color commentator guy. You called it. It was almost as though you used that trusty crystal ball of Chick’s Picks’, and you saw that play coming.”WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Quarterfinals
November 11, 2015
Quarter-finals week on the MSA Sports Network after a pretty chalk first round, really a very chalk first round just four upsets by seed and three of those in the eight – nine games, the other a ten seed over a seven seed. This Friday, I think you will see the chalk go by the wayside as I predict upsets will be the order of the weekend, but hey I know nothing, we’ve gone out of our way to make that abundantly clear here week after week. Just 16 games on this Friday night make sure you get out to one or listen to one here on the MSA Sports Network, even better if you do both of those things. Here are my picks for Week 11 of Big Game Hunting.District College Football Preview for November 14th
Week 11 of the district college football slate features the PSAC State Title Game and 5 rivalry games in the PAC. Here are previews of ALL THE GAMES: PSAC STATE TITLE GAME Slippery Rock (9-1) at West Chester (7-3) Noon A win would cement the Rock into the D-II playoffs, SRU enters this week in 4th place in the Super Region 1 rankings. The Rock is ranked #9 in both the AFCA and D2football.com polls. The Rock has won 6 straight games since a loss to Seton Hill.Last week’s win over Clarion gave the Rock it’s 3rd straight trip to the title game, the Rock is the defending champions. SRU has won the West Division 15 times.WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Ten 2015
November 10, 2015
The 2015 WPIAL regular season for football has come and gone, and the commencement of the playoffs also meant the busiest week of the season on the MSA Sports Network. With coverage of all 32 first-round games, there were plenty of top plays from which to choose. The four that made the cut were all crucial in the outcome of some of the most competitive tilts of the postseason slate. 1. Beaver Falls 33, Apollo-Ridge 29
WPIAL Alum Q&A – J.P. Holtz
November 9, 2015
As the University of Pittsburgh football team has enjoyed a resurgence this season, several former WPIAL competitors have been crucial to the success. Perhaps nobody has meant more to the Panthers over the past four seasons, however, than tight end J.P. Holtz. Holtz enjoyed a stellar high school career for the Shaler Area Titans, playing a variety of positions. He scored 15 touchdowns as a senior, and helped guide the Titans to the playoffs. He also was a four-year letterwinner on the Titans’ basketball squad that made an appearance in the state postseason in 2012.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/08/2015
November 8, 2015
When it comes to delivering playoff and championship high school action, we are season veterans! Adn while we take time this week to salute the true hero's, America's Veterans, we also gear up for another ride on the Highway to Heinz this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have ALL 16 Quarterfinals WPIAL Football Playoff games Friday night starting with the MSA Sports Pregame Show and concluding later that night with the WPIAL Football Scoreboard Show.2015 WPIAL GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFFS RESULTS
One team was perfect, one team was back on top for the fourth time in six year and a third was hoisting a second consecutive golden crown. The Norwin Knights have won every match they played en route to the Class AAA championship while the Mars Fighting Planets were back on top of the Class AA soccer solar system after a two year absence and the Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions were the only district team to successfully defend their title from a year ago. Here are ALL of the final results from the 2015 WPIAL Girls Soccer Playoffs.2015 WPIAL BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFFS RESULTS
You know the soccer is competitive when all three title matches need overtime to decide a champion. That is what happened this season as golden goals were needed to crown Canon-McMillan in Class AAA, South Fayette in Class AA and Seton-LaSalle in Class A. The championships were the sixth for the Rebels, the second for the Big Macs and the first ever for the Lions. Here are ALL the results from the 2015 WPIAL Boys Soccer Playoffs. All results below followed by (MSA) are matches that can be heard archived on the MSA Sports Network. Just click on the broadcast tab and the day the match was played. You can watch the archived video stream of all the WPIAL championship matches.2015 WPIAL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS RESULTS
It was a postseason without a lot of surprises as the higher seeds dominated, going 40-5 through all four rounds of the playoffs. So it wasn't surprising that a pair of top-seeds came away with district gold as #1 Baldwin repeated as Class AAA champs and #1 Freeport captured the Class AA title for the second time in three years. The Class A winner was Bishop Canevin as the Crusaders came from behind in both the Semifinals and Finals to beat out top-seed Greensburg Central Catholic and #3-seed Shenango to win their second crown in three years. Here are ALL of the results from the 2015 WPIAL Girls Volleyball Playoffs.
Baldwin Beats NA Again For WPIAL AAA Girls Volleyball Title
Before a standing room only crowd at Baldwin High School, the home-standing Highlanders won their second consecutive WPIAL Class AAA championship with a 3-2 victory over the North Allegheny Tigers Saturday evening. It was a rematch of last year’s five-set thriller and again the Highlanders were able to outlast the Tigers in five electric sets. Baldwin claimed the title by set scores of 21-25, 25-18, 14-25, 25-22 and 15-12. After splitting the first two sets, North Allegheny seemed to seize control with a thorough 25-14 win in the third set. Michigan State recruit Lauren Swartz picked up three kills in the set, on her way to a 14-kill performance.Freeport Stings West Shamokin to Win Girls Volleyball AA Crown
Freeport lived up to its billing as the top seed in the WPIAL AA playoffs, and bested previously unbeaten West Shamokin in the battle for Armstrong County. An outstanding effort from senior Zoey Pawlak propelled the Yellowjackets to a convincing 3-1 victory by scores of 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16. Pawlak, a Loyola Maryland recruit, finished the match with 31 kills and seven service aces, and coach Tom Phillips led the Yellowjackets to their third WPIAL title in six years.District College Football Recap for Saturday, November 7th
Week 10 of the college football slate saw both the PAC and PSAC West titles decided and Duquesne move into sole possession of first in the NEC. Here are recaps of ALL THE GAMES: Thomas More 36 – Case Western Reserve 32 In a battle of ranked teams for the PAC title, the #12 Saints used a defensive conversion by kyle Fuller and a luke Zajac 1 yard run to beat the #18 Spartans. Thomas More is 10-0 overall and win the conference with an 8-0 record. QB Jensen Gebhardt returned for the Saints and threw for 223 yards and 2 scores, he ran for one. Tyler Vogelpohl had 6 catches for 108 yards, Goose Cohorn had 6 grabs for 104, each had a score. Hjavier Pitts also ran for a td.Bishop Canevin Wins Second WPIAL A Volleyball Title in Three Years
The Cardiac Crusaders came from behind yet again and won a five set match to win the 2015 WPIAL Class A Championship, defeating Shenango 23-25, 25-23, 25-13, 23-25,15-9. Bishop Canevin jumped to an early 13-5 lead in the first set, but the Wildcats responded with nine unanswered points to take a 14-13 lead. Elizabeth Quahliero had three of her team-high five service aces in the run. A back-and-forth battle finished with Shenango scoring three if the last four points in the set to draw first blood in the match.
South Fayette Roars to WPIAL Boys AA Soccer Crown
Jordan Smith’s blast just more than halfway through the first overtime period provided the golden goal for South Fayette, as the Lions captured their first boys’ soccer title. South Fayette, the No. 4 seed, edged second-seeded Mars 3-2 in the Class AA Championship at Highmark Stadium. Smith’s winner came from distance, but the senior’s kick was perfectly placed in the top corner, as Fighting Planets’ goalkeeper Dale Glavin had no chance to make the save. It marked Smith’s second tally of the contest, as he broke a scoreless tie in the 45th minute on a scramble in front. Originally, the play appeared to be an own-goal by Mars, but Smith was credited with the goal.
Mars Back on Top of the WPIAL Girls AA Soccer World
November 7, 2015
The number one seeded Mars Planets used a pair of goals and a stout defense to defeat the number two seeded South Park Eagles 2-1 at Highmark Stadium for the 2015 WPIAL Girls Soccer Class AA Championship. Since 2006, only one finals matchup has been held without one of these two teams as participants with the 2015 finals match being the second time they had met in the championship round. Mars, last year’s runner up, was shooting for their 4th WPIAL AA Girls Soccer Championship and entered the championship game not having given up a goal in the playoffs. South Park, owners of three WPIAL AA Championships themselves headed to the finals for the first time in four years.
Seton-LaSalle Goes Overtime to Win Boys A Soccer Title
The Avonworth Antelopes and the Seton-LaSalle Rebels had met twice during the regular season in Class A Section 3 with each team coming away with a 2-1 win. So it was no surprise that the WPIAL Class A Title match at Highmark Stadium between the two schools was a tight battle as well. Senior midfielder Brandon Benedetti who had the game-winning goal in the Rebels 2-1 opening round win over Aquinas Academy stepped into solid right footed strike from 25-yards out and found the top left corner of the goal in the 7thminute of overtime propelling Seton-LaSalle to a 1-0 win and giving the Rebels their 6th WPIAL Class A Championship.
