Sports
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Austin Dedert
January 4, 2016
Over the past several years, the Plum boys basketball team has been one of the most consistent squads in Class Quad-A. The Mustangs have captured consecutive Section 2 Championships, including in 2013-14, when Plum finished 18-4. The Mustangs also allowed the fewest points per game in the classification that season. One of the integral parts of the team was senior center Austin Dedert, who averaged more than 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Dedert, a three-year starter for Plum, now patrols the paint for St. Vincent College.PIHL Notebook – 01/04/2016
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. There are no updated hot streaks or games to recap this week, but fear not. First up, we conclude our two-part look at the midseason playoff picture with a focus on Class A and Division 2, including first-round match-ups. But that’s not all as we preview the first two MSA broadcasts of 2016, including one defending champion from Class AAA plus a meeting of high octane attacks in Class A. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” PIHL MIDSEASON PLAYOFF PICTURE Class A (Top 5 teams from each conference qualify) #1: West Allegheny (12-1-0)This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 01/03/2016
January 3, 2016
The first full week of 2016 brings plenty of scholastic post-holiday treats your way as we cheer for the new year this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have huge portions of WPIAL, District 6 and District 9 boys and girls section basketball along with section and tournament wrestling action from the WPIAL and District 6. We also have side dishes of audio and video coverage of PIHL high school hockey and Carlow University men's and women's college basketball as well as the 2016 WPIAL Competitive Spirit Championships, plus Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle, the PIHL Power Play Show and the WPIAL Roundball Report ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, January 4th: TALK SHOW - Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle at 7:00pm on MSAsports.netMSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories From 2015 Countdown: #10 – #1
January 1, 2016
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at MSA Sports. Here is a look back at another great high school sports year with the top stories from around the WPIAL in 2015. We conclude our countdown with #10 through #1. #10 - GOLDEN TRIBEMSA Sports Top 25 WPIAL Stories From 2015 Countdown: #25 – #11
December 31, 2015
It has become a tradition like no other...at least during the holiday season here at MSA Sports. Here is a look back at another great high school sports year with the top stories from around the WPIAL in 2015. We begin our countdown with #25 through #11. #25 - ODD STREAK CONTINUESMSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Basketball – 12/29/2015
December 29, 2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Boys Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season. Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday, along with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Top Ten: 1. LATROBE WILDCATS (8-0) (Last Week #1) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-2) (Last Week #2) 3. CHARTIERS VALLEY COLTS (7-2) (Last Week #3)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Basketball – 12/29/2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Girls Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season. Check out the weekly girls rankings every Monday, along with girls hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and girls basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every girls WPIAL playoff game in February sponsored by Carlow University all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Girls Basketball Top Ten: 1. NORWIN KNIGHTS (8-0) (Last Week #1) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (7-1) (Last Week #2)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Matt Skoff
More than six years ago, the Montour hockey team made an unlikely run to the PIHL Class AA Penguins Cup Championship Game. Undoubtedly, the play of goaltender Matt Skoff was the biggest reason for the Spartans reaching the title game. Monday night, Skoff returned to his hometown, as a member of the Penn State hockey team. Skoff and the Nittany Lions will compete in the Three Rivers Classic at Consol Energy Center both Monday and Tuesday.PIHL Notebook – 12/29/2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes the end of long unbeaten streaks for Peters Township in Class AAA, Moon in Class AA, and West Allegheny in Class A. Finally, with no MSA broadcasts to preview, we begin a two-part look at the current mid-season playoff picture, including first-round match-ups, beginning with Class AAA and Class AA. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak):This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 12/28/2015
December 28, 2015
We prepare to turn the page from 2015 to 2016 with plenty of holiday tournament basketball and wrestling this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have the last of the WPIAL and District 6 boys and girls high school basketball action for 2015 along with start of high school hoops for 2016 along with two day coverage of the 2015 PowerADE Wrestling Tournament, plus the PIHL Power Play Show and The WPIAL Roundball Report ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, December 28th: WPIAL High School Boys Basketball - Latrobe vs Plum at 2:00pm on WCNS-AM 1480 WPIAL High School Boys Basketball - Knoch vs Avonworth at 6:00pm on WISR-AM 680
MSA SPORTS ELITE ELEVEN
December 24, 2015
The MSA Sports Elite 11 all-star team is quite offensive. This year’s team has a handful of players who either put up record offensive numbers this season, or had statistics that put them in an elite class. Among those are quarterbacks Phil Jurkovec of Pine-Richland and Zach Chandler of Avonworth, Woodland Hills running back Miles Sanders, Aliquippa running back Kaezon Pugh and Armstrong running back Zane Dudek. The team is picked by the MSA Sports staff and is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position. Eight of the players are seniors, two juniors and one sophomore. Three of the players were on WPIAL championship teams. Here is a look at this years Elite 11.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Wrestling – 12/23/2015
December 23, 2015
Here are the latest Top 10 rankings in WPIAL Team Wrestling. Every Thursday through January, MSA Sports ranks the top ten teams in both the WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA team wrestling. Don't miss Inside the WPIAL Wrestling Circle Show every Monday at 7:00pm AND weekly matches broadcast on Wednesday's and select weekends only here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAA:MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five Hockey Rankings – 12/23/2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Sports Frozen Fab Five rankings of PIHL high school hockey teams in each of the four classifications for the 2015-2016 high school hockey season...including NEW #1 teams in Class AA and Class A. Don't miss the latest rankings every Wednesday during the regular season, plus PIHL Notebook every Monday on our website and the weekly PIHL Power Play Show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm with audio and video game broadcasts as well here on the home of the best PIHL high school hockey coverage, the MSA Sports Network. PIHL CLASS AAA: 1) PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS (7-1-4) (Last Week #1)MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Boys Basketball – 12/23/2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Boys Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season...including a NEW #1 team in Class AAAA. Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday, along with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Top Ten: 1. LATROBE WILDCATS (7-0) (Last Week #2) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-2) (Last Week #1)PIAA Plays of the Week – Championships
December 22, 2015
After nearly four months of incredible action, the high school football season in Pennsylvania finally came to an end over the weekend in Hershey. While Aliquippa came up short in the title game after a tremendous season, the Central Catholic Vikings brought gold back to the WPIAL, as they captured the Quad-A PIAA Championship against the Parkland Trojans. Here are the plays that helped catapult Central Catholic to its fourth PIAA title. 1. Central Catholic 21, Parkland 18MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Girls Basketball – 12/21/2015
December 21, 2015
Here are the latest MSA Sports Top Ten WPIAL Girls Basketball rankings for the 2015-2016 season...including another NEW #1 team in Class AAAA. Check out the weekly girls rankings every Monday, along with girls hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and girls basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season with exclusive coverage of every girls WPIAL playoff game in February sponsored by Carlow University all here on the MSA Sports Network. WPIAL CLASS AAAA Girls Basketball Top Ten: 1. NORWIN KNIGHTS (7-0) (Last Week #3) 2. NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (5-1) (Last Week #1)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Ciara Gregory
Monday night, the 2009-2010 Jeannette girls’ basketball team will be honored for the anniversary of the Jayhawks winning the WPIAL Championship. An instrumental part of that team was Ciara Gregory, who is the focus of this week’s WPIAL Alum Q&A. In that 2010 Class AA title game, Gregory, a freshman, scored 14 points to help guide the Jayhawks to a 39-36 victory over Seton-LaSalle. That was just the beginning of Gregory’s incredible four-year run at Jeannette, though. As a sophomore, she averaged 19 points per game, and again helped lead her team to the title game. In her junior season, she increased that total to 27 points per game, and also filled the stat sheet by averaging six rebounds, five assists and nearly five steals per contest.Scholastic Notebook – 12/21/2015
Pittsburgh Central Catholic won the very first PIAA Class AAAA championship in 1988. On Saturday, Central Catholic won the last PIAA Class AAAA title as we know it. And Central Catholic has to be the odds-on favorite to win the first PIAA 6A title. Central Catholic won its latest title Saturday with a 21-18 victory against Parkland at Hersheypark Stadium. Because the PIAA is going to six classes next year, this was, in a sense, the last AAAA title under this system. Although it has only been a day since Central Catholic’s latest title, it’s easy to look ahead and peg the Vikings as the team to beat next year in 6A. The Vikings will play in the largest class under the new system.PIHL Notebook – 12/21/2015
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes overtime action in Class AAA and Class AA while a Division 2 newcomer continues its hot streak. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of this week’s MSA broadcast, a classic match-up of South Hills rivals in Class AAA. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.” MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak): Class AAA: Peters Township (7-0-4); Canon-McMillan (5-0-2); Butler (3-0-0); Pittsburgh Central Catholic (2-0-1)
2015 PIAA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Results
December 20, 2015
District 6, District 12, District 4 and the WPIAL have seen one of their their football champions win state titles this weekend in Hershey. Pittsburgh Central Catholic brought home the gold in the final game of the year as the Vikings held on to beat Parkland 21-18 to win the schools fourth PIAA Quad-A championship. After Bishop Guilfoyle repeated in Class A and Imhotep Charter won the first PIAA crown for District 12 in football on Friday, Aliquippa took it on the chin Saturday afternoon in Hershey as they fell big to Southern Columbia giving the Tigers their first ever state Double-A title and the schools seventh overall PIAA crown. Here are ALL the results from the 2015 PIAA Football Playoffs.
