Tag: Blackhawk
MSA Sports Countdown – Top 25 WPIAL Stories From 2014 – 01/01/2015
January 1, 2015
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holidays here at MSA Sports. It's time to look back at another high school sports year with the top stories from around the WPIAL in 2014. We conclude our countdown with the five stories that ended up #5 through #1. {Left: Brianna Schwartz of Shaler crosses the finish line to win the WPIAL Girls Class AAA cross-county championship, her third straight title} #5 - Sister Power In 2013, the Kluska sisters made news when older sister Alyvia forfeited her WPIAL Class AA Consolation match to Michaela, thus earning the then freshman a spot in the PIAA girls individual singles tennis playoffs.
MSA Sports Countdown – Top 25 WPIAL Stories From 2014 – #10-#6
December 31, 2014
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holidays here at MSA Sports. It's time to look back at another high school sports year with the top stories from around the WPIAL in 2014. We continue our countdown with the five stories that ended up #10 through #6. {Left: After winning a third PIAA individual wrestling title, Kittanning's Jason Nolf accepts the Outstanding AA Wrestler trophy} #10 - The Storm Ends It was going to happen at some time this season that the New Castle Red Hurricanes boys basketball team would taste defeat. New Castle had an amazing run over the last three years, claiming consecutive WPIAL championships and finishing the run with a 31-0 season and a state title in March.Scholastic Notebook – 11/14/2014
November 14, 2014
It has been well-documented how Pine-Richland quarterback Ben DiNucci has turned out to be one of the most prolific passers in the history of the WPIAL. But DiNucci also has benefitted from a terrific one-two receiving punch. It looks like you could call seniors D’ondre Gastion and Mike Merhaut are a receiving duo for the ages. There are no records available for best receiving one-two punches, but you can bet you will be hard-pressed to find many duos from the same team who have been as productive as Gastion and Merhaut. How many teams have had two receivers with 100 or more career catches? But that’s what Pine-Richland has in Gastion and Merhaut, a pair of seniors.PIHL Notebook – 2014-2015 Class B & C Preview
October 27, 2014
Welcome to another installment of “PIHL Notebook” as we wrap up our season preview four-pack with a look inside what used to be the Open Class. Instead, it will now be known as Varsity Division II, divided into Class B and Class C. It bears mentioning, as touched upon in our feature on the new alignment on October 6, only co-op teams are allowed in Division II. Class B is the cream of the crop, at least on paper. Defending Nailers Cup champion Harbor Creek headlines things, joined by four semifinalists from the 2014 Open Class Playoffs. Also in the mix is a Penn-Trafford squad down from Class AAA, a brand new “B Team” from Upper St. Clair, and a blast from the past in Meadville.Hometown Volleyball Match Recap – Blackhawk Cougars – 10/07/2014
October 7, 2014
The Blackhawk Cougars JV won their game Tuesday night and the Cougars Varsity couldn't carry the torch as they fell at home to Beaver 3-0. After getting up early 14-9 Blackhawk saw that lead diminish and the first game ended in an extra volleyball loss 29-27 and the momentum was on Beaver's side. Beaver took that momentum and rode it into the second game winning 25-19. Up 2 games to 0 the Bobcats rode that wave and again playing extra volleyball in game 3 winning 26-24 to secure the victory. Taylor Hineman led all Bobcats in kills with 7.
Hometown Volleyball Match Recap – Blackhawk Cougars – 10/01/2014
October 1, 2014
The Blackhawk Cougars continued on the road towards a possible section title with a 3-1 victory over the Laurel Spartans in WPIAL Section 1-AA girls volleyball action last night in Chippewa Township. The win moves Blackhawk to 8-1 in section play, trailing only Hopewell in the standings at the start of play on Tuesday. Those two teams could meet for the section title on October 16th. Blackhawk took the first game by a 25-18 score, pulling away in the later stages with the help of senior Nikki Beatty with some key points to allow the Cougars to gain a 21-13 advantage which they would not relinquish.CTK ’14: WPIAL AAA Parkway Conference Preview
August 14, 2014
The Parkway Conference has dominated the WPIAL title picture since 2009. The last five champions have come from the conference and in three of the last five, two conference teams have played each other in the title game. The Parkway has been represented at Heinz Field every year since 2005. It has to start with the coaches, who have racked up 14 WPIAL titles at their current schools. Even the newcomer to the conference, has made two title game appearances. Add in a pair of coaches who won gold as players and you have a great collection of championship gold and some tough football games. Five playoff spots are guaranteed in the conference, a sixth is possible with the WPIAL wild card, that race for post season play will be exciting as always.2014 MSA Sports Diamond Studs Baseball All-Star Team
June 18, 2014
Blackhawk’s Brendan McKay and Norwin’s J.J. Matijevic were history makers. They did things this baseball season that hadn’t ever been done in the WPIAL before. McKay and Matijevic were so dominant and so terrific that the MSA Sports staff had trouble separating the two for Player of the Year honors. So, MSA decided to do a rare thing. They picked McKay and Matijevic as co-Player of the Year. McKay and Matijevic lead MSA’s Diamond Studs team, which is made up of the top 10 players in the WPIAL. The team is heavy with pitchers, but some of the pitchers also excelled in the field and as hitters. Here is a look at the MSA Sports Diamond Studs team as well as the co-Player of the Year. CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR2014 MLB Draft: Multiple Former and Current WPIAL Players Selected on Day 3
June 8, 2014
On day three of the Draft, former North Allegheny and Kent State pitcher Eric Dorsch was selected in the 15th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dorsch, while at North Allegheny, won the 2009 WPIAL AAAA Baseball Championship and was a runner up finisher in 2010. At Kent State, Dorsch was moved to the role of closer and thrived in his Redshirt Junior Season, posting ten saves with a 3.56 ERA.Scholastic Notebook – 06/03/2014
June 3, 2014
WPIAL baseball champions took it on the chin three times in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Monday. But history shows WPIAL champs often have trouble in the PIAA playoffs. Take a look at past years and the statistics say that WPIAL champs have only a slightly better than 25 percent chance of making it to a PIAA title game. The PIAA championships started with one class in 1977, expanded to two classes in 1979, three classes in 1999 and four classes in 2005. Since the PIAA playoffs started in 1977 and through last year, there were 96 WPIAL champs. Only 26 of those 96 teams (27 percent) made it to a PIAA title game.
