Tag: Armstrong

MSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week Two

September 10, 2016

It was wet...it was wild...and depending on what sideline you were on, it was a wonderful Friday night of high school football...and we are only in Week Two. A long winning streak stretching over parts of seven years came to a sudden halt...a long losing streak came within inches of ending...and depending on what part of Western Pennsylvania you were watching your favorite team, you either had to deal with a pregame sprinkle or a mid-game downpour. Oh yeah, there were these gems that provided the icing on a very delicious scholastic football cake. Phil Jurkovec - Pine-Richland

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Chicks Picks for Week Two

September 8, 2016

Welcome to Week 2 of the high school football season. Chick’s Picks has been fortunate enough to make a lot of friends throughout her prognosticating career – some that are unforgettable, and others that she cares to forget.  One of Chick’s Picks’ favorites happens to be a very dear Twitter pal, who happens to be the better half of a local coach.  This Twitter pal in particular has stood by Chick’s Picks through good times and bad – weeks when the crystal ball was on fire, as well as weeks when early retirement was considered.  Earlier this season, during Week Zero, Chick’s Picks’ pal even came through with her own prediction when the crystal ball was in the shop for maintenance.

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Big Game Hunting for Week Two 2016

September 7, 2016

Friday and Saturday the MSA Sports Network has you covered with wall to wall games from week two of the WPIAL season, and hey, even if your game turns out to be not that good, at least you won’t have to watch the Pirates! Some eyebrows were raised last week and there were also a lot of “I told you so”s being thrown around the WPIAL in week one. We continue to discover who is going to rise to the top, and who is going to find themselves in a dog fight for their playoff lives here in 2016. Because for sure, some of these teams are going to show a lot more fight for their playoff lives than the aforementioned Pirates. So forget that dusty old Jolly Roger over there in the corner and let’s go Big Game Hunting!

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MSA Sports Friday Night HighLights for Week Zero

August 27, 2016

I was never a math wizard, but I was always told that zero = nothing. Well these athletes have spit in the faces of mathematicians everywhere by proving that Zero actually can equate into a whole lot. Once again this season, MSA Sports looks back at some of the top performances from Friday nights around the WPIAL as we tip our first caps to those who proved that they did not need a second scrimmage to be ready for primetime. Jordan Castelli - Canon-McMillan

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CTK ’16: 5-A Big East Conference Preview

August 19, 2016

The 5A Big East Conference bares a strong resemblance for the former Quad-A Foothills Conference, as Connellsville, Greater Latrobe, Kiski Area, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and Plum all remain intact. The other three spots, though, are comprised of teams previously in the AAA Greater Allegheny Conference, Franklin Regional, Gateway and Armstrong. Six of the nine squads qualified for the postseason last year, with Penn-Trafford reaching Heinz Field for the Quad-A title game and McKeesport also ranking among Quad-A's best. If the Warriors and Tigers take even a slight step back this year, though, the conference could be wide open.

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CTK ’16: MSA SPORTS PRESEASON ELITE ELEVEN

August 16, 2016

Pittsburgh Central Catholic is ranked in the top 20 in some national preseason polls. To MSA Sports, the Vikings have three players who rank among the top 11 in the WPIAL. Three Central Catholic players have been selected to the MSA Sports Elite 11 preseason team. The squad is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL and is picked by the MSA Sports staff. The three Central Catholic players named to the Elite 11 are lineman C.J. Thorpe, lineman Kurt Hinish and linebacker David Adams. All three seniors already are commited to Division I colleges. Thorpe will attend Penn State while Adams and Hinish have made verbal commitments to Notre Dame. While Central Catholic has three players on the Elite 11, Steel Valley has two – Paris Ford and Dewayne Murray.

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2016 National Letter of Intent Day – MSA Sports Elite Eleven College Destinations

February 3, 2016

Wednesday is National Letter of Intent Day where high school seniors make their verbal commitments official by signing on the dotted line to the school of their choice. What were the final college destinations for the members of the 2015 MSA Sports The Elite 11 football all-star team? Here is a look: PLAYER OF THE YEAR: KAEZON PUGH, ALIQUIPPA RB-LB, 6-2, 217, Sr. PITT ZACH CHANDLER, AVONWORTH QB, 6-4, 235, Sr. ALDERSON-BROADDUS   DAMAR HAMLIN, PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC WR-DB, 6-2, 189, Sr. PITT   HUNTER HAYES, SOUTH FAYETTE RB-DB, 6-1, 195, Sr. PENN  

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Scholastic Notebook – 11/13/2015

November 13, 2015

A Steel Valley player made some history last week. Now, the Steel Valley team will try to make some more history Friday night. It went pretty much unnoticed, but Steel Valley running back DeWayne Murray surpassed 4,000 career yards rushing last week in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Although close to 70 runners have gained 4,000 yards rushing in their careers, it is a noteworthy feat for Murray because he is only a junior and is the first Steel Valley player to reach 4,000 yards. Murray has 4,097 yards on 363 attempts, an impressive 11.3 yards-per-carry average. Because he is only a junior, he has a good chance to next year become the 17th runner in WPIAL history to gain 5,000 career yards.

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Scholastic Notebook – 11/06/2015

November 6, 2015

The WPIAL football playoffs start Friday night. Does that mean the Tri-County South Conference turns into the Tri-County Sour bunch once again? The Tri-County South in Class A hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season. Since then, Tri-County South teams are 0-16 in the postseason. But maybe there is hope to end the postseason drought this year. Frazier finished the regular season with a 9-0 record and the Commodores were given the No. 4 seed. Frazier led the entire WPIAL in fewest points allowed this season and it plays host to South Side in a first-round game.

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WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Eight – 10/21/2015

October 21, 2015

Week Eight arrives and we can smell the playoffs now. The post season party is just around the corner at the MSA World Headquarters, in fact pairings shows and medals are already making their appearances. But football is the biggie, the one where everyone shows up and Chix Picks prepares the fresh sushi bar. The Football pairing show is always likely to trigger a Schaasy and Mike Azadian argument about schools from Lawrence County versus schools from Allegheny County. Usually we have two people per classification and there is just enough sushi and just the right amount of seats to avoid problems. Next year though, six classifications for the first time, THAT could be a disaster at headquarters. Just another in the long list of reasons this particular reporter dislikes the move so much.

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