Football

Scholastic Notebook – 03/28/2014

March 28, 2014

Baseball and softball teams were able to start playing games last week. But it’s never too early to look ahead – and there are two teams that have a chance to make history come late May. In baseball, Seneca Valley has been to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game three years in a row, winning twice and losing last year. The Raiders could become the first WPIAL team in at least 70 years to make a championship game four years in a row. A check of WPIAL final game scores that go back to 1954, shows that no team has played in a championship game four consecutive years. Some teams have made it three years in a row. North Allegheny made it four of five years from 1990-94. Shaler made it four of five years from 1980-84.

Scholastic Notebook – 03/07/2014

March 7, 2014

Another postseason tournament starts this weekend for the New Castle boys basketball team and the Red Hurricanes. While New Castle has achieved a number of historical feats the past few seasons, the start of the PIAA playoffs means New Castle will take another shot at joining a most special group. But to become a member, New Castle will have to look just perfect. For the third year in a row, New Castle will take a perfect record into the PIAA tournament after winning a WPIAL title with an undefeated record.

Scholastic Notebook – 02/21/2014

February 21, 2014

If the WPIAL basketball quarterfinals are a party for eight, Class AAAA Section 1 has done and unusual thing and made reservations for two. It’s like Section 1 has finally stood up and said “what about us?” Hempfield and Kiski Area are Section 1 teams that have made it to the quarterfinals. It might not seem like much, but seeing two from Section 1 eating at the quarterfinal table doesn’t happen often. Since 2000, this is only the fourth time that two teams from Section 1 have made the quarterfinals and the first time since 2010. In 2007, Albert Gallatin and Norwin made the quarterfinals. Norwin and Franklin Regional made it in 2008. Kiski Area and Latrobe made it in 2010.

2014 National Letter of Intent Day – MSA Sports Elite Eleven College Destinations

February 6, 2014

Wednesday was National Letter of Intent Day where high school seniors make their verbal committments official by signing on the dotted line to the school of their choice. What were the final college destinations for the member of the 2013 MSA Sports The Elite 11 football all-star team? Here is a look: CHASE WINOVICH, THOMAS JEFFERSON QB/RB-LB, 6-4, 220, UNIVERSITY of MICHIGAN NIKO THORPE, PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC LB, 5-10, 225, SENIOR FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

2014 National Letter of Intent Day – Division I Football Players from WPIAL

February 5, 2014

Here are the seniors from the WPIAL or Pittsburgh City League who have signed to make their verbal commitments to Division I-A colleges. High school seniors could not sign a binding letter of intent until Wednesday, February 5th. AKRON Brock Boxen, Beaver Falls (DL, 6-3, 260) Chandler Kincade, Blackhawk (QB, 6-4, 210) ARMY Shafer Swan, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (WR, 6-2, 180) BALL STATE Jake McPhatter, New Castle (RB-DB, 5-11, 170) BUFFALO Adam Mitcheson, Kiski Area (K-P, 6-2, 190) FLORIDA STATE J.J. Cosentino, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (QB, 6-4, 215)

Scholastic Notebook – 02/01/2014

February 1, 2014

The son is shining all over area basketball this season. It is quite common to see a coach’s son do well in WPIAL basketball. But it just seems there are more than usual father-son combos doing well this year. Four sons whose father is the head coach are averaging between 17 and 22 points a game for teams that all have at least clinched a WPIAL playoff berth, or are in good shape to make it to the postseason. * Julian Batts, a junior guard at Jeannette, averages 22 a game for the Jayhawks. His father is Adrian Batts. Jeannette is tied for second place in Class AA Section 3. * Matty McConnell averages 19 a game for Chartiers Valley, which has clinched at least a tie for the Class AA Section 5 title. His father is Tim McConnell.

Scholastic Notebook – 01/24/2014

January 24, 2014

All of a sudden, the menu of top boys basketball teams in WPIAL Class AAAA Section 4 has Big Macs on it. The Canon-McMillan Big Macs have pushed their way into a tie for the Section 4 lead with Upper St. Clair. The two teams meet tonight in a big game. Although Section 4 isn’t strong this year, nothing should take away from the Big Macs’ surge. They were 3-4 at one point this season and have since won seven of eight. Of the last five wins, Canon-McMillan has give up 46 points or less in four of those games. Canon-McMillan has a legitimate shot at a section title. Section title and Canon-McMillan usually aren’t mentioned in the same sentence.

WPIAL FOOTBALL ALIGNMENT FOR 2014

January 21, 2014

Two years ago, there were major changes in the WPIAL football conference alignment. The biggest change came in Class AAAA and Class AAA where both classifications shrunk from the standard four conferences to three conferences and the wild card came into play. This time around, there were hardly any changes to the top two classifications while the biggest moves were made as expected in Class A.

Scholastic Notebook – 01/17/2014

January 17, 2014

Jared Walker and his brother, Zach, brought a lot of people to the ground during football season. The Walkers led undefeated South Fayette in tackles. In the winter, the Walkers are pretty good at taking more people down to the mat. You’ll have to think long and hard to come up with two brothers in the WPIAL who were so good at football – and so good at wrestling. Jared Walker, a South Fayette junior, is the No. 1-ranked WPIAL Class AA wrestler in the 170-pound division. He entered the week with a 7-0 record. Zach Walker, a senior, is No. 1-ranked at 195 pounds. He was 6-1 entering the week. The Walkers are two of the main reasons South Fayette is the MSA Sports’ No. 3-ranked team in Class AA.

Scholastic Notebook – 01/10/2014

January 10, 2014

No matter what time of year it is at Western Beaver High School, it always seems to be Miller Time. Miller is a senior at Western Beaver. True, he may not be at the same athletic level as, say, New Castle’s Malik Hooker or Gateway’s Montae Nicholson, a pair of future Division I college players who shine in others sports. But as far as production goes in three sports, you’d be hard-pressed to find a WPIAL athlete who is better than Miller. Western Beaver was a .500 team in football, but Miller was their leading receiver for the second year in a row.

Scholastic Notebook – 01/05/2014

January 5, 2014

Ever since George Yokitis became Vincentian’s boys basketball coach in the 2008-09 season, he has tried to have his teams play an up-tempo, full-court style. The Royals press, trap all over the court and try to keep the tempo at a fast pace on offense. But the style has never created scoring like this year. Vincentian Academy is undefeated and scoring at a pace that is rarely seen around the WPIAL. The Royals are averaging 92.1 points a game and have scored 90 points or more seven times. You can say that it’s easier to play this way in Class A. And yes, Vincentian plays on a small court, which makes it easier to score more and trap more defensively. But still, the Royals haven’t scored like this in the past.

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – #25 to #1

January 3, 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 2013. Here is our entire countdown fr0m #25 through #1. #25 - Playoff Drought Ends In a year when the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a long Major League Baseball playoff drought, a long WPIAL football playoff drought also came to an end when in Week 9, the Avella Eagles clinched a WPIAL playoffs berth with a 55-14 thrashing of Bentworth to clinch fourth place in the Class A Tri-County South Conference.

2013 WPIAL Team Champions on Parade

January 1, 2014

What better way to celebrate championships and the start of a new year then with a parade. It has been another great year in high school sports. All of us here at the MSA Sports Network and Management Science Associates thank our sponsors and fans for their support during 2013. As we get ready for another great scholastic year in 2014, we look back at all the WPIAL team champions on parade from this past year. Football: Class AAAA - Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings Class AAA - West Allegheny Indians Class AA - South Fayette Lions Class A - Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans PIAA Class AA - South Fayette Lions PIAA Class A - Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 01/01/14

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 2013. We conclude our countdown with the five stories that ended up #5 through #1. #5 - Section 3 Superiority Everybody knew that WPIAL Class AAAA Section 3 in boys basketball was special. But the strength of the four postseason representatives ended up being historic. #1 seed New Castle, #2-seed North Allegheny, #3-seed Hampotn and #12-seed Seneca Valley all advanced through the First Round...then through the Quarterfinals before making the Class AAAA Semifinals a personal Section 3 in-house tournament.

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 12/31/13

December 31, 2013

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 2013. We continue our countdown with the five stories that ended up #10 through #6. #10 - Sto-Rox Cuts Spring Sports School district budget cuts led to Sto-Rox High School dropping its baseball and softball programs in late June. While the district is looking for a co-op with another school district for both programs, returning baseball and softball players can either move to another district, attend a private school or just not play this upcoming spring.

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 12/30/13

December 30, 2013

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 2013. We continue our countdown with the five stories that ended up #15 through #11. #15 - Perfect Champions It was a rare Perfect Saturday at Heinz Field on November 23rd as all four WPIAL football champions crowned did so with no losses. Pittsburgh Central Catholic, West Allegheny, South Fayette and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic were all 13-0 as they were presented with the golden football on a snowy day on the North Shore, but both the Lions and Trojans were not satisfied with just a district title, they wanted to stake their claim to state gold as well.

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 12/29/13

December 29, 2013

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 2013. We continue our countdown with the five stories that ended up #20 through #16. #20 - Virgin Playoff Teams There are teams that haven't played in the WPIAL football playoffs in 'X' amount of years, then there are schools that have never played in a WPIAL football game...ever. Until this 2013 season that is. Summit Academy is a small court-adjudicated facility in rural Butler County that started in 1998. The Knights roster not only changes drastically from year to year, but also could change from week-to-week.

MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 12/28/13

December 28, 2013

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 2013. We begin our countdown with the five stories that ended up #25 through #21. #25 - Playoff Drought Ends In a year when the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a long Major League Baseball playoff drought, a long WPIAL football playoff drought also came to an end when in Week 9, the Avella Eagles clinched a WPIAL playoffs berth with a 55-14 thrashing of Bentworth to clinch fourth place in the Class A Tri-County South Conference.

Scholastic Notebook – 12/20/2013

December 20, 2013

Every two years, the PIAA realigns classifications in all sports. The PIAA’s realignment for the next two years brings about some noteworthy changes in WPIAL sports. The PIAA bases its classifications on school enrollments. In October, schools had to report the number of boys and girls they had in grades 9 through 11. Earlier this week, the PIAA released the enrollment figures for all schools in the state. Some of the major changes in WPIAL football for the next two years will be: * Gateway drops from Class AAAA to AAA. Since the school opened in the 1950s, Gateway had always played in the WPIAL’s largest classification.

This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/16/2013

December 16, 2013

Like the big guy, we are checking our lists to see who has been naughty and who has been logging on to msasports.net to fall under the nice column all this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have plenty of WPIAL, District 6 and District 9 high school basketball and scholastic wrestling action along with PIHL high school hockey and men's and women's college hoops, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, the PIHL Power Play Show and the final edition of This Week in the WPIAL as we salute the four WPIAL champions from Coach's Bottleshop and Grille ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 16th:

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