MSA Sports Countdown – Top 25 WPIAL Stories From 2014 – 01/01/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 1, 2015 | 3:43 PM

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.

Both sisters were at the top of their game in September when they each won First Round, Quarterfinals and Semifinals matches, setting up an All in the Family title match.

The battle of sisters never materialized, as the Kluskas of Greensburg Central Catholic agreed to forfeit their match. After warming up and initially preparing to do battle, Alyvia, a junior, and Michaela, a sophomore, decided to call off the contest.

WPIAL officials instructed the sisters that they must play at least one point, however, or the sister who forfeited would lose her spot in the PIAA tournament. Thus, the Kluskas played four games, with older sister Alyvia ultimately prevailing by default.

In the PIAA playoffs in October, both Kluska sisters won in the First Round, however Alyvia lost to Lin Robertson of Berks Catholic 7-5, 6-3 in the Quarterfinals and Michaela fell in the Semifinals to Bronwyne Mellott 6-1, 7-6 (7-2). Michaela later lost to Robertson in the Consolation match 6-4, 6-4.

#4 – Rock Me Like a Hurricane

The New Castle Red Hurricanes did what they had to do, just remain perfect. New Castle finished an amazing three year run with a PIAA Quad-A championship, claiming a 52-39 victory over LaSalle College at the Giant Center back in March.

New Castle finishes 31-0 on the season, joining Williamsport in 1984, Carlisle in 1988 and Chester two years ago to go undefeated in Quad-A. The Red Hurricanes are the first WPIAL to finish unbeaten since Sto-Rox accomplished a perfect campaign in 1983.

The Red Hurricanes had come up empty in three other trips to the title game, falling in 1936, 1982 and 1998. New Castle is 87-2 in the last three seasons, winning 3 straight WPIAL championships. 78 of those wins came by 10 or more points.

Malik Hooker led the way with 13 points, the Ohio State football recruit added 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 highlight reel blocked shots. The pace was not normal for a New Castle game, the Red Hurricanes led 10-9 after one quarter. The teams combined for just 5 field goals and 13 points in the second, with some tough defense at both ends of the floor.

New Castle pulled away in the third quarter. Drew Allen drove and scored to put New Castle up for good.  Jake McPhatter, a Ball State football recruit, nailed his second three-pointer of the quarter, Drew Allen turned on another gear and blew past the Explorers defense for a six point advantage. Leading by three points, Stew Allen picked up his third foul, forcing Coach Ralph Blundo to go to the bench and bring in Levar Ware. The senior, who had played very limited minutes in the last two state playoff games, recorded just 7 minutes, but in that time scored 5 points and snagged 3 rebounds and heightened the enthusiasm for New Castle into the fourth quarter. Blundo said that is what great teams do, that kids come off the bench when their number is called in reference to Ware’s performance.

Leading 30-24 entering the final frame, the Canes started to pull away. McPhatter hit three of four free throws to go up by 9 with 3:54 left in regulation. LaSalle College started to foul to try and extend the game. New Castle, which is not a good free throw shooting team, went 14 of 22 from the line in the fourth, including a stretch of six straight from the charity stripe to put the lead into double digits and start the sea of red and black clad fans into celebration mode.

Drew Allen also scored 13 points. McPhatter scored 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Anthony Richards, who is the third best career three-point shooter in WPIAL history, was held off the board for the first three-plus quarters and finished without a field goal and just 4 points.

New Castle shot 17 of 41 for the game at 41 percent, McPhatter had the only trifectas for the Canes. The Red Hurricanes had just 7 turnovers and finished 16 of 27 from the line. New Castle controlled the battle on the glass 36-23.

Three weeks earlier, there is a major storm brewing for Western Pennsylvania, but it paled in comparison to the storm that has been crushing the WPIAL for three basketball seasons now. The New Castle Red Hurricane continued their dominance of District 7 boys hoops with a 55-49 victory over the rival Hampton Talbots at a jam-packed A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University.

The ‘Canes historic run continues with a third straight WPIAL championship, with all three capping off undefeated seasons. It Marked the third consecutive season that New Castle beat Hampton in a WPIAL title game, beating the Talbots in the Class AAA finals in 2012 and now back-to-back times in the Class AAAA title game. Ironically, both the Red Hurricane and Talbots are back down to Class AAA this season.

#3 – Golden Runner

Shaler senior Brianna Schwartz continued to make her sales pitch as the greatest female long distance runner in WPIAL history in 2014.

She started at the rain delayed WPIAL Track & Field championships at Baldwin High School in May when she won gold and set new records in the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter races.

There was some anticipation in the PIAA Track & Field meet later that month at Shippensburg University for Shaler’s super distance runner as she tried to break the record in the Class AAA 1,600, set by Upper Dublin’s Kim Gallagher in 1981. Schwartz won the race for the second year in a row, but failed to reach Gallagher’s record of 4:41.08. Schwartz ran a 4:46.95.

Then in October, Schwartz captured a three-peat at the WPIAL Cross-Country Championships as she once again proved unbeatable at Cooper’s Lake Campground in Butler.

Schwartz, now a senior, secured the first-place finish in Class AAA in the 3.1-mile trek with an impressive time of 17:25, besting North Allegheny’s Madeleine Davison, the second-place finisher, by more than 40 seconds.

The golden career of Brianna Schwartz had another championship chapter written in November in Hershey. The three time WPIAL Class AAA girls cross-country champion finally captured an elusive PIAA championship.

Schwartz finished first in the near record setting course time of 17:39 , the second fastest time ever by a female runner on the Hershey course on a raw, rainy and windy afternoon with temps in the mid-40’s.

#2 – King of the AA Jungle

Led by the WPIAL’s all-time leading passer in Brett Brumbaugh, South Fayette registered a second straight 16-0 season with district and state gold added to their 2013 championships.

The South Fayette Lions successfully defended their WPIAL title in November as they knocked off Aliquippa 31-22 in the Class AA Championship at Heinz Field.

In a rematch from last year’s title game, the Lions again bested the Quips, as South Fayette senior quarterback Brett Brumbaugh threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns. With the triumph, South Fayette captures its third WPIAL Championship in five seasons, while Aliquippa falls for the fourth time in its record seventh-consecutive finals appearance.

In addition to Brumbaugh’s prolific performance, Hayes finished with 109 yards on the ground, while Ponikvar produced 157 yards on six receptions. Kaezon Pugh accounted for 111 yards rushing in the defeat for the Quips, while McGinnis contributed 85 yards receiving on four receptions.

After a pair of wins in the PIAA playoffs, South Fayette joined fellow WPIAL champions Pine-Richland, Central Valley and Clairton with 15-0 records in the state finals, yet they were the only team to come back west with gold.

One decision can change everything. Just ask Jack Henzes. After electing to go for a touchdown on a 4th and goal at the South Fayette 5-yard line, up 16-14, and failing, Henzes, the long-time Dunmore coach, would see his grip on the PIAA AA Championship slip away.

On the first play after the defensive stand, South Fayette (16-0) tailback Hunter Hayes would burst through a hole and go 95 yards for a go-ahead score, lifting the Lions to a 28-16 win over Dunmore (14-2) at Hersheypark Stadium.

The win is the second in a row in the AA Championship for the Lions, who routed Imhotep Charter 41-0 a year ago. The victory also extended South Fayette’s winning streak to 32-straight games, making them the first AA team to ever repeat as champions.

The win also marked the end of the record setting career for Brumbaugh. The Duquesne University recruit set the WPIAL and PIAA record for passing yards in his career with 11,084 passing yards. He has completed 675 of 1,068. He holds the WPIAL record for career touchdown passes with 127. He is the first quarterback in WPIAL history to throw for 3,000 yards in two different seasons.

Brumbaugh moved into the starting lineup late in his freshman year and his record as a starting quarterback is 45-2. He led South Fayette to a 32-game winning streak, fourth-best in WPIAL history.

#1 – Diamond Domination

Blackhawk’s Brendan McKay spent the spring making history every time he took to the mound. He did things this baseball season that hadn’t ever been done in the WPIAL before.

Some believe McKay could be the best pitcher in WPIAL history. You certainly could make a point for it.

McKay put himself in the national spotlight when he ran together a scoreless streak of 72 1/3 innings, dating back to last season. The streak, which was broken by West Allegheny in the WPIAL AAA title game, ties for the second-longest ever in high school baseball in the country.

McKay (6 feet 1, 220 pounds) finished his career with a 30-2 record and allowed only 24 runs, 18 earned in his career. He was close to unhittable for much of this season. He finished 8-1 with 130 strikeouts in 63 innings and only 12 walks. He gave up only six runs (five earned). But McKay also hit better than .400 with two home runs and eight doubles.

The incredible thing about McKay’s season is that it ended without a championship. The Cougars lost to rival West Allegheny in the WPIAL AAA championship game 5-3 in 8 innings, then fell 2-1 to Harriton in the PIAA Quarterfinals.

McKay was drafted in the 34th round by the San Diego Padres, but will instead play for the University of Louisville.

Tags: Blackhawk, Greensburg C.C.