Tag: Brentwood

Big Game Hunting for Week Eleven

November 9, 2016

Call it what you like, redemption Friday, redo Friday, rematch Friday, every single game in the three largest classifications this Friday night is a game that was already played at some point during the regular season. We prefer to call it the semi-finals, and there is no better time to go Big Game Hunting! The suddenness with which the semi-finals jump up on us in 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A is a little unnerving. But hey, we got a new President recently, let’s find out if we are going to get some new champions as well.

Read More...

Big Game Hunting for Week Nine 2016

October 27, 2016

The final week of the regular season arrives and things are still a bit murky around the WPIAL, but as always the “Boss” has made it clear and precise, if you have questions about your team and their post season needs or desires, it is laid out here, http://www.msasports.net/articles/2016-wpial-football-playoff-picture. That amount of work can only be a labor of love, and when the boss is doing a labor of love, the worker-bees will almost always do the same. Like the famous line in Remember the Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership”. So, this opening paragraph is dedicated to my colleagues, each of them I know, doing this job because they love it.

Read More...

Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers Hometown Volleyball Broadcast Recap

September 20, 2016

With the re-classification of girl’s volleyball for the 2016 season, the Chartiers Houston Buccaneers find themselves in a section with both Fort Cherry and defending WPIAL Champion and PIAA Champion Bishop Canevin, on top of losing its best player, Kylee Levers to the Pitt Panthers’ volleyball squad, and two other key pieces from last year’s section champion squad. Going into play Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Lady Bucs were 3-1 in section 3 of 1A and set for a battle with the previously 2-2 Brentwood Spartans. In each section contest this season for the Lady Bucs, the final of the match has been in straight sets and Tuesday evening was no different, only it resulted in Chartiers-Houston (3-2) falling by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-21 to Brentwood (3-2).

Read More...

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.

Read More...

CTK ’16: 2-A Three Rivers Conference Preview

August 26, 2016

The Three Rivers Conference was demolished after 1999, just two years before Three Rivers Stadium was demolished. But the Three Rivers Conference has come back to life. With six classifications in Pennsylvania football this year, new conferences were formed in the WPIAL. The eight teams in this Class 2A section decided to call themselves the Three Rivers Conference. The funny thing is, only one team (Carlynton) that is a member of the Three Rivers this season also was in the last Three Rivers Conference in 1999. Here is a look at the new Three Rivers Conference: AVONWORTH ANTELOPES The Antelopes will look a lot different this year. Why? Because they don’t have a quarterback who set a WPIAL record last season.

Read More...

Scholastic Notebook – 04/29/2016

April 29, 2016

It’s unlikely that the Pittsburgh Central Catholic baseball team will make the WPIAL playoffs this season. That’s highly unusual. Central Catholic’s string of six consecutive playoff appearances would be broken. But that’s not what makes the Vikings’ situation unusual. What makes Central Catholic’s case so unusual is that Central Catholic is the defending WPIAL Class AAAA champion. Since 2000, the WPIAL champion in the largest classification has missed the playoffs the following year only twice. Mt. Lebanon won in 2006 and missed the playoffs in 2007. Hopewell won in 2000 and missed the playoffs in 2001.

Read More...

Scholastic Notebook – 04/15/2016

April 15, 2016

This is the second year that North Hills has scheduled almost all of its home baseball games in the evening. But this is the year the stars are shining brightest for North Hills.  North Hills has been one of the surprise teams of WPIAL baseball. Look at the always loaded Northern area section of Class AAAA (Section 1) and you’ll see North Hills alone at the top of the standings. Wow. Look at the MSA Class AAAA rankings and you’ll see North Hills near the top at No. 3. Gasp. The reason for the surprise is North Hills has never been associated much over the past decade or so with winning baseball. The last time the Indians finished above .500 in the section was 2003. Their last section championship was 2002.

Read More...

Hometown Girls Volleyball Recap – Brentwood Spartans – 10/15/2015

October 15, 2015

Both Brentwood and Carlynton were on the outside looking in as far as playoff spots from Class A Section 2 were concerned coming into their match Wednesday night. But that didn't stop both teams from putting on a thriller at Brentwood High School as the host Spartans prevailed 3-2 over the Cougars. The Spartans got off to a fast start in Game 1 with a 5-0 run thanks to the service game of junior Molly Huffman.  Brentwood continued to dominate the first game, leading by as many as 11 points.  Even near the end of that first game, however, the momentum started to shift toward Carlynton.  Despite being outscored, 9-3, the Spartans still won Game 1, 25-20. 

Read More...

WPIAL Big Game Hunting – Week Four – 09/23/2015

September 23, 2015

One third of the regular season is in the books and there are still a lot of questions to be answered. There were some big games in week three that seemed to indicate that 2015 might be wide open with regards to the teams with a chance to reach Heinz Field. That’s what makes this job so much fun. You see, you research, and you get a feel for history, and coaches, and programs but the bottom-line is you cannot really know what will happen when those kids go out there and take the field every Friday night. We do know it will be fun, and we also know MSA Sports will be the ultimate place for you to find out what happened, and how and, why it happened. More unbeaten teams will fall this weekend, it’s time to go Big Game Hunting!

Read More...

Hometown Girls Volleyball Recap – Brentwood Spartans – 09/18/2015

September 18, 2015

The Brentwood Girls Volleyball team hosted undefeated Bishop Canevin in Section 2 A action Thursday night.  Canevin prevailed in straight sets but had to work hard to secure the victory against the Lady Spartans.  The score of the first set, a 25-15 Canevin win, did not reflect just how closely contested the match was.  Brentwood actually led 13-8 and looked to be in good shape when a side out led to Canevin’s serve and Julia Menosky would serve winners on the next 13 points in a row to break open the set giving Canevin a 22-13 lead.  The second set was tied at 24 when the Lady Crusaders were able to convert a pair of points into a 26-24 victory. 

Read More...