Sports
CTK ’16: WPIAL 5-A Players to Watch
August 13, 2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 continues with a now six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP PLAYERS and submitting their name. Here is a look at some of the players to watch this 2016 campaign in 5-A. OFFENSE: Quarterbacks: Ross Anderson - Hampton Running Backs: Zane Dudek - Armstrong Thomas Vissman - Upper St. Clair
Four Female WPIAL Grads Competing in Rio Olympics
August 12, 2016
If you saw them compete for their Western Pennsylvania high schools, it really should come as no surprise that the four WPIAL graduates competing in the Rio de Janiero Olympics are doing exactly what they did as youngsters: dominate. With national and international accomplishments already under their belts, Meghan Klingenberg, Leah Smith, Amanda Polk and Christa Harmotto-Dietzen have taken it a step further during the Brazilian games, excelling against the world’s highest level of competition. Additionally, the accomplishments of these athletes show the progressive movement of female athletics throughout the region, state and country. This year, the United States of America broke the record for the most female athletes to participate in the Olympics.
CTK ’16: WPIAL 4-A Players to Watch
August 11, 2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 continues with a now six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP PLAYERS and submitting their name. Here is a look at some of the players to watch this 2016 campaign in 4-A. OFFENSE: Quarterbacks: Drew Saxton - South Fayette George Martin - Ringgold Mikey Fine - Belle Vernon Running Backs: Quinton Hill - Thomas Jefferson
CTK ’16: WPIAL 3-A Players to Watch
August 10, 2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 continues with a now six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP PLAYERS and submitting their name. Here is a look at some of the players to watch this 2016 campaign in 2-A. OFFENSE: Quarterbacks: Alex Smith - Keystone Oaks Darius Wise - Beaver John Yester - Mount Pleasant Marcus Czulewicz - McGuffey Ryan Everly - Yough
CTK ’16: WPIAL 2-A Players to Watch
August 9, 2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 continues with a now six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP PLAYERS and submitting their name. Here is a look at some of the players to watch this 2016 campaign in 2-A. OFFENSE: Quarterbacks: Frank Antuono - Neshannock Josh Hughes - Bentworth Brad McLaughlin - Burgettstown Geno Pellegrini - Charleroi Michael Trent - Brentwood
CTK ’16: WPIAL 1-A Players to Watch
August 8, 2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 continues with a now six-day look at some of the top high school football talent in the WPIAL for this upcoming season. As always, this list just scratches the surface. We ask for your help in building a complete rundown of candidates. You can nominate a top player by clicking on NOMINATE TOP PLAYERS and submitting their name. Here is a look at some of the players to watch this 2016 campaign in 1-A. OFFENSE: Quarterbacks: Gio Vonne Sanders - Jeannette Austin Scott - Bishop Canevin Sammy Carey - Springdale Ian Kouba - Rochester Running Backs:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/08/2016
Countdown to Kickoff 2016 and Frontier League baseball continue during heat acclamation week here on the MSA Sports Network. We continue to prepare you every day for the upcoming high school football season with CTK '16. The Network is also the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as they host Lake Erie for three games before hitting the road to Windy City this weekend, plus we have another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, August 8th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net
CTK ’16: New High School Football Rules in 2016
August 7, 2016
It’s time once again to check in on the guys in the striped shirts with a look at the rule changes in the WPIAL and PIAA play for the upcoming season. Just one major change was passed by the National Federation of High Schools rules committee entering the 2016 campaign. The committee eliminated clipping from the game. Clipping was still allowed in the free blocking zone, which is four yards laterally from the spot of the snap and three yards behind the line of scrimmage, with certain conditions. Now all blocks below the waist and from behind are now illegal and will result in a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. It is still legal to clip a runner from behind or a player pretending to be a runner.
CTK ’16: WPIAL A 2015 Football Flashback
The good news for Clairton was they added another WPIAL title notch to their championship belt. The bad news is though that after winning four straight PIAA crowns from 2009 through 2012, the state gold drought expanded to four years last fall. The Bears roared through the regular season and district playoffs before crushing Jeannette to earn a 12th school football crown and the seventh championship in the last eight years. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Single-A in 2015. 2015 WPIAL SINGLE-A HEADLINES:
CTK ’16: WPIAL AA 2015 Football Flashback
August 6, 2016
Playing in the teams record eighth WPIAL Class AA championship game in a row, obviously Powerhouse Aliquippa was no stranger to Heinz Field. What was strange was to see a team have the Quips number. Aliquippa was facing South Fayette for a third straight year and for the fourth time in six years, however the Lions were a perfect 3-0 in head-to-head battles for gold on the North Shore. The fourth title game between the green and the red was another instant classic, but this time Aliquippa prevailed for their sixth district crown in the first 16 years of this century. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Double-A in 2015. 2015 WPIAL DOUBLE-A HEADLINES:
CTK ’16: WPIAL AAA 2015 Football Flashback
August 5, 2016
In the early part of this century, there was no better football program year in and year out than what Bill Cherpak had at Thomas Jefferson High School. The Jaguars won three straight WPIAL Class AAA titles from 2006 through 2008 plus had it not been for a stunning upset loss to Franklin Regional in the 2005 title game, it would have been five in a row for TJ, which also won the 2004 championship. The Jags also won three PIAA state titles from '04 to '08. Even in years they weren't winning district or state titles, they were winning conference crowns and going deep into the postseason. The golden drought had hit six years before Thomas Jefferson returned to the top in 2015. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Triple-A in 2015.Ackerman dominates, as Wild Things Fall to Evansville
August 4, 2016
The Washington Wild Things and Evansville Otters played game two of their three game series at Bosse Field Wednesday night. The offense couldn't get Anything going on the night as Hunter Ackerman dominated on the mound for the Evansville Otters as they would win by the score of 4-2. Sam Agnew-Wieland took the mound for the Wild Things making his fourth start of the season. He came out in the first and retired the first man of the inning before Josh Allen hit a solo shot over the left field wall, his eighth home run of the year, as the Otters took an early 1-0 lead. Agnew-Wieland would then settle down and get the final two outs of the inning.
CTK ’16 – WPIAL AAAA 2015 Football Flashback
Expansion is a big part of this upcoming year, so lets start by going back to the last time the PIAA and thus the WPIAL expanded to four classifications in 1980. While always seeming to be in the playoffs and part of the title discussion each year, it took Pittsburgh Central Catholic 23 years to win a district football title (they did win the first ever PIAA AAAA crown in 1988). However since that WPIAL crown in 2003, the Vikings have been kings of the castle five times now, with the one for the thumb coming last fall. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Quad-A in 2015. 2015 WPIAL QUAD-A HEADLINES:CTK ’16 – WPIAL Football Alignment Changes
August 2, 2016
We all knew it was coming. A major change to the WPIAL high school sports landscape based on the PIAA's decision last year to increase from four to six classifications in among other sports, high school football. With the increase in classes comes a change in the WPIAL Football Playoff format as well, with eight teams in 6-A, 5-A, 4-A and 3-A making the postseason (top four teams in each conference in 6-A, 5-A and 4-A and the top two teams in each conference plus two wild card teams in 3-A) with three weeks of playoffs and 16 teams qualifying in 2-A and 1-A (top 5 teams in each conference plus a wild card) with four weeks of postseason play. This will also be the alignment for the 2017 football season. Class 6ACOUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF 2016
August 1, 2016
The countdown to the start of the 2016 high school football season is underway. We have major changes this year with the expansion from four to six classifications and teams having the option to have a second scrimmage on Friday, August 26th/Saturday, August 27th or playing an actual non-conference game that has been labeled Week Zero. Week One is set for Friday, September 2nd/Saturday, September 3rd. Training camps for the new campaign open up in Western Pennsylvania on Monday, August 15th.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/31/2016
July 31, 2016
The start of August means one thing for high school football fans...the start of Countdown to Kickoff 2016 this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We are live from Kennywood Park on Wednesday with the annual presentation of arrows during the MSA Sports/Kennywood Park Preseason All-Star Team Awards Show preceded by a special season preview during This Week in the WPIAL.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/28/2016
July 28, 2016
The action on the pro baseball diamond continues to sizzle as we close out the scorching month of July this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We are the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as the week begins with a series at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington against the Normal Cornbelters before the team hits the road this weekend against the Florence Freedom in Frontier League pro baseball, plus we have another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 25th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 07/21/2016
July 21, 2016
The action on the diamond for both the pro's and the youth heat up (and we really mean HEAT up) this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We are the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as this week they begin with a series at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington against the River City Rascals before hitting the road this weekend against the Southern Illinois Miners in Frontier League pro baseball. We also have youth baseball with the start of the Pennsylvania American Legion Western Regional Playoffs, plus we have another great edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.netThis Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/15/2016
July 15, 2016
It is the quietest seven days in the entire calendar year as the Frontier League hits its all-star break this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We are the only place to turn for audio and video coverage of the Washington Wild Things, as they return to action after the break at CONSOL Energy Field in Washington to host the Southern Illinois Miners, plus another edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, July 11th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net Tuesday, July 12th: No Broadcasts
MSA SPORTS CUP RESULTS – Sewickley Kings of Single-A Again
July 12, 2016
Sewickley Academy is once again on top of the Class A standings in the chase for the MSA Sports Cup after leapfrogging defending champ Greensburg Central Catholic. In fact, the Panthers and Centurions have been tagging in for titles the last five years with GCC winning in 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 and SA claiming the Cup in 201--2011, 2013-2014 and now in 2015-2016. The championship for Sewickley Academy is the schools 9th in 13 years of the competition and was aided greatly by district and state championships in boys golf and boys tennis along with WPIAL crowns in boys cross-country and boys soccer.
