Sports
Neuman-Goretti Wins Third Straight State Title With Rout of Mars
March 18, 2016
Following all the pomp and circumstance after Friday’s PIAA boys Class AAA Championship game between District 12 powerhouse Neumann-Goretti and Mars, it seemed as if Mars came away with a state championship trophy. That was, of course because of the standing ovation a senior-laden Fighting Planets team received from their sizeable section of supporters in the Giant Center. However, the scoreboard told a completely different story, as Neumann-Goretti picked up another state championship, the sixth in seven years, by a score of 99-66.Scholastic Notebook – 03/18/2016
Two boys teams from the WPIAL (Mars and Aliquippa) and one girls team (Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic) have made it to Hershey for the state championships. Here is information and some factoids for the three games. All games are at the Giant Center in Hershey. CLASS AAA BOYS The game: Mars (23-6) vs. Neumann-Goretti (26-4) of Phildelphia, 8 p.m. Friday. Coaches: Mars Rob Carmody and Neumann-Goretti’s Carl Arrigale. Leading scorers: Mars: Robby Carmody (20) and John Castello (18). Neuman-Goretti: Quade Green (18.4), Zane Martin (18.3) and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (14.5).
2016 PIAA Basketball Championship Recaps
While the MSA Sports Network had broadcast coverage of four of the eight games this weekend from Hershey, we also have summaries of the other four state championship games. Here are recaps of the PIAA Boys A, Girls AAAA, Girls AAA and Girls AA title games from the GIANT Center in Hershey. CLASS AAA GIRLS PIAA CHAMPIONSHIP Archbishop Wood Vikings 46 - Villa Maria Victors 29 In a sloppy game, the District 12 champions Vikings handled the Victors their first loss of the season. Drexel recruit Bailey Breenburg led all scorers with 14 points and cleaned the glass with 13 rebounds.SRU’s John Papa Named Atlantic Region Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year
March 17, 2016
Slippery Rock University head track and field coach John Papa was named Tuesday as the Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The honor marks the 16th Regional Coach of the Year recognition in Papa's 29-year career at Slippery Rock. He has also been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 19 times over that stretch. Papa earned the top honor in voting by his peers among all coaches in the PSAC, the Mountain East Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.2016 PIHL PENGUINS CUP PLAYOFFS Results
The history of the PIHL postseason is that the favorites usually prevail. Up until last year, the playoffs would re-seed, making it tough for surprise teams to go deep. this year under the bracket format, none of the three eventual Penguins Cup champions were favored at the start of the playoffs. Sure, Beaver was the top-seed in the Division II Playoffs and went on to win gold, but Erie Cathedral Prep was a #3-seed in AAA, Bishop Canevin was a #4-seed in AA and Franklin Regional was a #7-seed in A. Here are ALL of the results from the 2016 PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs. All results with (MSA) after are games that can be heard or viewed archived here on the MSA Sports Network.
Erie Cathedral Prep Wins 2nd Straight Pens Cup With OT Win Over NA
March 16, 2016
Sophomore defenseman Pat Kelly’s power play goal at (8:52) of overtime propelled the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers to a 4-3 victory over top seeded North Allegheny in the PIHL Class AAA Championship game at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry and gave ECP its second consecutive Penguins Cup title and the school’s first in Class AAA since 1984.
Franklin Regional Uses Big Third Period To Win First Penguins Cup
March 15, 2016
Goaltending is arguably the most important ingredient for a team making a deep postseason run at any level of hockey. For the Franklin Regional Panthers, an unlikely source, freshman Daniel Soltesz, not only held his own in net, but was the key factor in Franklin Regional’s 4-1 win against South Fayette in the Class A Penguins Cup Championship at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The victory marks the first ever hockey championship for the school. Soltesz made 44 saves, while Nicholas Carretta recorded a hat trick, as the Panthers scored all four goals in the third period for the triumph. Soltesz’s heroics kept Franklin Regional within striking distance, as the Lions outshot the Panthers 38-16 through the first two stanzas.
Bishop Canevin Beats Mars for 8th PIHL Penguins Cup AA Title
Two quick goals early in the second period were the difference as Bishop Canevin claimed their 8th Penguins Cup championship in program history by defeating Mars 5-1 in the Class-AA Penguins Cup title game. A near capacity crowd was on hand at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry to watch these two Western Conference foes battle for the Penguins Cup. On the regular season these teams met twice. Mars defeated Bishop Canevin 9-3 in both teams second regular season game and the two squads battled to a 3-3 tie in the rematch in January.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Zac Lynch
Over the past several years, the PIHL has produced an array of notable alumni who have honed their craft either at the NCAA Division I level, or the professional ranks. Often, those players left the area at a young age to pursue their dreams. Zac Lynch has been able to play both his high school and college hockey in his hometown of Pittsburgh, however. Lynch, who is a top performer for the nationally-ranked Robert Morris University Colonials, is the focus of this week's WPIAL Alum Q&A.
Big Burst Helps Beaver Down Carrick to Win PIHL Division 2 Title
March 14, 2016
Things went according to plan for Carrick (15-7-1) through the first half of the 2016 PIHL Division 2 Championship at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Monday night. But then Beaver (21-2-0) exploded for three goals in a span of 1:17 late in the second period and rolled from there to a 5-2 victory and its first gold medal since 2001 as a member of Class AA.
PIHL Notebook – 03/14/2016
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. Having already presented you with our annual semifinal preview team capsules, how best to preview the 2016 PIHL Finals set for Monday and Tuesday at the brand new UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry? For that, we go back to something used periodically in this space over the years when the timing has worked out. Below, in diplomatic fashion, we build the case why each of the eight finalists can emerge victorious over the next two nights. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” PIHL DIVISION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 03/14/2016
The winter high school sports postseason comes to an end this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the Semifinals and State Championship Game coverage from Hershey of the boys and girls 2016 PIAA State Basketball Playoffs along with video and audio stream coverage of the 2016 PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs Championships, plus the season finales of both Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle and The WPIAL Roundball Report as well as The PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, March 14th: TALK SHOW - Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle at 7:00pm on MSAsports.net
2016 PIAA Wrestling Championships – Class AAA Final Results
March 13, 2016
After winning nine state championships a year ago in AAA, eight of which by seniors, a setback could have been expected. But when you are in a district as strong as the WPIAL, it never seems to happen. The WPIAL had another good showing at Hershey to cap its season, as five wrestlers came away with state gold. A pair of wrestlers were able to win their third PIAA Championship. The first was Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee at 120 pounds. Lee, who pinned his first three opponents in the tournament in the first period, was able to rack up multiple back points on his way to a 15-0 technical fall in 3:42 to defeat Austin DeSanto of Exeter Township. For his efforts, Lee was the recipient of the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award and the Most Falls Award for the PIAA tournament.
2016 PIAA Wrestling Championships – Class AA Final Results
The WPIAL came into the medal rounds of the PIAA Championships with nine individuals wrestling for a gold medal. After action ended Saturday, the WPIAL ended the season with seven state champions. Of the seven that won gold Saturday, five have won more then one title in their career. One wrestler was able to claim his third PIAA Championship, as George Phillippi of Derry was victorious at 138 pounds. He was able to pick up a pair of takedowns in the match to defeat Cole Wetzel of Boiling Springs 6-2.2016 PIAA Wrestling Championships – Day Two Recap
March 11, 2016
After having a tough day on Thursday, the WPIAL rebounded with a strong day on Friday to set up the medal round bouts on Saturday. Out of the 24 wrestlers that came into action Friday, there will be 16 of them coming home with a medal from Hershey. 14 of those wrestlers started the day in the Quarterfinals, and 9 finished the day set to wrestle in the state finals. Those expected to make the finals did, as Gavin Teasdale of Jefferson Morgan (113), George Phillippi of Derry (138), Mike Carr of South Fayette (145), Jake Wentzel of South Park (160), Greg Bulsak of South Park (182), and Jake Beistel of Southmoreland (285) all found their way to the title match with relative easy.Scholastic Notebook – 03/11/2016
Eight WPIAL boys basketball teams are left in the PIAA playoffs. For most of those teams, there is a certain football flavor to them. It’s a neat little storyline that some of the top basketball players on those eight teams were also top football players. Of the eight quarterfinalists from the WPIAL, the two that don’t have top football players are Lincoln Park and Sewickley Academy. But that’s because they don’t have football programs. But there is a common thread among the other six, and that is this: It doesn’t matter the gridiron or the court. Players can excel. In this day and age of athletes wanting to specialize in one sport, these are athletes proving that you can still be good in two.2016 PIAA Wrestling Championships – Day One Recap
March 10, 2016
The WPIAL came into action on Thursday at Hershey with 56 wrestlers, and they did not disappoint, as 51 of those wrestlers are still alive in the tournament and will wrestle on Friday afternoon. Of those 51 wrestlers, 28 still remain in the quarterfinals. Every WPIAL Champion advanced into the quarterfinals with the exception of two. The first was at 160 pounds, where Albert Gallatin's David Wallace dropped an 8-6 overtime loss to Tyler Reber of Hempfield (District 3). The other was at 285 pounds, where Norwin's Hayden Rice came up short against Isaac Schannauer of Wilson 3-2.Penguins Cup Playoffs Recaps From Wednesday 3/9
On the final night of the Final Four in the high school hockey playoffs, both games came down to the wire in a pair of one-goal contests at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex on Neville Island on Wednesday. In the end, top-seed North Allegheny and 2015 Class AA champion Erie Cathedral Prep proved the Northern Lights shine brightest as they eeked out wins to move on to the finals next week. Here are summaries from both PIHL Pneguins Cup Class AAA Semifinals. A special thanks to Randy Gore and Bob Orkwis for their help on these recaps. PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS AAA Semifinals:Penguins Cup Playoffs Recaps From Tuesday 3/8
March 9, 2016
Like the guy in the corn said in the movie Field of Dreams, "If you bracket it, upsets will come." Well, that's not exactly what he said, but since the PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs switched from re-seed to brackets, the chance of upsets increased. And in the case of the Class A Semifinals on Tuesday, they increased two-fold. Here are summaries from a couple of Class A Semifinals surprises at the Robert Morris University island Sports Complex on Neville Island as a second top-seed was knocked out short of the finals. A special thanks to Sean Meyers and Greg Kuntz for their help on these recaps. PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS A Semifinals:Penguins Cup Playoffs Recaps From Monday 3/7
March 8, 2016
Final Four Monday not only saw four teams fighting for title game spots in Class AA at the Robert Morris University Sports Complex on Neville Island, but also in the Division II Semi's at the Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale. when the smoke cleared, Bishop Canevin and Mars won a couple of Double-A dandies while Beaver and Carrick posted a pair of Semifinals shutouts. Here are recaps from all four Final Four contests that set the stage for the Class AA Penguins Cup Championship and the PIHL Division 2 Finals. A special thanks to Brandon Showers, Mike Azadian, Josh Rowntree and Matt Vandriak for their help on these recaps. PIHL PENGUINS CUP CLASS AA Semifinals:
