Sports
PIAA Football Quarterfinals Recaps 2015
December 5, 2015
Last year, the WPIAL sent all four of its champions to Hershey to play in the PIAA football finals. In both 2012 and 2013, three of the four District 7 teams made it to Hersheypark Stadium. This year after the Quarterfinals, only two teams are left standing as another WPIAL Triple-A champ is ousted by Erie Cathedral Prep while Clairton is stunned by a team they beat last year by 28 points. Here are recaps from all four PIAA Quarterfinals state football playoff games involving the four WPIAL champions. A special thanks to Sean Meyers, Bob Gregg, Bob Barrickman and Paul Paterra for their help on these recaps.Scholastic Notebook – 12/04/2015
December 4, 2015
Bill Cherpak’s coaching resume is as impressive as it gets. It took him less than 20 years to win 200 games at Thomas Jefferson High School. He has five WPIAL championships on his list of accomplishments. But this season may have very well been Cherpak’s best coaching job. This was not one of Cherpak’s best teams in terms of talent. Just about anyone will tell you that. Even Cherpak will admit it. But when they handed out the WPIAL Class AAA gold championship trophy last week at Heinz Field, it went to the black and gold of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson beat Central Valley for the title. Who would’ve thunk that after the first two games of the season, the Jaguars would be calling themselves champions.2015-2016 WPIAL Boys Basketball Preview
December 3, 2015
Three elite boys basketball programs added to their trophy case this past spring, ending personal droughts at the same time. In Quad-A, Chartiers Valley won a sixth title and their first since 2010...In Double-A, Aliquippa won an eleventh crown, but first since 2007...While Monessen captured their seventh district gold ball and first since 2011. There was a new kid on the block as Indiana won a first ever WPIAL basketball crown by edging Beaver Falls at the buzzer in a Class AAA thriller. That success did not carry over to the state playoffs however as only ALiquippa made it to the PIAA Finals in Hershey but settled for silver as District 12 won all four state basketball championships.2015-2016 WPIAL Girls Basketball Preview
December 2, 2015
The 2015-2016 WPIAL girls basketball season tips off on Friday, December 4th with several teams on a golden run hoping to continue their hardwood success this upcoming season. Vincentian Academy has won four straight Class A district titles while Blackhawk in AAA and Seton-LaSalle in AA are looking for a third straight WPIAL title. Class AAAA gold has run through Section 1 the last two years with Penn-Trafford winning it all in 2014 and Norwin taking the crown last year. Plus Blackhawk and Vincentian Academy are defending state champions coming into this years campaign. Here are the Pre-Season Top 10 in each classification along with the players to watch in each class.WPIAL Big Game Hunting – State Quarterfinals
For the final time ever it will be just four WPIAL teams carrying the District-7 flag into the PIAA tournament. A tough job for WPIAL coaches this quarter-final round of the state playoffs,(the WPIAL Championship games are the first round of the state playoffs), the tough job of re-igniting your team emotionally after playing for a gold football at Heinz Field. It is no secret that the District-7 title games are a much bigger deal than a lot of other districts around the state. Not just in football but truly in every sport, avoiding a WPIAL championship hangover is a tall task moving into the PIAA tournament. Lucky for us we have four of the best coaches in the business going to the quarter-finals.District College Football Preview for Saturday, December 5th
And then there was one. Slippery Rock remains as the only district college football team playing in the month of December. The Rock is looking to advance to the national semifinal next weekend. Here is the game preview, a recap will be posted on Saturday evening: NCAA Division II Football Playoffs/Super Region 1 Championship Slippery Rock (12-1) at Shepherd (11-0) Noon The second seed in the region travels to the top seed to determine who advances to the national semifinals next week. The PSAC champions are ranked 10th in the last national poll while the Rams are ranked 5th.MSA Sports Frozen Fab Five Hockey Rankings – 12/02/2015
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. 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 (5-0-3) (Last Week #1) 2) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (4-2-2) (Last week #2)WPIAL Plays of the Week – WPIAL Championships 2015
December 1, 2015
Nearly three months of terrific football action culminated on Saturday with the WPIAL Championship games at Heinz Field. Four teams were crowned champions of their respective classifications, including one repeat winner, the Clairton Bears. Additionally, the Aliquippa Quips, Thomas Jefferson Jaguars and Central Catholic Vikings all hoisted the trophies, securing their spot in the PIAA postseason. Congratulations to all of the winners, as well as every team and all the players and coaches for a wonderful 2015 WPIAL campaign. To put the cherry on top of the great season, here are the very best plays from Championship Saturday. 1. Aliquippa 44, South Fayette 382014-2015 WPIAL Boys Basketball Review
While WPIAL Class AA champion Aliquippa was the only district team to make it to Hershey to play for a state championship, they had to settle for state silver as District 12 teams from Philadelphia swept the boys PIAA hoops titles. But the Quips joined Chartiers Valley in Class AAAA, Indiana in Class AAA and Monessen in Class A as well deserved WPIAL basketball champs from the 2014-2015 campaign. Here is a look back at the 2014-2015 WPIAL Boys Basketball regular season standings, WPIAL postseason results and PIAA state playoff finals from a year ago. 2014-2015 BOYS BASKETBALL WPIAL FINAL STANDINGS:2014-2015 WPIAL Girls Basketball Review
Before we look ahead to the upcoming WPIAL girls basketball season, let's look back at the 2014-2015 campaign where Vincentian Academy in Class A and Blackhawk in Class AAA won double gold by winning both the WPIAL and PIAA state championships. While they didn't win a state title, both Norwin in Class AAAA and Seton-LaSalle in Class AA had very successful seasons that netted them a WPIAL championship banner. Here is a look back at the 2014-2015 WPIAL Girls Basketball regular season standings, WPIAL postseason results and PIAA state playoff finals from a year ago. 2014-2015 GIRLS BASKETBALL WPIAL FINAL STANDINGS: TEAM NAME - SECTION RECORD - OVERALL RECORD WPIAL CLASS AAAA:
WPIAL Alum Q&A – April Krivoniak
November 30, 2015
Competing in one college sport is very challenging, but playing two sports at the collegiate level is incredibly impressive. April Krivoniak, a junior at Robert Morris University, competes on both the volleyball and track and field teams for the Colonials. As a result, she is the featured athlete on this week’s installment of WPIAL Alum Q&A. Krivoniak’s diverse athleticism was on display prior to college, as she competed in three sports, including basketball, while at Greater Latrobe High School. She made quite a mark on the volleyball court, however, as she became a four-year starter for the Wildcats. She was a three-time section honoree, and during her sophomore and season campaigns, Krivoniak earned All-WPIAL honors.PIHL Notebook – 12/30/2015
Welcome to our first regular edition of “PIHL Notebook” for the 2015-16 season, 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 a pair of upsets in Class AA and Class A. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of upcoming MSA broadcasts, including two games in Class A between currently playoff-bound teams. 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 (5-0-3); Canon-McMillan (3-0-1) Class AA: Latrobe (3-0-0); Moon (3-0-0)2015 WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Results
November 29, 2015
Three of this years champs are partying like its 2008. Seven years ago, Clairton, Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson also won WPIAL titles while it was Bethel Park and not Pittsburgh Central Catholic wining Quad-A gold. We discovered two things on what it took to win this year. First, be ranked #1 in the MSA Sports Preseason Top Ten like Central Catholic, Thomas Jefferson and Clairton were all top ranked by The Network with Aliquippa #2 behind South Fayette. The second thing would be to reach Heinz Field and run the ball while shutting down the other teams ground attack.District College Recap For Saturday, November 28
And then there was one. Slippery Rock was the lone district team to advance in the NCAA Playoffs. Here are the recaps of ALL 3 games: Division II Playoffs/Super Region 1 Semifinals Slippery Rock 41 – Assumption 39 In a wild one at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, the 2nd seeded Rock jumped out to an early lead and held on to advance to the regional finals. SRU notched their 17th straight home victory and takes the Rock to 12-1 overall.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 11/29/2015
We make the move from The Highway to Heinz to the Road to Hershey while also making the move from fall sports to winter sports as November turns into December this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We follow all four of the 2015 WPIAL champions as they play PIAA Quarterfinals state football playoff games. We also tip off the WPIAL boys and girls high school basketball and scholastic wrestling seasons along with several PIHL high school hockey games and men's and women's college basketball featuring Carlow University, plus the final edition of This Week in the WPIAL and the first edition of The PIHL Power Play Show ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, November 30th:
Thomas Jefferson Shuts Down Central Valley to Win AAA Gold
After Thomas Jefferson dropped its first two contests of the 2015 season, some began to question if the Jaguars had lost their distinction as a powerhouse team. Those questions have been definitively answered, as the Jaguars won 11 straight games from that point, culminating with the WPIAL Class AAA Championship, defeating top-seeded Central Valley 20-7 at Heinz Field. With the triumph, the No. 6 Jaguars captured their sixth championship, and first since 2008, when Thomas Jefferson notched the final of three-consecutive titles.
Aliquippa Wins 16th Crown in Ending South Fayette’s 2-Year Reign
November 28, 2015
Aliquippa has found it tough to dispatch South Fayette in WPIAL Class AA championship games at Heinz Field. After falling to the Lions in the title contest two straight years, the Quips finally emerged victorious this year. But it wasn’t easy. In an incredible game that featured numerous ebbs and flows of emotion and momentum, Aliquippa (13-0) topped South Fayette (12-1) in pulsating fashion by a score of 44-38. In the process, the Quips snapped South Fayette’s 44-game winning streak and captured the school’s 16th WPIAL championship.
Central Catholic Wins 2nd Title In 3 Years With Win Over Penn-Trafford
Using an explosive running back and a defense to make big plays, The Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings claimed their fifth WPIAL championship with a 24-17 victory over the previously unbeaten Penn-Trafford Warriors in the WPIAL Quad-A Championship game at Heinz Field. The Vikings ground out 262 yards, with senior Ronnie Jones gaining 146 of those yards on the way to their tenth straight win. The defense came up big as well, holding the Warriors, who had scored 559 points in their twelve wins, to just 232 offensive yards and 29 points below their season average.
Clairton Caps Decade of Dominance With Rout of Jeannette
Defending champion Clairton wasted no time getting things started in this year’s WPIAL Class A Championship. Senior running back Harrison Dreher took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Lamont Wade added a two point conversion to put the Bears up 8-0 just 16 seconds into the game. Jeannette took over at the 36-yard line. Struggling to find an offensive rhythm, Jeannette went three and out on its first possession.Scholastic Notebook – 11/26/2015
November 26, 2015
The weather has been pretty good the past few days. That means it’s a perfect time to pick a fresh batch of “factoids” from the “factoid tree.” They always go well with the WPIAL football championships, which are Saturday at Heinz Field. **** Just about all of the coaches in the title games have had that championship feeling before. Penn-Trafford’s John Ruane and Jeannette’s Roy Hall are the only coaches who haven’t won a title. Between the other seven, there are 17 championships. Aliquippa’s Mike Zmijanac has won five, Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak four, South Fayette’s Joe Rossi three, Central Valley’s Mark Lyons two, Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Terry Totten two and Clairton’s Wayne Wade one.
